May Days

Back: E Cleveland, E Barlow, S Barlow, S Nicolas, E Nicolas, E Cleveland,
Front: E Eliason, S Eliason

The Oneida Branch has four sets of missionaries. The full time Elders find and teach investigators. We have had wonderful missionaries serve in this branch throughout our mission, Elder Jones, Elder Meidell, Elder Gutierrez, Elder Black, Elder Houston, Elder Wankier, Elder Wilson, Elder Cleveland, Elder Klima and Elder Dansie.  Elder and Sister Eliason from Orem are here for six months and are serving as Missionary Leader Support. Elder Eliason is serving as a counselor to President Micah Colbert and Sister Eliason is the Young Women's leader.  Elder and Sister Nicolas are serving for the next six months as Temple missionaries in the Palmyra temple and are assigned to the Oneida Branch to give support. This missionary force is the life blood of the branch. They give much needed experience and service to the Branch members.

Teddy and Sister Sanders

We so enjoy each month's Fast and Testimony meeting in the Oneida Branch.  The spirit is strong even though our numbers may be few.  We have a young man who seems to get up before anyone else to bear his testimony, who, unbeknownst to him, sets the tone for us.  His name is Teddy Nicholson. He was adopted by his Uncle and Aunt, Brother and Sister Sanders who lovingly care for him. This is what he shared:
"I have been diagnosed with autism, I am legally blind and am mentally retarded and I can't read. I feel I am a voice for those who don't have a voice and help those that are less fortunate than I am; I know I am a son of God and a brother of Jesus Christ and they love me."  He can't read the words of the Hymns, but he sings the words he has heard over and over again.  His testimony is always simple and short, but his heart is large and strong in his willingness to help and be of service.  He melts our hearts.

Elder Jones, Meidell, Elder Barlow, Becky Matthews, Amy

Sister Becky Matthews is another member of the Branch who's example of service, especially to the missionaries, has blessed many lives. She is a single mother raising her daughter Amy. She is always feeding the missionaries and lending her support. She served in the Los Angeles mission as a young missionary and at one time served in the Mar Vista Ward. Here we are in her kitchen with Elder Jones and Elder Meidell once again being fed.

Oneida Museu

This month we visited the Oneida Nation museum. Two families in our branch are from this Indian Nation. The Oneida are one of five tribes that make up the Haudenosaunee or People of the Longhouse. We know them as the Iroquois. In the early days they made up the most powerful native confederation in the Northeast, perhaps in the whole country.  The five tribes making up the Iroquois were, Mohawk (people of the flint also Keepers of the Eastern Gate), Oneida (People of the Standing Stone), Onondaga (people of the Hills), Cayuga (people at the boat landing) and the Seneca (People of the Great Hill, also the Keepers of the Western Gate). The tribes stretched from Albany, New York on the East to Rochester New York on the West.  Sister Barlow was very much interested in this history having ancestors who were Mohawk. We are very proud to be a part of this history.

May departures

May transfers came and once again we said our good byes to Elders Atwood, Bloomfield, Cleveland, Gabbitas, Hougaard, Huebsch, Jensen and Neville. We found that the sadness was not quite so poignant this time as we will be following them soon. Many of our missionaries live in and around the Provo area so they have promised to drop by for cookies and milk or a meal. What fun we will have.

Ann Brady

The young lady on the right is Sister Ann Brady. Ann was converted to the church by listening to the "\Music and the Spoken Word" with Richard L Evens. She loves that man! Ann has assisted us with getting out the mail every Monday for many, many years, long before we came on the scene. She is 90 years young and we love her.





When the AP's save up enough plastic bottles, we have a pizza party. Here are the Utica missionaries and Office missionaries partying it up.

Elder Rymer returned to visit the mission field with his parents. He attends BYU where we expect to see him perform in Men's Chorus or Performance Choir. He is very talented.

May is graduation time. One of our investigators, Felisha Teska, graduated from Onondaga Community College. Felisha and Dan will be married in August and  baptized on my birthday in August. Felisha has shown much interest in Family History and is looking forward to doing temple work for her deceased ancestors.

 

CONGRATULATIONS to our granddaughter who graduated from Ft Collins High School and will be entering BYU in the fall. We are proud of her many accomplishments, she even spoke at the graduation. We love you Tara!!!

Well, after a very long winter, Spring did return to New York. I noticed that I took a picture of this tree last May. The blossoms returned but the tree lost a few branches because of the heavy winter snows. We are grateful for the return of warm weather. We send our love to family and friends that might see this blog. Have a wonderful summer.