We will not soon forget our day with Sister Rosemary Overstreet and the Kingston's and the other dear members of the Bedford Branch who were there that special day in the Raleigh North Carolina Temple, showing their love and support for Rosemary as she experienced the sacred ordinances, washings, annointings and endowment through the authority of the Holy Priesthood, available only in these Holy Temples. She had qualified herself to be there and it was such a choice experience to share in it with her and these other dear members.

Prior to the beginning of the session the endowment room was filled to overflowing and there were still members of our branch who had not been seated. In an act of true Christian charity, Sister Ball, our Young Women's leader and Sister Bible, our Branch Primary Nursery leader each got up from their seats and offered them to Sister Strawn, one of our oldest members and to Sister Smith. They were not with us then in this memorable endowment session, but we were pleased and very gratified to find them waiting for us, dressed in their white temple clothing as we completed the session and entered the celestial room. We won't forget the smiles and the tears and the wonderful spirit of love, brotherhood and sisterhood that surrounded us there on this sacred day in the Raleigh Temple.

We all went together to a nearby restaurant later in the afternoon for a late lunch before returning to Bedford. We had a wonderful time!

By following their directions we returned home a different way than we had come and cut our travel time from 5 hours to 3! Sometimes you have to admit that the locals know the territory!

Brother Hodge escorts Sister Overstreet to the car after our photo session. Elder and Sister Kingston are behing them.

Sister Overstree suffered a stroke not long after her baptism a year ago and now walks with a brace on her left leg and does her best to get along without the use of her left arm.

We were given the opportunity to teach her the Temple Preparation lessons prior to her going to the Temple. We came to her little home in Thaxton, west of Bedford, twice each week around noon time to teach her these lessons. It was a choice experience each time to be with her in her tiny little home and discuss the blessings of the Temple and have prayer with her. She has become a dear friend!

Sister Overstreet is in the orange blouse and flowered skirt, seated next to Linda. Ten members of the Bedford Branch came with her to the Temple. Elder and Sister Kingston came from Idaho. It was a sweet experience to be with Sister Overstreet in the Raleigh Temple. She is an inspiration to each one of us.

The back row, left to right:

Elmer and Sue Hodge; Ray Nichols; Judith Black; Sister Kingston; Sister Bible; Elder Kingston; Elder Chapman.

The front row, left to right:

Cressida Smith; Evelyn Deel; Sandy Ball; Glynda Nichols; Dorine Strawn; Rosemary Overstreet; and Sister Linda Chapman.

This picture was taken after the Temple session. We just outside the west entrance to the Temple.

Here is Sister Overstreet as she came from the Temple after the session was completed. Standing on either side of her are Elder and Sister Kingston, the missionary couple that was instrumental in her acceptance of the the restored gospel a year ago, last April. They flew in from their home in Idaho to be with her on this special occasion.

But, as our session ended and we stepped from the Temple to take some pictures, we found the sun was shining through great billowing, broken clounds; just a beautiful day for Sister Overstreet!

This picture is taken of the west side of the Temple, which is the side the entrance is on.

Friday morning, while Linda was getting ready I drove over and took a few early morning photos of the Raleigh Temple. It had been raining off and on and sky was completely overcast as you can see in this picture, taken of the east side of the Temple, just outside the fence.

Friday, August 21, it was our privilege to be with Sister Rosemary Overstreet as she attended the Temple for the first time, along with some thirteen other Bedford Branch members and friends.

This is a beautiful, small temple located in the historic community of Apex on the west side of the Raleigh metropolitan area in North Carolina.

We drove down on Thursday and took a room at a nearby hotel for the night. Otherwise we would have needed to be up and going at around 5 a.m. in order to be there in plenty of time for the 10:45 a.m. session.

This is a poor quality picture, but you see the young Eastern Whitle-tail doe eating the grapes that have fallen from the grape arbor out in the back yard of our home on Hopes Way, Bedford.

In the evening and often in the early morning they can be seen in the yard, pulling down apples off the apple tree or nibbling at the grapes or eating the acorns that fall from the oak trees.

Yesterday morning there were 6 deer, including a young fawn, feeding near the grape arbor, but they are very wary of anything that appears threatening and bounded off, out-of-sight, into the woods when I stepped through the door with my camera.