BLOG#39JANUARY 18 MID-MONTH

BLOG#39JANUARY 18,2015

ONCE AGAIN IT HAS BEEN AN INTERESTING WEEK, I GUESS THAT THEY ALL HAVE BEEN THAT WAY. I WILL TRY TO GIVE SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF WHAT WENT ON.

SUNDAY STARTED WITH A INSTITUTE COUNCIL MEETING FOR ELDER JUDD AND 4 COMMITTEE MEMBERS. IT WENT VERY WELL AS THEY DECIDED WHO THEY WERE GOING TO HELP TO COME TO INSTITUTE THIS FOLLOWING WEEK.  THEN ON TO THE REST OF THE MEETINGS AND OF COURSE FREEZING IN SACRAMENT, I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT A JACKET FOR INSIDE THE BUILDING NOT OUTSIDE. LATER IN THE EVENING WE THEN WENT BACK TO THE INSTITUTE FOR THE CES DEVOTIONAL WITH ELDER RIDD AS THE SPEAKER. HE GAVE A GREAT TALK ON FOCUSING AND HAVING REAL INTENT IN OUR EFFORTS TO FOLLOW THE SAVIOR. WE SERVED ROOT BEER FLOATS AND OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES FOR THE REFRESHMENTS AND IT WAS A GREAT EVENING. THE TURNOUT WAS ALMOST TWICE THE NUMBER ABOUT 24 YSAS AS THE LAST CES DEVOTIONAL LAST NOVEMBER.

MONDAY ELDER JUDD HAD A PROCTORING SESSION, HE HAD A GOOD EXPERIENCE:THIS YOUNG MAN IS NOT A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH. AFTER THE EXAM ELDER JUDD ASKED HOW HE BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH BYU AND THEIR INDEPENDENT STUDY PROGRAM. I MENTIONED THAT BYU IS PRIVATELY OWNED BY THE CHURCH AND THAT SPAWNED A FEW QUESTIONS. I WAS ABLE TO EXPLAIN THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH AND OUR DECLARATION THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST AND THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. I ALSO EXPLAINED THE CONCEPT OF PROPHETS AND TOLD A BRIEF VERSION OF THE FIRST VISION. I BORE MY TESTIMONY OF THESE THINGS AND THEN EXPLAINED THE BOOK OF MORMON AND GAVE HIM A COPY AFTER READING WITH HIM MORONI’S PROMISE IN MORONI 10:4-5.  I COULD TELL THAT HE WAS TOUCHED AND THAT A SEED HAD BEEN PLANTED. HE DIDN'T WANT TO TALK TO THE MISSIONARIES RIGHT NOW BUT I FELT THAT HE HAD JUST HAD AN EXPERIENCE THAT HE WILL NOT SOON FORGET. I ENJOYED SHARING MY TESTIMONY IN THAT WAY AND FELT THAT THE LORD HAD A HAND IN THAT CONVERSATION.

IN PREPARATION FOR THE DINNER ON THURSDAY I MADE TWO TRAYS OF PEANUT BUTTER BARS WITH OATS. I EVEN LIKED THEM, I THINK IT WAS THE OATS THAT MADE IT BETTER. WE HAD A YOUNG MAN COME TO OUR DOOR THAT WE HAD NOT SEEN IN MONTHS WE WERE VERY HAPPY TO SEE HIM,  JAMIE LEGGETT WAS BAPTIZED SOMETIME IN THE SUMMER AND HAD DRIFTED AWAY FROM THE CHURCH IN THAT TIME FRAME. ELDER JUDD; WE WERE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED AT HIS APPEARANCE BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN “MISSING” FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. WE TALKED FOR ABOUT AN HOUR AND HE SAID THAT THE MISSIONARIES HAD DROPPED OUT OF SIGHT TOO.  WE WERE SO GLAD TO SEE HIM AND MADE A BIG FUSS OVER HIM.  HE SAID THAT HE HAD BEEN READING THE BOOK OF MORMON AND COULD FEEL THE CHANGES THAT HAD OCCURRED IN HIS LIFE BECAUSE OF HIS BAPTISM.  WE ENCOURAGED HIM TO COME TO CHURCH AND HE SAID THAT HE WOULD ARRANGE HIS WORK SO HE COULD COME. HE ALSO ASKED ME TO CALL THE MISSIONARIES TO SEE IF THEY WOULD CONTACT HIM. I DID CALL THE SISTERS IN THAT AREA (LAND OF LAKES) AND THEY DID MEET AND TEACH HIM ON SATURDAY. HE WAS EXCITED ABOUT THAT MEETING AND SAID THAT HE WANTED TO COME TO CHURCH BUT DIDN’T HAVE A RIDE. SO I CALLED MATT WALKER (THE WARD MISSION LEADER) AND ASKED IF HE WOULD SEE WHAT HE COULD DO. TODAY, JAMIE SHOWED UP AND IT WAS SO GOOD TO SEE HIM AT CHURCH

THE RELIEF SOCIETY PRESIDENCY PUT TOGETHER A NICE BRIDAL SHOWER FOR A NEW CONVERT THAT WILL BE MARRIED ON FRIDAY.IT WAS VERY WELL ATTENDED   FOR THE SHORT NOTICE. THEY HAD ABOUT 12 YSA AND LEADERS. IT WAS FUN TO SEE HOW THEY COULD MAKE THIS YOUNG LADY FEEL GOOD ABOUT HER MARRIAGE.

THURSDAY WAS A HARD DAY; THE MORNING WAS FILLED WITH  MISSIONARY MEETING AND MORE MEETINGS. 5 ZONES WERE PRESENT BRANDON, LAKELAND, SARASOTA, ST PETERSBURG, AND TAMPA,WE THOUGHT IT WAS STRANGE NOT TO HAVE THE FORT MYERS ZONE HERE SO THE WHOLE MISSION WOULD HAVE BEEN PRESENT, BUT WE SOON FOUND OUT THAT  THE FORT MYER ZONE WAS TO BE PUT INTO THE FORT LAUDERDALE MISSION.IT WAS QUITE A SHOCK! 30 ELDERS AND SISTERS WERE AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTED TO A NEW MISSION WITHOUT A BLINK OF AN EYE. PRESIDENT CUSIC SAID THAT THIS IS A COMMON THING SHIFTING BOUNDARIES.  IT WAS HARD FOR A LOT OF MISSIONARIES HERE AND I WAS ONE OF THEM THAT HAD A HARD TIME WITH THE LOST OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE ESPECIALLY ELDER LASURAS TOKONA.. IT WILL WORK OUT OK, BECAUSE IT IS THE LORDS WORK AND THEY WILL BE FINE AFTER THE SHOCK WEARS OFF. IN ADDITION PRESIDENT CUSIC NEEDED TO INSTRUCT ALL THE MISSIONARIES OF HOW TO USE THE PREPARATION DAY TO THE BEST ADVANTAGE. I FEEL THAT JUST LIKE US WE NEED TO BE REMINDED OF WHAT IS GOOD AND BETTER.  WE WENT FROM 179 MISSIONARIES TO 139 MISSIONARIES, BUT PRESIDENT CUSIC SAID NOT TO WORRY NEXT TRANSFER 10 MORE MISSIONARIES WILL ARRIVE AND IN THE FUTURE THE NUMBER WILL COME UP TO ABOUT 160.

THE MEAL FOR THIS WEEK WAS SUCH A EASY MENU THAT I WAS ABLE TO MAKE 4-9x13”PANS WITHIN ONE HOUR. THE MEAL WAS A CHICKEN POT PIE WHICH INCLUDED FROZEN VEGETABLES, CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP, A CAN OF CHICKEN AND A LITTLE CHEESE ON THE TOP , THEN A SMALL CRUST OF  2 CUP OF FLOUR, 2 EGG, AND 1 C UP MILK  AND COOKED FOR 45 MINUTES.  NOT TO BAD TO FIX, BUT I WAS STRESSED THAT I DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD FOR 54 PEOPLE(IT SEEMED THAT THE  NUMBERS KEPT INCREASING), IT WAS JUST BARELY ENOUGH NEXT TIME 5 9 BY 13" PANS WOULD BE BETTER. . IN SOME WAYS, IT WAS LIKE FEEDING THE 5,000  WITH ONLY A POT PIE. IN THIS CASE THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LEFT OVER. ELDER JUDD  AND I BOTH BREATHED A SIGH OF RELIEF AT THE END WHEN WE REALIZED THAT WE HAD ENOUGH,BARELY. THE LAST PLATE OF FOOD WENT TO BROTHER PATRICK.  IT WAS GOOD THING THAT WE HAD EATEN LUNCH WITH THE MISSIONARIES EARLIER IN THE DAY BECAUSE WE DID NOT GET TO EVEN LICK THE PLATE.  WE ENDED UP STAYING AT THE CHURCH TILL 11 PM  BEING AROUND THE STUDENTS. I GUESS THEY ARE FINDING OUT THAT WE ARE NOT SO BAD.  SO PLAYED PING PONG, POOL, TALKING AND OF COURSE VOLLEY BALL. ALL IN  ALL IT WAS A GREAT NIGHT.

SATURDAY WE WENT TO THE BISHOP’S STOREHOUSE TO ASSIST THE YSA IN MOVING BOXES AND BOXES OF FOOD AROUND, IT WAS SO IMPRESSIVE TO SEE THIS GROUP GET IN AND HELP THE STOREHOUSE BE ORGANIZED AND READY FOR THE PATRONS TO COME. THE MANAGER CRIED AFTER WE WERE FINISHED BECAUSE HE DID NOT THINK THAT WE COULD FINISH THE WORK IN THE 4 HOUR ASSIGNED TO US-- IT WAS DONE IN 3 HOURS. WE WENT TO BREAKFAST WITH THE YSA'S AT  FRED’S BUFFET IN PLANT CITY( LOOK ON THE STRAWBERRY BOXES AND YOU WILL SEE MADE IN PLANT CITY-- A LOT OF STRAWBERRY'S ARE SHIPPED FROM HERE.) SO ON THE WAY HOME WE STOPPED AT COSTCO AND PURCHASED SOME  THEY ARE WONDERFUL. WE ALSO PURCHASED $1.86/GALLON GAS. FIRST TIME TO SEE THAT IN A LONG TIME.  GREAT DAY‼