Variety of Activities...

This week we had such a broad range of activities.  The most out-of-the-ordinary one was on Thursday.  The City of Orlando has worked with several government and non-profit agencies to build some very inexpensive housing for the Homeless Veterans.  President Berry was approached by the man who is coordinating the effort to find those who are homeless, to see if some of the missionaries could help in the effort.  The process needed people who were not afraid to approach strangers with the sole purpose of trying to help them.  He's not a member, but obviously knows what missionaries do!  So 80 Elders, Sisters, and Seniors crammed into a tiny room (I stood in the doorway - the outside part of the doorway!) to get training on finding and filling out forms, then we started our search.

This is just as we were beginning to gather...

Our group was able to find three and get their information.  Such sad, pathetic stories. One of the questions on the form was, "Do you have any daily activities, outside of survival, that bring you joy?"  They all answered an emphatic "No." I cannot imagine not at least finding joy in a good piece of chocolate, a hug from my husband, a cute picture of a grandchild, beautiful cloud formations, birds, knowing my Heavenly Father loves me, or at least finally getting to my pillow at the end of long, hard day!   It made me so grateful for our close families and for the heritage that we are honored to have.  So grateful, especially this week, for the pioneers who sacrificed all they had for their most fortunate progenitors.  No mention was made of them at church; I hope we don't forget the legacy that they have left for us.

A few of our other activities from this week included going to the Temple with a ward member for his first time; going to the Disney Polynesian Resort to watch a 2-hour hula show that a less-active member (who we are trying to befriend) was in; making about 100 cookies to take around (I figure they buy us 2-3 minutes of door time!); answering a last-minute request to visit with a teenage boy who we had sadly had to stop meeting with several weeks ago (after hours of work); hosting the weekly FHE for mid-singles in our home; having a recent convert and her non-member husband over for dinner; knocking on about 20 doors trying to find people on the ward directory who nobody knows (150 more doors to go....); and meeting with our 10 "regulars," and about 20 others.  See why getting to our pillows at night bring us joy?

We Love Being Missionaries!  The Gospel is True!  We Love You!