Pictures

Changes are on the Horizon!

We just finished meeting with Pres. Hall and new changes for the ASL program are on the horizon. It truly is amazing to be able to see the miracles that the Lord is doing here in the Orlando Mission. The work is still slow and there is a lot that we need to do, but day after day we see a tender mercy that reminds us this is the Lord's Program and He is beside us every step of the way.

We met Sis. Lovejoy on Tuesday morning at the Mission Office, did a few hours of study at the Kissimmee Chapel ... then apparently killed her off! Who knew walking around in the Florida sun, taking an hour and a half bus ride down to Poinciana, walking around a few hours, and taking a bus back up to Kissimmee would wear out a newbie who was wearing all black, w/ nylons and black closed toed shoes. Lol! And, to top it all off, it was our first time trying the Lynx bus system here in Orlando! I'd have to say it's not too bad. We have our adventures with the people we meet on the bus!

But we continue forth as the ASL three-some and we're having a blast! It's been a lot of fun! To welcome her to the mission (besides our first day activities), we made her a cake. I didn't have time to make my birthday cake, so we decided to make it for Sis. Lovejoy - and add a bit of randomness to it. It started when I was making the Devil's Food batter. I noticed we had some of those frozen bananas in our freezer (annoying) and I asked if I could throw a few in the batter. Sis. Homer convinced me to only put ONE (I was thinking about three). Then, when I was prepping for the frosting, Sis Homer told me about her mom who mixes frosting with pudding. The only pudding packet we had was pistachio, so we made the pudding and mixed it with chocolate frosting. To top it all off, we added blueberries and strawberries on top and sprinkled nilla wafer crumbs. Sounds weird, right? But it was a blast to make and Sis. Lovejoy LOVED IT!! Today, we still had half a cake so we left it in the office to allow the Elders to eat it up for us.

And, I don't really have any questions - at least none I can think of right now. So, lots of love!

Another Week . . .

This week was good. We tried to work more in the northern area and found two new investigators. We also were able to attend a Children's Storytelling activity in sign language at the Oviedo Library. It was a lot of fun! Also, we had exchanges for a day when I went to work in the Waterford Lakes area learning from my Senior Sister about how to continue to improve in missionary work. It was a lot of fun! I use to be against Sister Exchanges with the ASL program because it disrupts the work, but as the area stablizes, we are better able to handle one of us leaving for a day.

On Sunday, we had a great opportunity to have a member from Atlanta, Georgia join us at both wards interpreting the meetings. She came to visit family near Orlando and contacted the Mission Office to see if there was any interpreting opportunities for her. They sent her our way and we truly appreciated everything she taught us as we watched her interpret. Also, it helped balance the interpreting we do for church.

This week, we are excited to have Sis. Lovejoy join our companionship. We will pick her up at the Mission Office tomorrow morning and start our work down in our southern area. The ASL program continues to grow and we love to see these many tender mercies that come to us daily. The members are really excited to meet Sis. Lovejoy and we are curious to see what other changes will come as she joins us in the work.

Our first BAPTISM!!!

I'm just fine with you reading my journal. I wrote it for my future descendants anyways. It's just a day to day ... "looking on the bright side of life" entree. I don't know if it's a good thing or not, but most of the events that got under my skin or annoyed me or really bothered me never made it in my journal. I don't feel like complaining in my journals. The same applies to emails. I remember in the MTC my day may have been awful and all I wanted to do was complain, but I'd sit down at a computer and find something good to write. That might have been one of the reasons why my MTC emails were more like "general conference talks" because the gospel was the only good thing I could think of to say that day. Also, if you read my journal, you'll know more about what I'm doing and I don't have to be so detailed in my emails :-P

But to update some things as you read through it, I have learned that some my former investigators in the Ft. Lauderdale mission have been baptized. Mercy was baptized a few weeks after I arrived here (my feelings about that are near the end of that journal because it was a tender mercy and huge highlight of my mission when I learned about that!) Also, a few weeks ago, Alex was baptized here in the Orlando Mission. He had a date in Boca but moved the day before. He went through leukemia and hospitalization for a few months, then almost lost his testimony, but the Elders in his area was able to help him finally become a member of the Church!! I was so excited to hear that!

Yesterday, one of our Deaf investigators was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are so excited!! He was baptized on Saturday and we did a fill signing baptismal service with me interpreting (in ASL for the times Bishop talked, and voice for all the hearing members present). Adding to my growing voice interpreting skills, I was able to assist in voice interpreting for a talk given in church by one of our Deaf members. It was a shock to see it on the program so I asked him who was voicing and he said I got to share the responsibility with our ward interpreter. Surprise! But I'm really starting to enjoy voice interpreting. I just need to be correctly trained on how to do it!

But to describe how an Elder baptized and confirms someone who is deaf, this is a question a lot of missionaries like to ask us! The most important aspect of a blessing is to begin and end with the right hand position (hand to the square for baptism, hands on the head for blessings). Then they use both their hands to sign the prayer or blessing. What was great about the baptism was the fact that our Deaf member performed both the baptism and confirmation. It was his first time and he did great! He was reactivited about a year ago and he is AMAZING!! It was a great success and miracle for the ASL program!

About Sis. Lovejoy knowing who we are, Sis. Homer and I decided to write a letter to her from the mission field. It was a lot of fun! Sis. Homer wrote one line on the paper, I took the next, then so on and so forth. We discovered that we do not think alike, so the letter was very interesting and funny to read. We're excited to have her come join us! We've here so much about her from the members who also read her blog and the mission president and his wife who met her at the MTC. The ASL program is also going through changes with her joining us and it is going to be great! We are excited to watch it continue to grow!

Zone Conference was great! We discussed the Church's new simplified curriculum for the MTC. We are going back to the basics and it will help all of us improve our teaching skills to connect it with the spirit even stronger. Also, our meetings schedules will change to give more training to us.

Lots of Love!

Another week . . .

So, first question: did you get my package? I sent it two weeks ago ... I hope so because it has my journal and pics in it. :-)

This week has been an interesting one. I can't remember much. I've been extra tired and out of it, but we continue onward. Today, we're actually in Kissimmee at a member's store to email because the libraries are closed. Yesterday, we stayed with the Kissimmee sisters and were given permission to watch fireworks so we saw a great show near a lake in downtown Kissimmee. It was a lot of fun!

Pres. and Sis. Hall are now here in Florida and we are excited for the new church changes that will be happening. I've met the Hall's several times now and we will have our Zone Conference on Thursday to hear about the changes. It is going to be interesting. We're excited!

We've had some great success in meeting our investigators this past week. We want to work with our members more to help fellowship our investigators. It's interesting to watch the foundation stones being placed and being able to glimpse the great potential that this area has for the future! We are curious what changes will happen with Pres. Hall as Sis. Lovejoy comes and joins us in the mission field.

I've been really scatter-brained the last few days so I don't have much more to say. Til next week!