Christmas Florida Style

We had a quiet Christmas, but were also able to do some service when our friend ran out of gas. We have been quite subdued since we learned about the passing of Sister Black's mother, Alice and appreciate our family who attended the funeral and gave support to the family. We have been greatly blessed to have such a wonderful posterity. We enjoyed reading all the wonderful Christmas cards and newsletter and appreciated all the packages from our family and friends back home.

On Sunday, we got to sit by a new investigator who attended the Snapper Creek branch. She started learning about the church 3 weeks ago and was taught all the missionary lessons by missionaries at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in Provo. She first started chatting with them and was then taught over the phone. She has several months of schooling left and she will be a registered nurse. Elder Black also taught the Elder's quorum lesson on Sunday from the Ensign. It was quite interesting that Elder Black chose a lesson on "The Love of God" by President Uchtdorf from General Conference to teach the Elder's quorum and the person who taught the Relief Society also chose to teach the same lesson. Earlier in the week, we did some training at the Miami Zone and then delivered a bunch of Christmas packages not only there by also to missionaries in the Hialeah, Miami Beach and Hollywood Zones. We felt a little like Santa making his rounds.

We will be having a New Year's eve party at Elder and Sister Welch's apartment on Thursday. We are going to see who can stay awake past 10 pm.

Spiritual Week

This past week was full of spiritual experiences. On Wednesday, Elder Black drove 11 departing missionaries to the Orlando Temple. It was wonderful to see their excitement and to see many tears shed as they sought confirmation from the Lord that their offering was accepted by Him. Look at the attached photos and see what a wonderful light they are to the world. On the trip back from Orlando, they started asking a bunch of questions of Elder Black about his life's experiences and how Sister Black and he were able to work together and overcome our challenges in raising a family and balancing work, church and family. On a few questions, I just had to honestly admit that didn't remember, but that Sister Black would know. When we got back, we had a nice dinner and then was able to hear the testimonies of the departing missionaries.

On Saturday, we had our Mission Christmas Conference where the whole mission came together. The missionaries had prepared many beautiful Christmas songs, President and Sister Hale talked to us and then Brad Wilcox, a professor from BYU and noted author and speaker, talked to us about how these wonderful Elders and Sister were not only children of God who had been held back in the pre-existence until these latter days, but that they had the promised birthright through their lineage in the House of Israel and a double portion of God's blessings to be able to proclaim the gospel with power and authority and bring souls unto the Savior. He is a very dynamic and funny speaker, but also taught some wonderful things to encourage and fortify us in our efforts. He and President Hale had been missionary companions in Chile and Brad Wilcox had been a Mission President in that same mission.

On Sunday, Sister Black and I, were speakers at a Snapper Creek YSA branch fireside. It was a neat experience and very interactive. The subject was on Patriarchal Blessings and living close to the Spirit. We are looking forward for Christmas. A family who has been learning English has invited us over to their house on Christmas eve. Their celebration goes to midnight, but I don't think we will make it until then.

The Week Before Christmas

We have been busy most of the week doing apartment inspections and gospel discussions with each group of missionaries. We are so impressed with the thoughtful responses and inputs we received from the missionaries during the gospel discussions. We read the following four scriptures and discussed what it means to "Wait Upon the Lord". Isaiah 40:31 (the scripture on our missionary plaque), D & C 133:45-46, Lamentations 3:25-26 and D & C 98: 2. We also had an opportunity to spread some Christmas cheer to someone we have been working with and who is facing many challenges. She now has a glimmer of hope. It helped us get into the Christmas spirit. We went to a party with the other Senior Missionaries Saturday evening and got to share thoughts on Christmas and enjoyed laughing and listened to a touching Christmas story. Elder Black also attended a baptism of a Young Single Adult sister on Sunday. Tomorrow, Elder Black will get up at 3:30 am and meet 11 missionaries at the Plantation Building and drive them to the Orlando Temple. Sister Black will stay home and help prepare for the Finishers dinner that afternoon. We will try to arrive back to the Mission Home at 5:30 pm for the dinner and testimony meeting with the departing missionaries. This is a group of extraordinarily great missionaries, including Elder Stuart, our Assistant to the President, who has such great faith and Sister Fiala who talks to everyone she comes in contact with about the gospel. We love this wonderful missionary experience and appreciate the Lord's blessing on us.

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

We were able to watch the First Presidency Christmas Fireside last night over the internet and it was the first time we really started to feel the Christmas spirit. The music was special and the talks were wonderful. It was in the 80's here today. It is so strange seeing Christmas tree lots and no snow. Next Saturday, we will be having a Christmas party at Elder and Sister Dallings and then later in the month the couples will be going on a boat ride around the Intercoastal Waterways at night to see the Christmas lights.

We did some YSA (young single adult) training for two Zones of missionaries this week and did apartment inspections in Homestead and Key West. On our return trip, the tide was out and we got some very strong sulfur smells when the highway got close to the water. We were able to do a gospel discussion with the missionaries before the inspections which was quite special. They are amazing young men and women we are privileged to work with. At church on Sunday, a new convert bore his testimony and told how much the missionaries have blessed his life by teaching him the gospel and of the love he feels in the YSA branch. The missionaries told us that he has been going with them on missionary splits almost every day and they are starting to teach his cousin who lives in the same house with him. Later in the month, Sister Black and I will be talking at a fireside for the young singles branch.

We feel very blessed and are enjoying the opportunities we have been giving to serve here in South Florida. Next year will be the 50th year for the Florida Ft. Lauderdale mission and we hope it will be the year when the ground breaking for the temple takes place. The mission and members are gearing up to make it a very successful and historic year.

A Wonderful Reunion- Nov. 30

We were blessed with the visit of Ryan, Janalee and their wonderful family on Thanksgiving Day and we spent the next few days visiting and enjoying some of the attractions here in south Florida including checking out the alligators and birds at Shark Valley and spending a day at the beach. There were an abundance of alligators laying around the trail and in the water. We saw an alligator with two babies on her back. The kids got to see and play in the ocean for the first time and their squeals of joy and laughter were wonderful. Toward the end of the day, Makena got stung on her arm by a jelly fish and it really hurt bad until the life guard sprayed vinegar on it. In about an half hour, it did not hurt so bad. We came home and they had fun swimming in the pool and hot tube and enjoyed that also.

We have a big week coming up with two trainings for the Miami Beach and Hialeah Zones on YSA and another round of apartment inspections starting Saturday in Homestead and Key West. The following week we will have four straight days of inspections in the Miami area. On Saturday night, Elder Black attended the baptism of Harry Cruz, one of our Daily Dose English students. We also attended the Coconut Creek ward with Ryan and Janalee and family on Sunday.

Zone Conference Week- Nov. 23

We enjoyed Zone Conference this past week. President Hale used an old hand water pump to illustrate how we must first prime the pump (through personal study in the mornings) and then pump with all our might to bring the water to the surface (success in bringing others to Christ). If we find it too hard and stop pumping, we will never know how close the water got to the surface. It is a good analogy for life. In our apartment inspections this week in the North Miami area, one set of missionaries told us about a lady who was married to a member and had resisted listening to the missionaries for many years. They challenged her to pray and seek an answer about its truthfulness. She could not sleep one night and spent time on her knees in sincere prayer and received a strong witness that it was true. Her husband was shocked to hear her express her desire to be baptized but was so happy. Opening up our hearts even a little bit will let the Spirit work with us. Sister Black was sick Sunday, but I was able to attend our Snapper Creek Branch meetings and the baptism of Josue Sevilla. He was very emotional and so grateful to have found the truth. We gave him a new Spanish Bible that Richard Black had supplied us and he was so grateful. He thanked me at least 10 times and said he loves reading the Bible, but did not have one to read. We also heard some good news from Sister Dosher who we have been working with for about 8-9 months. Through answer to her and our prayers, she received a job interview for a good job and was hired. She had been unemployed for about 9 months, but started to come back to church and pay her tithing and we know it was a direct answer to prayer.

On Friday afternoon, we took Elder and Sister Welch on the inter-coastal boat ride and we got so see 6 cruise ships docked in Fort Everglades next to Ft. Lauderdale. One of the cruise ships, the Oasis, is the largest in the world and will use Ft. Lauderdale for its base location. It is huge and makes the other cruise ships look small. I attached a few photos taken on our trip. Checkout the photo of the yacht with a helicopter on the top deck. This week should be exciting. We are having a dinner at the mission home on Wednesday and then Ryan, Janalee and family will be here on Thursday for a Thanksgiving meal (compliments of Boston Market) and a fun few days.

Another Full Week- Nov 16

We had another full week with 12 apartment inspections, doing a special report for the Mission President, working on a way to make changes and track the changes for our YSA branch list, training the missionaries in Miami, teaching English and having two episodes where we were stuck in freeway traffic jams for 1 hour 20 minutes on Tuesday afternoon and 30 minutes on Wednesday evening. Sister Black was sick for a few days so she missed the Sister's Luncheon on Friday. Shawn Bradley (the 7' 6" NBA basketball player from BYU) and his wife Annette spoke at the Sister's Luncheon and also at a fireside Elder Black attended on Saturday evening. Our Mission has a blog and you might like to check it out and see just how tall Shawn Bradley is. http://floridaftlauderdalemissionnews.blogspot.com/ When he stood at the pulpit during the fireside, it came to his waist and he had to use a hand microphone. They are a wonderful, active LDS family with 6 children. She served a mission in Ft. Lauderdale in the early 1990's. You can also see all the wonderful Sister Missionaries we have and our Mission Leaders.