COTTLE MISSION NEWS: Week 61 (1

Monday morning, the start of a new week and month. We left for the USO at 8:30 am to help with No Dough dinner preparations. Joyce Schellhorn (Director) opened and as volunteers arrived Pam organized them in the kitchen and work began on the dinner menu. Julie Davis and Sue Lowthian arrived a half an hour later and pretty soon they were in full swing. Dave Ostrum arrived about 10:00 am and was there for a shipment of 3 produce coolers from Feeding Northeast Florida which could be rolled around and be useful for meat or produce and today for milk. We also received a pallet of baby items for an upcoming Baby Shower activity on the 13^th of April which Megan DeGance was running. After I got the main room set up for dinner, cleaning tables, sneeze guards in place and the utensil table set up, I went out to the storage room and inventoried the baby goods. I also brought out the dessert items and inventoried hamburger patties for Joyce for an upcoming dinner. The ladies had dinner preparations finished by 2:00 pm and we visited in the office about upcoming events for an hour. Pam and I left about 3:00 pm and had lunch and then continued to our apartment. We finished up an email for the Kelley’s and sent it off with a letter and dozens of pictures of the apartment and complex here at Avia St. John’s.

Tuesday morning, we left for the USO at 9:30 am. Joyce Schellhorn (Director) had opened and a NOSA (Naval Officers Spouses Association) group was having a meeting, so the parking lot was full of cars. The morning was spent doing little jobs for Joyce and Pam cleaned the kitchen and re-organized the No Dough storage room. I made a couple of deliveries, lettuce to the Navy Exchange and candy to an MWR facility on base. We also sorted through all the Disney paraphernalia she had accumulated the past year for giveaways at next Mondays No Dough dinner. We left at 2:30 pm and stopped for a late lunch and then returned to our apartment. Both Pam and I spent the rest of the afternoon watching “Safety” videos from the Missionary Portal and got them done. In the evening I texted Alexis Connelly, Andrew Cooper, Blake Harris, Elizabeth Stenson and Kyle Young. Throughout the evening I got responses from each one which was amazing. They were all doing okay, but we had not had any contact with Alexis, Elizabeth or Blake for some time. We wished them well and encouraged them to watch conference this weekend.

Wednesday morning, we didn’t have to be at the USO until 11:00 am so had time to relax and study at leisure. After getting ready we left for the USO at 10:30 am and Joyce Schellhorn (Director) and Dave Ostrum were both there along with a community service volunteer and Carmel and Jim. Pam went to the kitchen and cooked chicken for an upcoming dinner and I did some jobs for Joyce throughout the facility and drove to Beams and picked up two more boxes of chicken. Tax personnel were there so we had a lot of traffic from their clients. After lunch, Joyce, Dave and Julie Davis went into Charlie’s office and participated in a conference call with Mike Obrien and other USO staff members. Carmel and Jim left at noon, so I took over office duties and checked in patrons and answered phone calls. The conference call lasted until 2:30 pm and when done we visited with Joyce about upcoming events and then Pam and I left and returned to our apartment to prepare for a dinner tonight with the Arlington Sisters. Sisters Dreiling & McCombs arrived right at 5:00 pm and we had an enjoyable time with them. They are a hard-working pair and seem to get along fine. Pam prepared a wonderful meal and they were hardy eaters. We enjoyed a message they shared and after they left we cleaned up the dishes and the kitchen.

Friday morning, we weren’t rushed and finally left for the USO at 9:30 am. Upon arrival a Beams truck was just leaving, and they had received a huge delivery of meat and fresh vegetables. For the next half an hour we helped sort meat and produce and then Pam and I loaded up items to take with us for the “Month of the Child” event at the Navy Exchange. Pam (store manager) always placed the USO table by the entrance to the exchange in the lobby so we were the first table patrons saw. By 11:00 am the various organizations from the naval station and support groups were manning tables and we waited for people. It was the most interesting thing for a Friday morning not to have more patrons streaming into the exchange. For those who did come we welcomed them, gave out treats, wooden toys, information about upcoming events and encouraged signing up for the “blast” (email). Near us was the Base Chapel’s display and the new chaplain came in and I had a chance to meet him. He had recently arrived (December) and I introduced myself and Sister Cottle and explained our purpose and offered our assistance to help in any way we could. I gave him a card of our information and we’ll see if that opens any doors. At 1:30 pm some of the groups began to close up shop and by 2:00 pm we were all gone and out the door. Pam and I returned to the USO and unloaded our goodies and toys that were leftover and visited with Joyce Schellhorn (Director) about our day and next week. We were amazed at how much of the meat and produce were gone, which was wonderful. We drove back to our apartment and rested for a while and then at 5:15 pm drove back to the Beach and met Jon and Charlene Bryson and their daughter Amelia for dinner at “Safe Harbor.” The restaurant was located on the Intercoastal Canal off Beach Blvd. We sat on a covered patio and had wonderful seafood and enjoyed visiting with the Bryson’s and getting to know them better. They were the first family we really got to know in the Jacksonville Ward as Jon had invited us for dinner that first Sunday. In fact, we hadn’t even been to our apartment yet—straight from the mission home to church. We so appreciated their hospitality and wanted to take them to dinner. Following dinner, we visited for a while before coming home.

Saturday morning, we awoke in anticipation of General Conference today. We spent the morning doing laundry and housekeeping and made a quick trip to Costco. At noon General Conference began with President Oaks conducting and music by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. We heard from Elder Ulisses Soares, Sister Becky Craven, Elder Brook P. Hales, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Bishop W. Christopher Waddell and the final speaker President Henry B. Eyring. For the next two hours we continued watching KSL programming on church changes, travel by President Nelson, Temple dedications and humanitarian efforts since the October 2018 general conference. At 4:00 pm the second session began with President Henry B. Eyring conducting and music provided by a combined choir from BYU. President Dallin H. Oaks conducted the sustaining of General Authorities and General Officers of the church and then we heard from Elder M. Russell Ballard, Elder Mathias Held, Elder Neil L. Anderson, Elder Takashi Wada, Elder David P. Homer and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. At 7:45 pm I drove to the Fort Caroline chapel to attend the Priesthood session of conference. President Dallin H. Oaks conducted, and music was provided by a young men’s choir from stakes in Layton, Utah. We heard from Elder Gary E. Stevenson, Elder Carl B. Cook, Elder Kim B. Clark and the first presidency—President Henry B. Eyring, President Dallin H. Oaks and then from our Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson. When I arrived home, Pam had watched the session and we discussed the talks.

Sunday morning was a casual morning for us. I downloaded conference talks that were available and we both had plenty of time to study and ponder the messages from yesterday’s conference talks before conference began again. At 11:30 am we tuned in and watched the choirs weekly broadcast and then at noon the Sunday morning session began. President Dallin H. Oaks conducted with music provided by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. We heard from Elder Dale G. Renlund, Sister Sharon Eubank, Elder Clinton L. Cook, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Elder Tad R. Callister and President Russell M. Nelson. No bombshells this morning, just basic gospel instruction. During the two hours Pam fixed lunch and we watched programming on the Rome Temple dedication and several other topics. At 4:00 pm the afternoon session of conference began with President Henry B. Eyring conducting and music provided by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. We heard from President Dallin H. Oaks, Elder Juan Pablo Villar, Elder Gerrit W. Gong, Elder David A. Bednar, Elder Kyle S. McKay and Elder Ronald A. Rasband. President Nelson gave some closing remarks and announced 8 new temples: Pago Pago, American Samoa, Okinawa City, Okinawa, Neiafu, Tonga, Tooele Valley, Utah, Moses Lake, Washington, San Pedro Sula, Honduras and Antofagasta, Chile. How wonderful for those saints, especially for Neiafu, Tonga. Who would have ever thought—two temples in Tonga? Well our work is cut out for us and we have much to do—a great ending to a good week.