Every week the mission president sends out a letter to all the missionaries that re-enforces lessons that have been taught in meetings. He also includes a few stories taken from letters that he receives…this is just one from this week’s letter that shows how obedience and hard work and the spirit makes extra ordinary missionaries..

“As I looked over the apartment complex I said to myself ‘who on earth in this ghetto complex would ever want to receive Jesus in their lives?’ Well God showed me what was up.  The first door we knocked let us in without even an explanation of who we were, and why we were there… We knocked the next door and the same thing happened, he let us in without even asking who we were.  He explained to us that he had been through many trials, attended many churches and had not found the comfort and strength that he was searching for.  He said he had prayed for some sort of sign and low and behold there we were a few days later at his doorstep.  We left the blessing with him, and he felt that comfort.  He accepted the baptismal invitation and the invitation to come to church.  It’s amazing how often we answer people’s prayers.  He was finally able to feel that happiness he had been searching for.”

Another busy day but with a break for going to District Meeting at the Fort Lauderdale chapel. This was the first one with Elder Conger as District Leader and Elder Marsh as Elder Plowman’s companion. We greatly enjoy being with the missionaries and they are nice enough to listen to what we have to say. We feel like we are with a group of our grandchildren.

Today the lesson continued to work on the Why, What and How method of teaching. Also there was a good discussion on the idea that no one is ever converted by obtaining just knowledge, it is the spirit that leads someone to the truth and then to a desire to be baptized.

  

Elders Conger and Rasmussen make a very good teaching companionship. Elders Marsh and Plowman are excellent finders. I like Elder Marsh a lot because he about my height…everyone else towers over us. Especially Elders Rasmussen and Wilson.

After District Meeting and lunch at Subway it was back to the office. I managed to do some indexing before things got busy again. Elder and Sister Beagley left for a teaching appointment so Mary and had a quiet last couple of hours with only an occasional phone call to deal with.

I called the McCormicks to see how they were doing and if there was anything they needed. They sounded like they are settling in quickly. After teaching with the elders on Saturday they took the investigator down to Key West for a branch fish fry. Sunday they met the Marathon branch president, sister McCormick played for sacrament, and they did not need to talk. They are going to be a great blessing to the saints in the lower Keys.

I read Elder Holland’s talk about the workers and how they dealt with the same pay for the work no matter how long they were at it. I realized that there is no mention of the blessings the all day workers received. Often times we seem to teach only about the blessings that come after we leave this life, when actually, as King Benjamin so masterly taught, we are blessed as soon as we keep a commandment, do a service, or share the gospel. Of course a parable usually only tries to teach one lesson but there is often others there to be found.

It rain almost all the time since about 2 or 3 on Sunday. There is of course breaks but today there was 5 inches of rain at the Miami airport. The weather man mentioned this evening that the storm should blow out to sea tonight but it seems that it might just turn around and head back again. Maybe we should have brought a boat!

We had a quiet Sunday morning and then enjoyed the block at Pines Ward. After the sacrament they announced the speakers and there was a change in the intermediate hymn. The sister who had played the prelude music as well as the opening hymn and sacrament hymn, got up and came back to ask Mary to play those two songs. The changes were a surprise and the sister did not think she could play them without a chance to practice. Mary of course agreed and even though she had only played the chapel’s organ once she did a great job.

After the meeting the sister who was just called to be the Primary pianist came up and asked Mary to give her lessons so she could improve her ability. Mary also plays for Relief Society – her talent is well known and used by the ward.

Brother Parker is a talented man who among other things bakes. His specialty is Key Lime Pie and so before HP meeting started I asked him if I could buy one from him for Mary’s birthday – I know it is not until July but I was planning ahead. He said that I was in luck because he brought one for a sister who did not come to church. I started to protest that I did not need it so early but he would not hear us not taking it. So after the block as the ward had a Linger Longer get together he gave me this beautiful pie to take home.

The Linger Longer was a very good event and I got to know brother Stringham – a orthopedic surgeon – much better – also I had a very good talk with the HP group leader brother Meijome – an international banker.  What I did not get is any pictures which was really stupid.

Speaking of pictures, as we were getting ready for church I dropped my camera on the bathroom tile floor. When I saw that it actually started to come apart on the top I figured it was toast. But after snapping it back together I think it took better pictures than before. However I am not going to drop it again to see if I can improve it even more.

Sunday evening the couples here at the Waves got together to play a game of 5 Crowns ( I finally won a game)  and then eat the Key Lime Pie that the Sommerfeldts bought on Saturday when we were down in the Keys..

In the morning I was reading from D&C 130 and 131 and came across ” D&C 131:6 – It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.” I suddenly realized that this was a missionary statement. It is the reason that we not only seek out the living but also the dead. Unless they are taught the truths of the gospel and learn the teaching that come with temple ordinances no one can return to live with their Heavenly Father.

Monday it was an all office day. Besides the financial tasks that I needed to do, there was a number of things that I needed to help Elder Collins with to get some new missionary apartments leased and others closed. It seemed every time I got a little breathing space something new would pop up. I have much more respect for Elder Steimle and the easy way he got things done without ever looking like he was hurrying.

Mary has been keeping busy getting to know her calling and getting things the way she wants them. President and Sister Anderson came in a couple of times and he was able to approve a number of items that allowed me to finish some more projects. I was so busy that the day just rushed by and we closed the office at 5:30.

One of the things I enjoy doing when we get home in the evening is to feed the turtles and if they show up the ducks. The turtles have come to expect me to feed them so they quickly show up in quantity when I start tossing crumbs on the water. The turtles have competition in a lot of small fish that must have hatched not too long ago. Some of them have become good size and they are fast when it comes to getting to the bread.