The rain clounds rolled in and brought a light shower early Wednesday morning . The hardwoods are in full leaf now and everything is so green and fresh. It is very enjoyable to get out in the evening as the sun goes down and walk our little country road together.

This picture was taken from our back deck looking to the north across the forest of hardwood trees that surround us on this Hopes Way address.

When we finished cleaning the chapel area I got young Sister Bass (on the left) and Samantha Scott (on the right) to stop long enough for me to take this picture, showing our the interior of the chapel.

When July approaches and we are released and return to Arizona, we will dearly miss meeting with these Bedford Saints in this beautiful little chapel.

Saturday, April 17, the young missionaries, Elder's Cowley (polishing the door) and Whitby (giving a thumb's up!) and Elder Chapman (the picture taker) assisted other members of the branch in a Spring cleaning of the Bedford Branch meeting house. We had an enjoyable time working together on this lovely building and surrounding grounds.

Monday, April 19, at her request we took sister Evelyn Deel, our Bedford Branch Relief Society President, down for a visit to Goodview and the other areas that border Smith Mountain Lake on the southern end of our branch boundary. She wanted to see where a new member of the Relief Society, Kathryn Laprade, lived.

It gave us the opportunity to show her the location of several other member homes in the area which are far distant from where Sister Deel lives up in Blue Ridge (some 30+ miles away).

This beautiful horse farm is located in Moneta, near Smith Mountain Lake on the road we take to get to our former Branch President Paul Martin, Erica and family. In her nearly 4 years of faithful service as Relief Society President, Sister Deel had never been to the Martin's new home. The distances that must be traveled in order to visit each member require much of time and expense. This is very different from the conditions we deal with in our compact wards and stakes in central Arizona. We so appreciate and admire members like Sister Deel who give so much of their time and resources in fulfillment of their sacred callings in this Bedford Branch and in the Roanoke Virginia Stake of the church.

This is the scene that greets us during this springtime season as we arrive for a medical appointment in the older part of Roanoke. Beautiful old neigborhoods and beautiful trees and gardens.

This is just off Franklin Street near the US 24 and I-581 interchange, not far from downtown Roanoke, but far enough to be a world apart from the modern hub-bub of city life.