Week 77 (22 - 28 July)

              Our last full week in the mission field!

              Monday morning, Pam and left early this morning to pick up Sisters Weyland and Morse at Sister Morse’s apartment and take them to the Mission Office for their release activities with the Mission President. The Elders staying with us also had to be at those morning activities. Each of the Sisters had 2 huge pieces of luggage so we could see why they couldn’t get them in their little car. It was a tearful farewell for Sister Oakes and Hall but after hugs and pictures we loaded up and headed to the Mission Office which was full of Elders and some Sisters waiting for their activity today. 36 missionaries were going home on Tuesday—a huge group and would greatly impact the mission in terms of areas being closed down or numbers of companionship's changed. In the Jax East Zone, Jax Beach would lose the Sisters and Fort Caroline the Elders—change was inevitable. Back at our apartment we decided to go out to the Naval Station and do some visiting. We first stopped at the Lagae’s and Jerald was home and we had a nice visit with the family. Jerald hoped to have his interview with President Button this week. They really hoped they could both go to the Temple this coming Saturday (27^th of July). That would be fantastic. After spending time with them we drove to the Clinic to see if Alexis Connelly was working and she was. We gave her a wedding present, and she was very appreciative and came out into the waiting area and visited with us. We congratulated her on her wedding, and she told us how it all happened, and we wished her well and hoped she and Charles could be co-located soon. Later in the morning Alexis texted us the following: “Just wanted to say thank you again for the gift, and apologize for not being around for the past few months. I didn’t want to disappoint you with not going to church. I hope you have a safe trip home.” We were so happy we made this connection again and hoped the best for her. Later in the afternoon we returned to the USO and the place was hopping with military families attending the No Dough Dinner. We walked in and greeted many of the volunteers and went to the office and visited with James McCullough who was the night manager. He was happy to see us and said some nice things about our contribution to the center. Joyce Schellhorn (Director) was back and we visited with her and she seemed pleased with the turnout and the meal itself. After visiting and taking some pictures we left. At 9:30 pm, the Elder’s returned for the night and we had Elder Hibbert, Robinson, Tuckett and also Elder’s Rice and C. Smart. So, we had a full house.

Tuesday morning, the Elders were up at 5:00 am and the bathroom was going strong for about an hour and then they left at 6:30 am to drive to the Mission Office and eventually the airport and home. After they left, we cleaned up the kitchen and Pam and I stripped parts of the bunk beds as only 1 of the beds had been slept in. The other 3 just slept on top of the bed with their own bedding. We got laundry going and cleaned up the bathroom and had a bag of hair products that the Elders had left and threw them away. By 9:00 am we were back to normal and did some studying and preparing for our day. At 10:30 am we drove to the Dunn Avenue Social Security Office, next to the Dunn Avenue chapel, and got our addresses changed on our accounts. That took over an hour as the waiting room was quite full of patrons. From there we returned to the Arlington area and had a late lunch and a quick stop at Wal-Mart for some cake ingredients and back to our apartment. Pam prepared dinner and at 5:00 pm Elders Young and Stevens joined us for a wonderful meal. Elder Young was from Blackfoot, Idaho and Elder Stevens from Ephraim, Utah and was in President Troy Birch’s stake. They were Zone Leaders in the Jacksonville East Zone and great Elder’s. Throughout the afternoon Samantha Lagae began texting us about plans for the Temple this week. First, she was looking at Saturday for her and then it changed to both her and Jerald for Saturday, but the last session for Saturday was at 1:30 pm and they weren’t sure we could be there early enough as Jerald couldn’t get off the ship until 9:00 am. Later on, the discussion changed to Thursday for Samantha and Saturday for Jerald and eventually changed to Thursday for both of them if they could get child-care. When Sam called the Temple, they told her they should bring their children as they had good child-care in the Temple and do the endowment and sealings all on Thursday. We were all for that and so were the Lagae’s. The question mark was Jerald’s final interview with a member of the Stake Presidency. Between Samantha and me, we must have called or texted Brother Queen (executive secretary) a dozen times pleading with him for an appointment. He had to talk with President Heywood, who was in California, to eventually approve President Bridegan to conduct the interview. An appointment was made for Wednesday evening and we got that final word about 10:00 pm—the answer to endless prayers. Samantha had made an appointment for Thursday and with God’s blessing they would be an endowed and sealed family by Thursday evening.

Wednesday morning was Pioneer day in Utah and Erin and the children and Sarah & Andrew, and their family were at our home in Monroe enjoying the festivities. We made reservations for a boat ride with Amelia Island Tours out of Fernandina Beach this morning and drove to Fernandina Beach, arriving about 9:40 am. Unfortunately, it looked like rain all morning, but when I checked in at the office, they said the boat was going, so we got in line and boarded the boat and joined another 40 or 50 people on the tour. The route took us along the historic Fernandina town area and then across an opening to Cumberland Island and the majority of the tour was along Cumberland Island which was about 18 miles long. We had one period of heavy rain, so all the curtains were dropped, but other than that it was a nice day and we enjoyed the ride and especially the information given by the announcer. He was very knowledgeable about the area and the island and seemed to have intimate knowledge of the Rockefellers, Carnegies and other rich people who owned sections of the island. Historically, Cumberland Island was in private hands, but large areas were deeded to the National Parks Foundation by members or heirs of the Carnegie family in 1971. Other lands in private ownership were purchased with funds provided by the Mellon Foundation and Congress, and in 1972 Cumberland Island was designated a national seashore. A small number of private property owners preserved the island and protected it from massive commercial development, and still owned homes on the southern, western and northern regions of the island. Visiting the island was restricted to 300 people per day and the waiting list was long. We also saw the Kings Bay Subbase from the ocean side and the narrator gave quite a bit of information about the subs that operated from there. After two hours we turned around and returned to Fernandina Beach with a little more speed and talked individually with the narrator and the captain of the boat and they were very interesting characters. The entire tour was delightful. After exiting the boat, we drove around the historical part of Fernandina Beach and saw some of the old mansions the narrator mentioned. We retraced our route through Amelia Island and took the ferry back across the St. John’s river to Mayport and had some lunch and then returned to our apartment. Later in the evening Jerald had his interview with President Bridegan and it went well, and we were set to go to the Temple Thursday. Samantha gave me her user ID and Password to family search, and I updated their family and printed off a Family Group Sheet so they could be sealed. We were going to meet them at the Temple and couldn’t wait!

Thursday morning, we awoke early this momentous day. We left for Orlando at 8:30 am and met the Lagae’s at the distribution center when garments were purchased and then we entered the Temple. Ordinance workers were waiting for us and we had recommends checked and then the children were whisked away to the nursery and turned over to some wonderful ladies who entertained them for the next 3 hours. Pam and I were escorts, and stayed with Jerald and Samantha through the records check, dressing, initatories, visits with the Temple President and Matron and then into an ordinance room for the Endowment. Jerald and Samantha seemed to enjoy everything and did very well and looked beautiful all dressed in white. Jerald and I and Pam and Samantha were first at the veil and as Pam and I sat in the Celestial room we shared impressions on how things went for Jerald and Samantha and when they joined us were all smiles and thoroughly pleased. We reviewed the covenants made and answered questions. Jerald and Samantha were returned to the veil and a short veil service was performed and Jerald was given the opportunity to bring Samantha through the veil and learn her name. Next all four of us were escorted to the large sealing room where the missionaries always met during our Temple visits. I sat as one of the witness and Pam sat near me and Jerald and Samantha sat in the couple’s seat. Brother Joel Warner, a sealer, visited with us for a while and then instructed Jerald to bring Samantha to the altar and he kneeled on the opposite side. Following a little more instruction and counsel, he performed the sealing ordinance. It was the first time Pam and I had heard the words since the chances to the endowment occurred at the first of the year and the sealing ordinance had changed significantly also and was very nice. After the blessings were pronounced, they kissed across the altar and it was done. They returned to the couple’s seat and then Brother Warner explained the next phase when the children would be brought in. Jerald and Samantha were placed at the ends of the altar and Eleanor, Fiona and Clive came in all dressed in white and looked so beautiful. Mom and Dad held hands and each of the children’s hands were placed on Mom and Dad’s and then the three children were sealed to their parents. It was a most beautiful and humbling experience for Pam and I. Eleanor, Fiona and Clive did just fine. The Lagae family were sealed as an eternal family and the looks on their faces was priceless. Brother Warner was also the Patriarch of the Jacksonville East Stake and Jerald and Samantha had made appointments with him for their blessings in the future, so that was nice to meet him. After the family all stood and looked into the infinity mirrors, we were escorted back downstairs. The adults changed shoes and we went outside and took some pictures in white and then returned to the Temple and changed into street clothes. It had been a long day, but they did so well and were so happy with this step they had taken.

Who would have thought 18 months ago this day would have occurred? Certainly, Pam and I hoped for such an outcome, but honestly never seriously considered they would be so invested and prepared for this day when we first met them. The changes they made regarding their attitudes and living the commandments were made easily and without rancor or complaint. Once a decision was made it happened and we could see their countenances and understanding change and mature as new concepts and ideas were presented. Even the children changed as their attendance at church became more consistent. They were more reverent during sacrament meetings and loved their primary classes. The Gospel really changed lives! Many small miracles occurred along the way as Jerald’s schedule seemed to doom any chance for these ordinances to occur as they did. We fully expected to attend Samantha’s endowment, and later on Jerald would go and then the children would be taken for the sealing ordinance, but we were so grateful for a Temple worker who counseled Samantha that they should all come together and do everything at once. Schedules and time opened up, Jerald received his priesthood interview when his ship miraculously came into port unexpectedly and later the ordination took place while home for a weekend with the necessary name presentation and sustaining. Then the challenge of getting the recommend interviews made it look like it wouldn’t happen easily as first President Heywood was gone for the entire month of July and then President Button left also on vacation—but it did as prayers were proffered, calls made and permissions give for President Bidgegan to do the final interview last evening. We were so very grateful to have witnessed this day and to have been a part of the Lagae family legacy as they moved forward on the covenant path—never doubting, just moving forward in Faith!

Friday morning, we were lazy today and that was exacerbated by the fact we had no water for about 3 hours. Didn’t know what happened but a major break in the apartment complex required a shutdown. We did some cleaning and organizing and eventually left the apartment at noon and drove to Costco to change our phones from T-Mobile back to Verizon. It took a while because we couldn’t remember a “pin” number we had used to create our T-Mobile account, but finally got that taken care of and eventually were able to finish the transition. We had some lunch and then returned to the apartment and did more cleaning, organizing and napping. In the evening we returned to the Beach and a dinner invitation at the Jarvis’. Elder Murri and Elder Bair, a new Elder, were there for dinner also and it was nice to meet Elder Bair who was from Rexburg, Idaho. Elder Murri would be an outstanding trainer. They were the only companionship in Jacksonville Beach as the Sisters were taken out of the area when Sister Weyland went home. Actually, the Arlington/Fort Caroline/Jacksonville Beach districts were down to 4 companionship's. We had a nice dinner and enjoyed an hour with the Elder’s and then they left for an appointment. We stayed a little longer and Stephanie and Lance presented us with a cutting board Lance had made from a variety of wood, and it was beautiful. He still had a little work to do, so we didn’t take it with us, but the woodwork was gorgeous.

Saturday morning, we spent getting ready for our move—a little packing, a little cleaning and planning for next week. We had been invited to attend a gathering of senior couples in Gainesville today, so at 11:00 pm we left our apartment and began the journey to Gainesville which took about 90 minutes. We located the gathering spot, the Hippodrome Theater in old downtown Gainesville, The Hippodrome Theatre building was constructed in 1911 and was a Post Office and Courthouse before being converted to a theater in 1973. The interior was in good condition, maintaining much of the original walls, doors and beams from its post office and courthouse era. It had a 268-seat stage main stage theater on the second floor and 80-seat cinema space on the first floor and was about a half a mile from the UF campus. We met the Barbers on the front steps and visited with them until other couples arrived—the Alexanders, Whitakers, Barbers, Goochs, President & Sister Wood and ourselves. In the movie theater we saw a recently released movie titled “Amazing Grace.” The film was shot in 1972 at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles. Aretha Franklin was there and joined Reverend James Cleveland and the Southern California Community Choir in a two-night concert filmed by a dozen independent hand-held cameras without any plan or outline. Consequently, the soundtrack of the film and the film was very difficult to sync, and the film lay on shelves for some 40 years. Finally, an enterprising man put together about 2 hours of footage and the movie was released in 2018 following Aretha Franklin’s death. It was a documentary of her Gospel roots, with little talking, mostly just music with the Choir and Cleveland. I think we enjoyed watching the reactions of the mostly black congregation in the film responding to the music and Aretha’s amazing vocal range and talent, but I hesitate to say whether it was “good” or “bad” definitely a treasured documentary. Following the movie, we all drove to the Whitakers home about 8 miles SW of Gainesville in a very nice housing complex. Brother Whitaker had ordered sandwiches and for another hour we ate and visited, and it was very nice. We sat with the Barbers and the Woods and it was interesting to hear about the Wood’s first month in the mission. Finally, Sister Alexander brought us together and invited each couple to describe what they were doing as missionaries and that was enjoyable with a lot of give and take of ideas and concerns. We felt like this type of meeting would be very productive and enjoyable in the future and they planned to continue every transfer (every 6 weeks) rotating between different locations. We were missing about half of the senior couples and hopefully that would change as the gathering became more common. We thanked the Whitaker’s for hosting this first meeting and said goodbye to everyone as we would probably not see any of them again in Florida and left for our home in Jacksonville.

Sunday morning, we left for Jacksonville Beach at 9:30 am and enjoyed visiting with the saints and also a wonderful sacrament meeting where the Currie family were invited to speak prior to their leaving for South Carolina following Bishop’s retirement from the Navy. A wonderful family that would be missed in the ward. We were joined by the Lagae’s, Jarvis’ and Noblit families and the Lagae’s were smiling and happy with all that transpired last Thursday. I briefed the Bishop on the Temple activities and he was very pleased. Jerald was given an opportunity in Elder’s quorum to stand and tell about the trip to the Temple and he expressed himself beautifully. Following the block, a “linger Longer” was held to honor the Currie’s and I believe the entire ward was there with food galore and a lot of visiting and picture taking. Pam and I had a nice visit with the Currie’s. Back home we settled in for the afternoon and did some studying in “Come Follow Me” and also reviewed a few older lessons that we had missed. At 5:00 pm we drove to the Naval Station for dinner with the Lagae’s. When we arrived, the Perry’s, Jarvis’, and Wes Alexander and Kyler were there and that was all a surprise. We had a nice dinner (potluck) and great visits with everyone and finally picture taking and lots of hugs. Tara Alexander was sick as was Trista or they would have been there. The kids played well with each other and the food was delicious. Tuttle’s were out of town as were Jenny Black and Olivia, but we would stop by another day to say goodbye to them and the Head’s. We received a call from Sister Kelley this afternoon. They were in Topeka, Kansas and their truck had broken down and they thought it was a water pump. So, until they get that fixed, they were stuck.

 Plaque presented to us from the USO

 Sister Morse & Weyland (1st & 3rd from Left) going home

 On a boat tour from Amelia Island

 Tour boat from Amelia Island

 Captain Dave at the helm

 One of the homes on Cumberland Island constructed by the Carnegie family

Wild horses on Cumberland Island

Lagae family following sealing in the Orlando Temple

Lagae family following sealing in the Orlando Temple

Fiona & Clive enjoying the flowers and the fountain

Samantha, Eleanor and Pam leaving the temple

Dinner at Cafe Rio

Week 76 (15 - 21 July)

Monday morning, we noted that Hurricane Barry, located in Southern Arkansas and Louisiana, was still delivering a lot of rain, but fortunately, the levees held and the pumping system in New Orleans worked. It would take another few days for the final bands of weather to dissipate inland. Pam and I were ready to leave for the USO this morning at 10:30 am. We were invited to a luncheon in our honor today and when we arrived Joyce Schellhorn (Director) and Dave Ostrum were in the office and we visited with them for a while and I did some work in the outside storage room. Finally, at 12:30 pm tables were set, and food arranged for a buffet lunch and Pam and I were invited to start the line. The food was magnificent with plenty of variety. We filled plates and others joined us and we had a wonderful hour of visiting and reminiscing about the past 18 months at the USO. There were 7 full-time employees of the USO, including Mike O’Brien, the Greater USO Director and some of his staff. Cheryl Vandiver came, and it was wonderful to see her again. There were also 13 volunteers that we had worked with over the 18 months and we appreciated their presence. Following the meal and while dessert was being served, Pam and I said some words of thanks and then Mike O’Brien arrived and made a presentation of a plaque and said some very nice things about our service. Pam Hanley from the Navy Exchange gave us a gift from the entire group, and it was a depiction of the First Vision and was amazing. What a surprise. We would treasure it forever. We took pictures with everyone and a group picture was taken in front of the USO banner. We were overwhelmed with the love and generosity of this group, especially Joyce and her staff. Our ability to talk with staff and patrons about the church and our service as missionaries made this period of service so worthwhile and who knew the potential good that could come from it. Dave Ostrum and his wife were in the process of moving to a new home and Dave said he ran across a box of books and found a copy of the Book of Mormon and Pam invited him to read it and he said he would. We reviewed the schedule for the rest of the week and said our goodbyes and left about 2:00 pm.

Tuesday morning, the Jarvis’ were coming home in the afternoon, so I went outside to start their car and see if everything was in order. Well it wasn’t! The battery was dead. I spent an hour trying to get it started, but had no luck so called “Road Angels.” The USO needed to be opened at 9:00 am, so Pam drove to Mayport and took care of that and I waited for the “Road Angels.” He arrived at 10:30 am and got the car started and I left it running and then drove to Mayport and when I shut it off it wouldn’t start again? Pam had the facility open and Julie Davis was with her and they had a busy morning with ticket sales and calls about tickets. We were taking the Jacksonville beach sisters to lunch today, and Julie manned the office while we met them and had a nice lunch—Sister Weyland from Highland, UT and Sister Hall from Payson, AZ. Back at the USO we decided I should take the van to the airport so moved the baby seat from the car to the van and got it hooked up properly and then I left for the airport. Pam remained at the USO with Julie and eventually Dave Ostrum. I met the Jarvis’ at 2:30 pm and we loaded their luggage and left for Neptune Beach. They had a wonderful trip to Utah and visited with both families and had a reunion at Bear Lake during the last week. Peter, their baby, was perfect and had slept the entire flight back to Jacksonville. I talked with Lance about their car and he knew of a battery problem and had just put in a new battery, so we thought maybe the alternator? We loaded up and drove to Mayport and I dropped off Stephanie and Peter at their home and Lance and I returned to the USO and to see if we could get the car started. We hooked up the battery to my portable charger and nothing, but Lance used a wrench and while I started the car he banged on the negative post and it started right up. The contact on the post was bad. He was able to plug into the computer and checked the charging and the alternator was making good voltage so was okay, just a contact bad. He left for his home and I went inside and got cleaned up and visited with Pam, Julie and Dave. Dave and Charlie Tramazzo had gone to the Bishops Storehouse in the morning and toured the facility and the manager was going to submit a $35,000 grant for the USO to use over time. They were very, very impressed.

Wednesday morning, we left for the USO at 8:30 am. It was a quiet morning and had one volunteer, so put him to work blowing off the patios and walks and a few other odd jobs. Pam managed the front office and I went into the south storage room to get some items for bags that had been brought in by “Heroes First Home Loans” which were co-sponsoring next Monday’s No Dough Dinner. The storage room was in disarray, so I spent most of the morning organizing that and eventually went through 19 bins which were dedicated to school bag items and got them separated and marked and placed back on the shelves. I then got pencils, crayons and glue sticks for 20 bags and Pam and I stuffed the bags for the Heroes First Home Loans group, and they were ready for Monday. Dave Ostrum arrived about 11:00 am and Pam and I moved all of the leftover commodities from the north end back to the outside storage room in preparation for Monday’s dinner and then said our goodbyes and left for the day.

Thursday morning, we were up and ready to leave for a trip to the Temple at 6:45 am. We drove to the mission office where several other couples and single missionaries gathered for rides. President & Sister Wood arrived, and we had a prayer (Pam) and then everyone boarded their vehicles. Elder & Sister Young who served in the Dunn Avenue Ward came with us. We thought we were going with the Hart’s, but they had already left on their own. The assistants took a van full of missionaries and President & Sister Wood had 3 sisters with them. Of all the trips to Orlando we had made this was the most pleasant with minimal traffic issues the entire way. We enjoyed getting to know the Young’s who primarily ministered to less active families and searched out names. Sounded like what we did! We arrived at the Temple shortly after 10:00 am and other groups were waiting; Alexanders from Palatka, Wilkerson’s from Gainesville and Duncan’s from Tallahassee. All had missionaries with them, totally about 25 missionaries. All the Elders were going home next week, and half of the Sisters were at their halfway point. We met one missionary from Tallahassee who was Hunter Cornelius’ trainer in the Tallahassee Mission and indicated what a great missionary he was. Also met a missionary from the Tifton, Georgia area who hadn’t served under Brent Cottle in the Macon Mission, but was very aware of him and indicated how loved he and Joyce were in that mission. We entered the Temple and changed and met in the chapel and shortly thereafter were escorted to an ordinance room and the session commenced. It was a wonderful session and more and more of the subtle changes to the dialogue became apparent to us. It made us wonder how the Manti Temple workers were handling all the changes, because for those in their 70’s and 80’s it would be difficult to make small changes to words in a dialogue you already knew. After entering the Celestial room Pam and I visited about the session and then the missionaries moved to the large Sealing room and had a short devotional with the Temple President. President Munns spoke for about 5 minutes and then left and President Wood talked to the missionaries and bore a strong testimony. President & Sister Wood had been in Florida for almost a month and it was obvious they had made their mark and the missionaries loved them. It’s been wonderful to witness the transition. After changing we made our way to the back of the Temple for pictures and then everyone loaded up and went to a “5 Guys” restaurant nearby and had lunch together. It wasn’t Café Rio, but it was good. We learned the Duncan’s were from Highland’s Ranch and obviously knew President Walker and Elder Duncan knew Travis (Bishop Cottle). Elder & Sister Hart sat with us and we got to know them better and they had a huge job running the mission office. Finally, we were done and left for Jacksonville. We and the Youngs got back on the highway and made our way out of Orlando and 2 ½ hours later arrived safely at the Mission Office where the Youngs waited for a mission van and we kept going to our apartment.

Friday morning, we drove to the USO at 8:30 am and opened the facility. There was a little bread from yesterday’s delivery but the coolers and food from previous distributions were gone. Dave Ostrum came at 10:00 am and opened the safe for tickets and we had a number of patrons come for Adventure Landing tickets. Julie Davis also came this morning and worked with Charlie Tramazzo. While Pam managed the office, I hung pictures in Megan DeGance’s office and a final picture in the new Library room. Dave thought we ought to put out the rest of the meat in the freezers, so we pulled out the coolers again and he and I brought in about 10 boxes of meat and loaded up the coolers and before long patrons were coming for the food. We called PSD about military ID renewals and they said they weren’t too busy right then, so Pam and I drove to the Naval Station and after an hour walked out with new cards. I didn’t need one, but they wanted to eliminate the SSN on my card, so got a new one with a better picture! We returned to the USO and stayed and visited for about an hour. Finally, at 2:30 pm we said our goodbyes and left. It was our last day at the USO and kind of sad to know we wouldn’t be serving there anymore. We left keys to the building on Joyce’s desk and that was that. Wes Alexander had stopped by in the morning and Pam filled a bag of meat for him, but he couldn’t take it right then (he was out running), so we delivered it to their home in the afternoon and saw Tara for a few minutes. She was doing all right, but clearly ready to deliver their baby.

Saturday morning, we got to work cleaning and doing laundry. By noon we were dressed and ready for the day and drove to the Beach and had lunch. We stopped at Wal-Mart and the Dollar Store and got some items we needed for next week and then returned to our apartment. It tried to storm this afternoon but not much happened—a little noise and a few drops but nothing substantial. We got our apartment ready to host missionaries over the weekend. We were asked to house 4 Elders who were leaving for home on Tuesday of next week. They would arrive Sunday evening.

Sunday morning, Pam and I left for church in Jacksonville Beach at 9:30 am. We enjoyed church this morning and the Tuttle’s, Jenny Black, Lagae’s, Noblit’s and Jarvis’ were in church today. Jerald Lagae had his bishops’ interview for a Temple recommend, so progress is being made. Elder Karl and Sister Weyland spoke in sacrament meeting (last Sunday) and both did a wonderful job. Following the block, we visited with our families and learned the USS Paul Ignatius will be commissioned next Saturday in Fort Lauderdale. Rich Black left on the ship yesterday and Jenny and Olivia will go south to the event later in the week. We drove to the Mission Office and unloaded Sister Weyland’s bike and placed it in the office where Elder Hart will get it shipped to Sister Weyland’s home. We then returned to our apartment. We had some lunch and finished up some foodstuffs in the refrigerator and are gradually cleaning out everything. We had naps and studied another few lessons on “Come Follow Me” with the Emily Freeman videos and enjoyed them very much. In the evening Elder’s Tuckett, Richardson, Hibbett and Robinson arrived at our apartment about 9:30 pm and we got them settled in for the night. They are all going home on Tuesday and tomorrow get to go to St. Augustine and have some fun.

 Sister Handy & McComb having dinner with us

 Jerald Lagae cooking food on USS Milwaukee (Steel Beach Day)

 USO volunteers and staff at farewell luncheon for us

 Elder & Sister Cottle with Joyce Schelhorn, USO Mayport Center Director

Elder & Sister Cottle with Mike O'Brien, President & CEO of Greater Jacksonville USO

July Temple trip with President & Sister Wood

 Missionary luncheon in Orland at 5 Guys

Week 75 (8 - 14 July)

Monday morning, we left for the USO at 10:30 am and Joyce Schellhorn (Director) was there along with Julie Davis, Megan DeGance and Charlie Tramazzo. Other volunteers were arriving to help with salad preparations for today’s No Dough dinner. Pizza was the menu item and it was being delivered later in the day. Pam helped in the kitchen getting salad items cut up and I helped setup the main room for the dinner. Some volunteers from Fleet Landing came and we appreciated their help. I drove to the Atlantic Beach Urban Farms and picked up a dozen containers of Kale and brought them back to the USO. Pam and I checked with Joyce about the rest of the week and then left for the day at 1:30 pm. We drove to the Naval Station and returned Fiona’s dress (Pam took out the elastic from her sleeves) and delivered Eleanor’s birthday present to the Lagae’s. Jerald was home and they were enjoying a last day with Jerald’s mother who returned to California on Tuesday. We also dropped off some sun block to Shay Tuttle and she was happy to have it for her baby. While on the station we had lunch at Panda Express and while eating called Tyler Gneck to see if he was back from his trip to the Smoky Mountains. He was and came to the restaurant and visited with us for a half an hour. He would leave for San Diego and an assignment to HSM-70 at North Island on Wednesday. Great young man and I showed him texts with the military relations missionary at NAB Coronado.

Tuesday morning, we did some organizing and cleaning at the apartment and later in the morning drove to the River City Market place and got information from the Xfinity store about turning in our Modem and cancelling our internet account. We then took I-95 and drove south through downtown and across the river to Baymeadow Road and the Mission Office. Elder and Sister Hart were in residence and we got to meet them for the first time. They replaced the Whitehead’s and came from the Florida Tallahassee Mission. They brought an office full of new furniture and the office was renewed in appearance and utility. The Harts were from Draper Utah and we had a nice visit with them and received a check from Church Travel for our drive home. On the way back to our apartment we made stops at Costco and also had some lunch and then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening making calls and texting missionaries for apartment inspections and checking on families.

Wednesday morning, we were not needed at the USO today so utilized our time during the day a little differently. Pam did some shopping and then baked cookies. I made calls to several relief society presidents to check on names and had good success. The area book for the Kelley’s is about finished. At 1:30 pm we drove to Costco and purchased some muffins for the missionaries when we do apartment inspections. We also had lunch while there and then returned to our apartment. Pam made some banana cream pies and I made a few more calls. We were planning to take the Jacksonville Beach Sisters to dinner tonight, but they called about 5:15 pm and indicated they were still in interviews with President Wood and asked to re-schedule, so our evening was simplified.

Thursday morning, Pam and I left for apartment inspections at 7:55 am. We began with the Arlington Elders and proceeded through the Arlington, Fort Caroline and eventually Jacksonville Beach missionaries. We saw Elder Young & Stevens, Sister McCombs & Handy, Elder Forsyth & Wyatt, Sister Morse & Oakes, Sister Weyland & Hall and finally Elder Karl & Murri. The missionaries were doing a good job. From the last apartment we drove to the USO and Dave Ostrum had opened, and volunteers were sorting meat from a Beam delivery. Pam ran the office and I jumped in and helped with the food. We put as much as possible in the coolers and the rest went out to the storage room freezers. Dave took pictures and posted to a Facebook page and before we knew it patrons were coming for the meat and other items. We were busy for the next 3 hours as a steady stream of new people came and went with boxes of meat and food. As the coolers emptied, we brought more boxes of meat from the freezers and by 1:30 pm had emptied the freezers. Dave left to take a son to an appointment at 1:00 pm and Pam and I managed the place until both he and Joyce returned. By the time we left at 3:00 pm all that was left was some fruit and vegetables and probably 20 pieces of meat. It had been a good day. We drove to our apartment and Pam prepared a meal for the Arlington Sisters (McCombs and Handy) who arrived at 5:00 pm. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and visiting with these two excellent missionaries. Sister McCombs was from Colorado Springs and Sister Handy from Salt Lake City and they were in the MTC together.

Friday morning, we noted the progress of Tropical Storm Barry in the Gulf and it appeared that Louisiana was going to be threatened again. We opened the USO at 9:00 am and Dave Ostrum came by but left shortly thereafter to attend a Coast Guard Change of Command at the Naval Station. Beam’s arrived with 40 boxes of meat at 9:20 am and Pam and I got unloaded 30 of them into coolers and set up ready for patrons. I stored the remaining 10 boxes into the freezers outside. Dave returned about 10:30 am and posted on the Facebook page for the meat and almost instantly we began to get people responding. It was a nice selection, especially of beef and pork products. I straightened up the north end of the center and consolidated the food, then noted to Dave that the Cauliflower received earlier in the week was going bad (mold) and we had to discard it. By noon we were done, and another volunteer arrived, so we left for the day. We took a ferry ride across the river and drove north to Amelia Island and had lunch and enjoyed the scenery and the lushness of the green trees overhanging the highway. When we returned to our apartment about 2:30 pm Pam got busy cooking food to give away to families this evening. I texted the Alexanders, Heads and Lagae’s to see if they would accept dinner and then took dinner to the Alexanders first and both of us went out to the Naval Station and dropped off dinner at the Head’s and the Lagae’s.

Saturday morning, we learned that Tropical Storm Barry would go ashore in Louisiana today and the threat from rain was serious. Pam and I left at 8:00 am to finish apartment inspections. We drove south to the Hendricks and San Jose Districts and saw Elders Filion & Munns, Sanders & Burt, Turner & Rice and Sisters Bake & Pack. The Elders all lived in quite modern and well-kept apartment complexes and their apartments were in good condition. The Sisters were in an older complex, but very well maintained and had accommodations for 8 missionaries if needed for transfers or storm consolidation. When we left our apartment, we set off 3 insect “bombs” and returned home and opened up the sliding doors and bedroom windows and turned on the fan and left again. We drove to the Regency area to see what restaurants were available as we were taking the Fort Caroline Elders to lunch today. We ended up in a Target parking lot and sat for about 45 minutes and then picked up the Elders (Elders Forsyth & Wyatt) at noon. They suggested a restaurant we hadn’t considered. It was a Mom and Pop restaurant in a strip mall and as we drove into the parking lot the place was packed. It was called “Grinders” and was very popular and we soon found out why—good food! The menu covered just about everything and we ordered our meals and enjoyed time with the Elders. Elder Forsyth was from a small town in southern Missouri and Elder Wyatt from Anchorage, Alaska so they weren’t typical “Utah” missionaries. They were fun to visit with and at the end Elder Forsyth gave us a short message from the Book of Mormon and we returned them to their apartment. Pam and I returned home and cleaned up from the “bombing” and hoped it helped with bugs. We did laundry all afternoon and Pam baked a couple of pans of brownies to give away.

Sunday morning, we left our apartment at 9:30 am and drove to the beach and attended the Jacksonville Beach ward and had a large crowd. Only the Tuttle family were with us which was a disappointment. Jerald Lagae left for an at-sea period yesterday, so we weren’t sure about Samantha and the Noblits and Jarvis’ were out of town. Sacrament meeting was excellent, and we heard from Collin Moore (new convert) and he gave a wonderful talk. Following sacrament meeting we attended elder’s quorum and relief society and following the block visited with ward members and I gave away coins to Chris Tuttle and Christian Perry and they were both pleased to receive them. Back at our apartment Pam fixed pizza for lunch and we studied Acts 10-15 in “Come Follow Me” by watching last Monday’s video by Freeman/Butler and it was very enjoyable. We also watched some BYU television programming into the evening.

 

Welcome from the new Office Staff to the Woods. Elder & Sister Hart, Alexander, Mann's and the Woods

 President & Sister Woods first weekend, Stake Conference where new stake was organized and Elder Neil Anderson presided

 Jacksonville East Zone Conference with the Woods--very enjoyable

 3 Assistants all on the phone--great missionaries

Week 74 (1 - 7 July)

Monday morning started early, and we published our weekly Blog and monthly report to send to Salt Lake. At 9:15 am we left for the USO and Dave Ostrum was in the office and not much was going on. I framed the 4 Blue Angels photos for Charlie Tramazzo and he was very pleased with them. Pam did some cleaning in the kitchen and then spent most of our morning in the office. I checked out the two storage rooms and they were both organized, so by 11:30 am we decided to leave as there was nothing more to do. It was going to be a short week as the facility would be closed from the 4^th through the weekend. We returned to Arlington Hills and had some lunch and then returned to our apartment. Pam did some sewing, and I went to a doctor’s appointment at 1:00 pm and met with Doctor Hoffman’s associate and he reviewed my history and checked my blood pressure and heart and then updated my pills and had some blood drawn to check my cholesterol. Back at our apartment, Pam and I left at 2:30 pm and drove to Marisol and Christian Perry’s apartment off of San Pablo Road and taught them the 6^th and final lesson of the Temple Preparation course. They were very responsive and anxious to get to the Temple. Christian needed an interview with President Button for the priesthood and Marisol needed interviews with the Bishop and President Button for a recommend.

Tuesday morning, we left for the USO at 8:30 am as we opened this morning. It was a quiet morning with only Julie Davis and Charlie Tramazzo coming in to work. We kept three volunteers busy cleaning and I hung pictures in the Library room and four pictures for Charlie in the Pathfinder room and his office. Finally, Joyce Schellhorn (Director) arrived at noon and we reviewed the happenings of the morning and then we left for the day. We had lunch and drove to the Wal-Mart bought a birthday present for Eleanor. I dropped Pam off at our apartment and drove to an oil-change facility and had the van serviced. I called Yavie Null (new member in our ward) to see how she was doing, and she was in Texas on her way to California to visit an ill family member. She was not sure whether she was going to stay in Jacksonville. I also called the other new couple, the Southard’s, but had to leave a message. I returned to our apartment and Pam was busy sewing Eleanor and Fiona’s dresses.

Wednesday morning, we left the apartment at 8:15 and drove to Atlantic Beach and picked up Sister Weyland and Hall and proceeded to the Hendricks Stake Center for Zone Conference. Most of the Jacksonville East Zone was there when we arrived, and we greeted everyone and found seats up front. At 9:45 am the Assistants arrived and began setting up equipment and then President and Sister Wood arrived and greeted each missionary. It was nice to finally meet them. The meeting commenced at 10:00 am with Elder Boehme conducting and following an opening hymn and prayer he turned the time over to the Wood’s. After some opening comments of welcome and introduction, they passed out cards to each missionary to write a note to the Lee’s and also a leather-bound copy of the Book of Mormon for the missionaries to sign for the Lee’s. Next they showed a video their children had made to introduce the Wood’s. Each of their children, in-laws and grandchildren had something to say about them and answered questions about different aspects of their lives. It was fun and interesting. Sister Wood gave a presentation on Inspired Questions from Preach My Gospel and did a nice job. She was followed by President Wood and he discussed Invitations and also 4 areas of concern about mission rules that differed between our mission and the Tallahassee and Macon missions—Ties, Music, Water and Sand. He read from the new Missionary Handbook and discussed the Principle and Doctrine that applied to each item and established the mission standard. He concluded talking about levels of Obedience and read from Abraham 3:27 and summarized 3 standards Celestial “Here am I, Send me”; Terrestrial “Pick and Choose”; and Telestial “I will do what I want, don’t tell me what to do.”  Pam and I were both very impressed with the Wood’s. Following a closing song and prayer we had lunch in the cultural hall with food from Moe’s. A district picture was taken and then we returned to our home. The Sisters got the Fort Caroline Sister’s Car for a week, so they drove themselves home. Pam had a visit with Erin this afternoon.

Thursday morning was the Fourth of July—Independence Day and a federal holiday. We didn’t plan anything special today and had a relaxing morning. Pam began some laundry and sewed throughout the morning and finished Fiona’s dress. I cleaned out the storage closet outside and brought in our plastic crates and swept the patio. Also began sorting through things and taking pictures off the walls and preparing to pack. Shortly after noon we took a drive and got on I-295 and drove north around the belt loop to I-10 on the west side and continued west to Lake City where I-10 intersected with I-75. It was a nice drive, and everything was so green from the recent storms. In Lake City we had some lunch and then returned to Jacksonville. The drive back was uneventful except when we crossed the Matthew’s Bridge in the downtown area it began to rain and for 10 miles it just poured down with thunder and lightning everywhere. By the time we arrived at the Southside Connector it was done, and we arrived back at our apartment in practically dry conditions. Pam continued to sewing and I updated our scrapbook.

Friday morning, the Jarvis’ arrived at our apartment at 5:30 am and I accompanied them to the airport where they had a flight booked to Salt Lake for a 2-week vacation. I brought their car back to our apartment to keep until they returned. The USO was closed today, so we didn’t have an assignment there. We spent the morning and most of the mid-day going through our apartment and cleaning, organizing for packing out and identifying items to keep, leave in the apartment or throw away. It was amazing how much stuff you accumulate in 18 months. Pam also finished Eleanor’s dress. We got a call from Sister Hart from the mission office indicating our travel money was available and we made arrangements to pick up the check and also to meet them. At 5:00 pm we drove to a Chic-fil-a on Atlantic by Regency Square and met the Wes & Tara Alexander and their children for dinner. We had a wonderful hour and a half with them eating, watching their kids play in the playground and visiting. They were doing well, and Tara was anxious to have her baby—due date in early September! I gave Wes one of the challenge coins we bought earlier this year “Put on the Armor of God” and he was very pleased. Pam baked a cake for them and upon leaving we gave it to them.  

Saturday morning, Pam stripped our bed and laundered the sheets. She also made another cake for dinner tomorrow with the Lagae’s and did some cleaning in the kitchen and organizing and sorting items to keep and those to stay in the apartment. I spent time making calls to elder’s quorum and relief society presidents in the Jacksonville East Stake to verify military family’s status and got some good results. We expected departures and arrivals during the summer and hoped to have an accurate list for the Kelley’s. We drove out for lunch and did a little shopping at Wal-Mart before returning to our apartment. We had a huge thunderstorm roll through this afternoon, and it just poured down for over an hour.

Sunday morning, I was up early and heard some noises coming from the apartment (301) across the breezeway from us and eventually the police were called, and he was apprehended. We later learned it was the son of the lady who rented the apartment and he had been drunk and caused damage to their patio, but never did get in. Pam and I left for Jacksonville Beach at 9:30 am and visited with members as they arrived for church. The Blacks, Lagaes, Noblits and Shay Tuttle were with us today. The Lagaes arrived just as Brother Perkins (high councilor) stood and announced Jerald’s name. Jerald remained standing in the aisle by our row as his name was presented to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and be ordained an Elder and it was just wonderful. Samantha was so pleased and beamed with admiration for her husband. Testimony meeting was excellent with many testimonies borne by ward members. Following sacrament meeting we had a Sunday school class and it covered the first 5 chapters of Acts. After the block, we migrated to a classroom by the Bishop’s office and Brother Perkins presided and I was invited to ordain Jerald an Elder. He had asked me several weeks ago if I would perform the ordinance and I was thrilled for the opportunity. Brother Perkins joined me, and we laid our hands on Jerald’s head and conferred the priesthood and ordained him an Elder. Jerald’s mother was with us and we wondered what she thought of all this that was going on with her son and his family, but she seemed pleased. The next thing Jerald needed was a recommend interview and he made an appointment with the Bishop. Pam and I returned to Arlington Hills and the mother and daughter of apartment 301 had written a letter of apology to each of the tenants in the building and placed it under the mat by the door. We spent a quiet afternoon and watched two “Freeman” videos on the Come Follow Me lesson, last weeks and this upcoming week and they were both wonderful. At 5:30 pm we drove to the Naval Station and had dinner at the Lagae’s. Jerald and his mother fixed dinner and we ate and visited and enjoyed the children. We stayed until 8:30 pm and then said our goodbyes and returned to our apartment—a wonderful full day! 

 Missionaries at the Temple

 President & Sister Lee 

 Pam looking at the flowers at the temple

 Elders at lunch at Zone Conference

 Sisters at lunch at Zone Conference

 President & Sister Wood at Zone Conference

Beautiful Sunset along Merrill Road in Jacksonville

 Alexanders joining us for dinner

 Wes & Tara Alexander

 Kyler Alexander

 Tristan Alexander

 Joe with the Alexanders

 Former missionary, Sister Meyers (in red) visiting the Fort Caroline Ward with her new husband and the Alexanders

Week 73 (24 - 30 June)

Monday morning, we left for the USO at 9:30 am. Today was No Dough day and we joined in other volunteers in preparing for the dinner. Joyce Schellhorn (director) was in the house along with Julie Davis and Megan DeGance. I helped set up outside for deep frying Lumpia rolls and also the inside room for salad, condiments, desserts and drinks. A group of ladies cut up vegetables for the salad and we were basically done by noon. During the morning Joyce had us clean out the icemakers as the ice was not clean and couldn’t be used. Not sure why, but it was the 2^nd time it had happened. She had me buy some ice and I drove to Winn-Dixie and purchased 8 bags for the dinner. Pam and I left at 1:00 pm and returned to Arlington Hills and had some lunch before returning to our apartment. Pam did some sewing on Eleanor and Fiona’s dresses. Later in the afternoon I worked on Stake information sheets for the Kelley’s and updated the military name lists to include the new families we met on Sunday. 

Tuesday morning, we arrived at the USO at 9:00 am to help with a food delivery from Feeding Northeast Florida. Upon arrival the truck and many volunteers were waiting to get in. We opened and got the delivery going from FNEF when Dave Ostrum arrived. We received 4 pallets of food, two in the storage room and two on the patio and the volunteers from JEA helped me sort and bag the meat. Other volunteers moved the items on the patio inside to tables in the north end and both efforts only took about an hour. Pam was in the office and also in the kitchen cleaning up from last night’s No Dough dinner. I emptied the used oil from the 3 cookers into 2 5-gallon containers and Pam and Margaret began cleaning them. The volunteers also emptied the food shelves in the storage room, and had it distributed on the tables for tomorrows food distribution. By noon we were ready. Two heating and refrigeration men serviced the two ice machines in the kitchen and hopefully that solved the issue of clean ice. We left at noon and returned to our apartment and I went to the leasing office and reported a water leak in our air conditioning system. A maintenance man came soon and serviced our system and in about an hour had it fixed. He also had to go upstairs above us as that was the source of the water. Later in the afternoon Pam baked cookies for our new families and others as we visit.

Wednesday morning, we left for the USO at 9:00 am to help with the food distribution today. Dave Ostrum opened and there were a few volunteers gathering. Pam was assigned to work at the sign in desk and I went outside to the storage room and was joined by two volunteers from Fletcher High School and we gave out meat, potatoes and diapers. At 10:30 am the distribution began, and we were very busy for about an hour. Throughout the morning we served about 40 families. Overall all there were about 10 volunteers who watched over the food inside and helped patrons take their food to vehicles. Joyce Schellhorn (Director) arrived just before we commenced, and she was pleased with preparations and even authorized distributing a few more items from the storage room that had sat there for a long time. Pam and I left shortly after noon and went on base and took sunscreen to our families and those who were home welcomed the gift. Back at our apartment Pam did some sewing, and then we returned to the Beach at 4:30 pm and picked up Elder Murri and Karl at their apartment to took them to dinner. They were fine young elders and Elder Murri completed his mission in July. After eating we sat in our van and heard a message from the Elders and then returned them back to their apartment.

Thursday morning was historic transition day for the Florida Jacksonville Mission. President and Sister Wood arrived and the Lee’s left. On the mission Blog was this final present from the Lee’s:

Every zone conference we discussed one or more of these attributes and at the recent Mission Conference they restated all of them. They would be missed very much. Elder & Sister Whitehead also left today, and they also would be missed. Pam and I left for the USO at 8:30 am to open the facility. There was a moderate amount of bread and pastries and we set them out and waited for patrons to come and partake. Very slow through the morning and Pam and I were inventive to keep busy. I did some organizing and cleaning in the south storage room and took a large number of empty bins into the attic. Needed Joyce to make a decision on 4 bins of clothing still on the floor. Dave Ostrum arrived at 11:00 am and Joyce Schellhorn (Director) an hour later. We visited for a while and then Dave left to take care of some family appointments. Joyce said Beam’s was bringing meat, so we agreed to stay and help with that as there was no other volunteers at the center. What we hadn’t counted on, however, was 40 boxes of meat and another 20 of bread products. Pam and I retrieved all the coolers and as the meat was wheeled in, we opened the boxes and sorted beef, chicken and pork and soon had all the coolers filled with only half of the boxes processed. I went outside to the storage room and consolidated the two freezers the best I could and started moving full boxes of meat into those freezers. We managed to get everything stored, but the freezers were full. The bread and pastries covered the pool table and we took a large amount of desserts to the storage room for future No Dough dinners. Joyce took some pictures and when Dave returned, he posted them to Facebook and hopefully patrons would come and take the food. Pam and I left about 3:30 pm dead tired because we had shared the bulk of the work in taking care of the food. We drove to Arlington and went to the Alexanders and visited with Wes and the children and gave Wes some meat. Tara’s pregnancy was progressing nicely, but she just wasn’t feeling well and was in bed. Wes confirmed he hoped to receive the Melchizedek priesthood in August, and they wanted to be in the Temple by September. That would be wonderful for them and we pondered if it was possible to return and be with them. We would have to see! At 6:15 pm we drove to a Chic-fil-A on Atlantic and met the Lagae’s for dinner. We had planned to take Samantha and the kids, but Jerald’s ship made an emergency port call today and he was with them and that was extra special. We had a wonderful hour and enjoyed the meal and conversation and the kids had a great time in the playground. Jerald went out to the van with us when we left, and we gave him some meat we brought for them and he described reading in the Book of Mormon about Nephi constructing the ship and the difficulties he had with his brothers. He was so animated and enthusiastic about his reading and that was wonderful to see.

Friday morning, we left for the USO at 9:00 am and when we arrived were surprised that Dave Ostrum and volunteers were sorting another delivery of meat from Beam. They indicated most of yesterday’s meat and other items were gone and he accepted more. I helped with the sorting and putting the remaining meat in outside freezers—stuffed to the gills! I hung a couple of pictures for Joyce Schellhorn (Director) and Charlie Tramazzo asked if I could mount pictures in the frames I bought for him last week. When I took off the wrappings 3 of the 4 frames were broken. Charlie retrieved the receipt and gave me his credit card and Pam and I left with the frames to return them. That was about 12:30 pm. We drove to the Wal-Mart on Monument and returned the frames and ended up purchasing 4 more of a different type that were more substantial and cost a little more. We took some more meat to the Alexanders before returning to our apartment. At 3:30 pm we returned to the USO and gave Charlie the frames and return his credit card and were dumbfounded that Dave had accepted another delivery from Beam of Bread and Pastries. The mountain of bread on the pool table was amazing. I guess everybody was loading up for the 4^th of July holiday. When we left, we drove to the river and watched ships go by for a half an hour and then to the Jarvis’ to attend a dinner party for Tyler Gneck. We were surprised when we learned he was leaving for San Diego on the 10^th of July. We thought he was not leaving until the Fall. He invited some of his friends and we were included in that list along with the Bishop Dill and his family, the Noblit’s, both sets of full-time missionaries and Tori Martin. It was a good group and we enjoyed “Hawaiian Haystacks” for dinner. Pam made a cake and it was also a hit.

Saturday morning, we slept in some and then cleaned the apartment and began loads of laundry. We had a late lunch and then drove south to Costco and bought a month’s supply of water and a few other things and returned to our apartment. The rest of the afternoon was spent finishing laundry and Pam sewed on Fiona and Eleanor’s dresses. Andrew Cooper came by and picked up a package he had mailed to us and it was nice to see him again. He was waiting for orders but didn’t know where yet. We had to make an emergency run to Hobby Lobby for some trim but other than that we spent a quiet afternoon and evening.

Sunday morning, we left for Jacksonville Beach at 9:30 am. Tyler Gneck greeted us at the chapel door and we gave him a package we had received for him and then inside we greeted the Sisters and met Jerald Lagae’s mother who was with Fiona and Clive Lagae walking through the foyer. She was visiting from California. We introduced ourselves and then went into the chapel and found seats in front of the Lagaes. Jarvis’ and the Noblit’s were with us today, but that was all and neither of the new families we met last Sunday. Sacrament meeting was excellent, and we heard a missionary report from Matti Button who served in the Utah St. George Mission. We also heard from a high councilor for a few minutes. Since it was a 5^th Sunday we attended a combined meeting in the 2^nd hour conducted by the Bishop and the subject was personal preparation both physical and spiritual. We heard from Sister Thomas, Brother Lundell and Brother Gevara and they all did a nice job. After the block we attended a baptismal service for the Nolet family who have been taught by the Sisters for the past few months. Adam Nolet, the father, was baptized along with his two sons and a daughter. Bishop Dill and Tori Martin did the baptizing and Bishop, Tori and Brother Martin did the confirming at the end. Collin Moore and Tori Martin gave talks, and both did fine jobs. Sister Tidwell and her companion Sister Ison arrived mid-way and she was welcomed with hugs and greetings by the family. She and Sister Weyland had done the bulk of the teaching. After the service Pam and I visited for a few minutes and then left and returned to Arlington Hills. Pam fixed some dinner and it was very good. We spent the afternoon studying a Come Follow Me lesson and watched the new Freeman video and enjoyed it very much. 

 Our Beloved President & Sister Lee departing this week

President & Sister Wood's arrival with the Lee's and Elders Boehme & Hyatt

President Wood and President Lee

President & Sister Wood