Kirk & Jan’s Warm & Wonderful Orlando Mission: February 2014

Visit with the Johnsons

I need to explain that the blog has not had much attention since all of our missionaries got i-pads. Kirk's IT job at the mission just got to be MUCH BIGGER and the blog was on of the things that ended up not being cut out. I can't stand to see that happen because it has been so great to save all of our great experiences this way and to share them. So scary as it is I am going to try to do the blog. The quality will suffer but at least it will be here.
Ben and Jeana came with their friends Jackie and Don to go on a cruise. They were here for about a day on either end of the cruise. The first day we went to see the Johnson's. Their son is on a mission in their ward in West Haven, Ut. It was such a fun visit as they had brought a video of their son telling them lots of great things about his mission and the church.

Moving to our new apartment

We are getting more new Sr Couples and more missionaries so the time had come to move the rest of our things out of the Lake Debra apartment and move from the apartment we had been in in Colonial Manor to our own apartment. It would have been overwhelming except that the whole Sr. district turned out to make it all go so smooth. They are all WONDERFUL!!!

Zone Conferences

It was Zone Conference time again on Feb. 18 & 19. This time Pres. Berry asked the office staff to do rotations to train the missionaries on apartments, cars and referrals. They divided by Zones and the teachers rotated to each zone to do the training. Elder Nielson and I were back up support. Sis Berry and Sis Claire are always food support but this time all they had to do was to help out the Relief Society that was feeding us for the day. Elder Nielson and I also did an additional medical helps book for each apartment and a presentation about that when they were all together.

Sis Peck by mission banner with
'best' thumbprints

Sisters Jackson & Gruber
with inked thumbs

As missionaries finish initial training they leave their mark on our banner by putting a thumb print on it and signing their names to commit to doing their personal best. Two of our new ones who just placed their thumbprints are shown here.

Setting up Liahona display

Liahona rack

In early February we set up a rack to distribute free Portuguese copies of the Liahona. Elder Gallo arranged with an LDS member to donate them, and we got a rack placed in a shopping area by Int'l Drive that is frequented by Brazilians. Within 2 weeks all the January and February ones were taken, and the March ones are now placed.

Community Fair display

On Feb 22 there was a Pioneer commemoration time at Cypress Park in Orlando. The missionaries got a booth to focus on Utah Pioneers. They needed banners to show things about the church and they choose ones about the world wide membership and about temples. Then they got Elder Nielson to get the banners made. The missionaries had a poster on the trek west and a handcart there also. It was really impressive and they were able to contact a lot of people.

Mission car after hitting wild boar

Here's what can happen when driving in the dark in the remote parts of the Leesburg district ... you may be charged by a wild boar. The car was repairable, but the boar was not.