COTTLE MISSION NEWS: May 2019

Monday, May 27, 2019

Week 68 (20 - 26 May)

Monday morning, we left for the USO at 9:15 am and Joyce Schellhorn (Director) had opened. Dave Ostrum was also there along with Julie Davis and other volunteers and everyone busy getting ready for the No Dough dinner that evening. Pam worked in the kitchen and I helped get the main room ready. Set out the sneeze guards, washed down tables, set up the drink station and then went outside and blew off the front and back patios. I ran a couple of errands for the kitchen—bought more Ricotta Cheese and Lasagna noodles, plus made a deposit for Dave. By 1:00 pm the meal was basically prepared and in the warming ovens. We visited with Joyce about the upcoming week and left at 1:30 pm as they had plenty of help for the afternoon and evening. We had a late lunch and then returned to our apartment. We received a call from the Kelley’s and they let us know their status. After a month-long battle with Missionary Medical, they were reinstated to the 15 July MTC date and planned to be here in Jacksonville about the 30^th of July. Later we visited with Elder Whitehead and he went over plans for the Prophets visit to Orlando on the 9^th of June and our involvement with one of the busses leaving from the Jacksonville South Stake Center in the St. John’s area. We will join another couple in managing 50 missionaries. Later in the evening Pam received a call from Ann Marie.

Tuesday morning, we left for the USO at 9:00 am. Dave Ostrum had opened, and the Feeding Northeast Florida truck was parked by the double doors to the outside storage room. We joined Dave and watched as the driver unloaded 5 pallets of meat, vegetables and dry goods. Pam and I got the shopping baskets lined up and quickly sorted through all the meat and then filled 53 bags with beef, chicken and pork and loaded them into two freezers. Next was the dry goods. Other volunteers had arrived and helped move all the dry goods inside and placed on tables at the north end. We had 3 tables of baby food and were not confident they would move. Mother’s just didn’t seem to use prepared baby foods much anymore. Had another table of cereal and also brought out all the canned goods from the storage room and sorted out by type. Later in the morning Beam’s brought two containers of watermelons and we moved them inside. By noon we were finished with preparations for tomorrow and checked on the schedule with Dave and left for the day. We took 3 bags of food for Tara Alexander and drove to her home and delivered the bags and visited with her. She and Wes and family were going to Wes’ hometown on Friday for visit and we offered to care for their cats and gerbils and water some outside plants. On our way to our apartment we stopped for lunch and then home. Pam visited with Janet Cartwright and she described and sent pictures of hail and snowstorms in Monroe—Wow!

Wednesday morning, we arrived at the USO for the food distribution program at 9:30 pm and both Joyce Schellhorn (Director) and Dave Ostrum were there. Additionally, Carmel and Jim Reed (volunteers) were there for the last time prior to returning to their home in Massachusetts. Pam worked at the sign in desk with Carmel and later Margaret and I worked in the storage room outside. Patrons began getting food by 10:15 am and for a couple of hours we were very busy. I gave out meat, potatoes and diapers. By noon things had slowed down considerably and for our final hour we only saw about 4 women come in. We served 45 families today and perhaps more would come in the afternoon. Pam and I left at 1:00 pm and drove to the Jarvis home and visited with Stephanie’s mother and got to hold baby Peter. He was such a beautiful little guy with his chestnut red hair. Stephanie was asleep, but her mother said she was doing well and able to climb and descend the stairs. Also, the baby was doing well and on a pretty good schedule. We drove to the Arlington area and had lunch and then returned to our apartment. Pam sewed on a baby quilt during the late afternoon and I made a few calls and texts to families. Earlier Pam had texted Nikki Head and she responded they were okay, but still have sickness in the family. Caleb graduated from Kindergarten. Nikki was very proud of him.

Thursday morning, we opened the USO and bread and pastries were delivered and also excess food from yesterday was available, for all patrons. Actually, we had a pretty slow morning and had difficulty finding things to keep us busy. Julie Davis came at 10:30 am and she was supposed to be working with Charlie Tramazzo, but he didn’t come in today. Dave Ostrum came about 11:00 am and just hung out in the office talking about the changes in the office spaces that were underway. Joyce also showed up at noon, so we had a full house and Pam and I left at 1:00 pm. We took 4 plates of Lasagna with us and went to the Jarvis’ and dropped off a plate plus a watermelon and then continued to the base and dropped off plates at the Tuttle’s and Lagae’s and had one for the Head’s, but Nikki wasn’t home. From the base we drove to the Alexander’s and met with Wes and he ran through the items that needed checking while they were gone—Gerbils, Cats, and Watering of plants out front—pretty simple. They would be gone for 10 days. At 5:30 pm we were back in Atlantic Beach and took Sister Tidwell and Weyland to dinner and enjoyed an hour with them. They are great missionaries!

Friday morning, we had no commitments at the USO due to Memorial Day weekend shutdown, so we spent a quiet morning getting ready for Elder Whitehead to deliver a new mattress for our bedroom for the Kelley’s. Elder Whitehead and two Elder’s (Tualamalii & Sanders) arrived at 11:00 am with the new mattress and placed it on the current frame and box springs. They also brought two bunk-bed frames and two more twin mattress for a future assembly in the second bedroom. They were expecting a huge number of missionaries in July (over 40) and needed us to accommodate them before assigned to companionship's. So that would be something the Kelley’s would have to manage, two bunk-beds, instead of two beds in that room. After they left, we went for lunch and then took a drive over the St. John’s river to the north and then took the old Main Street (Highway 17) back south to downtown Jacksonville. We passed through commercial and in some parts depressing sections of Jacksonville. After passing through the downtown section we took the Main Street bridge back across the St. John’s river where the Fuller Warren, Acosta and Main street bridges all merged and then dispersed as either I-95, Atlantic Blvd or Highway 1. We stayed on Highway 1, which was called Philips Highway. In 1986, when I was at NAS Jacksonville prior to Iceland, Philips highway was the primary route to St Augustine and parts south. We continued south and located the Jacksonville South Stake Center which was located in a very rural and monied area with many horse farms. After driving around the Stake Center, we retraced our steps back to our apartment via familiar roads. On the 9^th of June, when we go on a bus trip to Orlando to hear the Prophet speak, we will assemble at that Stake Center to meet our bus and missionaries we will shepherd.

Saturday morning, we left our apartment at 9:00 am and drove to the World Golf Hall of Fame to see a movie produced by an organization called “Operation Underground Railroad” (O.U.R.), founded by Tim Ballard which assisted governments around the world in the rescue of human trafficking and sex trafficking victims, with a special focus on children. We first became aware of Tim Ballard from two books— “The Washington Hypothesis” and the “Lincoln Hypothesis,” both wonderful books relating to the church. In March of this year, he attended church in the Jacksonville Beach Ward, and we met him and learned of his passion for the O.U.R. The movie was held in the Imax Theater and was titled “Operation Toussaint.” When we arrived, Annika Bingham, a member of the Jacksonville Beach Ward and local O.U.R. representative, welcomed us and gave us directions for some free popcorn and a drink and then we proceeded into the theater, joining about another 30 people, mostly members of the church. “Operation Toussaint” followed the efforts of Tim Ballard’s O.U.R team and highlighted a specific January 2018 operation in the Petion-Ville neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It was very dramatic and got your attention to this world-wide problem. The goal of the morning was to become an “Abolitionist,” by contributing to the O.U.R. and we seriously considered doing that. When finished, we said goodbye to friends and drove back to Arlington and skipped lunch because we were stuffed with popcorn. We did a little housework and laundry in the afternoon and I had a nap and Pam did some research on the computer. Later I texted Alexis Connelly, to see how she was doing, but no response.

Sunday morning, we left for church at 9:30 am. Sacrament meeting was very interesting. President Heywood was on the stand and after the opening hymn and prayer, Bishop Currie turned the time to him and he proceeded to release the bishopric and sustain a new bishopric of Bishop Ryan Dill, 1^st Counselor, Joe Novak and 2^nd Counselor, Kory Simmons. This change was necessitated because Bishop Currie was retiring from the Navy in July and his family were moving to South Carolina where he has a job with American Airlines. He has flown P-8’s for the last 3 years as an instructor pilot at VP-30 and has lots of experience in a plane similar to a 737-800 model. The old bishopric was invited to bear their testimonies and then we heard a beautiful solo by Jeff Shirts— “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief.” Finally, we heard from the new bishopric and President Heywood concluded the meeting. In the second hour Pam went to relief society and I went to elder’s quorum. The Tuttle’s were there today along with the Jarvis’ and their new baby, also the Noblit’s and Tyler Gneck. From the beach we drove back to Arlington to the Alexander’s home and I went inside and took care of the Gerbils and Cats and Pam watered the outside plants. Finally, we returned to our apartment and settled in for the day. We watched several episodes from Emily Freeman’s series on “Come Follow Me” for families and it was very good and thought provoking.

Peter Jarvis with Pam

Our 2018 Pacifica

World Golf Hall of Fame Island Green

World Golf Hall of Fame

"Old Tom Morris" considered to be the first professional golfer

Wendy & Elijah Delgado in front of Imax Theater

Pam visiting with Wendy & Elijah

Pam & Joe in front of the island green

Monday, May 20, 2019

Week 67 (13 - 19 May)

Monday morning, we arrived at the USO at 10:30 am to assist Dave Ostrum as he had an appointment at 11:30 am. The north end of the main room was empty, for Voting tomorrow and two volunteers mopped the floors. Pam worked in the kitchen putting things away and also made a chocolate pie for the staff. I finished packing up baby shower items that needed to be returned to a vendor in Illinois and drove to the post office on Mayport Road and mailed them. Joyce Schellhorn was gone for over a week so the dynamics of the center would change for a while. When Dave returned in the early afternoon we left for the day. Pam checked on Stephanie Jarvis as she was scheduled for inducing on the 15^th and had been having labor pains. She was okay and her mother was arriving Tuesday night. Charlie Tramazzo ordered in pizza and salad for the employees, so we had lunch before leaving. We spent a quiet afternoon at our apartment and Pam did some sewing and I updated our scrapbook and made some calls to families and tried to find out if Alexis Connelly had returned to Jacksonville from her trip to Washington state.

Tuesday morning, we had an off day at the USO today due to local voting. Pam and I spent a quiet morning studying and being lazy but by noon we were dressed and left to do some shopping. We went to the local Wal-Mart where Pam found a couple of items she wanted and then drove to a Nissan dealership on Atlantic and St. John’s Road to meet a man from Key’s Express who sold and programmed key fobs for cars. We felt an urgency to have a second key fob and arranged to meet him. When he arrived, I gave him our current key fob and he went into his truck and was there for some time, but eventually emerged and said he didn’t have one. He had Pacifica key fobs with every other button configuration except ours but ordered one and asked us to call in a week and we would meet again. We had some lunch and then drove to Costco to do a little shopping, but really went to do some walking in an air-conditioned building. It wasn’t busy, so we weren’t running into people and got a lot of steps in. While doing this Pam had her hearing aids serviced. Upon returning home, Pam sewed on Tara Alexander’s baby quilt and finished the blocks and final assembly lay out and it looked very nice.

Wednesday morning Pam and I left for the USO at 10:00 am and Jim and Carmel were in the office and Dave Ostrum was getting ready to leave for a staff meeting in downtown Jacksonville. Jim and I and another volunteer set up the tables and chairs in the north end following elections yesterday and Pathways had an event going on in their room with a half a dozen applicants. Jim and Carmel left at noon and that left Pam and I to run the facility until either Dave or James McCullough arrived. We took phone calls, sold tickets to the Zoo event on Friday and had a few individuals come to use the internet room or just hang out. Dave returned at 4:00 pm with Charlie Tramazzo and Julie Davis which allowed Pam and I to leave for the day. We drove back to Arlington and stopped for a late lunch and then to our apartment. Pam finished the quilt top for Tara Alexander’s baby and the rest of the evening we settled in for the night. We made a few calls to Lance Jarvis regarding Stephanie and they induced her but by 9:00 pm she still hadn’t delivered the baby. We hoped everything was going all right. With a first baby you never knew for sure.

Thursday morning, Pam and I left for Zone Conference at 7:30 am and arrived at the Hendricks Avenue Chapel an hour later. We visited with missionaries as they arrived and by 8:45 am everyone was assembled in the chapel. At 9:00 am President & Sister Lee welcomed the missionaries and introduced a new senior couple, Elder & Sister Young, who were serving as MLS missionaries in the Dunn Avenue Ward. They were from Hanna, Wyoming. Also, single missionaries Sister Woodman from American Fork, UT, Sister Densley from Draper, UT, Elder Munns from Lake Havasu, AZ and Elder Turner from Texas. Elder Boehme conducted the program and following an opening hymn and prayer we heard a beautiful musical number from Sister Aston, Sister Angell and Elder Carter. President Lee first spoke and taught to the theme of “Timbers of Curious Workmanship.” Comparing what Nephi did to build a ship with what “tools” we had today that were “curious,” but which magnify our ability as missionaries: tablets, phones, Book of Mormon, Preach My Gospel, PEARLS, Spirit, Area Book, etc. He did a detailed review of the Area Book with the assistance of Elder’s Boehme and Hiatt. Sister Lee taught about becoming a Christlike Missionary and described a Ladder of Motivation both externally and internally: Force, Fear, Punish/Reward are external, and Duty, Faith and Love/Charity are internal. President Lee continued speaking about “tools” and showed some video clips. Elder Boehme and Hiatt taught about using the Area Book and how to keep it current (“Retain its Brightness). Finally, President Lee discussed the Doctrine of Christ and reemphasized the importance of the sequence of events and not skipping steps. Departing missionaries were invited to bear their testimonies and we heard from Sister Newman, Angell, Aston, McMurray and Larsen, and then from Elders Davis, Shirtliff, Jackson and Carter. It was very sweet to hear their comments. Finally, we sang “God be With You” and had a closing prayer and then moved on to lunch. Following lunch pictures were taken and the singing of “Called to Serve” for the lunch preparers and then we reassembled in the chapel for some medical instruction before President Lee announced President Nelson’s visit to Orlando on the 9^th of June (which we knew about) but more significantly that all missionaries were invited to attend and that brought a reaction from everyone. Busses would be used to transport the missionaries and leave from 3 locations so that was something to anticipate in 3 weeks. Following the meeting, Pam and I left and checked our phones and had no messages from Lance Jarvis about a baby being born. We were somewhat surprised as Stephanie was induced yesterday. We drove home, stopping at JoAnn’s for some fabric to back a quilt and then to our apartment. I called Lance and he answered, and I could hear a baby in the background. Little Peter was born at 4:00 am this morning by C-Section and mother and baby were doing fine. They said we could visit, so we changed clothes and headed to NAS Jacksonville and the Navy Hospital. It took an hour to make the trip, but we found their room and eventually got to go in and visit with Stephanie and Lance and Stephanie’s mother and also greet new little Peter. What a beautiful little boy with red hair. Stephanie was doing fine, but due to the C-Section would be in the hospital until Sunday. We visited for a while and then left taking Stephanie’s mother with us and taking her to their home in Atlantic Beach. It was nice to visit with her as we drove along.

Friday morning, we left for the USO at 8:30 am and ended up opening the facility as Dave Ostrum was late arriving. There were several patrons waiting for Zoo tickets. Unfortunately, we didn’t have tickets until Dave arrived and opened the safe. That was our primary occupation throughout the morning—selling tickets and taking phone calls about tickets. I took care of a few donations and a few other odd jobs, but basically, we sold tickets. We finally left at 1:30 pm and returned to Arlington and had some lunch and continued to our apartment. Yesterday at Zone conference we talked with Elder Alexander and Whitehead about our bed, whether it would be replaced for the Kelley’s. They indicated that is what normally was done, and Elder Whitehead said he would take care of it next week when he returned from Idaho (Sister Whitehead’s mother passed away). He was going to replace it with a King-sized bed, so we drove to Costco and purchased a set of sheets, mattress pad, and some new pillows. Back at our apartment Pam had a long visit with her sister, Ann Marie and then we settled in for the night. Called Lance Jarvis and Stephanie and the baby had a good day and were doing well.

Saturday morning, Pam and I did some studying and then began our Saturday cleaning and laundry routine. We finished by noon and left to run some errands and have lunch. We drove to the Naval Station and stopped at the Lagae’s home to drop off an item, but Samantha wasn’t home. We drove around the base to see if the USS Stennis was in port. It had been in port earlier in the week as part of a “Tiger Cruise” activity, but learned when it departed on the 14^th of May it was headed to Navsta Norfolk as part of a homeport change which concluded an around the world cruise. We had some lunch and then drove to a watch repair store next to BJ’s and dropped off a watch for a battery change. We wandered around BJ’s for the better part of an hour and then picked up the watch and returned to our apartment for the day. We finished the laundry, put the clothes away and settled in for the night.

Sunday morning, we left for Jacksonville Beach at 9:20 am and arrived at the chapel and visited with the Sister Missionaries and ward members for a few minutes before Sacrament meeting commenced at 10:00 am. Jenny and Olivia Black, Tyler Gneck, Lance Jarvis, Noblit’s and Shay Tuttle were with us today and the chapel was full. Sacrament meeting was excellent, and the program highlighted the seminary program and two graduates spoke plus two teachers. In Sunday School Brother Hardy led the discussion and we had an excellent lesson. During the second hour I got a text message from Nikki Head asking for help. She was sick and needed some medicine, so we got the information on what she needed and following the block drove to the Navy Exchange and purchased the items and drove to Nikki’s home on base and delivered them. She was very appreciative, and we hoped it helped. We also drove to the Lagae’s and dropped off some Chocolate Pam had for her and she visited for a few minutes. Jerald was at sea for a few days. It was almost 2:00 pm when we got home, and Pam fixed dinner and it was very good. We watched some programming on BYU television and then Pam had a long nap. Tyler indicated he had seen Alexis Connelly in his squadron spaces, so we knew she was back in Jacksonville, just can’t get her to respond to calls and texts. Lance indicated he would be bringing Stephanie home with the baby this afternoon.

Jacksonville East Zone

Sisters Densley & McComb

Senior couples at lunch--Elder & Sister Young and Alexander

We are still alive and kicking

Missionaries singing "Called to Serve" following lunch

Stephanie & Lance Jarvis with new baby Peter

Peter Jarvis

Monday, May 13, 2019

Week 66 (6 - 12 May)

Monday morning, Pam and I left for the USO at 9:30 am. No Dough dinner was that evening, so we were busy. Upon arrival my birthday was celebrated and that was a surprise. They sang “Happy Birthday” and presented me with a cake and cupcakes. It was nice. Afterwards Pam went in the kitchen and I helped Dave Ostrum finish the main room set up. Lots of volunteers and the prep work went by quickly. I drove to Publix and bought Cream of Chicken soup for a potato dish and later in the morning consolidated items in the outside storage room and eliminated another pallet so the room was wide open, and Dave could move the shelving systems back away from the walls. Shortly after noon a film crew came and set up and began filming a commercial with JEA volunteers and USO staff members, so we stayed out of the way and manned the office for an hour. When done Pam and I left for the day. We had an early dinner and returned to our apartment for the evening. We were thrilled to learn of another adjustment to church policy when we read a First Presidency announcement regarding Temple sealings: “Effective immediately, a man and a woman who have been married civilly may be sealed in the temple anytime after they receive their temple recommends for the sealing ordinance…” What a blessing in this day where over half of the countries where the church is established dictate a couple marry civilly before being sealed in the Temple. Allowance have been made for those conditions and now it is the same throughout the world.

Tuesday morning, Pam and I arrived at the USO at 9:30 am to help with a food delivery by Feeding Northeast Florida. We joined Dave Ostrum in the outside storage room as the final pallets of food was being off-loaded: 1 pallet of baby food, 1 pallet of canned goods, 1 pallet of strawberry’s and 1 pallet of meat. We sorted the meat into grocery carts and then Pam and I and Christiana and Monica (volunteers) bagged meat and placed them in a freezer. We completed 50 bags and then moved the canned goods via grocery carts into the USO main room and sorted them onto tables in the North end of the facility. Following the canned goods, we did the same with the baby food. Dave already had two refrigerators full of strawberry’s for tomorrow and we put the remaining flats on the pool table to be given out today. We had this all done by 11:00 am and then began moving remaining food products from the shelves in the storage room inside the USO. When done practically all the stored food was available for distribution tomorrow. Dave had an empty room to organize again for the future. Pam went to the Commissary and bought a couple of items to use in making pies and returned and made a Strawberry pie with the fresh strawberries and the staff members really enjoyed it. Joyce Schellhorn (Director) arrived at noon and we visited about the schedule for the rest of the week and then Pam and I left about 1:30 pm. We drove to the Arlington area and had lunch and then returned to our apartment. Shortly thereafter we received a call from John Walton (Jacksonville Beach Ward) asking for help in giving his Aunt a blessing. She was visiting his grandmother at the Fleet Landing Care Center in Mayport and was unable to give the blessing due to his schedule. I made a few calls and Lance Jarvis could go with me, so we changed clothes and headed back to Atlantic Beach and picked up Lance and continued to the Fleet Landing facility (only about two blocks from the USO). We located the room, where John’s grandmother was staying and met her, John’s mother Paula and Aunt Roma. John’s grandmother was recovering from a stroke and Paula and Roma were visiting. After a few minutes we were able to give the blessing to Roma who was having problems getting a leg to heal from an earlier operation. Afterwards we took Lance back to his home and we returned to our ours. Later we heard on the news of a school shooting in Denver. The STEM school in Highland’s Ranch. Travis called and was quite emotional because several of those involved were individuals, he knew from the Roxborough Ward. It was hard to figure out why those things happened, or what “snapped” in an individual to cause them to shoot peers, but it had become an epidemic in our country—very sad!

Wednesday morning, we arrived at the USO by 9:30 am and there were several ladies already waiting for food, but the distribution didn’t start until 10:30 am. Dave Ostrum opened, and we helped get things ready for the day. Pam worked the front desk with Margaret (volunteer) and I worked in the outside storage room with Jim and Carmel (volunteers) and we distributed meat, diapers, strawberries and cookies. There were 3 other volunteers who guided the patrons through the food items and directed them outside where we were. After an initial rush, it slowed down, but by noon we had distributed food to about 45 families. It was fun to watch the look on their faces as they received the various items and were so grateful for the boost to their budgets. At a slow point I made a bank deposit for Joyce Schellhorn, and when I returned Pam and I went over the next week schedule with her and then we left about 1:30 pm. We drove to the mission office and dropped off a letter to Elder Grieve which detailed the sale of our Apartment Complex to another company and information on billing. We continued to the Arlington area and Pam spent the rest of the afternoon preparing dinner for the Sisters. Sisters McComb and Densley arrived at 5:00 pm and it was nice to have them in our home. Sister Densley was brand new and hailed from Draper, Utah. Sister McComb was from Colorado Springs, although her family had moved to Provo and now lived in Erin and Weston’s stake. We had a great meal and enjoyed visiting with the Sisters and finding out how their work was going here in the Arlington area.

Thursday morning, we left for the USO at 8:30 am and opened the center and were pleased to see a large amount of bread and pastries waiting to be distributed to military families. It had been quite a while since we had received that amount. Pam loaded up pastry items to be saved for No Dough dinners and took them to the outside storage room freezer. It was a quiet morning with not a lot of traffic. We manned the office and I brought in strawberries from the refrigerators to those who wanted them. I also organized and moved the remaining food products from yesterday’s distribution to the front tables in the north end and then put down the chairs, preparing for tomorrow’s luncheon activity with the Coast Guard. Dave Ostrum came for a while and opened the safe, so we had access to tickets the USO were currently selling. At 1:00 pm we left and drove on base and visited with Nikki Head and her boys Caleb and Matty. She seemed happy to see us. We had some lunch on base before returning to Arlington and our apartment. Pam spent most of the afternoon sewing on a dress for Sister Johnson and a quilt for Stephanie Jarvis (binding). I did a little scrap booking this afternoon.

Friday morning, Pam and I left for Jacksonville Beach where we picked up 75 pounds of ground beef from Beam’s and delivered it to the USO for an upcoming No Dough dinner. Joyce Schellhorn (Director) opened the facility and had a community service volunteer working helping get the north and south rooms set up for a Coast Guard luncheon at noon. Pam helped in the kitchen with desserts, plates, utensils, etc. I took a load of bread to the Navy Exchange and spent most of the morning in the office answering phones and checking in patrons. At 11:30 am Coast Guard wives began arriving for the lunch with the wife of the Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard, Rear Admiral Charles Ray. She arrived about 12:15 pm and came right into the office and met Joyce, Charlie and both Pam and I were introduced to her. She was very much an Admirals wife and seemed like a nice person. She was escorted to the north room where the luncheon was being held and she and a Coast Guard Ombudsman for the area talked and fielded questions and ate with a dozen women invited to the activity. The Admiral was on the Naval Station conducting a similar meeting with Coast Guard leadership both men and women. By 1:30 pm it was over, and Joyce reviewed our schedule for next week and we left and drove to Stephanie Jarvis’ home and Pam dropped off the baby quilt Stephanie had sewn but ran out of steam and asked Pam if she would quilt it for her. She was very pleased with the finished product. We continued to our apartment in Arlington and did a little preparation for a Temple Preparation lesson this evening. Unfortunately, it was cancelled due to babysitting issues.

Saturday morning, we began our weekend routine of cleaning and laundry. Pam stripped our bed and started that load and then as she dusted and cleaned bathrooms, I vacuumed the floors and cleaned up the kitchen. We were done by noon and dressed and ready to do something fun today. I did a little research and found another fort to discover south of St. Augustine, near Crescent Beach. It was called Fort Matanzas National Monument and consisted of a 1740 Spanish fort called Fort Matanzas, and about 100 acres of salt marsh and barrier islands along the Matanzas River. We enjoyed our time there and rode a ferry across the river to the fort and it was small but seemed very well positioned to protect the river. The gun deck had 4 cannon and the facilities hosted a small crew of men and one officer who manned the fort on 30-day rotations. Back on the visitor center side we walked a short nature trail in the preserve area, and it was beautiful, especially the oak and cedar trees. We took AIA back up the coastline to St. Augustine and continued north to Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach and had a late lunch in Atlantic Beach. Finally, we made it back to our apartment in Arlington—a nice day.

Sunday morning, we attended the Jacksonville Beach ward and enjoyed wonderful meetings. We were pleased to see Jenny Black and Olivia, the Lagae, Jarvis and Noblit families. Tyler Gneck was also in attendance and he received orders to HSM-70 at NAS North Island, California. He would be leaving around the end of June. We will be sad to see him go. Before the meeting Jerald Lagae came and slipped into our pew and we visited for a moment and then he asked about the sacrament and I knew what he wanted—to pass the sacrament. I took him up front and introduced him to a young man who was in charge of the deacons, and they were happy to have him help. During the sacrament portion of the program, Jerald did a fine job and we hoped he would want to do it again and possibly bless the sacrament. The Mother’s Day program was excellent with fine talks and music from the Primary children and during that portion of the program Eleanor and Fiona Lagae went up and sang with the children as did Olivia Black. The 2^nd hour was relief society and elder’s quorum meetings and we enjoyed good lessons. After the meetings we visited for a while and then returned to Arlington and our apartment. We had some lunch and settled in for the afternoon watching some enjoyable programming from BYU television. At one time or another all our children called Pam and wished her a happy Mother’s Day and I called Lynn and got an update on his condition. He was still in a rehab facility but was doing better and hoped to be released by the end of the month.

Sister Densley & McComb for dinner

Fort Matanzas National Monument

Pam at Fort Matanzas National Monument

Visitors Center

Onboard ferry to the Fort on Rattlesnake Island

Fort Matanzas

Fort Matanzas Sentry Tower

Sentry Watch Tower

Gun Deck

Matanzas River

Fort Matanzas roof top view

Spanish Flag

Fort Matanzas

Fort Matanzas National Monument nature walk

Monday, May 6, 2019

Week 65 (29 April - 5 May)

Monday morning, Pam and I opened the USO as both Dave Ostrum and Joyce Schellhorn (Director) had medical appointments this morning. Charlie Tramazzo was in but was cloistered away in his office. We had a community service volunteer show up and we put him to work cleaning windows, floors, etc. throughout the morning. Pam went into the kitchen and made a “Funeral Potatoes” dish to be sampled by the crew for next weeks No Dough dinner. By noon Dave had arrived and he had the volunteers move water and work out in the outside storage room. Can’t say anything substantial got done today but they were concerned about a luncheon tomorrow for a financial contributor. Pam and I left about 1:30 pm and drove to the St. John’s Center and shopped at Costco and Hobby Lobby and then had lunch before returning to our apartment. I made a number of calls to new phone numbers we garnered on members living on the Naval Station, but only got on answer. Most of the numbers were disconnected or didn’t work so the individuals had probably transferred. The one that answered was the right name but indicated he was not a member and wasn’t interested in any contact. Pam finished watching the Missionary Safety videos, so we completed that task.

Tuesday morning, we arrived at the USO by 10:00 am to help with the luncheon. Dave Ostrum was in charge and two community service volunteers had the foyer and south end set up for the luncheon. I worked with the two volunteers making kits for the USS Lassen which was going on deployment soon. We first made over 500. At 11:30 am guests began arriving—The Armed Forces Families Foundation (AFFF); a non-profit organization made up of volunteers with primary focus on areas of significant need which often fall outside the budget constraints of the military and its family support organizations. In particular, the AFFF donated money to USO to renovate the bathrooms, office flooring and install a new air conditioning system. The main representative was a senior executive from Taco Bell, and he brought the main course for the luncheon and we provided salad and drinks. Mike O’Brien and Charlie took this man and another young woman (whom we later learned was from Utah and LDS) around the facility and described our mission and what we had accomplished with their donations and what still needed to be done. We had about 20 single and married men and women come from various commands for the lunch and they ate and visited and provided a nice visual setting for the guests. At 12:45 pm Pam and I drove to the Naval Station and dropped off Girl Scout cookies to the Fire Station and the Ocean Breeze Conference and Catering Center. On the way out of the station we noticed a four-masted sailing ship in the basin and drove around to get a closer look. It was the Cisne Branco, a tall ship of the Brazilian Navy. We were able to drive right next to it and it was a beautiful vessel. From the Navsta we headed back to our apartment and spent a quiet afternoon. In the evening we returned to Atlantic Beach and purchased dinner for Stephanie Jarvis and delivered it to her home. We then drove on base and checked out 7 homes that I had called yesterday, where members used to live, but six of the seven had new families in residence and no one home at the seventh. We had some time to kill, so drove around the Mayport area, especially in the “old town” area by the ferry landing and saw some interesting old homes along the fence line to the Naval Station. At 7:45 pm we drove to the Lagae’s home where we held our Temple Preparation class with the Lagae’s and Perry’s. We had a wonderful class and taught lesson 4 and had some good discussions about Ordinances and Covenants. Both families were doing well and still had an urgent desire to go to the Temple.

Wednesday morning, we arrived at the USO by 10:30 am and Dave Ostrum had opened, and Beam’s had just made a small delivery with a promise of a larger one later. Two community service workers were helping. We had peppers, mangoes and meat and it was all out and Dave announced it on Facebook. Pam and Julie Davis went into the kitchen and worked on plans to bake a “test” pan of Lasagna for Joyce and Pam asked me to go to the Commissary and get a container of Ricotta Cheese. When I returned Beam’s was there again with a much larger delivery, especially of meat and bread products. By then patrons were arriving for food so we were putting out new meat while they were filling up boxes and carts with food. Joyce Schellhorn (Director) asked me to return to the Navy Exchange and get some scratch sheets for upcoming sales and a box of crayons for this summer’s school bags. At 11:30 am Joyce, Dave and Julie had a staff conference call with Mike O’Brien in Charlie Tramazzo’s office, and they were out of sight until after 1:00 pm. Pam continued in the kitchen and I took care of the office. When the test Lasagna was done everyone liked it, especially Joyce, so they knew how they would assemble and cook it next week. Joyce, Dave, Julie and Charlie went into another meeting at 2:00 pm in the Pathfinder room and Yao Li manned the office while I took 5 bags of meat to Pam Haley at the exchange for some of her employees. When I returned Pam took lunch to Stephanie Jarvis and said she was up and around, and that Lance was home. During the food distribution, Shay Tuttle came and got some food, as did Samantha Lagae and later Wes Alexander and it was nice to visit with all of them. By 3:00 pm the food was gone which was pretty amazing.

Thursday morning, we left for the USO at 8:30 am and opened the facility. Dave Ostrum was there getting items ready to take to Camp Blanding, an Army detachment south of Jacksonville. We had a small amount of bread and a lot of pastries which we set out and patrons began arriving by 9:30 am. The morning was quiet, and Pam worked in the office and I did a few odd jobs. We prepared for tomorrows Spouse Appreciation Day at the Navy Exchange which Pam and I would host. Dave left with a car full of food items for Camp Blanding families and by noon Joyce Schellhorn (Director) and Julie Davis were there along with other volunteers, so Pam and I left for the day. We bought some lunch for Stephanie Jarvis and before leaving the base stopped at the Besvold residence in Housing to check if Helen Besvold resided there. She did and was home and I introduced ourselves to her. She indicated she wasn’t a member, but then acknowledged she had been a member when she was married to her first husband, but since her divorce she and her current husband attended a non-denominational church in the area. She was very friendly and knew who we were but was not interested in the church. We left a card and offered support and help if she ever needed it and then left. That cleared up all the names we had been working on this past week. We continued to Stephanie’s home and Pam took the lunch to her and indicated she had overdone it yesterday and was back in bed today. We had some lunch and then did some shopping at nearby Wal-Mart before returning to our apartment. Elder Alexander called and needed some help securing an apartment in our facility, so I went to the leasing office and visited with Sydney Turner (Leasing Manager) and over a period of an hour filled out some forms and negotiated a lease for a new apartment for the Elders in June. Pam had a long visit with Erin and enjoyed getting up to date on our grandchildren.

Friday morning, we left for the USO at 10:00 am and picked up items we would give away at the Navy Exchange for today’s “Spouse Appreciation Day.” Dave Ostrum had opened and when we arrived Beam’s was just delivering a second load of items which were being sorted and laid out for patrons—meat, produce and bread products. He asked us to take some to the Exchange, so we took 4 boxes of lettuce and 2 boxes of peppers and a bag of meat for Pam Haley (Manager). At the exchange I delivered the produce and meat and Pam began unloading and setting up our table in the Exchange Foyer. We were front and center again and joined by ten other organizations from the naval station and local volunteer organizations. This was the first event we hosted for the USO a year ago and we enjoyed mingling with military members and families. We were pleased to meet with Bill Kennedy again, a former Navy pilot (S-3’s) and most recent assignment as CO of the USS Saratoga prior to its decommissioning. He knew we were missionaries and visited with us for a few minutes and thanked us for our service and wished us well knowing we would not return for the 2020 event. At 1:30 pm some of the vendors began leaving and we finally packed our things and departed at 2:00 pm and returned to the USO. Joyce Schellhorn (Director) visited with us about next week and then we left for home. While at the Navy Exchange I learned, via text messages and a phone call, that my brother Lynn was in a hospital in Murphy, North Carolina having suffered sepsis poisoning from a cat bite. It happened six weeks earlier and we were just learning of his recovery which was not going well. Later in the evening severe weather was experienced in the Jacksonville area and about 9:00 pm a Boeing 737-800 owned by Miami Air International, a charter airline company based in Miami, Florida. Crashed at NAS Jacksonville and slid off into the St. John’s river. The flight was a bi-weekly “Rotator” flight from Guantanamo, Cuba to Norfolk, VA via NAS Jacksonville providing transportation to military families and DOD employees to and from Guantanamo. There were 136 passengers and 7 crew members on board, and 21 adults were taken to Memorial hospital, but no one was critically injured. It was unclear what impact the weather had on the landing—more to come!

Saturday morning was a lazy morning for us. After sleeping in and doing some studying, we began housework and laundry. By noon we were dressed for the day and drove to Atlantic Beach and helped Stephanie Jarvis in her home. I vacuumed the carpet and Pam swept and mopped the tile floors in the kitchen and entryway. Stephanie was mobile but had to be very careful. Lance was home working on the baby’s crib. We left their home by 1:30 pm and had some lunch before driving to the Alexander’s home for a “baby reveal” they were hosting. A number of ward and military friends were assembled in their front yard and after some visiting they gathered around a Magnolia Tree in the front yard where a Pinata was hanging from a limb and the kids and mom and dad smacked at the Pinata until it broke revealing “blue” candy and toys—they were having a Boy! They were really surprised but happy. The Arlington Sisters were there, and we met Sister Densley (new) and made an appointment for dinner next Wednesday. Back at our apartment, we finished a few more loads of laundry and in the evening watched a wonderful program from the Women’s Conference at BYU featuring a panel discussion by the three Women Auxiliary Presidents—Sister Cordon, Bingham and Jones. Sheri Dew moderated the discussion, introducing the Presidents and presenting questions. They did a wonderful job discussing difficult questions and bore powerful testimonies of the gospel.

Sunday morning, we left for Jacksonville Beach at 9:30 am. Sacrament meeting was excellent with wonderful testimonies borne by many ward members. Chris & Shay Tuttle, Stephanie & Lance Jarvis, Devaney & Gary Noblit and Tyler Gneck were in attendance today. Sunday School was held, and Sister Ward led the discussion. Following the block, we attended a baptismal service for Collin Moore who was baptized by Tory Martin. Talks on baptism and the Holy Ghost were given by Elijah Rogers and Ryan Dill. About half the ward stayed and supported Collin. During the service the skies got dark, the wind whipped the trees and lightning and thunder boomed and rain came down in torrents. Lasted about 20 minutes but certainly got everyone’s attention. We spent a quiet afternoon and watched the YSA fireside this evening where Elder & Sister Carl B. Cook spoke on marriage.