A GIRL NAMED SANDY

Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2012 23:18:14 -0400
Subject: Virginia Richmond Missionaries are riding out the storm!
From: jperry1218@gmail.com
To: 

All missionaries have called in and are safe this evening. The sisters in Kilmarnock are spending the night with the RS Pres and her family. All else remains the same. All missionaries have been instructed to stay in and hunker down tomorrow until further notice. We suspect many of them will take the opportunity to get a little sleep (they work so hard!) so they can be ready to roll when the storm is past. We are anticipating many opportunities to serve when the winds die down :) Thanks for all your prayers.

Sister Perry

Date: Sat, 27 Oct 2012 13:35:03 -0400
Subject: 
From: jperry1218@gmail.com
To: 

If you are receiving this and your missionary has come home, please e-mail me and I will remove you from the list.  Thanks!

Dear Parents of Missionaries in the Virginia Richmond Mission

This is the first of what will probably be several e-mails to keep you updated on the safety of your missionary during the next few days.  As I'm sure you are aware from reports on the news and weather channels the East Coast is bracing for a humdinger of a storm!  And you thought a mission in the states would be adrenaline free  o_0

In preparation, we are in the process of moving all of our missionaries inland from these areas:  Newport News 3rd, Poquoson, Hampton, Glouchester, Virginia Beach, Easter Shore, Norfolk, Sandbridge, Elizabeth City and Nags Head.  These are the coastal and low lying areas that will probably see the most damage from this storm.

In the areas inland the biggest effect from these storms is usually the power outages which can last for several days.  We have asked all of our missionaries to prepare by having water and food on hand (it's the end of the month and most missionaries will be low in funds on their Missionary Support Funds card -- if you maintain a separate debit account for your missionary now would be a great time to make sure it has a few extra dollars in it :) and a flashlight, etc.

President has set up a phone tree that will go into effect tonight (Saturday the 27th) with all missionaries checking in with their District Leaders who will report up the chain to President each night thereafter until the worst is over.  This will ensure that each of your missionaries is accounted for every day.

All of the local leaders and members are aware of and looking out for your missionary as well.  Also, I will be updating periodically on my Facebook page which is Virginia Sara Perry -- you are welcome to find that page and request to be friends.  It may help you while away some time looking at pictures while you are waiting for information :)

We appreciate all you do to support your missionary.  They are amazing young people and I suspect they will spend more time helping than being helped during this storm.

Please do not reply to this E-mail -- if there is an emergency and you must contact me please E-mail me at jperry1218@gmail.com.  That is my private E-mail so it is not the place to send inquiries about day to day things that need to be addressed by the mission staff such as travel arrangements, addresses, release dates, etc.  For day to day correspondence send E-mails to: 2011409@ldschurch.org.  We hope you understand that even though we would love to talk to all of you, we have 230+ missionaries and cannot reply individually to each parent.

There is a real possibility that our power will go out at the mission home so don't automatically panic if you don't hear from me -  it probably just means we are in the dark...literally.  We will make contact as soon as we can find someone with the lights on.

OK!  Here we go!  Batten down the hatches!

Love,  Sister Perry

My Hero!

There is one experience that crosses my mind when I think of Grandpa.

When I was 14 years old Grandpa and I where down at the barn, all alone. There was a big pile of wood right in middle the barn. The pile blocked the alley and made it hard to move anything in or out. Grandpa said he wanted to get it out of the way… So, we started to work. He pulled the deer skin gloves out of his pocket and slipped them on his worn, callused, wrinkled hands. We moved the wood outside and added it to another pile close to the fence line. After working for what seemed like forever the pile looked as if it had been untouched. Soon, my muscles started to ache and my mind started to wonder. My curiosity took over and in no time at all I found myself at the other end of the barn looking in one of the stalls. Just as I dipped out of sight I heard Grandpa shout my name. "Koltn!" he said, in the way only Grandpa could. “You get over here and help your Grandpa!” I sheepishly made my way back to the pile. The next few moments will be cherished in my heart forever. As I returned and started back to work, Grandpa recounted some of the stories from his past. “Wooo-whee,” he exclaimed with that Grandpa tone as he remembered the anger of his mother when he came home from school with a ripped shirt. I listened more than I talked for some time as he continued to retell the life lessons he had learned. He talked about how wonderful Grandma is and how pretty she has been since the first time he met her. He seemed to teach me about all the important things in life without even trying. He spoke of life in Pomerene, cutting hair, and fishing with Carl. After a few stories the stack of wood seemed to disappear. As I grabbed the last few pieces of wood he grabbed a flathead shovel and scooped up a few small wood chips off of the floor. As I looked at the empty space that the giant wood pile was in Grandpa whistled off of the front of his teeth and said in the way only Grandpa could, “Looks good son.” He then taught me a lesson I will never forget. He said, “Koltn, if I had to give you one piece of advice to remember it would have to be to work. Don’t you stop half way through a job. Once you start something, you better finish it; and finish it right the first time. When you have a line of rocks that need to be moved, you start with the biggest one, farthest down the line, and don’t you quit till you’re through with the last one. When you could do something to make someone’s life easier, you do it. And don’t you forget, your Dad is a good man! You remember all that son and you’ll be alright.” That moment standing at the barn door will forever inspire me to do my best until the job is through. That lesson wasn’t just taught through words but through his lifelong example. Richard Grant Rogers changed the lives of all those around him. He brought a special light and love to anyone he talked with. He is a great man. Love you Grandpa!

~Koltn J. Rogers