BLOG#34 DECEMBER14TH

BLOG #34 DECEMBER 8^TH-14TH

THIS MONTH IS FLYING BY! IT IS THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH -I GUESS THE SAYING IS TRUE TIME FLYS BY WHEN YOU ARE HAVING FUN!

WE WERE SO BUSY THIS WEEK. IT STARTED WITH FHE DOING CHRISTMAS NOTES FOR THE MISSIONARIES FROM THE YSA WARD THAT WAS FUN , BUT I THINK THAT THE  MEMBERS REALLY LIKE THE PIZZA THE BEST.  THEY DID WRITE A LOT OF NOTES THOUGH.

ON TUESDAY, WE STARTED OUT BY GOING TO THE METROPOLITAN MINISTRY SITE IN TAMPA TO ASSIST IN FOOD AND TOY SORTING IN PREPARATION FOR THEIR BIG EFFORT FOR THE UNFORTUNATE FAMILIES IN THE AREA FOR CHRISTMAS. WE WERE JOINED BY ABOUT 14 YSA FROM THE WARD IN THIS EFFORT. WE HAD A GREAT TIME SORTING FOOD AND TOYS FOR ABOUT THREE HOURS. IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO PITCH IN SOME HELP FOR THIS WORTHY PROJECT FOR THE POOR.  IT ALSO GOES A LONG WAYS TO BUILD TRUST AND RESPECT FOR THE CHURCH IN THE CHRISTIAN WORLD. 

THE WIND WAS SOOOO COLD TODAY-- COLD ENOUGH THAT I WAS WEARING A COAT AND GLAD FOR IT, BUT THANK GOODNESS I HAD A COMPANION THAT COULD KEEP ME WARM. THE TAMPA MISSION WAS HOSTING A CHRISTMAS PARTY ON BRADENTON BEACH THIS AFTERNOON SO WE WERE HOPING IT WOULD BE A LITTLE WARMER—IT WASN’T. THAT NORTH WIND FROZE EVERYONE BUT THEY ALL CONTINUED TO PLAY SAND VOLLEYBALL, FOOTBALL, TALKING ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES, EAT HOAGIE SANDWICHES AND SINGING CHRISTMAS SONGS.  WE ALSO FOUND ELDER TOKONA RUNNING UP WITH HIS HUGE SMILE. . IT WAS SO GOOD TO SEE HIM AND TO SEE THAT HE WAS HAPPY.  HE HAS A GREAT COMPANION AND THEY ARE HAVING SUCCESS IN HIS NEW AREA. AFTER THE DINNER WE ALL WENT TO THE BEACH AND WATCH THE SUNSET, IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL—FLORIDA HAS AN ABUNDANCE OF BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS AND SUNRISES.  AFTER THE SUNSET WE LEFT WITH A WARM FEELING IN OUR HEARTS JUST SEEING THIS IMPRESSIVE GROUP OF THE HEAVENLY FATHER’S BEST IT WAS GREAT TO SEE THE STRENGTH IN THESE MISSIONARIES.

WE HAD AN ASSIGNMENT FROM BRO PATRICK TO VISIT SOME EARLY MORNING SEMINARY CLASS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF HIS AREA—PORT CHARLOTTE, SARASOTA AND BRADENTON. SO FOR THE NEXT 3 DAYS WE FELT THE GREAT LOVE THAT THESE TEACHERS HAVE FOR THESE STUDENTS. THE TEACHERS WERE UP AND READY TO START ON TIME FOR SOME PRETTY TIRED STUDENTS, BUT WE WATCHED THE STUDENTS PARTICIPATE AND LEARN ABOUT THE GOSPEL AND TALK ABOUT THE SCRIPTURE THEY HAD MEMORIZED. ALL THIS WAS DONE IN THE EARLY MORNING.

IN ADDITION TO VISITING THE EARLY MORNING CLASSES, WE DECIDED THAT WE HAD ALL THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING TO SEE SOME OF THE SITES OF FLORIDA: WE WENT TO THE MIXON FRUIT FARM FOR A TOUR OF A CITRUS FARM TURNED TOURIST ATTRACTION. ORANGES, GRAPEFRUIT, LEMONS, LIMES AND EVEN PUMMELLOWS ARE GROWN HERE IN THIS AREA IN GREAT ABUNDANCE.  AFTER THE TOUR OF THE TREES, THEY SHOWED US THEIR ANIMAL RESCUE OPERATION FOR PERMANENTLY INJURED BIRDS, CROCODILES, ALLIGATORS, TURTLES, RACCOON'S AND LARGE SNAKES. OF COURSE MIXON FARMS MADE A LOT OF ORANGE ITEMS LIKE ORANGE SPRAY, ORANGE HOLDERS, ORANGE POPCORN AND EVEN ORANGE FLAVORED ICE CREAM –WHICH WAS THAT NOT BAD!!! WE SPENT ABOUT THREE HOURS HERE.

WE WENT TO SEE THE MYAKKA NATURE RESERVE TO SEE SOME CHARACTERISTIC GEOGRAPHY OF FLORIDA. THIS RESERVE IS A COMBINATION LAKES, SWAMP,PLAINS, FOREST AREA WITH MANY ANIMALS AND BIRDS AND SOME BIG ALLIGATORS. WE TOOK A NATURE WALK THRU A COMBINATION PALM, OAK AND PINE FOREST. AT ONE POINT ELDER JUDD CLIMBED A 76 FOOT TOWER TO SEE OVER THE TREE TOPS. IT WAS QUITE A VIEW WITH MILES IN EVERY DIRECTION OF TYPICAL FLORIDIAN FLAT LAND DOTTED WITH TREES, WET LANDS, MARSHES ETC. WE SPENT ABOUT THREE OR SO HOURS HERE AND IT WAS RELAXING AND REFRESHING. WE THEN DROVE TO THE HARBOR AND BEACH FRONT OF PUNTA GORDA AND THEN BACK UP THE COAST TO SEE VENICE BEACH. THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL SETTING WITH A LONG, WHITE SAND BEACH WITH SEA SHELLS ALL OVER. WE PICKED UP A FEW AS WE WALKED ON THE SAND NEXT TO THE WATER..

ONE OF THE LAST STOPS WE MADE BEFORE WE MADE IT HOME WAS THE MANATEE VIEWING CENTER JUST SOUTH OF TAMPA.  THESE ANIMALS ARE 2000 LB. MAMMALS THAT LOOK LIKE BLOBS OF BLUBBER FLOATING, SINKING AND SURFACING FOR AIR. THEY ARE CALLED -- SEA COWS OF THE OCEAN. THEY MOVE VERY SLOW THROUGH THE WATER .

WE WERE GLAD THAT WE COULD SEE THIS BEAUTIFUL AREA THAT GOD CREATE.

SUNDAY  AT SACRAMENT MEETING WE LISTENED TO THE CHRISTMAS PROGRAM, DIRECTED BY RACHELLE TOLMAN. SHE USED MANY OF OUR YSA IN THE CHOIR AND THE  SCRIPTURAL READINGS.  THEY REALLY DID A GREAT JOB, THIS WARD HAS SOME GREAT TALENT IN IT.