Well we got into Carlsbad New Mexico early so I set up the laptop so I could post on our blog.

Before we left Fort Lauderdale we stopped by Hollywood where we picked up a package from elder Smoot to bring home. Then we stopped by the mission home so Mary could be interviewed by president Anderson for a temple recommend. While we were there we got to meet sister Anderson’s lovely mother.

Our next stop was Tampa where we had lunch with our good friends elder and sister Walker who just arrived for their mission as an office couple. We have not seen the Walkers for a number of years but like any good friends it was like it had only been a few weeks. While we were coming out of Cracker Barrel we met two men who saw Mary’s tag and introduced themselves as members from near Panama City. We asked if they happen to know an elder Mthalane who served there and they said not only did they know him but had him over for dinner a few times. We delivered elder Mthanlane’s mission call while we were serving in South Africa, helped him check in at the MTC, and then visited him in Panama City when we drove through on our way to Fort Lauderdale.

We spent our first night in Tallahassee and went to church at the Tallahassee 4th ward. We said hello to the missionaries and asked if any of them knew or had served with elder Mthalane and one of them had been his companion. Then the bishop introduced himself and when he heard that we had served in Fort Lauderdale, he told us that he was Boca Raton which is in our mission.

We then drove to San Antonio so we could see the Alamo and the Riverwalk. We had only 30 minutes at the Alamo and the Riverwalk was pretty much blocked off because of Fiesta…a special celebration that includes a parade on the river. We were too tired to stay up for that. However along our walk three women came up and introduced themselves as members.

So no matter where we went we met people who we knew, knew people we knew or were members. It is a small world when you are missionaries wearing your name tag.