Last Wed. on our day off we drove up north to get some apples from the numerous orchards there, then decided to go on up to Sodus Bay on Lake Ontario. It was a beautiful drive and a pretty lake, so decided to share a couple of photos from there.
This is a boat yard in the city of Sodus Bay. I couldn't resist this one -- I wonder what the actual beginning price is???? (You can click on the picture to see enlargement). DUH!!!
Dear Family and Friends,
Another report from Palmyra. Last night on the 22nd of Sept, it being the 181st year since Joseph got the plates from the Hill Cumorah, we went to the top of the Hill as a Family Home Evening group. There were 16 couples from the mission, 13 couples of Temple Missionaries, 3 couples of the Temple Presidency. Thirty two couples of Home Evening with a lesson the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the Gold Plates. It was a real spiritual feast and a real special event to celebrate.
With the fall schedule the sites are closing an hour earlier and we use fewer couples. The sister missionaries can spend more time proselyting, so it still keeps us busy. The weather has already turned quite cool and the leaves are beginning to turn fall colors. Last week we got a spin off from hurricane Ike and had a terrific wind that uprooted trees, etc. We lost 6 trees in the Sacred Grove, the biggest damage to hit the Grove in 5 years.
At the pageant this year we got over 6000 referrals as compared to 500 the year before, so we had a lot of phone calling on referral cards and lots of work sending out Books of Mormon and DVD's and sending the missionaries to visit those who agreed to have them come. I have a hard time with my hearing aids and the phone, so Sister Hamblin did double time on the phone and we used the young Sisters and even Temple Missionaries to help us get through the many cards, but we are finally caught up. We meet hundreds of people and many of them know the Hamblin name and it doesn't take them long to check up and make sure I am striving to keep that name as a great missionary name. It keeps me very humble to know that great things are expected by those who bear that name, and I for one and my wife are trying to keep that name as great missionaries so we have our work cut out for us in the next 14 months. We need all the prayers and help we can get, but it is great to know that 13 million members are praying for the missionaries. We are getting new ones every month as many who have finished are going home.
We get to bear testimony every day that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He does live and He and God the Father appeared to Joseph who is the Prophet of the restoration,also that the Book of Mormon is true. We would like to bring all of that to your remembrance and bear our testimony to all of our family and friends, we also take that message to our enemies whenever we get that chance. We are both well and loving every minute of our mission here in upstate New York. We love all of you and pray every day for you and try to stay close enough to the Lord that our prayers will be heard and answered.
We have also been called to work in the Palmyra Temple on Saturday mornings which is our preparation day, so we are trying not to be lazy in our spare time. We only have about 13 couples on our shift at the Temple. We have only 6 veils and one initiatory room so we do keep busy with many marriages on Saturday morning. We are very blessed and it seems the Lord keeps blessing us every hour and every day.
Our Love, Elder and Sister Hamblin
On our preparation day this week four of the young Sister missionaries asked if we and the Cattani's would take them down to Watkins Glen. None of us had been there before, but had heard that it was a good outing. So off we went -- south to Seneca Lake, it was about a 2 hour drive. We had been over on the east side of the Lake where the Girl's Camp is located, but this was over on the west side of the Lake. The photo above shows a picture of what the landscape looked like on our way down to Watkins Glen.
Here we are at the beginning of our adventure: Elder & Sister Cattani, Sister Silva, Sister Nielsen, Sister Saxon and Sister Wells. And us: Elder & Sister Hamblin.
This is what we faced -- a long climb up, up, and up -- 800 stairs to the top of the gorge! But LOTS of beautiful waterfalls, pools, and gushing water awaited us. It was a beautiful and amazing place and we had a fun, fun time.
This is a picture of us with the Magerotte's from Belgium at the Visitor's Center.
Palmyra had their annual "Canaltown Days" and had a couple of Parades. We missed the one in the morning, but saw the one in the afternoon. It was the "Horse Parade" and had 9 whole entries. These were 2 of them.
This is the circular driveway into the Whitmer Farm Historic Site, the leaves on the trees are beginning to change colors. There is a nice breeze to furl the flag.
This is the Whitmer log home which has been reconstructed on the exact spot where the original home was built. This is where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was organized on April 6, 1830. And the first three Conferences of the Church were held here. In 1980 the April General Conference of the Church originated from here to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Church, Pres. Kimball was here and dedicated the log home and the Fayette Ward bldg. at this time.
Elder & Sister Hamblin at the Hill Cumorah Angel Moroni Monument. September 2008
We had Zone Conf. at the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center on the 4th of Sept. We had a break after our morning session so everyone could hike to the top of the Hill Cumorah and enjoy the monument and ponder about the wonderful things that happened there.
They have been painting the bldg. down at Fayette and the Whitmer farm. This is the Fayette Ward chapel. The wing on the left is the Visitor's Center part. It is a beautiful bldg. and really big -- especially for a single Ward chapel. It is way out in the country amidst the farming areas and the corn fields. But it is so beautiful there and very peaceful. No wonder Joseph Smith came to this special place to finish translating the Book of Mormon from the gold plates.
On this day they finished painting and refinishing the dome and spire on top of the chapel, it was done in gold leaf and looked so pretty, especially with the sun shining on it.
Missionaries galore -- gathered around the grills at the cookout. If you look you can see Dad and Linda & Gary.
Here's Sisters Henscheid and Wells coming back from their mighty trip around the Girls' Camp. They couldn't resist the high wave when they saw me taking pictures.
We had a GREAT time at the Labor Day cookout party. It was at the Seneca Lake Girls' Camp and it is a simply BEAUTIFUL place, it's on a little hill overlooking the lake and they have cabins all up through the trees and this BIG hall labeled, "ZION -- The Gathering Place." It has a big kitchen area and a huge gathering hall for eating or any other activity. I don't know how many other Stakes use this camp, but they're busy here all summer. They have a full time Senior missionary couple who serve there for 2 years. They also have a really nice ampitheater down by a little stream and a big campfire circle place. We rode around on 4-wheelers and investigated all the sites. 
Here are some of the Sister missionaries having some animated discussions after dinner. In the background you can see the sun setting across the lake. One side of the bldg. has push-up sides (like garage doors) to open the whole hall to a view of the lake.
