COTTLE MISSION NEWS: Week 50 (14

Monday morning, we published our weekly blog and enjoyed a quiet morning. At 11:00 am we drove to Mayport Naval Station and purchased tickets to the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine and then spent a half an hour at the USO introducing Janet to Joyce Schellhorn (Director), Dave Ostrum and Charlie Tramazzo. I showed Janet the facility and we also got an update on what was happening at the USO. We had lunch at a local Whataburger (Janet’s choice) and it was quite wonderful. Following lunch, we made our way south on A1A to St. Augustine and enjoyed the drive and the sights. First on our list of things to do was a trip to the Alligator Farm on Anastasia Island. It was busy, but not overcrowded and the alligators, crocodiles, birds and other reptiles were fun to watch. Again, Pam and I were impressed with the quality of the park and Janet enjoyed everything. Back in St. Augustine we had planned to ride the trolley, but it was quite cold, so chose instead to just drive the streets and view the town from the warmth of our van. That turned out to be a good choice and we enjoyed the beautiful architecture and restored homes, businesses and restaurants. Unfortunately, the Castillo de San Marcos (Fort) was closed due to the government shutdown, but we were able to drive by and catch a little of the majesty of that edifice. At 4:30 pm we left St. Augustine and took the Nocatee Parkway and Palm Valley Road back to highway A1A and continued north to Mayport to have dinner at Singleton’s Seafood Shack at the suggestion of Joyce and it was very good and the amount of food amazing. We arrived back at our apartment after dark—an enjoyable day.

Tuesday morning was a leisurely morning and we finally left the apartment at 11:30 am and drove to the Mandarin area to have lunch at Tijuana Flats. Janet was hungry for some good Mexican food and we weren’t disappointed. We located the restaurant just off of Old St. Augustine Road and it was Taco Tuesday and Pam and Janet enjoyed the meal. Following lunch, we drove across the St. John’s river and on to Jacksonville Naval Air Station. For the next hour we drove around the base showing Janet all the places I remembered and many I didn’t. There had been so much change since 1987, but it was fun to see the buildings, recreational facilities and lines of P-8’s and P-3’s along the flight line. After stopping at the static display park and discussing the various aircraft on display, we left the base via the Yorktown gate and returned to our apartment in Arlington Hills. Pam started laundry and we spent a quiet afternoon and evening visiting.

Wednesday morning, we were up early and left for the airport at 6:15 am as Janet had an 8:00 am flight to Salt Lake City. It had been a quick week for us, but we certainly appreciated Janet’s visit—a real shot in the arm. At 8:30 am I took Pam to the Alexander’s where she babysat for Trista and Kyler while Tara went to a doctor’s appointment. I drove to the USO, arriving shortly after 9:00 am and Charlie Tramazzo had opened, and Julie Davis was in the office. I walked around to see what had been going on during the past week and the north end was closed and tables set up filled with food. They had been having food drives for Coast Guard families since last Friday and would continue until Coast Guard members began receiving pay checks (Government Shutdown). We received donations all morning long as requests went out over TV and Facebook for food and commodities, especially baby items, dry goods and pet food. I put out donations on the various tables and cleaned out the recycle bins in the office. Pam called at 11:00 am and said Wes was home and she wasn’t needed any longer, so I picked her up and returned to the USO where we stayed until 3:00 pm. Joyce Schellhorn (Director) arrived about 1:30 pm and we visited and talked about this latest donation program and our involvement tomorrow in picking up an order from our Bishop’s Storehouse on the west side. Dave Ostrum went over this morning and took a tour of the storehouse and placed an order. Sister Ladd of the Fort Caroline ward had called Monday evening requesting information on the USO and the Coast Guard situation. She indicated the storehouse was prepared to make a $1,000 donation in food and commodities for the Coast Guard and we directed her to Joyce and the arrangements for food and the tour were made. We were quite pleased with those turn of events. After leaving the USO we drove back to Arlington Hills and had a late lunch and then returned to our apartment. The Lagae’s invited us to their home later in the evening to discuss the gospel. We arrived at 7:30 pm and the kids were in bed, so it was nice and quiet. We spent the next two hours listening to them tell of their aspirations for the future and discussed living the gospel, need for the Melchizedek priesthood and Temple preparation. We stressed the need to begin with “little steps.” We left feeling great and looked forward to more such meetings.

Thursday morning, we opened the USO and turned on everything. Bread and Pastries had been delivered so we got them ready for patrons and then worked on loads of donations that had come in since yesterday for the Coast Guard food giveaway on Friday. Everything was being put in the north dining area and there certainly was a lot of food and commodities available. Charlie Tramazzo arrived, and Julie Davis came later in the morning, so we had plenty of help. Another major food delivery came at 10:00 am and we unloaded boxes of meat into the outside storage room and was found room in the freezers and reefers out there. Dave Ostrum arrived at 11:30 am and we confirmed an appointment he made with the Bishop’s Storehouse in West Jacksonville and we left at noon to bring the food order back to the USO. We met Brother Artis Hudnall (manager) and he got the order ready and within 30 minutes we were loading the van with boxes and boxes of fresh vegetables and fruit, cases of spaghetti and sauce, eggs, plus bread and meat for hamburgers. The veggies and fruit were some of the best we had seen here in Florida. We returned to the USO and Dave and Joyce met us but were uncertain what they were going to do with everything. We unloaded the produce onto the tables on the patio while they discussed storage. We helped where we could but left at 3:30 pm and returned to Arlington Hills and had an early dinner at the Golden Corral and then returned to our apartment. I texted Shay Tuttle and got an update on Chris who was underway and checked on her and the baby.

Friday morning, we arrived at the USO at 9:00 am and the parking lot was already filling up. Inside there were people everywhere and the Chief Petty Officer Association of the Coast Guard was helping get ready for the food distribution. Joyce Schellhorn (Director) had opened and things were moving along fine. Dave Ostrum was loading a USO pickup truck with boxes of food to take to a Coast Guard facility at Cape Canaveral and he left by 9:30 am. The Command Master Chief (CMC) of the Coast Guard, directed his men and women and by 9:45 am we were ready to begin as families started arriving. Julie Davis, a volunteer, worked at the front desk, Pam worked with several volunteers checking in new donations, ensuring food was current, date wise, and I was inside and out doing odd jobs, ensuring food and commodities were available as tables opened up. We also had a grill going outside and I provided tables, plates, utensils, and desserts for the luncheon of hamburgers and hot dogs for the families. During the day we received two large deliveries of food from a food sharing organization in Arlington and then another huge delivery from Beams at 2:00 pm. In both cases the Chiefs helped immensely in bringing in meat and groceries and placing them on the tables. At 11:30 am Joyce and Charlie Tramazzo left for a Staff Meeting with Mike Brian (Executive), so Pam and I were the senior USO people around and it felt pretty uncomfortable. However, we had a steady flow of families throughout the day and felt like we served well over 100 families. The biggest issue was meat. We had boxes of chicken, beef and pork that had to be taken because all the freezers and coolers were full. Pam and I were released at 3:00 pm as the rush diminished. The chiefs were magnificent and helped patrons with food selections, directing them around the facility and helping them out to their cars. What was most important was that patrons could take as much as they wanted—no restrictions. Channel 47 and 4 were there throughout the day doing photo coverage and interviews with patrons and with Mike Brian and other USO personnel and their stories appeared on the 6:00 pm news broadcasts. We drove back to Arlington Hills and had an early dinner and then on to our apartment. Pam had a long visit with Erin and Ann Marie. I made some phone calls and got a return call from a young man who had been in the YSA Branch but was out of the Navy, living in California.

Saturday morning, I took the van to be washed and vacuumed and then back at the apartment we cleaned and began a couple of loads of laundry. We texted all the singles in the Jacksonville Beach Ward about tomorrow’s meetings and got responses from two. At noon we drove to the St. John’s Center and had lunch and then stopped at Joanne’s and bought a light bulb for Pam’s new sewing machine. From there we did a little shopping at Costco before returning to our apartment for the day. Made several phone calls to military member families and updated our contact book. Pam had a long visit with Johanna in the evening.

Sunday morning, we left for church at 9:15 am and picked up a member family for the sisters; April Johnson and her three children Dane, Mahalia and Bella. They had moved north from Palatka and the sisters were teaching Mahalia and getting her ready for baptism. Samantha & Jerald Lagae and their children were at church along with Jenny & Rich Black and Olivia, also Lance & Stephanie Jarvis, but none of our singles or the Heads, Tuttle’s or Noblit’s were there today. Sacrament meeting was excellent, and Sister Davis was invited to speak prior to going home in 3 weeks. John Bryson also spoke and did a fine job. After the meeting the children and youth went to their classes and the adults settled down in the chapel and Sunday school commenced with an excellent lesson by Brother Hardy. A lot of good comments given and a good spirit present. Following the meeting we visited for a few minutes and then loaded up the Johnson’s and returned them to their home. Before leaving the Beach, we went on base and visited the Head’s and Tony was home from Norfolk, Va., but Nikki said Caleb had a sore throat, so they stayed home. At home in Arlington Hills, Pam fixed dinner for us and we ate and watched some programming on byu.tv. I did some work on our mission scrapbook and made a few calls and sent out texts and learned that Tyler Gneck had just returned from Savannah, Ga where he spent the weekend with friends. Quiet end to a busy week.