DON'T WAIST ANY TIME

Augusta District-L Brother Ficklin(assistant ward mission leader) Elders Bogden, Caldwell, Ultra (Philippine), Abankwa (Africa) Sunday evening after dinner at our apartment.
Elders knocking on doors Sunday morning wake up call.

Savannah River

Dam on Savannah River

Spanish moss covering trees along the Savannah Rive

Dogwood up close. The dogwood trees are in full bloom and they are beautiful.

Pink and white dogwood

Sister Holm and Sister missionaries

Transfers loading up and heading back to Augusta.

Elder and Sister Lovell - returning home in 3 weeks

Elder Holyoak last good-by

Elder Ultra and Elder Law(zone leader)

Elder Cardon going to his new assignment

Transfer day is lots of work for Elder Berry

Elder Hunt instruction Sisters about cars

Sister Bodine office

On the way to Columbia Wednesday morning. We drove in fog most of the way

Loading up at the apartment in Augusta for the trip to Columbia

"Don't waist any time " was the advice given by a missionary returning home as he bore his testimony for the last time as a missionary in the Columbia South Carolina Mission. We enjoy transfer meetings because we get to hear the testimonies of the missionaries returning home and the missionaries just beginning their mission. One Elder returning home to Tonga bore a very powerful testimony and said it would be hard returning home because it just wouldn't be the same because his mother wouldn't be there to greet him but he knew she had watched over him as he served. Later President Holm gave some remarks and told everyone that the Elders mother had died while he was serving his mission. His mother's last words were "Please tell my son to finish his mission." President Holm said it was the hardest thing he ever did was to deliver such news to one of his missionaries and he and Sister Holm spent the night with him. What faith and testimony on the part of both son and mother and the son honored his mother's desire.

Some time we just waist time saying what if. We had the opportunity to visit an inactive young man who is a convert. He doesn't come to church because he doesn't have a ride. Before he joined the church he went to many different congregations and he said that their teachings were all different and build upon what men believed and not on Christ. He asked the question What if our church divided and someone started another church, what would we do. We reminded him of the things he had been taught and how our church was organized and Christ was the head of our Church and always would be. We explained many other things and read srciptures with him. He still asked what if. We told him it would never happen and bore strong testimony. We asked if he was reading the Book of Mormon and his response was when he was inspired to do so. We committed him to read from the Book of Mormon daily.

We waist time because we don't know how to communicate. Saturday a sister was to be baptized. She has been have problems with her teeth and had to have some teeth pulled but said she would be able to be baptized anyway. Saturday the Elders tried and tried many times to call her but she didn't answer her phone. Finally they drove to her apartment and her son answered the door and said his mother wasn't there and she wasn't getting baptized and closed the door. The Elders were confused,thinking her family was interfering, and didn't know what to do so they filled the baptismal font in hopes she showed up. Thirty minutes after the baptismal time she hadn't come. The Elders asked Elder Berry and me to go check on her before they let the water out of the font because she wasn't responding to them. When we got to her house a granddaughter answered the door and said her grandmother wasn't home. We asked how long she would be gone and where she was? We expressed our concern for her because of her teeth and the health problems she was having and we just wanted to make sure she was OK and not in the hospital. The lady stuck her head around the door and was happy to see us because we had accompanied the missionaries teaching her. She said she was doing better but still had stitches in her mouth and didn't feel like getting baptized today but she would next week. Why didn't she just answer her phone and tell the missionaries? She invited us to return with the missionaries because she liked the way we explained things (I think it's really an age thing). We called the Elders and told them to pull the plug. Telling the truth would have been much easier and saved a lot of time for everyone.

Sometimes when we think our time is wasted it really isn't. A young man came to church yesterday that we visited when we first arrived in Augusta. He is a returned missionary but has become inactive. Elder Berry has had different people contact him. We have been involved in other things lately and haven't contacted him. Yesterday at church we looked behind us and there he sat on the back bench in the chapel. I'm sure he was there because of his desires and nothing we had said or done but he was where he needed to be.

This has been a busy and exciting week. We are thankful for the new Elders who have been assigned to Augusta and look forward to serving with them. We will try not to waist time missing our Elders who have moved on although they will always have a special place in our hearts. We are counting down the days until our family visit in April

Love, Elder and Sister Berry