A Week to Remember

I will start by saying sorry for not having very many pictures this time I left the picture card in my computer. I totally forgot to take it out of my computer last Sunday evening..  Oh well I did take some pictures of the sunshine on our patio, what little few minutes it is there and the ASL (American Sign Language) Sisters hard at work.  Then I will need to paint pictures with words and hope I don't put you to sleep.

I have always eaten my breakfast on this little patio.  When we first got here it was dark, but still nice.  Right now when I eat the sun is just coming up.  It is so beautiful and the birds sing and there are so many different kinds of morning songs.  It is one of my most favorite times of the day.

The two 'sticks' you see planted are Plumerias.  The will bloom and be the flowers they make Lea's out of.  I purchased them at the farmers market in Winter Park.  The people who sell them, most of the time at Epcot, cut them from the Plumerias plant and paint them with the color of paint of the flower.  The branches or sticks are sold just as 'sticks'.  I kept them on the table for a week or more before planting them.  They say to put them three inches into the soil and they will grow, and not to water them till they have about a five inch leaf.  They are a succulent plant so everything it needs is in that 'stick'.  In about a week it started to grow, no water, and they are still growing.  I was taking a picture of the sunlight and not focusing on the 'stick's.  I will keep you updated on it, but it is amazing, if I didn't do it my self I would not have believed it. 

I don't know if you can see this man.  He walks every morning, we see him as we drive to work.  When we first got here he was heading toward us, now that the sun comes up earlier he is usually walking back to his place.  He carries a cane but swings is back and forth beside him horizontally as he walks. He probably promised his children wife or doctor he would "would carry" it with him while he walked. 

The ASL sisters are amazing.  They cover a huge area but most of the hearing impaired come to our ward so they are teaching two classes a week in our building.  They are Sister Ellsworth and Sister Homer.  These sister do a wonderful work.  Now they are teaching the people to sign so we can communicate with these wonderful people.

Sister Homer is on the left, she is a runner and such a cutie.  Sister Ellsworth is a ballerina and really knows her stuff.  She cannot talk without signing.  I had her sit on her hands one day when she was in the office and she couldn't talk.  Both sisters are loved by the hearing impaired.  

Their classes are Wednesdays and Saturdays.  Stan went with Ian Bowles, the father of the family we met last week -- Wednesday and I went with Melissa and Mackalah Bowles on Saturday.  Machalah five is really good at it, she is smart anyway.

On a sad note.  Thursday morning I was in the office early -- and so I answered the phone when it rang instead of Sister James.  It was Elder Lopez' father from northern Mexico informing us that his wife, Elder Lopez' mother was killed in an automobile accident.  He needed Pres Darrington's phone number.   I was able to get him the information he needed and then sat stunned at the news.  I felt so badly for this Elder.  As it turns out the father, a stake president, had the funeral Friday and encouraged his son to stay where he was.  I can now see the wisdom of this. As a mom that is what I would want.  They are a strong family in the gospel.  Pres Darrington went down to see him, gave him a blessing and spent some time with him.  He encouraged the Elders who have served with him to contact him and keep in touch.  Elder Lopez is upset and rightfully so, BUT he understands the plan of salvation and knows their family have been sealed in the temple and will be together again.  I know he is still numb and the reality of it will hit him probably when her returns to his home.
A piece of trivia--His mother was killed by a drunk driver.

Of course we have our alligator.  He has only eaten some of our little ducks and keeps to himself.  He attracts the attention of all who walk around our apartment complex lake.  Since he is eating the little ducks the apartment management have called in animal control to come get him.  But tonight he was still there...don't know when animal control will come get him.  Just after I took this picture he casually walked up on the bank.  Little JD Eskelson was so excited about it he frightened the alligator away.  Kind of exciting news for our peaceful little apartment complex

We have had a lot of interaction with the Bowles family this week.  But the highlight was Friday night.  If you remember, they have had some hard times.  Stan meeting him was not an accident.  He has been working with the Employment Center looking for a job and looking on his own. They are a close family with sound character and work ethic.  They had been searching for a church to help them find peace and security.  Melissa actually walked into the temple a month ago or so.  She thought is was beautiful and peaceful.  She said when she walked up to it the doors just opened up and she walked right in.  She found she couldn't go in any further but was fascinated by it. Don't ask my why the officiators didn't help her find the missionaries at that point... Maybe it just needed to be here and now.  Their first meeting with the missionaries officially was Friday night.  I played with the children and walked the halls with them, but from what I heard Ian and Melissa were so excited about what they were being taught.  The missionaries were so good with them.  The Bowles have committed to baptism on June 19.  They are so excited about it, you can see the light in their eyes.  They are smiling a lot more and feeling that peace they were searching for.  The ward members are so good to them.  Visiting and inviting the children to play etc.  The Lewis family have children exactly the

same age as the Bowles... and little Ema and Machalah have hit it off as friends.

 Dad and I went with these same Elders--Hansen Rice and Beckstead today after church to Hadie Riveria's home for dinner.  She is the sister that was baptize one month ago.  I spoke at her baptism.  She offered to feed the missionaries but the missionaries cannot visit single sisters without a chaperon.  So they asked us to go with them.  She is delightful.  She is about our age and has never been married.  She is from Porto Rico lived in Indiana most of her life.  She is the oldest of a large family so she took care of her mother when she was sick and dying.  She is a neat lady, she has a deep and abiding love for the Savior and when she went to the Gladys Knight concert she knew what she was hearing was the truth.  She has a strong testimony already.  The Elders had a lesson with her, reviewing what she knows and questions she might have.  She reads the scriptures a lot and had some good questions. 

After this week I know things happen for a reason.  We are just instruments or bystanders to the Lords great and marvelous work.  I am humbled and at awe constantly as I witness the miracles that occur around us on a daily basis.  I love the Lord and know without a doubt that this is the true church.