The missionary with the coat on is Elder Shelbourn. He is Elder Whitby's (far right) new companion. Elder Zapitello (left) and Elder Hansen (2nd from right with the 'thumbs up') are the Zone Leaders of our Roanoke Virginia Zone.

This picture was taken on Transfer Day at the Roanoke Stake Center parking lot in Salem, Virginia, just before I loaded Elder Whiby and Elder Shelbourn in the car and took them home to Bedford.

Elder Shelbourn is from Lafyette, Oregon, a town of 3,000 inhabitants, south of Portland in the Wilamette River valley. He has been out for approx. 9 months. We are looking forward to getting better acquainted with this fine missionary. We will miss Elder Cowley who takes on a new and special assignment in Charleston, West Virginia for final 6 weeks of his mission.

We ended our day with a visit to the campus of Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista. This institution is called by the some "BYU of Virginia" because fo the LDS influence within the faculty and the student body. It was originally a woman's college, helping its students qualify for teaching positions in the public and private schools system.

We had an enjoyable time looking about the interior of this old main building on the campus and talking with some of the faculty.

This statue in front depicts the putting on of the "Whole Armor of God."

After lunch with the Hodge's in downtown Lexington they took us to the nearby P. Buckley Moss Museum where the famous artist P. Buckley Moss has many of here paintings and other artistic creations on display.

Sue Hodge is an enthusiastic collector of P. Buckley Moss's work. Linda has fallen in love with her work also. It is very, very distinctive and immediatley recognizable.

We had a relaxing and most interesting and enjoyable visit at this museum, admiring this famous artist's wonderful prints and learning more about her life and her personality.

Another view of buildings that a part of the Washington & Lee University campus in Lexington, Virginia.

Immediately adjoining the VMI campus is the campus of Washington and Lee University. Originally known as Washington College, named for George Washington, but later re-named to honor both President Washington and the Confederacy's greatest general, Robert E. Lee.

Robert E Lee is buried here on this campus. After the Civil War he resided here in Lexington and was a beloved professor on the faculty of this University which now bears his name.

We were permitted to view the interior of the chapel assembly hall on the campus of VMI. The large mural is a civil war battle scene. The flags of the various southern states are drapped above.

That is Sue Hodge in the forground.

VMI cadets wear an all-white uniform as they attend normal duties and classes. Some are seen here on the campus next to a war memorial erected in honor of those cadets who fought and died in a particular battle during the Civil War.

General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was a member of the faculty of VMI at the beginning of the Civil War and was the leader of a corps of these very young cadets in the early days of the war. Most were in their teens. It puts you in mind of the "Stripling Warriors" spoken of in the Book of Mormon. They were very young, but very brave, executing all commands with exactness.