Thursday was rather quiet – other than the regular activities that go on around the mission office almost everyday nothing exciting happened. We like it that way! Mary had her normal activities with referrals and writing letters to families and missionaries who are either coming into the mission, arrived at the MTC, or are leaving. This amounts to about 200 letters a month which can keep her busy for a few days. Referrals come in each day – from the MTC, from missionaries, and from members. They must be sent to the correct area for contact and then followed up on to see that the contact was made.

Mail comes in to the office every day and must be re-routed to the correct address for the missionary. Since this is the week before transfers we start holding the packages on Tuesday and the letters on Thursday because we can not be sure that they will be delivered before the missionary is moved to a new area. We will take them to transfer meeting next week and the majority of them will be picked up by either the missionary if they were transferred or have a new companion or by the zone leaders for those who did not get moved. We have pretty much perfected the system thanks to E/S Collins and E/S Evans. They take care of the mail most days and if they can not get in we see that it domes.

In the afternoon we went to Weston so Mary could give a piano lesson. It is the time of the year when the bougainvillea is in full bloom and I keep taking pictures of this beautiful plant. We had them in Indonesia – where trees could reach 30 feet or more and South Africa where they were plentiful if not as big as those in Indonesia. I have tried to grow them in Provo but while they are OK, they are nothing like the ones we found on our missions.

 Because of Zone training on Tuesday, Fort Lauderdale’s regular district training was moved to today. We greatly enjoy going to DM and just being with the missionaries.  Usually they run 90 minutes but today it was only an hour because of the zone training.

  

It was the last DM in Fort Lauderdale for elder Bishop who will be leaving the mission a week from tomorrow. Other than getting a little choked up when we sang ‘God be with You til We Meet Again,’ there was no indication that he was even thinking about leaving. All he wanted to do was to help the missionaries in the district improve their teaching. Elders Thorne, Rondo, Smoot and Bishop are in the first picture. The dark haired man at the end was introduced as Josh and he was with the ZLs. Mary, sister Lake, elders Smoot, Taylor, Rellaford, Thorne and Rondo are next. Elder Bloom led the music while sister Bean – who was hidden away behind the piano – played. Elder Bloom keeps good time and knows what he is doing.

  

Another table shot as we sang – the quality of singing varies depending on the song. We sang some of the verses of ‘A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief’ as the opening song and there was a lively discussion of just which to sing. I think we ended up with 1, 3, 6 & 7. Later the ZLs came in to pick up a package for elder Bishop. A farewell gift of cookies which he gladly shared. After that sisters Herrera and Stegelmeier came in to take of some business and I got this great picture of sister Herrera’s smile.

  

Even when they are in the office, they keep busy with their investigators. Here sister Stegelmeier makes an important call. I even caught the companionship together. In the evening we went back to the Fort Lauderdale chapel for the Ward Missionary Correlation meeting. Bishop Brown says that he wears his Scout uniform so he does not have to wear a white shirt and tie. It is a lively meeting but there are not many potential baptisms this week.

By the time we got home we were happy to just relax and eat some dinner.

Every 6 weeks new missionaries come into the mission…the week before that Mary and I prepare the departure packets for those missionaries who will be leaving. Actually Mary does most of the preparing but I have a couple of things to do. They will be given to the missionaries when they have their departure interview with President Anderson.

  

These are the departing folders that we prepare. Then there are the board pictures of the 9 great, above average missionaries who will be departing. We are very close to some of them including Elders Avila, Rippstein, Bishop, and Taylor. My part of the packet is the finisher DVD that includes all of President Anderson’s letters and lots of pictures from their time in the mission.

 

Another of my tasks is to shift the big board that shows all the missionaries and their departure dates. The top row is of course affectionately known as ‘Death Row’ and everyone dreads getting there. We made it this transfer. Elders Burt, Bloom, Free and Wardell came in to get some supplies and had to look and make comments about the board.

 

In the afternoon we went by the temple site to look at the new banners that we had printed. I think they came out great and we hope that they will help in missionary work. There was little done since we were there the last time so I did not take many pictures. However I thought the crows in the bare tree with the temple spire in the background made an interesting picture.

 Most Mondays after our staff meeting the couples get together at the mission home for a FHE. Lots of good talk, good food and of course some spiritual teaching by President and Sister Anderson. It is a wonderful experience to be with our mission family. Senior couples who the Lord through a prophet have sent here to this part of the vineyard to

 

Mary with sisters DeGraffenreid and Boice are talking to elder Boice. The Sommerfeldts in the foreground with sisters Boice and DeGraffenreid and elder Bare way in the back. Elders Boice and Sommerfeld catching up while elder Evans looks at a picture he just took of me…it did not seem to break the camera.

  

Eating is always a big part of our FHE. Enchiladas, salad, rice, and some delicious desserts. Although mostly sisters are in these pictures, I can assure you the elders got their share or more.

  

There were two tables filled with hungry missionaries…this is the big one. After the food comes the spiritual part – or maybe the more spiritual part would be better – sister Collins and the Bares are watching a video about the Book of Mormon and the gathering of Israel. The Andersons are not only great missionaries and leaders but they are also gracious hosts for the couples and many times a month for gatherings of missionaries. I have told sister Anderson that after their mission she should open a family diner!

 Some Mondays are busier than others and today was a busy one. It started with a mission staff meeting where all the senior couples meet with President and Sister Anderson and discuss the coming events, report on our different duties and usually get some words of wisdom from the President.

 

After the staff meeting we took the APs out for their traditional lunch before transfer week. They are always too busy to come to one of our Last Lunches at our apartment so this is our way of making up for it. We use to go to Flanigans but since we discovered Scruffy’s Monday lunch special of a full rack of baby back ribs, potato, coleslaw and baked beans we have started to go there. It is amazing how fast the elders can pack away all that food. We find it enough for at least two meals and sometime three! But they are growing young men who really keep busy.

  

After lunch we were sitting in the office when the four local sisters came by. Now it is their P-day but we thought sister Stegelmeier was going a little far with this great looking whatever that is she is wearing. I told her that looking at that outfit made it obvious who her trainer was – sister Dye. So after taking a picture of her and sister Herrera, I asked all the sisters who were in the office to gather for a picture. Of course there are always two – one looking ever so lady like – well except for wearing the animal in the back. Sisters Bare, Colins, Stegelmeier, Holyan, Herrea and Mary are in the back line with sister Johnson in front.  What a beautiful bunch of sister missionaries. Then it was time for the funny one – it looks like sister Johnson was trying to knock out sister Herrera. It is good to see Mary got in the spirit!

This week’s letter contained some wonderful missionary experiences that I would like to share with those who read this blog…

“You are bold and confident in declaring your purpose. You have the power and authority to invoke the Spirit:

 

“An experience harvesting was when we were walking on the streets once again and this lady was walking towards us. So we contacted her and she took us inside her home to bless her entire family. The Spirit was undeniably strong after the blessing and they all accepted baptism. Then we invited them to church and the mom explained how they have their own church. Then we said,

‘We know this is an invitation from Christ himself to come to Church with us. You must come and listen to the Saviors voice!’ After much testifying we left and they were still set on going to their own church on Sunday. But that Spirit from our testimony stayed with them and they all came to church on Sunday! This is God’s work, I know it!!”

 

We become resolved to utilize all of our tools and “set the table” completely:

 

“At the door, before we said the blessing, he flat out asked us in humble sincerity, ‘What is different about your church then say, the catholic church?’ My first thought as I looked down at the Book of Mormon in my hands, was to teach and testify of it really quickly. He asked what he could learn about Christ in The Book of Mormon that’s not in the Bible, so I told him of the Savior’s visit to the America’s and we asked him to  read 2 Nephi 31:9 where Nephi talks about what it means that the Savior fulfilled all righteousness by being baptized. I got good chills as I watched him hold and read the Book of Mormon for the first time in his life, knowing that this was really important and seeing that he could feel it too even though he didn’t know with a sure knowledge at that point. Edwin told us he really wants to read the Book of Mormon, and when we invited him to be baptized (even before the harvest blessing was said, and even though he’s Catholic) the Spirit was so strong that he said, ‘Yes, that seems like what I would need to do.’ And THEN we added to the Spirit by leaving the blessing. He told us that we had no idea about his life, but that he’d been thinking about all the things we prayed for and talked about before we came over. He knew God had sent us. He said he was ‘so happy’ and he couldn’t stop smiling. It was one of the best harvesting experiences of my mission. Incredible!!”

 

We take advantage of all opportunities to bless the lives of all:

 

“We had stopped by a members home to drop off some things and then we decided to knock her street. We go and meet her neighbor, Carola, who just moved here 3 days earlier. She had a sick baby and wanted to know where a hospital is, we told her a member of our church lived next door and we asked after the blessing. So when we returned, Carola opens up and tells us that she was incredibly sick on Christmas, and she was worried, so she prayed and told God if He would heal her so she could take care of her kids, she would receive whoever He would send to her and go to church. She said she almost couldn’t believe it when we showed up at her door, she knows God sent us. I love finding prepared people.” 

I was making a comment on Facebook to one of the great missionaries who we served with in South Africa. Due to my failing memory I went back to check something on this blog from when we were serving in Swaziland in early 2009. While I was looking I came across a post I made a few days before we moved from Swaziland to Richards Bay. As I read it I thought that it would be good to repeat it here. It reflects the way we feel about serving missions.

March 2009 – Ezulwini Valley, Swaziland..

So ends another week in paradise. It is hard to think of our mission as any kind of sacrifice. The blessings that we receive each day, the wonderful elders and couples we serve with, the chance to help in service projects, going to meetings and sharing the spirit, and all the other things that come with serving a mission far outweighs being away from home and family. We probably think about our family more when we are on missions than we do when we are at home. We include them individually each day in our prayers. We include things that they tell us in their letters that are important in their lives. We know that the Lord will bless them and us as we serve here in South Africa. Missions are truly one of God’s tender mercies that he makes available to all who desire to serve.

BTW we just 15 minutes before had talked to two of our children and some grandchildren via FaceTime. Home can be just a click away.

Normally Zone Leaders’ Council is held on the first Friday of each month but this month it was moved to the first Saturday! Since we know that the ZLs like to come in after the meeting and pick up supplies for themselves and their zones, we decided to come in for a couple of hours and open the office. This gave us a chance to do a few things while helping the missionaries get what they needed to be more successful. Besides we love to see and talk to the missionaries and this is one of those times when we get to see some that are in zones some distance to the office so we do not see much of them.

  

Elder Bishop looks over the books that are prepared for incoming missionaries to try and guess which one will be his replacement. He will be leaving the mission on the 17th but I know that he will be doing his best to invite others to come unto Christ right to the end. Elders Beer and Smoot look at the board. Elder Bjorling has a pile of supplies to take to the Stuart zone.

  

Elder Gust is trying to explain to Mary why some of the information is missing from a baptismal record that came from the Miami Beach zone. Elder Skousen is wearing his much admired pink tie while gathering things for Missionaries in the Homestead zone and then found his way in to talk to Mary.

 

Elders Torres of Coral Springs zone and Edwards from Stuart are hard at work- zone leaders keep very busy. Elder Bjorling is looking on. The most popular room in the office today was the supply room. The only one that I can see clearly is elder Plowman who is a Palm Beach zone leader. I managed to catch just a glimpse of elder Brown from Miami. Elders Bishop and Smoot play for the camera…they are very use to me taking their pictures because they are the Fort Lauderdale ZLs and we see each other just about every week.

  

Elders Badillo, Williams and Beer gather for a picture…unfortunately elders William and Beer could not keep their eyes open. Elders Badillo and Williams do better together. Elder Williams seems to have been in a number of my pictures. In the final picture he is with elder Bjorling.

  

As I looked at this picture of elder Smoot I realized that he came into the mission on the transfer after we arrive and he was trained by elder George in the district we were privileged to go to. He will also be here when we are released. I dug back in the blog and came up with a picture of this great district. In front is sisters Mill, Hong, Holder, and us. In the back are elders George, Smoot, Clark, Beard, Meredith, Stohlton. All of those missionaries except for elder Smoot have now returned home. To fill in the row I put in a picture of four of those missionaries who invited us to have lunch with them at Flanigans.

The last two to leave were elders Edwards and Bjorling – who also had the longest drive back to their zone. We finished up what we were working on and left for the day. I can not think of a better way to spend a couple of hours than doing the Lord’s work and meeting with some great missionaries.

 Elder and Sister Evans shared some pictures that they took over the last couple of weeks. They will be leaving us in February  and I wish I had asked for them to share pictures earlier so I could include them on this blog. I have found a number of mothers and fathers of missionaries serving here look in regularly to read what is going on and maybe catch a glimpse of their sons and daughters.

The missionaries serving up in Vero Beach, Elders Dean and Owens got to move into a new house that is actually owned by the Church. Elders Collins, Sommerfeldt and Evans went up to help them move. This trio spend much of their time either moving missionaries, changing out furniture, or inspecting the missionary apartments. This means a lot of traveling and often hard work in the heat and humidity of Southern Florida. They are often accompanied by their wives who pitch right in and help in many ways.

Talk about temptation. A swimming pool right outside their apartment door and they can not use it. Well I guess they could ask permission to use it for a baptism. That is probably the only way they can get in it and stay completely obedient.

Elder Evans took the best picture of the Christmas lunch enjoyed by four couples – Us, Boices, Sommerfeldt and Evans as well as the Assistants – Elders Avila with his signature  thumbs up, Rippstein who seems to have almost cleaned his plate, and Shipley who is not going to let anything distract him from enjoying the great meal the sisters prepared.

We made a quick trip by the temple site to drop off some banners that are going to be put on the fence so people who want to know more can go to some websites or call the mission. It was late in the afternoon so the sun was full on the West side. Mary took pictures while we were driving by on the freeway. These three came out pretty good.

    

The East and North side of the temple are pretty easy to capture in pictures but the South and West sides are harder. So I drive by the temple on the 75 freeway as slowly as safe and Mary takes as many pictures as she can. When we get home I use a lot of cropping and adjusting to try and get good shots to put on this blog and the construction website. I love the blue tint of the windows and how they capture the blue that is so often seen here in South Florida.