March Celebrations

NY Leprechaun

March was a month of celebrations. Two Granddaughters, Caitlin and Grace, celebrated their 13th and 12th birthdays, respectively. Caitlin entered the teen years and it seems she is a little nervous about falling into the trap of teenage behavior and attitude. Grandma told her not to worry because she gets to choose what kind of teenager she will be and she will be great!  Grace is now a Young Woman with everything that brings, YW activities, Girls Camp and Temple Trips.. Such an exciting time for both of these fantastic young women. HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

 



Utica New York

We celebrated St. Patricks' Day by visiting the local Mall and listened to some Irish music from a violin troop (plus the adorable little Leprechaun with his purple guitar shown on top). 



Ben & Judy's Sugarhouse

Next, we celebrated Maple Syrup Season by making our annual trip to Ben and Judy's Sugarhouse where we enjoyed a breakfast of all the hotcakes we could eat with home grown maple syrup, yum!

Elder Watkins, AP

Every day we celebrate the blessing of being around young missionaries who show us so much love and caring. Whenever we have transfers or meetings they enter our office with so much enthusiasm and energy and it seems that the very air is electrified by their presence. At the end of the day the Cutlers and Barlow drop from exhaustion. Elder Barlow summed it up when he said, "They enter our space and infuse in us all this energy and excitement and when they leave they suck it right out again."



Sister's Blevins & John

Sister Blevens and John serve in our area and brought this thoughtful poster to express their thanks. This is what it says: "Oh, the things you do for us and the mission. We're sure there are days you'd rather be fishin'. You do so much with cars, apartments, and mail. We bet you'd even bail us out of jail. We never knew there were people so sweet and kind. You help us anytime we are in a bind. There's a guaranteed smile when you all are nearby. Sometimes we wonder, 'How and Why?' It's because you are all Christlike-loving and meek. You have the gifts that we all do seek. Thank you for your love, guidance, and strength. You'll always be our family.'  Love Always, Sister Blevins & Sister John."

 

Barlow's, Elder Borgia, Cutlers

Elder Baird

 We were thrilled to have two returned missionaries visit the office. Elder Baird and Elder Borgia both dropped in to say "hi" as they did a return tour of their mission. What great young men.

 

On March 29th we celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary. This was the day we sealed our love and made eternal commitments.  As we reflect back over the years, we realize now what we knew then, we were the best of friends, we took each others' love--always with tenderness.  Each date, during our courting years, was like the first.  Some couples have a favorite song that expresses their love for each other but we have a favorite poem, the last line is engraved in Elder Barlow's wedding ring.

 

AT THE ALTAR by Carol Lynn Pearson

 

The thought of forever

Teased my mind

Like a mountain

Through a thickly

Misted view.

 

But today the

Veil dissolved

To show--

'Eternity

Is you.'

Elder & Sister Barlow's 45th Anniversary

 









Friday we left the office a little early, stopping in Syracuse for dinner at Cheese Cake Factory. That evening we stayed at the Palmyra Inn and met the Oneida Branch members at the Palmyra Temple. Three of our youth were there to do proxy baptisms for nine of their own ancestors.

Sis. Barlow, Palmer

While at the temple we ran into one of our returned missionaries, Barbie Palmer. We saw her the last time we went to the temple. She is a Nanny in the Rochester area and will be returning home in the Fall. Besides renewing our covenants we also renewed our determination to serve to the end of our mission. It is easy to become "trunky" at the end so we promised that we would go back and treat the last three months as a new beginning of the rest of our mission. We love our mission! On our return trip to Utica we once again stopped in Syracuse and had dinner at P F Changs. It was a wonderful weekend.

Elder and Sister Barlow, 45th Anniversary at Palmyra

The weather is changing now as we approach Spring. Instead of snow, we are experiencing a mix of snow and rain. Because the ground is already saturated we now experience floods. We traveled to Oneida for church last Sunday only to discover that the roads were flooded out. We took the marked detour on the roads and safely arrived at our destination only to find that the parking lot was empty... church was canceled.

Hector

Elder Gabbitas

The last week of March was the greatest reason to celebrate. We attended the baptism of three very special souls. Hector was taught by Elder's Gabbitas and Watkins in Utica. Before being converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he was a member of a motorcycle gang. His life has dramatically changed as he has accepted what the missionaries taught him.  He asked if he could say something at his baptism and proceeded to bare a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and his gratitude for this second chance at life. This is a testimony that the atonement applies to all that are willing to turn unto Him.

Elder Wilson, Tony Turbee, Elder Black, Elder Cleveland

Sister Wirthlin, Tony, Pres. Wirthlin

On March 24th our dear friend Tony Turbee entered the waters of baptism. We have watched him progress on the path which led to this day and we rejoiced with him and his wife, Jan. Elder and Sister Barlow were privileged to speak at the baptism. There was an outpouring of love and support

Cleveland, Pres. Larcher, Tony, Wilson

for this good man. He will be a great strength to this area as he continues to grow and learn.





Elder Black, Tony, Bro. Morgan

 

Brother Hill, Olivia

The next evening we returned to Oneida for the sweet baptism of Olivia Hill. Olivia is one of our Primary children. The missionaries have been working with her family and they recently returned to activity. We love this family. Brother Hill is full blood Oneida Indian and Sister Barlow is learning how to do Family History following the matriarchal line in his family history which is their tradition. Olivia was baptized by her father on her birthday so Sister Eliason made her a birthday cake.


It is a great privilege to serve as a missionary in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Our lives have been blessed in so many ways and our circle of friends have increased as we have served here. We have been forever changed and enriched by accepting this call.



February Flurries

 



They say that "A picture is worth a thousand words" so, I won't mention the "C" word, instead I will just show the pictures.



 

 

A lot of love went across Sister Barlow's desk this month. Valentines boxes and letters galore. Here is a picture of Sister Blevins opening her Valentines package.

Sister Blevins "Peek-a-boo"

 

This Valentines day was spent serving together as a Senior Missionary Couple. We have often mentioned just how grateful we are for this opportunity to be together 24-7. Next month we will be celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary. Has it really been that long? We are often asked how we met. It is fun to tell these young missionaries how we met on Elder Barlow's first night home from the mission field. Sister Barlow was trying to make a good first impression and asked him how she could prepare to go on a mission. Little did we know at that time Sister Barlow was interviewing her future Missionary Companion. We have had a wonderful life together. How blessed we have been as a couple and as the parents of six beautiful children. This mission experience has added to our commitment to each other and to the Lord.

 



Cutlers, Barlows, Elder Perkins, Wirthlins

At the beginning of the month we enjoyed a visit to the mission from Elder Anthony D. Perkins. He was able to share an idea that the Church is instituting in some remote parts of the world where travel is limited. They are forming small groups within a Branch or Ward, overseen by priesthood. These small groups meet in local homes three weeks and then come together one Sunday out of the month. In some area's they share speakers and messages from their leaders via Skype. We have areas in our mission where members have to travel an hour each way. President Wirthlin has already initiated a "Group" up North to see if this might work.




MLC

 

February Arrivals


MLC(Mission Leader Council) meet each month for instruction. 


In February we welcomed another fifteen new missionaries.


Gabbitas, Pipe, Bezzant, Lamb, Tanner, Taylor

Pryor, Tanner, Lamb, Taylor, Pipe, Whitworth, Bezzant,Wirthlin

Our returning missionaries this month were: Elder's Pryor, Tanner, Lamb and Taylor; Sister Pipe returned to the Salt Lake Visitor's Center while Sister's Whitworth and Bezzant returned home. Elder Tanner was very special to us. He was Assistant to the President and we worked closely with him in the Mission Office. I don't think I have ever met a more capable leader, even at his young age. In October we were all saddened to hear that Elder Tanner's father had been killed in an airplane accident. He faced this trial with a great amount of faith and courage. In the final training he gave at Zone Conference he shared some of the experiences he learned from his father's death.  He taught that "Things will happen in life that will rock you boat." He explained that his father, who was the pilot of a small plane had a choice to make at the end. He couldn't go up because the plane had lost all power at take off  but he could choose to bank the plane to the right or the left. He chose to bank it to the left although he knew he would take the full force of the crash but there was a chance that his young son who was a passenger in the back seat and his friend seated next to him might survive. Because of his father's choice, Elder Tanner's younger brother and his father's friend, although critically injured, did survive while his father was killed on impact. Because of this experience, Elder Tanner more fully understands what it means that the Savior died for him. He said, "The time is now, the time is yours to build a foundation which will help you through the trials of life. You can not wait until the trials come, it will be too late."

Elder's Pryor, Taylor, Lamb and Tanner

 We have a tradition in the New York Utica Mission that the returning missionaries are given the opportunity to travel to Palmyra with President and Sister Wirthlin and attend the Temple. As part of the excursion the Elders and any Sister's who wish race to the top of the Hill Cumorah. It is not an easy task, especially in the snow. Elder Lamb won the contest. They all said that they felt like throwing up after. Once again, it's hard saying "goodbye" We learn a lot from these missionaries and they leave an impression on our hearts and minds.

Elder Chandler and Elder Mecham

On Friday we once again invited our leaders back for MLC. We had come full circle. Here is Elder's Chandler and Mecham showing off their matching ties.

Elder and Sister Eliason and President and Sister Wirthlin

When we first came to the Oneida Branch, their were between fifteen to twenty-five attending meetings with four or five leaders running the branch. The last few months our attendance has risen to between thirty and forty. We have four investigators who are attending regularly (Tony, Felicia, Dan and Heather) with the Hill family coming back into activity. The Hills have four children and a niece who attend now and give us a full Primary. Elder and Sister Eliason from Orem have been assigned full time to Oneida and we are going to have Palmyra Temple missionaries this summer.

Tony, Jan

Hill Family

 

Oneida Primary

Amy and Becky Mathews

Felicia

White family

 



Sister Diorio

Sister Diorio is the heart of the Branch. Oh how everyone loves Sister "Cookie". After joining the church she moved away from her family here in New York and struck out for Salt Lake City. She has worked in the Family History Library and attended the temple every Friday for years. She is now 90 years old (young) and her children said it was time for her to come home so they could look after her.  She is the only member of the church in her family. The Branch has adopted her as the Branch Grandmother. Her testimony of the restored gospel was evident last Fast and Testimony meeting as she was helped to the podium and closed her eyes and repeated a 7 minute memorized reading about the Prophet Joseph Smith's mother, Lucy Mack Smith, and her testimony of the Prophet. By the end we were all in tears and Tony was so touched that he committed to baptism. These are OUR people. They are the people we love. Or course we haven't forgotten our family and friends who support us in so many ways.

Eula Wilkinson and E. Garrett Barlow

 

In closing this month's blog we have had to say good-bye to Elder Barlow's step mother, Eula Wilkinson Barlow. She passed away this past week. We are grateful for those who took such good care of her these past few years. We are also grateful for the many years they spent together, caring for one another. Eula leaves behind a strong testimony of the Restored Gospel and a love for the Prophets that guided the Church. We have been blessed to have known her...farewell.  

 



 

January News

Christmas Mail

We jumped into the new year with renewed enthusiasm. The memory of Christmas mail began to fade and we turned our attentions to one full week of transfers, two Mission Leader Conferences and five Zone Conferences all in the month of January. We have been here long enough that we have fallen into the "rhythm" of the mission. We work on a six week calendar, that is, every six weeks we receive new missionaries and returning missionaries leave. Quarterly we have Zone Conferences where President and Sister Wirthlin and the Assistants travel to each Zone to present needed training and to interview the missionaries in each zone. This month Elder and Sister Barlow were invited to present on matters concerning the cars and Apartment cleaning.  It is very humbling to be asked to accompany President and Sister Wirthlin. This is the second opportunity we have had. I felt better qualified the first time, the topic being Family History. I guess I have had a bit of experience with cleaning too.

January Arrivals

Sister Pipe

Transfers started on January 7th. Tuesday, our 12 new missionaries arrived. We received two Chinese-speaking Sisters from Temple Square. During the winter months when there are fewer visitors at Temple Square, Sisters are given the opportunity to get out in the mission field and experience mission work for two transfers. They are a great blessing to us. They were assigned two areas with large populations of Chinese such as Cornell University and Albany. Sister Pipe came last transfer, she is also a "Visitor Center" sister. She is a native American from Montana. She and Elder Barlow connected right away.

Last Supper

Elder Tollefson and Elder Houston

Wednesday of transfer week is always busy. Elder and Sister Barlow arrived at the mission home at 7 o'clock in the morning to feed breakfast to 20 missionaries while President interviewed the new arrivals. Next we ran over to the mission office to prepare for the orientation. We give training on cars, apartments, mail and other housekeeping matters. At ten the trainers and other's that are transferring to parts of the mission arrive.   At twelve o'clock we help serve lunch to everyone. At the end of lunch the outgoing missionaries share their testimonies. We were excited to see Tony Turby, our ongoing investigator, come to the luncheon to see his favorite Elder,  Elder Black. We hadn't seen him for a couple of months. Although he told us he wasn't interested in joining the church, he did comment that he missed the "comfort" he always feels when in a meeting or with the missionaries. Hummm....  The rest of the afternoon was spent in training. Around 5 o'clock most of the missionaries left to go back to their areas. At 6 o'clock we arrived at the mission home for the "last supper" with the outgoing missionaries. Elder Tollefson was one of our Assistants and we became very close to him. We worked with Elder Houston in the Oneida Branch.It's hard to say good bye.  We arrive home at 9 pm, exhausted.

Zone Conference

Zone conferences were a great success. We traveled to our five Zones, Albany, Potsdam, Owego, Syracuse and our own Zone, Utica. We loved seeing all our beloved missionaries. Sister Barlow is responsible for coordinating the luncheons. Local Relief Societies volunteer their time and efforts to provide a delicious meal. This Sister and her husband really went the extra mile and made wonderful enchiladas and beautiful home made cupcakes. They are both practicing lawyers with a young family. Where they found the time to do this, I don't know.

Clowning Around

Lest you think we only work, work, work, at times we do clown around. Here are some clowns we met at "Friendly's". They happened to be there having lunch, I guess clowns eat too. They were nice enough to allow us a photo opp.

We will close this month's blog with our Mission Slogan. To set the stage: We all stand up and when we get to the part that says "work, work, work" we yell it out like we were in the middle of a football huddle.

"I have often said that one of the greatest secrets of missionary work is work! If a missionary works, he will get the Spirit; if he gets the Spirit, he will teach by the Spirit; and if he teaches by the Spirit, he will touch the hearts of the people and he will be happy. Work, work, work – there is no satisfatory substitue, especially in missionary work.” Ezra Taft Benson