Started off the month with real bang. Rich fell smack on his face in the grocery store parking lot. He banged up his knee, scraped his face & hands and we are pretty sure he broke his nose. The skin on his nose split open and it bled like crazy. This getting old thing is not fun.
That evening there was a birthday party planned for all the March birthdays. Rich didn’t want to miss that so we went.
Church was cancelled on one Sunday due to icy conditions. That’s interesting to us who come from a “winter” area. But around here if there is 2 inches of snow almost everything shuts down.
March 12th, Richard’s Birthday. We invited the Nielsens over for dinner as they were leaving to go home the next Saturday. They have been really good friends to us here in the mission.
We are really privileged to have special programs here in D.C. at the Visitors’ Center. On Sunday the 15th we heard from Orin Hatch, Senator from Utah. We also found out that he writes music. Two of his songs were performed by a couple that we work with at the Temple.
March 16th we went to the Annapolis Naval Academy on a ward outing.
Our guide was a man who wasn’t in the Navy but taught chemistry at the school and is now in an advisory position of some kind at the school.
We met him at the ward building close to the academy. He talked about the history of the church’s involvement with the Naval Academy. Until 1969 all the recruits (called midshipmen, not something else) were required to attend church every Sunday. So the LDS Church built a chapel near the academy. The midshipmen must be recommended right out of high school at 18 yrs. in order to come to school there. Not just anyone can go there. They have about 3500-4000 boys at a time. It is very regimented and they are busy all the time, very little free time. The dorm rooms are very small, 2 to a room with a very small bathroom and closet space of only about 12 inches. (temple locker size) It is a 4 year school and if they leave in the middle, their chance of getting back in are nil. However it has now been arranged for LDS missionaries to go for 2 years, then go on a mission and reapply and get back in.
Our guide was a man who wasn’t in the Navy but taught chemistry at the school and is now in an advisory position of some kind at the school.
We met him at the ward building close to the academy. He talked about the history of the church’s involvement with the Naval Academy. Until 1969 all the recruits (called midshipmen, not something else) were required to attend church every Sunday. So the LDS Church built a chapel near the academy. The midshipmen must be recommended right out of high school at 18 yrs. in order to come to school there. Not just anyone can go there. They have about 3500-4000 boys at a time. It is very regimented and they are busy all the time, very little free time. The dorm rooms are very small, 2 to a room with a very small bathroom and closet space of only about 12 inches. (temple locker size) It is a 4 year school and if they leave in the middle, their chance of getting back in are nil. However it has now been arranged for LDS missionaries to go for 2 years, then go on a mission and reapply and get back in.
We first saw the huge main chapel (Catholic) which was beautiful.
It had stained glass windows up both sides of stories from the old testament on one side and the New Testament on the other side (all to do with the sea).
A huge organ in the front with many many stops and a huge organ in the back balcony with many many stops.
In the rotunda there were many lights and the paintings and sculptures were beautiful (not so much gold as you see in many churches but just very beautiful with lots of sculptures and ornate work around the walls and ceiling. It was a very peaceful place.
Beneath it was the crypt of John Paul Jones who was the person who actually gets credit for starting the navy in the US, during the revolutionary war. He was from France (never American) but contributed much to the American Navy and set standards, training and systems in place for defence, etc. His crypt was very ornate and beautiful it was huge black and white marble setting on top of 4 dolphins with flags crossed on all sides and draped with a lot of ornate sea weed or something on the top.
There were many quotes and information about him around the sides of the room.
We saw the Tecumseh statue
and the Pointed sphere the midshipmen all try to climb at graduation time,
they remove something placed at the top and put something back which shows that they will conquer all odds and difficulties.
We also saw the rotunda hall of valor,
where the names of all the graduates are placed if they died in defense of the country. Their names were listed by graduation year. There was also information and a special place for those navy graduates who died during the different wars. There were even women’s names there. Then we went to the museum where they had many white Sculptures of men doing various things and many displays of items in history from the navy. One of the things we noticed was that they may have some things that were naval related but they would also have something beautiful with it, like silver or sculpture or things like that.
and the Pointed sphere the midshipmen all try to climb at graduation time,
they remove something placed at the top and put something back which shows that they will conquer all odds and difficulties.
We also saw the rotunda hall of valor,
where the names of all the graduates are placed if they died in defense of the country. Their names were listed by graduation year. There was also information and a special place for those navy graduates who died during the different wars. There were even women’s names there. Then we went to the museum where they had many white Sculptures of men doing various things and many displays of items in history from the navy. One of the things we noticed was that they may have some things that were naval related but they would also have something beautiful with it, like silver or sculpture or things like that.
There were a lot of them and they were very neat looking. Also a lot of paintings on the walls etc. of different ships.
After we left the academy, we went to lunch at Chick and Ruth’s Delly. It was in the film of “Meet the Mormons”.
They have huge hamburgers that were about 12 inches high and a milkshake that has 4 gal of ice cream.
They have huge hamburgers that were about 12 inches high and a milkshake that has 4 gal of ice cream.
Then we walked around town to see the sites.
March 29th – International Dinner before Women's Conference broadcast.
March 30th – We went to the National Geographic Museum with the Moyles.
In between the outings was pretty much work as usual. Many great experiences in the Temple. One day we were both assigned to own endowment and there was a couple that came, both for own endowment and for sealing. We were able to spend the whole day together and with that couple. It was a great experience. One of which we have many every week.
On the 23rd we visited Harper’s Ferry.
Very interesting history spot.
We learned a lot more about John Brown and his cause and involvement at Harper’s Ferry.
March 30th – We went to the National Geographic Museum with the Moyles.
In between the outings was pretty much work as usual. Many great experiences in the Temple. One day we were both assigned to own endowment and there was a couple that came, both for own endowment and for sealing. We were able to spend the whole day together and with that couple. It was a great experience. One of which we have many every week.
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