Week 38 (22 - 28 October)

Monday morning, they didn’t want us early at the USO because of a floor cleaning and waxing crew that would be there, so I went to the Alexanders and mowed their lawns. The cool weather slowed down the growth, and when done it looked good and should last for another 2 weeks. Back at the apartment, Pam and I cleaned the apartment and then left for the USO prior to noon. They were still doing the floors, so we went for a drive to Ponte Vedra Beach and had lunch and returned about 1:30 pm. We spent the afternoon helping set up the office again following the installation of flooring and painting. The biggest issue was power, and the internet but we finally figured out the network and got the desks and computers set and operating. Pam worked in the kitchen unpacking new cookware and sorting drawers and cupboards. We heard from Tara Alexander, and she was safely in Orlando and having a good time with Wes’ family. 

Tuesday morning, we noticed a significant change in the weather to more Fall weather and it was nice. Pam and I left for the USO in the morning and assisted Joyce Schellhorn (Director) in setting up the main room with tables and chairs. Also cleared out the Pathway room and returned it to normal, organized the new storage room and spent the afternoon in the office organizing, cleaning, hanging pictures and generally trying to get them set for day to day operations. They are having a corporate meeting on Wednesday, so Joyce wanted the facility looking as good as possible. Pam and I left at 2:30 pm and had a late lunch or early dinner and returned to our apartment. Made some calls to members and invited Shay Tuttle to dinner tomorrow when we host the Jacksonville Beach Sisters—she accepted.  

Wednesday morning, we arrived at the USO at 10:00 am but they had plenty of volunteers and didn’t need us right then. A Corporate meeting was underway in the Pathway room, so everyone was on their best behavior and not much work was being done. Pam and I drove through Ponte Vedra Beach area and took the Palm Coast Highway back across the inter-coastal canal towards the West and drove through some pretty country, mostly wetlands and seemingly undeveloped areas. We returned to the beach via Butler Blvd and had some lunch before returning to the USO. We occupied ourselves for the next few hours helping in the office. Pam worked with Cheryl on a Christmas gift list for children and I worked with Joyce installing pictures, shelving brackets and unloading bins of items taken from the desks and cabinets prior to the floor project. The Corporate Board meeting finally broke about 2:00 pm and Mike Brian brought in key players and introduced them to everyone. We cleaned up the lunch table and put away food and then Pam and I said our goodbyes and left for the day. We passed some time on the Naval Station and in the chapel parking lot before going to the Sisters apartment and doing an inspection and then took them to Panera’s for dinner. Shay Tuttle met us at the restaurant and we had a delightful 45 minutes with them all. Shay was doing well and was finally looking pregnant, and she reported Chris was having a good cruise. Sister Davis gave a short message and then we said our goodbyes. We gave Shay a small Lemon Birthday cake as her birthday is Saturday. We dropped off the Sisters and then returned to our apartment.

Thursday morning, we opened the USO. Almost immediately we had patrons arrive for bread, but alas no bread. Don’t know why, but Joyce Schellhorn (Director) told us last night that we wouldn’t have bread. Joyce arrived at 10:30 am and she had things for us to do and we took care of them. Pam finished a list of Christmas items for an Angel Tree at the NEX and manned the office and checked in patrons. Cheryl Vandiver arrived about 11:00 am with food for Monday’s “No Dough” dinner and we helped her unload her truck. At 12:30 pm I made a deposit for Joyce and then we returned some poster making items to the Navy Exchange and Pam and I left for home. We had some lunch and spent the rest of the day at home. We made a number of phone calls and texts contacting families and had some texts from missionaries about a baptism on Friday evening at the Fort Caroline chapel.

Friday morning, we left at 7:40 am to do apartment inspections and drove to the River Market Area and visited with Sisters Vai & Newman, followed by visits to Elders Shurtleff & Tualamalii in the Dunn Avenue area. We crossed back across the St. John’s river to the Arlington and Fort Caroline areas and visited with, Sisters Byington & Abril followed by visits to Elders Brooksby & Hendricks and to Sisters Johnson & Paulsen (Sister Wasden was on exchange with Sister Davis in Jacksonville Beach) and finally Elders C. Smart & Saxton. All the apartments looked okay, some better than others, but all the mechanical features of the apartments were working, the kitchens and bathrooms clean and orderly and with one or two exceptions the apartments were also clean orderly and prepared for inspection. All the kitchens had received new appliances—George Foreman grills, Ninja food processors, Waffle Makers, and new plates, bowls, cups, and utensils. The old items were removed so all missionaries now have the same basic features in their apartments. After the last apartment we drove to BJ’s on Atlantic for gas and did some shopping. We returned to the Arlington Hills area and had some lunch and then returned to our apartment. We spent time updating contact information and finished the apartment inspection report and called Elder Alexander (new senior missionary over housing) and got his email address and forwarded our report to him. Later in the afternoon we changed into church clothes and drove to Jacksonville Beach and met the Sisters at their apartment at 6:15 pm and picked up one of their investigators, William, and returned to the Fort Caroline chapel for a baptism. They had another investigator, Charlene, who was supposed to go with us, but she couldn’t go at the last minute. We arrived at the chapel at 7:00 pm and a nice group was assembled in the relief society room for the service. The ward mission leader, Brother Murdock, conducted the meeting and Bishop Ladd presided. Sisters Johnson and Wasden taught the investigator, Roberta Pierre, and she was excited about her baptism. A talk on baptism was given by Rachel Smith, a ward member and a talk on the Holy Ghost by Sister Johnson. Brother Brandon Smith performed the baptism. After Sister Pierre was dressed we met again in the relief society room and heard a short message from Bishop Ladd and the service concluded with notice that Sister Pierre would be confirmed in sacrament meeting on Sunday. We visited with other Fort Caroline members and several missionaries who were attending from the Arlington and Fort Caroline Wards and then returned to Jacksonville Beach and dropped off William and the Sisters at their respective homes and then returned to our own apartment.

Saturday morning, we learned of another Tropical Depression forming in the Atlantic and will have to watch that. Around mid-morning Pam and I began cleaning the apartment and we vacuumed and cleaned the bathrooms, kitchen and dusted. We also began 5 loads of laundry which took most of the day to finish. At noon we were dressed and drove to the St. John’s Center and had lunch and did some shopping at Costco. On the way back to our apartment we stopped at a nearby Wal-Mart and bought a few items. Pam got a birthday box from Janet and then spent the next few hours talking with her and Johanna, getting caught up on happenings at Monroe and Denver. We made phone calls about Sunday meetings and settled in for the day.

Sunday morning, we drove to Jacksonville Beach and attended church. Today they only had sacrament and Sunday school meetings as at least 20 adults were gone to assist in Hurricane Michael cleanup in Crawfordsville, Florida near Tallahassee. A smaller group went to North Carolina last weekend and we were anxious to hear how that went. I called Alexis Connelly this morning, but she just got in and said she wouldn’t be at church. We are worrying about her. Sometime today the Chile Conception Temple was being dedicated by President Russell M. Nelson, our Prophet. That made 160 operating Temples in the church. It also concludes his week long tour of South America. We left for the Beach at 9:30 am and met with the saints in Sacrament meeting. Samantha Lagae and her kids sat with us and Jenny Black and Oliva were there along with the Jarvis.’ Tyler went to Crawfordsville and the Heads must still have sick children. Following wonderful talks by Sister Ward and Sister Hardy we concluded Sacrament meeting and attended a fine Gospel Principles class led by Brother Novak. Following the block, we drove to the Lagae home and picked up some dishes we had left from the military dinner party there on the 19th of October. At our apartment Pam fixed some dinner for us and we settled in for the day. Pam called her sister and had a nice talk and we also heard from Travis and he updated us on the happenings in Denver and Provo with his family. I called all the families from the Arlington and Fort Caroline wards that we have been trying to reach and also talked with Sister Reese from the Dunn Avenue ward and went through a list of names with her. She invited us to a Ward Chili Cook-off on the 10th of November and indicated all the military families would be attending, so that would be a good event for us to attend. Finally, I talked with Rebecca Cotton and got an update on her address and found out how she was doing and the forecast for the WMEC Valiant’s next cruise. 

 Visit by Brent & Joyce Cottle, 1st Cousins

New floor in USO office and Cheryl Vandiver

 New arrangement of Joyce Schellhorn's desk with new floor in USO

 Floor newly waxed and buffed in USO

 We seldom see this in the USO, its generally covered up

 Dining & Meeting area, South wing at USO

 TV Lounge at USO

 Flags and Banners at the USO

 Computer Room with new floor at the USO

 Children's Room at the USO

Week 37 (15 - 21 October)

             Monday morning we got up and celebrated Pam’s 73^rd birthday. We ordered a sewing table for her Elna to do machine quilting. I Love my dear wife. A year ago, we were finishing our application for a mission and now are in our 9th month. Pam is a dedicated woman and responds so well to the wives of these military families and especially the children. When we enter a home the children all gather around her legs and hug her like a grandmother and that makes her feel complete. Not totally but works in a pinch.  We drove to the USO this morning to help with “No Dough” dinner preparations and the place was in an uproar as they were getting ready to replace the floor in the office and computer rooms. All desks and storage shelving were being emptied so they could be taken out of the room. Last Friday, Dave Ostrum began and today we moved all the bins back in the new storage room by the children’s room. We had volunteers available to help with that and also with the “No Dough” setup. Pam helped in the kitchen. I got a call from Tara Alexander came by at noon with her children and gave Pam a dozen red roses and cards the kids had made. Pam was thrilled. I also got a call from Brent Cottle. He and his wife Joyce were on their way to Jacksonville to see us. They were coming with friends from Macon, Georgia. What a surprise! At 2:00 pm all prep work for the dinner was done and they had plenty of volunteers, so Pam and returned to our apartment. About an hour later Brent & Joyce and two friends arrived and it was wonderful to see them and meet their friends who had served as Brent’s counselor in the mission presidency. They stayed for over an hour and we talked about everything—home, family, missions, etc. They were really travelers and spent time in Europe this summer. After they left we looked at each other and said “Wow, what a day!”

Tuesday morning, we returned to the USO and Feeding Northeast Florida had already delivered food for tomorrow’s giveaway. Flooring contractors were moving furniture from the office and computer room and other contractors installing new ovens in the kitchen. How had they scheduled all this on the same morning? Last night James McCullough set up a temporary office in the foyer area. Pam and I waited in the TV area until the dust settled, and we could get busy with the food. Finally, we had 7 volunteers waiting to work, so permission was given, and we went to the storage room and began. Within 2 hours we had 50 bags of meat in the freezer, 50 bags of corn on the cob, and 50 bags of spaghetti, spaghetti sauce and cans of corn and beans. We were done, and it was pretty simple. A large bin of dry goods that was delivered was about 50% out of date, so Pam and I and Carmel and Jim went through each item and sorted the good from the bad. We were done by noon and Pam and I returned to our apartment and changed clothes and left again for a dental appointment for me. It was a cleaning appointment and took about an hour and my teeth looked good. Back at our apartment I did some work on the front door (bugs) and Pam began cutting material for a new quilt.  

Wednesday morning, we were at the USO again early for the food giveaway. We had a number of volunteers and in the first hour got tables loaded with dry goods inside the USO and out in the storage room got things set up to distribute the bags of food. Feeding Northeast Florida made another delivery of two pallets of bags that had dry goods to distribute. They should have been delivered yesterday but was forgotten. In the middle of all this the floor contractors had put self-leveling concrete on the office and computer room floors and when dry they started installing the laminate flooring in the office. It looked very nice and went down quickly. At 10:00 am the first military families began arriving for food and Pam helped Cheryl Vandiver check them in and Carmel and Jim and I worked in the storage room and gave out 4 bags of items to each family, which included meat, fresh corn and 2 bags of dry and canned goods. Before coming outside, they ran the gauntlet of other items where they could take what they needed and in the next hour we went through a lot of food. I think after an hour we replenished the tables inside continuously. We had 40 military families come for food and Dave took 8 portions to an Army base south of NAS Jax. We had 3 men who wheeled grocery carts full of food to each patrons’ cars and that was convenient. At noon we were basically through and most of the volunteers left, but Pam and I stayed at the request of Joyce Schellhorn (Director). She and Cheryl were running the make-do office and we took care of stragglers. They bought us some lunch from the Olympia Café and it was very good. We finally left at 2:00 pm and returned to our apartment, tired but happy with the way things proceeded.

Thursday morning, I celebrated the 50^th anniversary of my Commissioning in the United States Navy. This happened in Pensacola, Florida. That afternoon I flew to Cincinnati, Ohio and met Pam and Johanna who drove from Mount Pleasant, Michigan and we were reunited again after AOCS. This morning we were going to Zone Conference and arrived at the Hendricks Chapel at 8:30 am. This conference was for the missionaries in Kingsland, Lake City, Mandarin and Jacksonville East Zones. We greeted the single missionaries in the cultural hall and enjoyed the hugs and shakes. President & Sister Lee were also there greeting the missionaries and then we proceeded to the chapel and reverently took our seats and listened to prelude music until time to commence the meeting. President and Sister Lee each said a few words of welcome and then turned the time over to Elder Vaughn (AP) who conducted the meeting. After an opening hymn and prayer, we heard from President Lee, Sister Lee and then President Lee again. They both taught important principles of missionary work and were very inspiring. Elder Vaughn & Carter conducted training concerning online teaching methods using Facebook and Messenger and it was interesting. At the conclusion of the morning session, they invited four missionaries who were attending their last zone conference to come forward and bear their testimonies and then the congregation sang “God Be with You Till We Meet Again.” Following a closing prayer we moved to the cultural hall for lunch and met a new Senior Couple, Elder & Sister Alexander, who replaced the Youngberg’s who left for their home last Monday. Sister Alexander was the mission nurse and Elder Alexander would probably be the Branch President of the Crescent City Branch. After lunch, visiting and zone pictures were taken, Pam and I departed.  

Friday morning, we left for the USO at 9:00 am. Cheryl Vandiver had opened and flooring contractors were busy working when we arrived. Almost immediately we got a delivery from Publix of bread and pastries. They didn’t have one yesterday and the store more than made up for it today, because we got a lot of bread and pastries. After we laid it out and began to tabulate it, another delivery from Beams showed up and it was almost as much as Publix and included meat and chips. By 10:00 am we had it all costed out and patrons were allowed to take what they wanted and fortunately Cheryl and Dave Ostrum, who had also arrived, determined they could take whatever they wanted. We had 5 coolers filled with meats (chicken, pork, beef) and with leftover corn and the bread and pastries, we had a lot of variety for patrons. Samantha Lagae came by and got some food and also took Pam with her to watch her kids while she did a project. I stayed at the USO and worked here and there. The contractors finished the computer room and it looked very nice. When I left they were almost done with the office, only baseboard and transitions to finish. The floor contractors were also going to put furniture back, so they had a lot of work left to do. Cheryl also received boxes of kitchen pots and pans for her new stove. Wondered where she would put things? I picked up Pam at the Lagae’s and we returned to our apartment and spent a quiet afternoon. Pam finished up some food items for tonight’s dinner and we texted the Sisters about dinner and made plans to pick them up. We also texted Tyler and Alexis and got a reply from Alexis saying she couldn’t make it. She was so excited about it the last time we talked. We left for Jacksonville Beach at 4:30 am and picked up the Sisters and drove to the Lagae home on the Naval Base. Jerald had a grill going and Nikki Head was just leaving. She had dropped off her food, but her family couldn’t come because of a sick child so we were sad about that. They sure battled with illness since coming to Jacksonville. However, in the next half an hour Jenny Black and Oliva, Stephanie and Lance Jarvis, Gary and Devaney Noblit and there 2 boys arrived. So, with the Lagae’s, Sisters and Pam and I we had 16 in attendance. They decided to set up tables outside so the food was all laid out and after a prayer by Samantha we began eating and visiting. The food was excellent—tacos with carne asada and all the toppings, black beans, corn and rice. Everything was very tasty, and we had plenty. At 6:30 pm I texted Alexis and Tyler and told them we had just started so if they were finished with their assignments to please come. Pam and I had to leave shortly after 7:00 pm to get the Sisters to another appointment, and shortly after we left Tyler came and we were pleased. All in all, it was a wonderful evening, just a few pesty bugs, but we managed with some spray.

Saturday morning, we did housework and laundry throughout the morning and at noon drove to a Hobby Lobby on Old St. Augustine road. Pam bought a little more fabric for a quilt she was making. We continued across the St. John’s river and located a different Costco off I-295. We did some shopping and filled up with gas. We returned to our apartment but approaching Atlantic Blvd, traffic came to a stop. An accident up ahead around Monument Road kept us at a crawl for about 45 minutes. It involved a tanker truck which appeared to have side-swiped a small sedan or ran it down on the drivers’ side because the car was crushed. Finally, we made it to our apartment and took the groceries inside and had a late lunch. We received a text from Tara Alexander indicating she had arrived in Orlando safely. She was visiting Wes’ family there and then continuing on to San Antonio, Texas for the next 3 weeks. She had a friend who joined her in Orlando to make the drive with her.

Sunday morning, we attended church in the Jacksonville Beach Ward. It was the annual Primary program and there were a lot of additional people attending. Tyler Gneck, Shay Tuttle, Noblit’, Jarvis’ and Lagae’s were attending today. As it turned out Alexis Connelly was in St. Augustine, and the Black’s and Head’s had sick children. Following the sacrament, children moved to the podium and the program began and was excellent, both music and spoken words. Eleanor Lagae took part and did a good job herself and made her parents proud. We attended the Gospel Principles class and it was huge today with at least an additional 6-10 people attending who we hadn’t seen before. It made for some lively discussions especially on the subject of eternal families. During priesthood, I led the discussion and spent about 40 minutes talking about “Wisdom.” Brother Dill & Smith seemed okay with the end result and at 1:00 pm we concluded. I talked with Tyler about his flying sorties this past week and he enjoyed being in the air very much. We came home, and Pam fixed lunch and watched KBYU programming throughout the afternoon and settled in for the night. I called or texted the Heads, Blacks, and Alexis and learned how they were all doing.

 

That's us getting ready for lunch at Zone Conference

  Sister Tua and Newman from our Zone

 Sister Johnson and Wasden from our Zone

  Elder & Sister Whitehead from the Office

 Elder Grieve and Sister Whitehead from the Office

 Elder & Sister Gilland from the Hillard Branch (MLS)

 Elder & Sister Alexander, new Senior Couple, Mission Nurse and Crescent Br President

  Elders & Sisters singing "Called To Serve" with a special 3rd Verse

Jacksonville East Zone with President & Sister Lee

Week 36 (8 - 14 October)

            Monday morning we began the week attending an OZONE Conference for all senior couples in the mission. We had looked forward to this for some time. Johanna and Haley were with us and attended also. We left our apartment early and drove directly to St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city in the United States. We met President & Sister Lee and the other missionaries at the “The Old Jail.” The other senior couples included the Lee’s, Young’s, Waite’s, Schroeder’s, Mann’s, Whitehead’s and Gilland—18 in all. Sister Lee had purchased ticket packages and handed them out and we began at the “Old Jail” and it was interesting and a little morbid. Also, on the property was the “Oldest Store Museum Experience” and it was amazing to see the items the store sold and supplied to patrons. The next part of the day was a Trolley ride through St. Augustine narrated by an entertaining driver. We covered virtually all of the old Historic district including the Visitors Center, The Oldest Drug Store, Oldest Schoolhouse, Historic City Gates, many, many churches, and a variety of buildings constructed by Henry Flagler who transformed St. Augustine. We had lunch at the Flagler Museum in the bottom of a swimming pool. It was actually an old Hotel, originally built to attract high rollers with a swimming pool, bowling alley, archery range and gamboling. We also toured the front lobby of the Flagler College nearby and it was spectacular with a domed ceiling and exquisite wood work throughout. At that point the missionaries went separate ways. We continued the Trolley tour through the rest of the Historic District stopping at the Castillo San Marcos (Fort) and let Johanna & Haley enjoy this historic beauty. The final area we saw was the Ponce De Leon Fountain of Youth park. The water itself was pretty nasty, but they had a lot of displays on the Indian inhabitants of the area and their homes, etc. From this last stop we caught the last trolley back to where our van was parked and headed south to Orlando for the night. We appreciated the welcome all of the missionaries extended to Johanna and Haley and that made the day extra special. We arrived in Orlando about 6:30 pm where we had rooms for the night. We learned that Hurricane “Michael” was moving closer and closer to the panhandle region of Florida and what was supposed to be a Tropical Depression at best was forecast to be a Category 2 or 3 hurricane upon landfall at Panama Beach. We hoped the people in that part of Florida and Georgia were ready!

Tuesday morning, we were up early and met Johanna & Haley for breakfast and then drove to the Universal Studios parking plaza. Pam’s legs were pretty sore from yesterday’s activities and we inquired about a wheelchair and she reluctantly agreed to ride. It turned out to be a bonus for us. We got preferential parking and renting a chair for the day was simple. I remembered the entry area but that was about all as it had really been expanded and changed from when I was there in 2002 with a group of teachers from Sevier School District. We got our tickets and began our adventure. We were so glad Pam agreed to ride as she would have been finished within an hour. The primary goal of the day was Harry Potter World and we first went to Diagon Alley and wandered the various shops and corridors. It was uncanny the detail expended in the alleys, stores, streets, buildings, etc. You felt like you were in 1900 England. We took a ride in this section of the park called “Escape from Gringotts” and it was a fun, multi-dimensional thrill ride. Next, we took the “Hogwarts Express” train between two Harry Potter locations and ended up in Hogsmeade. We walked the streets of this beautiful village with many shops and activities. In the castle we went on another ride taking us through the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and soaring above the castle grounds as we joined Harry Potter and his friends on a thrilling adventure. We had lunch at the castle and it was quite a feast, highlighted, of course, by “Butter Beer.” For the next hour we exited the Hogsmeade area and went to the Island of Adventure park and road the “Jurassic park River Adventure ride” which was fun. Haley also road the “Hulk” coaster. We wandered through dozens of other attractions surrounding a large lake and then returned to Hogsmeade and took the Hogswart Express back to the Diagon Alley area and moved towards to park exit. We saw a myriad of themed areas and stopped at The Mummy and Haley and Johanna went on the ride and Pam and I relaxed under a tree watching and listening to street performers while enjoying a Slurpee and Popcorn. When they returned we continued towards the entrance and left the park at 4:00 pm. It had been quite an adventurous day and it was easy to see why there were thousands and thousands of families in the park on a Tuesday in October. The drive back to Jacksonville was uneventful and we safely made it to our apartment after a fun-filled day.

Wednesday morning, the big news was the progress of Hurricane Michael. It appeared like it might be the strongest hurricane to hit that area of Florida in years, possibly a category 4 storm which would be devasting. President Lee has evacuated missionaries from Cross City and Chiefland to the Ocala District. We were only experiencing some wind and clouds here in Jacksonville. At 12:30 pm we drove across the St. John’s river hoping to take Johanna and Haley to the Kingsley Plantation. We enjoyed the drive and talked about the various places we were passing. As we approached the plantation turnoff, we noticed a “Closed” sign but continued on and enjoyed the unique drive through the forested area of Fort George Island. At the Plantation the gate was indeed closed (hurricane precaution), and we couldn’t see anything so that was a disappointment. We made the circle loop back to Heckscher Road and continued east towards Little Talbot Island State Park where the gate ranger let us drive around without paying. Haley wanted to walk on the beach and she and Johanna made it that far, but it was quite a hike and Pam and I returned to the van as the rain started to fall. Haley returned with a handful of shells and said there were signs warning not to get in the water because of rip currents. We returned to Jacksonville and had some lunch then on to Mayport and went on base and drove to the Lagae home and visited with Samantha and her children and introduced them to Johanna and Haley. Before leaving the base, we drove around and showed them what a Naval Base was like. There were a couple of ships tied up but not many, because of the hurricane warning. Finally, we returned to the Arlington area and went to a boat ramp on the St. John’s river and walked out on the fishing piers. It was enjoyable to see the huge bridge, river island and homes.

Thursday morning, we learned the full extent of Hurricane Michael’s rampage through the panhandle of Florida. It came ashore at Mexican Beach as a Category 4 storm with winds of 145 mph and 9-13 feet of storm surge along the coastline. It quickly moved inland knocking out power, taking off roofs, destroying trees and homes and remained a Category 3 storm well inland. This morning the storm was crossing Georgia into South Carolina as a Tropical Storm and forecast to be out in the Atlantic by evening. The fast movement and downgraded status were a blessing to those areas already devastated by Florence last month. Today Johanna and Haley returned to Denver and we began the morning opening up the USO and things were quiet with not much bread or pastries. However, we got everything tabulated and set out for patrons. Pam took Johanna around and showed her the place and I manned the office and took calls and checked in patrons. Cheryl arrived at 10:00 am and we introduced Johanna to her and Charlie Tramazzo, but we missed Joyce Schellhorn (Director). We left the USO at 11:30 am and returned to the apartment and Haley was up and they finished packing and we loaded up their bag and headed north to the airport. We had some lunch and then dropped them off at the departure gate and said our goodbyes. We certainly enjoyed having Johanna and Haley with us and enjoyed the feeling of family closeness again. They had an uneventful series of flights to Denver, arriving in Chicago later that afternoon and in Denver around 8:30 pm.

Friday morning, we went to the USO to see if Dave Ostrum needed our help this morning. Dave was working with a volunteer cleaning off all the knick-knacks from the cabinets in the office preparing for flooring which was coming Tuesday. We helped out where we could and sold football tickets, cleaned up and made a deposit for Dave at a local credit union. We left at 2:00 pm and had lunch and then returned to our apartment. Pam did some housework and I got my hair cut throughout the afternoon. We missed Johanna and Haley!

Saturday morning, I watched several videos of the destruction in Mexican Beach (by Panama Beach) and it was just frightening. Practically everything from the coast to about a half a mile inland was gone—just empty concrete pads. Couldn’t imagine what those residents were feeling. With the passage of the storm, the weather was picture perfect throughout the southeast. Temps in the 80’s and low humidity, couldn’t ask for anything better. We heard it had turned to pre-winter in Utah with snow in the mountains and freezing temps. This morning after studying, we cleaned the apartment thoroughly and began a mountain of laundry. We drove to Panda Express and bought lunch for Samantha Lagae as she and several of her kids were sick and Jerald had the duty. We dropped off the food and she was very appreciative. On the way back through Mayport area we had lunch and then did a little shopping, filled up with gas and returned to our apartment.

Sunday morning, we left for church at Jacksonville Beach and had a bonus day—the Head’s, Black’s, Lagae’s, Shay Tuttle, Stephanie Jarvis, Noblits, and Tyler were all in church. Alexis Connelly was sick this morning and Lance Jarvis had the duty. It was wonderful, and we enjoyed the various meetings with these good families. During Elder’s quorum meeting the president discussed assignments for hurricane cleanup in North Carolina and the Florida panhandle. The Stake was asked to provide a number of workers on two upcoming weekends and I was sure they would meet their goal. “helping hands” was a popular thing here and they had enjoyed the benefits of it from other areas in the past. After church we returned to our apartment and Pam fixed some dinner and I made a number of calls to several families and single members inviting them to a Military dinner the Lagae’s are hosting this coming Friday. We can’t wait to get them all together again. 

 Pam, Haley & Johanna looking over a brochure for St. Augustine

 Senior Mission group in front of the Oldest Store Museum

 Oldest Store Museum

 Flagler Hotel, not a Museum

Lunch in the Swimming Pool of the Flagler Museum

 Flagler College

 Rotunda in foyer of Flagler College

One of the streets in Harry Potter's Diagon Alley

 Haley & Johanna at #12 (someones home, but not sure who?)

 Hogwarts Express

 Hogsmeade Castle

Water ride in Adventure Park

Week 35 (1 - 7 October)

            Monday morning, Pam and I had to be at the Lagae home by 8:00 am so Samantha could take Eleanor to an appointment. We arrived and got ourselves comfortable with Clive and then Samantha and Eleanor left, and we entertained Clive. Fiona was up shortly thereafter, and she was humorous as she flitted around telling us this and that and hardly understanding anything she was saying. They both were very good for us and the time went by quickly. We fed them, and Pam and I cleaned up some and Samantha was appreciative of that. I left for the USO at 9:30 am and Pam stayed until Samantha returned. At the USO I noticed the floors were quite sticky and wondered what happened. Joyce Schellhorn (Director) and Cheryl Vandiver were there along with one other volunteer. Joyce said over the weekend they hosted a baby shower and apparently spilled something on the floor that didn’t get cleaned up very well, so immediately the other volunteer and I mopped the entire facility. For the rest of the morning I assisted in setting up for the “No Dough” dinner—brought out the “Sneeze Guards” for the salad and dessert tables, placed the utensils and napkin dispensers on the pool table and got out plates and bowls necessary for the night. Also set up the drink table with dispensers, cups and the ice bowl. About 10:30 am Pam was ready to be picked up, so I drove to the Lagae home and we both returned to the USO. Pam worked in the kitchen for the rest of the morning. At 1:30 pm Joyce went home to take care of her dog and asked me to man the office for her which I did. Later Pam and I went to a nearby Arby’s and had some lunch and then returned. American Legion Post #129 sponsored the dinner and volunteers began arriving at 4:00 pm. Pam and I stayed to ensure they had enough, and I manned a table giving away school supplies to families and Pam the Dessert table. We stayed until 7:00 pm and then took two boxes of food and two cases of drinks to the gate guards at the USO and they were appreciative of the gesture.

            Tuesday morning, we left at 8:30 am for the Naval Station where we picked up Alexis Connelly and took her to a doctor’s appointment at the Naval Air Station. She had participated in a sleep study and they gave her an evaluation and some recommendations. On the way back, we took Alexis to lunch at Freddy’s and enjoyed spending some time with her. After dropping her off at her housing building we stopped by the USO to check on an item and did a little work for Joyce regarding Halloween decorations and then made a stop at the ITT (Information, Tickets & Travel) office by the Navy Exchange to check on tickets for Universal Studies in Orlando. We then drove to the Naval Station where Pam watched Samantha Lagae’s children (Clive and Eleanor) while Sam took Fiona to an appointment at the Naval Station to evaluate her hearing and speech problems.

Wednesday morning, we left for the USO at 10:30 am and made a short visit to check on the Marathon items that were delivered yesterday. I moved them in the storage room and did a couple of other things and then we left. Dave Ostrum was working and Joyce Schellhorn (Director) arrived just before we left. Pam was to sit for Samantha’s children but got a text telling her that she had cancelled the appointment for Fiona, so Pam didn’t need to come. We had lunch and then drove Costco where we did some shopping. Afterwards we stopped at a Wal-Mart and bought some fresh vegetables and then returned to our apartment. Pam spent the afternoon baking a cake and getting ready for tomorrow evenings Baby Shower for Shay Tuttle.

Thursday morning, Pam and I opened the USO and were surprised at the number of cars in the parking lot waiting for us. Today at 9:00 am tickets to the Jacksonville Icemen Hockey team were supposed to be available. We didn’t have them, but shortly Charlie Tramazzo arrived, and he had them and we began to give them out for free with very few restrictions. I checked the bread and pastries and tabulated them and got them ready for patrons by 9:30 am. So, the morning was filled with a lot of people coming and going. We also had a community service worker with us and he worked on the lighting system in the entryway. Joyce Schellhorn (Director) was having him do a lot of maintenance items because he was very skilled. We had 3 mothers come with their children to spend time in the children’s room and that was nice. Joyce arrived about 11:30 am from an eye doctor appointment. I took Pam to Samantha Lagae’s home at 12:30 pm and she watched her children while Samantha went to an appointment for herself today. Back at the USO I did a number of small projects until Pam called. I picked her up and then we returned to our apartment. At 5:45 pm we loaded up food and other items for the baby shower for Shay Tuttle at Dwight & Kathy Thomas’ house in Atlantic Beach. Kathy was the Relief Society President in the Jacksonville Beach Ward and offered her home for the occasion hosted by Pam, Sister Tiara Christianson and Stephanie Jarvis. We drove back to the base and picked up Alexis Connelly and then proceeded to the Thomas home. They lived in a very nice area on Atlantic Beach and had a lovely home. After unpacking things, I left, and Pam and Alexis stayed for the shower. I drove to an Ace Hardware store to pick up a replacement toilet handle and then drove along Mayport Road and found a road to a Reserve walkway out into the marshland by the intercoastal canal. After dark I returned to the Thomas home and waited for the shower to conclude. There were a lot of cars parked by the Thomas home and when it was over Pam said they had about 30 women present, and it turned out to be a huge success. Not many people in the ward knew Shay at all because she was very shy and teaches in the Primary, so kind of gets lost even though she is there regularly. Her mother came for the event and met everyone, and they had a good time with a lot of food, games and other activities. Shay was overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity and Pam said it was perfect.

Friday morning, we spent the morning cleaning the apartment and doing laundry. I vacuumed the house and Pam cleaned the bathrooms and kitchen. We repositioned the beds in the guest room and cleaned out a little space for Johanna and Haley when they arrive. We drove to the Beach and went to the ITT office again by the Navy Exchange and purchased tickets to Universal Studies in Orlando for us and Johanna & Haley. We then drove to the St. John’s area and did some shopping for a shower gift for another mother in the Jacksonville Beach Ward and then we had some lunch. We shopped at Costco for a few things and returned to our apartment. Tonight, I did some phone calls to families with little success.

Saturday morning, Pam and I got ready and drove to the airport about 10:45 am. I called Nikki Head and talked with her about a blessing she had requested and made arrangements when that could take place. The Head family had all been sick this past week and wasn’t getting any better. We arrived at the airport a half an hour before Johanna’s arrival time and waited in the luggage area and soon they came down the escalator following their landing. It was great to see them. We loaded up and returned to our area and stopped for lunch before coming to the apartment. At our apartment we got Johanna & Haley set up in the guest bedroom, then we checked on BYUtv because the morning session had already commenced. I restarted the morning session and Pam, Johanna and Haley watched it and I drove to the Naval Station and with Tony’s help blessed his family. I gave him my bottle of oil and hoped he had the confidence to use it.

Back home I changed clothes and joined the ladies watching the rest of the morning session. President Russell M. Nelson opened the session and welcomed members and explained the direction being taken to make the church more of “a home centered” church rather than a “Sunday church.” Following his testimony, Elder Elder Quentin L. Cook explained adjustments mentioned by President Nelson. The major change was the Sunday meeting schedule which was shortened to 2 hours consisting of a 60-minute sacrament meeting followed by a 10-minute break for movement and then a 50-minute period for Sunday School on the 1^st & 3^rd Sunday’s, and Priesthood and Relief Society and Young Women’s on the 2^nd & 4^th Sunday’s. A 5^th Sunday would be at the direction of the Bishop. Primary would be held every Sunday. He gave much more information on the reasons for the change and bore his testimony that it was the will of the Lord. Next, we heard from 5 more general authorities. Shortly thereafter the afternoon session began which was live and we heard 6 talks and they were also wonderful. During the interlude between Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening sessions Pam fixed dinner. At 8:00 pm we watched the first General Women’s session of conference held on the Saturday evening of Conference weekend. We heard from 3 general officers from the relief society, young women’s and primary and then from the first presidency. A great meeting.

Sunday morning, everyone slept in, but we got up to watch the morning session which began at noon. As the session began we got a text from Samantha Lagae asking for help. Clive had his hand shut in a door and she thought his fingers were broken. She needed someone to sit with her girls while she went to NAS Jax emergency room. Pam got dressed and drove to the Naval Station. Sam had called 911 and they checked Clive and said the blood supply wasn’t hurt, but felt she needed an x-ray. Pam ended up going with Samantha and her children and felt she needed Pam’s moral support. Pam watched the girls in the lobby.

In the meanwhile, the session began and Johanna, Haley and I went into our room and watched conference. President Eyring conducted and we heard 5 wonderful talks on a variety of subjects. I warmed up a dish of stroganoff and Johanna, Haley and I had that for lunch. At 4:00 pm we began watching the afternoon session we heard 7 talks and a final message from President Nelson in which he announced 12 new Temples to be built throughout the world. It had been a good week.

 Marshland next to the Intercoastal Canal

 Marshland next to the Intercoastal Canal

 Sister Ferguson returned to the mission field following gall bladder surgery. We are very proud of her.