2/25/2018 Leaves, Trees and Temple

A great picture with the Statue of Liberty we had not seen before.  It reminded us of the picture of Kenyon and Marianne's family with the twin towers in the background not long before 9/11.

Apparently Florida has two "falls" as far as the leaves - in a warmer climate like this, some trees lose their leaves in the fall and others in the spring.  It is fun to see the leaves falling slowly through the air and to see them dancing across parking lots and then be able to shuffle through them - and not be cold at all.  You can even get a bit of a shuffle sound when you scuff through them. 

Another "every squirrel in the Grand Canyon"  - this time trees - and Gainesville has plenty  They kind of look alike but each is a little bit different.  One of the young men from here served his mission in Boise, Idaho, called the City of the Trees.  He said he had to smile - 

"City of Trees?  not really -- I'm a Florida boy."

Our favorite - across the street from the Institute building.

Coral snakes in Florida -- the kids said they are taught this rhyme young

Red on black - friendly Jack

Red on yellow - deadly fellow

We'll stay away from both.

There is something exciting and impressive about people's creativity, like Chris & Nicky Miller's school bus conversion. (Nevada)

And what we saw in the Orlando Temple parking lot last Saturday.  Unfortunately we didn't get to meet those it belonged to.  There is a solar panel on top.

 The white box on the right top is water and has a a hand held shower .  Below you can see the curtain rod for the shower curtain better.  The door can be opened top or bottom or all.  The A/C is at the top left.  There is also a lantern, a wash bucket and a ladder.

 The box at the front is a generator.  Wish we could have seen the inside.

  We called Claudia to get a name for me to take to the temple but when we got there they had to have her membership number so I just picked one up from the Gainesville Stake drawer.  I "just happened" to get  one submitted by Ellie Gordon, who, even though she is a young married, comes to institute occasionally because her husband is deployed.  She also is a first cousin to one of our missionaries so we know her pretty well. After I sat down, I noticed that I was born on Florence's (the name I had) birthday, exactly fifty years later.  When it was time to go through the veil, Ellie "just happened" to come in with the other veil workers and I "just happened" to go through her veil.  One of those tender mercy moments for me and Ellie - and probably for Florence too.

 
Our Institute secretary, Elaine May, told of one of her experiences at the temple.  In her family file, she had three sisters, but she could only take two down to the temple, so she left the youngest sister's name home.  She is a temple worker and when she was on her second assignment that morning, the temple matron came to her with a name slip, saying "You must have dropped this, it has your name on it as the submitter," and handed her the card with the youngest sister's name on it.  Three sisters, who did not bring names with them, came in so she was able to give them the three sister's to be done in the same session.

We'll close with these thoughts on temples:

Every Temple Built Lessens
the Power of Satan on the Earth
--------------------------------------------------

George Q. Cannon (First Presidency) Every foundation stone that is laid for a Temple, and every Temple completed...lessens the power of Satan on the earth, and increases the power of God and Godliness. ("The Logan Temple," Millennial Star, Nov. 12, 1877, 743)

John A. Widstoe (Quorum of the Twelve) There never yet has been a time in the history of the world when temple work has increased without a corresponding increase in the opposition to it.  Some three or four years after the pioneers came to this valley, President Brigham Young said it was time to begin the building of a temple; and some of the old timers here will probably remember that thousands of the Saints dreaded the command, because they said, "Just as soon as we lay the cornerstone of a temple, all hell will be turned loose upon us and we will be driven out of the valleys."

      President Young thought that was true, but that they also would have, if temple work were undertaken, a corresponding increase in power to overcome all evil. Men grow mighty under the results of temple service; women grow strong under it; the community increases in power; until the devil has less influence than he ever had before.  The opposition to truth is relatively smaller if the people are engaged actively in the ordinances of the temple.  (Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Vol XII, 1921, 49-64)

2/18/2017 Churches, Fog and Spring

     We like that Florida is a state full of churches, large and small, plain and ornate, on major streets or back roads and often they are fairly close together.  This time, taking pictures of "every squirrel at the Grand Canyon" brings a fun variety.  Usually we have to get the picture as we drive by, but for the first one we were able to stop so we have the sign and the church - it is right off the highway and is beautiful.   So here is a small sample:

 

 

                                                 

way back in the trees

Not Florida obviously - but such a beautiful picture of the St. George Temple.    

We have had quite a bit of fog during the mornings this last week.  It gives a quiet, peaceful sound to everything, even the cars seem a bit muffled.  The last two pictures are the same location, just a day apart.  Today it was clear.

 

You think BYU has tight parking - this is across the street from us - lots and lots of curb parking
Bottom picture - mopeds, mopeds and mopeds, there are several parking lots just for these.

  

The roots come up through the ground and almost make steps in this very short hill we climb from the shortcut trail to the junior high track as we start back home from our morning walk. 

 Bamboo tree 

 

 Service project at the Episcopalian Church - all missionaries except the one in blue in the middle who is also in the next picture with Mike.

 

Before

 After

 One of our daily tender mercies is that we live in a good apartment building, evidenced by this sign in the exercise facility.

 Finally some of the warm weather Florida is supposed to have.  One weather screen on our phones show Saratov Russia and where all of our children live.

And spring is coming

 The lighter green is the new growth

The branch had an activity they called Super Smash Brothers .. an amazing variety of old and new video games .. and the biggest pizza we had seen ... which didn't last long.

 

This was posted by John-Evan's good friend Meghan Petterson Pringle (daughter of Dan and Ann Petterson who had the market in the middle of Mesquite for several years) 

 Couldn't resist this one - Jessi Tedrow and Allison Dorothy Waite

 Guess nobody ever gets too old to pop the air bags that come in packages. They work hard, good to watch them have fun with such a simple thing.

Elaine May - Secretary for the Institute.  We left her a Valentine treat the night before and she heard us coming up the stairs the next morning, cute way to say thanks.

   Sorry to end on a sad note, two LDS girls from the same ward were victims of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.  Alaina Petty, a 14 year old freshman,  the same age as three of our granddaughters, was killed. The other, Madeleine Wilford, a junior on the Eagles basketball team and scheduled to play in a basketball regional quarterfinal Thursday, was shot numerous times.  The bullets went through her back, crushing her ribs, piercing her right lung and exiting her stomach but damaging no major organs.  Several bullets went through the shoulder and traveled the length of her right arm before exiting.  After several surgeries she is in stable condition and they are expecting complete recovery.  Both girls have other siblings who were in the school at the time of the shooting.

 

  President and Melania Trump visited Maddy in the hospital - 

We have been reading Changed Through His Grace by Brad Wilcox - a book we recommend to y'all.  The following is taken from that book:  

     Earth life was never meant to be a perpetual Garden of Eden or a twenty-four-hour amusement park.  It is a school, and sometimes the best teachers are the hardest ones, and the most important courses are required rather than electives.  Lessons that don't challenge us rarely change us.  "The overarching purpose of Heavenly Father's great plan of happiness is to provide His spirit children with opportunities to learn.  The Atonement of Jesus Christ and the agency it afforded...are divinely designed to facilitate our learning." Elder Bednar

     Our experiences here have strengthened our testimonies and  deepened our love and appreciation for our Savior and the sacrifice He made for us.  We are grateful for the promise of this scripture - it seems that peace is becoming a rare commodity, but we can find it if we do what He asks. 

Learn of me, and listen to my words; 

walk in the meekness of my Spirit and you shall have peace in me.

D&C 19:23

(Our love and appreciation to y'all)