Week Twenty One

Elders Busath, Nielson, and Gordon cooling off

We spent most of this week in the Florida Orlando Mission office doing medical support, finishing area boundaries on digital missionary maps, and helping move apartment furniture. This picture caught us on a break before heading our separate ways on wednesday. 

Thursday morning I went with Busaths to help open up a new apartment for Elder and Sis Clare, a young senior couple from Queens Creek, AZ who arrived Thursday night. They're assigned to a spanish-speaking area near Winter Park, and were transferred to us after an emergency surgery brought them home temporarily from Montevideo, Uruguay. We took the furniture in the truck and trailer and set it up from scratch during the day, with help from Elders Slade and Hunt to carry in the couch, chair, and dresser. The Clares are the youngest of the seniors, and are a great addition to our mission, as were the Hansens, our other recent senior arrivals (They're on the right on last week's Space Center picture) !

New Apartment complex for Valencia Sisters

We also found a new apartment for the Valencia sisters, which will be ready to occupy in early January. This will allow them to live by their working area instead of up in Longwood, and also helps with the influx of new missionaries in January. We took the Sisters and Sis Busath to see and approve it at the end of Thursday after the moving was done. 

Jan and me with Elder Coe and Elder Baugh

Friday we had Elder Baugh and Elder Coe for dinner at our apartment after we got home from the mission office. They're both spanish-speaking elders from our Windy Ridge ward who are scheduled to finish their missions in December and return to their homes in California and Utah. We've loved getting to know these elders !

Us, Busaths, and Elders Packard and Galindo

Saturday Jan and I went with Busaths on an all-day furniture exchange and another apartment setup at the northern edges of our mission. We took furniture to Elders Costa and Kurtz in Eustis, and then set up a new apartment in Leesburg in an area called The Villages. Elders French, Jones, Packard, and Galindo helped us with the heavy lifting up the stairs. 

The Villages is a complex of developments that house about 100,000 people and includes 40 golf courses. It's pretty much required / expected that people drive only their golf carts even for going shopping or on local errands. (No, the missionaries don't get golf carts!)  

These photos show us vacuuming, cleaning up used furniture, and assembling a new book shelf. The second set shows the after-view. One of the better-looking apartments. Yes, this one's for the Sisters. The office chairs and study tables were donated by members who own a hotel and are changing out their furnishings. The couch, chair, lamps, etc. were donated by other members. Thanks to all!  

On the drive back we passed lots of interesting scenery, including orange groves and large flocks of black birds perched on this relay tower, and on most power poles, wires, and other high things. They like sunning themselves. It's still warm here -- 70`s to low 80's in the daytime, except Thanksgiving, which is only supposed to get to 62 ... Brr ... no more A/C soon.