June 19, 2014 - Another Few Days

This week has flown by again.  Sunday we made our usual two trips back and forth to church to the Portuguese group meeting.  Our plan to expand into an adult Sunday School and short Primary didn't happen as the sisters found that it's the decision of the Bishop (since we're officially in the ward), and he said we'd wait awhile before doing it.  Sunday night I just wanted a burger, and since Mikey Dees was out of the question, we made our own - they were a little too big to actually eat...

On Monday, in order to work off the burgers we ate at 10:00pm the night before, we took a little walk to a grove of trees we found by our house.  Mom calls it our little gift from heaven to help us exercise.  Only we found out it's much bigger than we thought.  We got a little lost and walked about 6 miles!  Here are a few of the pictures I took while wandering... the park is called Stonybrook Reservation.

Then on Wednesday we had transfers!  No, Mom and I are still companions... I knew some of you were worried :)  But since we have the suburban, we got to take missionaries to the meeting and then take others back home - yes, the zone leaders love us!  Anyway, the important thing was the awesome transfer meeting - the first one Mom and I have ever been to.  When we were missionaries you just got told where to go and when, then made arrangements and showed up at your new area.  Here, all the missionaries being transferred, including those going home, come together for a big meeting.  It was very cool.  Sister Packard spoke on a term she had heard several times recently - "Sally forth" and said how all the missionaries being transferred, especially those returning home, are sallying forth courageously into difficult situations.  Then the President spoke and it was great, but the best part was at the end he pronounced a blessing on all the missionaries there (including us!) by the priesthood power and his calling as mission president.  One of the many blessings he gave was the gift of tongues, so we're pretty excited about that.

We have an investigator who really wants to learn English, so we've been going by and visiting with her and teaching her English and she's "teaching" mom Portuguese.  She's pretty funny because tonight we showed her our family picture and she didn't even know we were married!!  Life is good.

Love to all.  The church is true.

Dad