We have had a wonderful week as missionaries...
It has proven productive and we can feel the trust of the members more in our lives.
Covering two wards for such a short time has been a challenge for us to become acquainted.
We are just now seeing the fruits of some of our labors.
Carole has decided to be baptized Christmas Eve.
And confirmed Christmas Day.
We hope her husband will be with her for both events.
He's such a wonderful person.
We can see the Lord's hand at work with others that we are working with.
And finding.
Monday
Being our preparation day...
And we don't do this a lot...
We decided to visit the famous Blue Springs
Where the Manatees go to get warm in the winter.
Below is the channel they travel between the spring and St John River.
The barrier keeps boaters out.
Walking up the 'Blue Spring Run'
Below..
We were there late enough the Manatee's were on their way back to the river to feed.
A Midden is like an Indian junk yard.
The Thursbey's built here because of the location and had orange orchards and grew their own food.
It was a hard existence, at first especially.
Their only access to civilization was the river or mule team.
They ended up being the major stop for people traveling up and down the St John's river...
Until the railroad came through...
Then the Thursbey's capitalized on the warm springs for medicinal purposes.
It wasn't until recently that people paid much attention to the Manatee's.
These are local Manatees and don't travel more than about 20-40 miles from the springs.
They are endangered...
So there is not swimming, boating, suba etc from September to March or April of each year.
Then the springs is open to entertainment.
Traveling back out to the river...
Below...
The only occupants of the actual spring when we got there were two turtles.
There were 27 manatee's counted earlier that morning.
In January there are about 200 or more.
They go up to the spring in the late afternoon and then travel back out as the temperatures rise.
They will die if the water temperature is lower then about 55 degrees
Below..
The dark spot is the opening in the earth surface where the warm water comes to the surface.
This was interesting because the Palm's are growing up through the branches of the giant oaks.
Back out to find people...
We love the back roads and scenic areas we are taken to by our GPS
Melissa this one is for you...
It says Happy Autumn.
The picture of our wonderful District with Zone Leaders. Elder Hyde took Elder Johnson's place.
Front, Sisters McClain and Miller
Elders Harrington Willey Adriano Cooper Day Gubler (ZL) Jackson and Hyde (ZL)
A neat piece of information.
At District Meeting we end with roll play.
Our inspired District Leader paired Elder Campbell and myself with the Zone Leaders.
While we were visiting,
Elder Gubler suggested that Carole be baptized Christmas Eve and Confirmed Christmas Day.
We told him she had family coming and it wouldn't be till January.
Later we found out that...
the family thing was causing her great stress.
Because Elder Gubler had 'suggested' Christmas Eve and Day I could offer that to her.
(I don't think we would have thought of that on our own)
Thank goodness for inspired leadership.
We were able to help Elder Fielding and Corbridge
take an investigator to the temple tour Saturday.
I am always blown away by the flowers in Florida.
All around the temple you have white petunias and Poinsettia's
Elder Shelley is always at the temple tours when we are asked to go...
So for Elder Shelley's mom and Elder Fielding's Mom...
Your young men are doing great and anxiously engaged in a good cause.
Elder Fielding with Richard.
Elder Fielding was given the compliment in their sacrament meeting of being a perfect missionary.
He told Elder Corbridge to do everything Elder Fielding does.
If he breaths...breath.
Watching him in action is an amazing thing.
It has been an honor to work with this young man.
He is going home a few days after Christmas.
Ricard...
He is not a member BUT he is a genealogist.
He does a ten generation work for every missionary that is in the Bunnell area...
Free!
He offered to do ours for $10 a generation...
His normal fee is $25 a generation...
miniscule to what the professional genealogist in SLC charge.
Elders Fielding and Corbridge with the last new car we delivered before we changed assignments.
It has proven productive and we can feel the trust of the members more in our lives.
Covering two wards for such a short time has been a challenge for us to become acquainted.
We are just now seeing the fruits of some of our labors.
Carole has decided to be baptized Christmas Eve.
And confirmed Christmas Day.
We hope her husband will be with her for both events.
He's such a wonderful person.
We can see the Lord's hand at work with others that we are working with.
And finding.
Monday
Being our preparation day...
And we don't do this a lot...
We decided to visit the famous Blue Springs
Where the Manatees go to get warm in the winter.
Below is the channel they travel between the spring and St John River.
The barrier keeps boaters out.
We were there late enough the Manatee's were on their way back to the river to feed.
The Thursbey's built here because of the location and had orange orchards and grew their own food.
It was a hard existence, at first especially.
Their only access to civilization was the river or mule team.
They ended up being the major stop for people traveling up and down the St John's river...
Until the railroad came through...
Then the Thursbey's capitalized on the warm springs for medicinal purposes.
It wasn't until recently that people paid much attention to the Manatee's.
These are local Manatees and don't travel more than about 20-40 miles from the springs.
They are endangered...
So there is not swimming, boating, suba etc from September to March or April of each year.
Then the springs is open to entertainment.
Traveling back out to the river...
The only occupants of the actual spring when we got there were two turtles.
There were 27 manatee's counted earlier that morning.
In January there are about 200 or more.
They go up to the spring in the late afternoon and then travel back out as the temperatures rise.
They will die if the water temperature is lower then about 55 degrees
The dark spot is the opening in the earth surface where the warm water comes to the surface.
This was interesting because the Palm's are growing up through the branches of the giant oaks.
Back out to find people...
It says Happy Autumn.
The picture of our wonderful District with Zone Leaders. Elder Hyde took Elder Johnson's place.
Elders Harrington Willey Adriano Cooper Day Gubler (ZL) Jackson and Hyde (ZL)
A neat piece of information.
At District Meeting we end with roll play.
Our inspired District Leader paired Elder Campbell and myself with the Zone Leaders.
While we were visiting,
Elder Gubler suggested that Carole be baptized Christmas Eve and Confirmed Christmas Day.
We told him she had family coming and it wouldn't be till January.
Later we found out that...
the family thing was causing her great stress.
Because Elder Gubler had 'suggested' Christmas Eve and Day I could offer that to her.
(I don't think we would have thought of that on our own)
Thank goodness for inspired leadership.
We were able to help Elder Fielding and Corbridge
take an investigator to the temple tour Saturday.
I am always blown away by the flowers in Florida.
All around the temple you have white petunias and Poinsettia's
Your young men are doing great and anxiously engaged in a good cause.
Elder Fielding was given the compliment in their sacrament meeting of being a perfect missionary.
He told Elder Corbridge to do everything Elder Fielding does.
If he breaths...breath.
Watching him in action is an amazing thing.
It has been an honor to work with this young man.
He is going home a few days after Christmas.
Ricard...
He is not a member BUT he is a genealogist.
He does a ten generation work for every missionary that is in the Bunnell area...
Free!
He offered to do ours for $10 a generation...
His normal fee is $25 a generation...
miniscule to what the professional genealogist in SLC charge.
He Went about Doing Good
"The spirit of giving gifts
has been present in the mind of each Christian as he or she commemorates the Christmas season.
Our Heavenly Father gave to us His Son,
Jesus Christ.
That precious Son gave to us His life,
the Atonement,
and victory over the grave.
"What will you and I give for Christmas this year?
Let us in our lives give to our Lord and Savior the gift of gratitude
by living His teachings and following in His footsteps.
It was said of Him that He 'went about doing good.'
As we do likewise, the Christmas spirit will be ours."
(President Thomas S. Monson)
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