This and That, again

Since I don't have an designated job in this mission experience it is sometimes hard to have stuff to share on this blog in the months that we are not traveling.  That does not mean that interesting things don't cross my path.  It does mean that everything here is not dedicated to missionary or highly spiritual experiences, this is one of those post.

 On Oct 3-5 my sister, Carolyn came for a visit while her husband attended a Neurology conference at the JW Marriott.  Yup, we both married docs and we are both school teachers.  We listened to our parents who were raised in the depression and always said, the only ones who didn't starve where the school teachers and the doctors.  Now I don't know how they thought the doctors got paid if their patients didn't have any money for food but in their minds the doctors always had money.  Neither one of them would have ever been a school teacher either.


Anyway, we had a day and a half together and it was fun.  We walked both Friday and Saturday and I took her past a house that is being built on one of my routes.  Her reaction when I showed her was "boy are you your fathers daughter".  It really is interesting to watch how they build down here.  This house has 4X4 ft. blocks of foam laced together with steel rods.  These are stacked and glued together then rebar is put down between the steel lacing and then concrete is poured down between the foam blocks.  The blocks are about 3 inches thick on each side and there is about 6 inches of concrete poured between them.  Hurricane proof walls.  This is a very classy neighborhood.  In my neighborhood the houses are cinder block with rebar and concrete.  Same idea just not as high tech.  More than you ever wanted to know about construction.

We went over to the town of Celebration and had lunch and looked at the Bohemian Hotel.  Celebration is the town that Walt Disney built to be his idea of the classic American town.  It is quite a fun place to go and just look at the architecture and landscaping.  There is not much to the town really just a few store and mostly restaurants.  Carolyn is in the "town square".  Sorry, camera photo as are all the following.

As I mentioned I walk every morning about 2-3 miles and I sometime see the darNedest things.  As in......

 I know this is hard to see but these are some kind of butter flies or moths.  I thought they were a couple of leaves until I realized there are not tree around with this color of leaves here in Florida.

 I was walking in a subdivision across the freeway last week and as I went around the lake I could see this dark thing on the bank.  One always thinks alligator here.  Not that it would be an alligator just the dead prey of one.  As I got closer it is a crane of some kind drying or sunning it's wings.  I have seen many white ones and of course the grey Sand Hill cranes from a former post but this is the 1st really black one.  He didn't seem bothered by me and we were all alone on that lake, me on the path and him/her on the grass.  It didn't even attempt to fly or even turn its head to look at me.

We had Zone Conference in the Orlando Mission last week all 150+ missionaries together in one chapel.  Elder Zwick from the 70 and his wife came and did training.  Quite fun.

One thing I am picking up on out here is that if you don't have a copy of Preach My Gospel it might be good to get one and start looking it over.

I have a friend who has been in one of the pilot wards for the new curriculum that is coming and after listening to her and becoming some what acquainted with PMG I think it would be wise for us to all start using PMG for things like Family Home Evening. I was surprised to find that it is basically the way I learned to teach the gospel on my own mission 40+ years ago.  Choose a doctrine/principle explain it (why we need it, what it can do for us, why the Lord uses it, any number of reasons)  support it with scripture, bear testimony, then ask them to repeat back to you what they have learned (using a variety of ways of doing that with out getting them to parrot back what you said).  The nice thing is they have 10 min examples, 30 min. example and 45-1hour examples.  Something for every family.  The doctrine/principle stays the same just more in depth on what we teach.

 I have been reading Parley P Pratts autobiography and to some degree he follows the 1st three parts of the plan.  People must have been sharper in those days as he never checks to see if they understood what he said.  But then wait, they were coming to him to be baptized so they obviously understood what he said. 

Well we are going to the bishops storehouse in the morning to help the ward fulfill their assignment so I had best get to bed.

Thanks for reading and for heaven's sake leave me a comment so that I know somebody is looking at this.  Although several of you have mentioned it when I have talked to you and I do thank you.  Last week while I was walking Thomas sent me a "good job" audio message it was just so nice to know that people are thinking about you.