COTTLE MISSION NEWS: Week 71 (10

Monday morning began early, and we were ready to leave for the USO at 9:30 am. Joyce Schellhorn (Director) and Dave Ostrum were there and welcomed us back. Pam immediately went to the kitchen and helped Julie Davis with No Dough dinner preparations and two volunteers were setting up the main room for the dinner. I walked around with Dave and he showed me projects that were underway, and it seemed every room had a mess of new boxes and bins. I eventually began working on a several of Joyce’s projects, helping with the No Dough dinner preparations, moving items from last Saturday’s “Pub Crawl” event to the outside storage room and commencing a project to separate items from 3 separate donations to determine what items were current (date wise) and what could still be sent overseas. The two volunteers helped with that, and we got two of the three donations separated. Last week electricians came and replaced all the fluorescent lights with LED tubes and the brightness of the lights was pretty amazing in the office and in Charlie Tramazzo’s new office. About 3:00 pm it started to rain and for 10 minutes it was thunderous with lightning, thunder and pouring down rain and then it was over. Joyce didn’t need us for tonight, so we left at 4:00 pm and headed back to Arlington where we had some lunch and then home to our apartment.

Tuesday morning, I went to the USO by myself to help with the Feeding Northeast Florida food delivery and Pam stayed home to finish cleaning and laundry. Dave Ostrum opened the facility and received 4 pallets of food—meat, potatoes, dry goods, and baby food. We had so much baby food we didn’t know what to do with it all! After the delivery, Dave and I began sorting meat and after a few minutes a family—father, mother and son came, and assisted me. In short order we had 50 bags filled with chicken, beef and pork and placed in a freezer. The family continued to take food from the pantry into the main room for tomorrows distribution and I added 4 bins of snacks that came from the sorting we did yesterday. I also cleaned up the kitchen from yesterdays No Dough Dinner and at noon told Dave and Joyce I would be leaving. Back at the apartment Pam had completed all her jobs and the apartment was clean and laundry done. We did some shopping and had lunch and then returned to our apartment and studied “Come Follow Me.” At 7:30 pm we drove to the Naval Station and met with Jerald and Samantha Lagae and taught lesson 6 of the Temple Preparation classes. On Sunday they had met with Bishop Dill and had wonderful interviews. He issued Samantha a Temple recommend and established a plan of action to get Jerald ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood. We were thrilled for both of them.

Wednesday morning, we replaced a broken bed from and Sister Weyland and Hall’s apartment and then drove to the USO for today’s food distribution by Feeding Northeast Florida. We had several volunteers arrive to help and I worked outside and Pam worked at the front desk checking in patrons. Finally, at 10:30 am the distribution began and as usual we had a busy first hour and then it tapered off. Outside we gave out meat bags, potatoes and diapers. About 11:00 am Joyce Schellhorn (Director) arrived and asked Pam to make some Pico for the center so she went into the kitchen and worked on that. Also, at about 11:00 am a huge thunderstorm blew through the area and for 15 minutes it was lightning and thunder and tremendous rain and then it stopped as the cell passed. Pam and I left the USO at 12:30 pm for an appointment to have the van serviced. There were still 18 bags of meat in the freezer, so we had served about 35 patrons throughout the morning. Back at our apartment, Pam finished a dinner for the Jarvis family tonight and we delivered the meal and blankets we had borrowed. Both Stephanie and Lance were home and the baby seemed to be doing well. We visited for about 20 minutes and then drove out to Mayport and met with the Lagae’s tonight.

Thursday morning, Pam and I opened the USO at 9:00 am and there was not much bread and pastries, but we took care of what we had, and I brought out potatoes from yesterday’s food distribution into the main room and also let anyone have what they wanted from the other food that was left. Pam manned the office and I went in the kids’ room and finished opening up boxes from the last of the donations and sorted through the contents. Halfway through a young volunteer helped me, and several other volunteers arrived about 10:00 am and helped with Megan DeGance’s project rolling Lumpia rolls for a future No Dough Dinner. Electricians were also busy today in the Kitchen wiring new circuits. Pam and I left about 1:00 pm and drove on base and delivered potatoes to the Heads, Lagae’s and Blacks. Rich Black arrived today on his new ship the USS Paul Ignatius, so we were happy for Jenny.

Friday morning, we left for the USO at 9:15 am and Dave Ostrum opened the facility. Pam straightened up the kitchen and I went to Beam’s and got a hundred pounds of chicken for a future No Dough Dinners. When I returned, Joyce asked me to take the leftover bread and potatoes to the Navy Exchange which I did. Back at the USO a local group had arrived to host a pizza activity that afternoon. There were a host of volunteers at the center, so Pam and I left at noon and drove to Joanne’s to buy some fabric for Pam to make Temple dresses for Eleanor and Fiona. From Joanne’s we drove to Costco and bought some water and then returned to the Arlington area and had lunch and then came home. Later in the afternoon I noticed our new neighbors in the apartment complex were struggling with a couch, so I went out and helped them move it into their front room. I think a mother, daughter, and granddaughter.

Saturday morning, we did some housework and laundry. Pam called Samantha Lagae about measuring the girls for dresses and learned they were home, so dressed for the day and left about 11:00 am for the Naval Station. Jerald was at-sea and Samantha was home with the kids. Pam measured the girls and we visited for a few minutes and then left and had some lunch. We stopped at Wal-Mart looking for zippers, but they didn’t have what Pam needed. We continued on to the St. John’s Center and Hobby Lobby and found the zippers. Pam finished laundry throughout the afternoon and evening and had a good visit with Travis who was on his way to Arkansas with his family for an outing with friends.

Sunday morning, we awoke to Father’s Day and Pam and I are fortunate to have been raised by wonderful parents and hard-working, faithful and loyal fathers. So much of who we are stems from the example of our father’s. We are also very proud of our five sons’ in their role as fathers. We couldn’t be more fortunate to watch these boys become men, choose wonderful companions and raise children of their own. We left for church in Jacksonville Beach about 9:45 am and met the missionaries; Sister’s Weyland and Hall and the new Elder’s Murri and Karl. Both companionships were on bicycles as the mission was in a huge car crisis right now (selling and buying new vehicles). Samantha Lagae and her children were with us today and also Rich & Jenny Black with Olivia, the Tuttle’s, Jarvis’s and Noblits were in attendance so we had a good military presence. Also, Tyler Gneck and we gave him two packages that came during the week. Sacrament meeting was excellent with talks on a Father’s Day theme. Sunday School was taught by Brother Hardy and he did an excellent job leading the discussion on the Atonement. In the afternoon we visited with a couple of our children and throughout the weekend heard from all of them and appreciated their sentiments.