Christmas in Florida

Here we are on December 21 in sunny Florida at 86 degrees. The sun is shinning, the grass is green, the beautiful palm trees sway, there's never been such a day, in Florida USA! But I'm longing to be up North and dreaming of a White Christmas, of course!



The Senior Couples progressive dinner party! The couple sitting by Elder Dalling is the oldest couple in the mission. He is almost 80 years old which tells you it is never too late!



Sister Dalling, Sister Smith and Sister Hale making little bags with candy and Subway gifts cards in them! Thanks to Tom and Pam every missionary got one!

Elder Barber, an AP, helping to hang snowflakes from the lights in the gym. We were decorating for the Christmas Zone Conference! Elder Barber does shotput at BYU!




Sister Dalling putting the finishing touches on the tables the night before!

There were about 20 tables ready for the missionaries. With the lights down, it looked beautiful!

The tables - Looked prettier in person!





President Acevedo from the Mission Presidency and Elders Young and Barber



This is Elder Bychinski from Canada. He is 7'2" tall and is being recruited by every basketball team in the US. The President is always telling some recruiter that he can't be recruited yet and no they cannot visit him! The sister standing by him is about my height! And yes! He is holding up an Idaho Potato! Everyone loved those Idaho Potatoes!

Missionaries holding up their little gift bags!

Our Christmas Tree!

Our Christmas Tree with our grand children's pictures on the stars. It look so very pretty!

Brad by the tree. He is really excited about Christmas and buying a tree!

Susan by the tree. She is happy Brad would let her buy the tree!

Susan by the beautiful Poinsettia President and Sister Hale gave the Dallings!

The lights we put up outside our patio and two windows!

We went on a 3 hour cruise!!!! We went the day after Thanksgiving and a new senior couple, the Blacks went with us.

Just before we got on the cruise. The cruise was off the coast of Ft. Lauderdale!

This is one of the many little channels that go from the ocean through the cities in southern Florida. The millionaires build homes on these channels and have very expensive boats sitting out front. The homes sell for up to 20 million. That was mostly because of the property not the homes, although the homes were very nice!

A Home!


Another home!

Coming into dock.

A Big boat sitting in front of a beautiful home!

Butterfly World and 7 months in the Mission Field

Here we all are at Butterfly World. It is suppose to be one of the biggest attractions in Florida. It was really beautiful and relaxing. They played music through the entire part that made it ever better. Millions of different butterflies and bird and bugs and flowers. It is a couple acres and very interesting. When you first walk in you are surrounded by all these butterflies. I can't believe I didn't even get one pictures that turned out of a butterfly.



This is in the garden with the birds and the butterflies.



There were so many different flowers, especially orchids.



These are butterflies sitting on cut bananas. They look like they have eyes.


This flower is call Susan's Joy!

Another flower! The pictures don't do them justice!

Wow! These were so pretty!

I can even imagine that these grow somewhere!

Sister Dalling by a waterfall!

Elder Kynaston and Elder Dalling actually enjoyed all this!

A parrot!

A little bird that looks lost or hurt, but the colors were beautiful!

We saw all these butterflies in the garden. They actually landed on some of us!

Sister Dalling and an orchid!

Elder and Sister Dalling in the garden!

Six Months - October 2008

Two weeks ago, we went to lunch with Peadat and Julio Broket originally from Columbia. We are trying to commit them to baptism, but they seem to enjoy our company more than wanting to get baptised. We will keep trying. They are very nice, but we surely have to listen carefully to understand them. Very strong Spanish accents.

Dinner with the missionaries assigned to our ward at our apartment. Notice the cute Holloween table cloth from my friend, Claudia.

A picture before the missionaries arrived.


This is Sister Eslyn Fredrick and the Elders who taught her. Elder Dalling was the one responsible for finding her for them to teach and he baptised her. For further details, go to our e-mail. The Elders are Elders May and Cronin. Elder May, on the right, went home two days later. What a great way to end a mission!


Elder Hatfield from Idaho. He comes home the same month we do! Great missionary! He helped teach the other Sister, Sister Hayes, that Elder Dalling baptised. Even though he did not find her, the Elders said he was already wet and so he was able to baptise two sisters.

Elder Dalling and Sister Fredrick before the baptism.

Elder May, Elder Cronin, Elder Dalling, Sister Fredrick, Sister Dalling, Brother and Sister Bean. They are the senior missionaries in the ward that Sister Fredrick is in.

Elder and Sister Dalling and Sister Fredrick at the "Finishers Fireside." That is a fireside for the departing missionaries who left the next day. The members and non-members they taught are invited to attend. The missionaries bare testimony and the President and Sister Hale speak.

The "Sisters Lucheon" was at the Hale's home and hosted by Sister Hale. It included all the senior sister missionaries and the young sisters. We had lunch, did a service project, and had a program with Prsident and Sister Hale speaking. Lots of fun and inspiration.

This picture is for Elder and Sister Lorenzo Griffeth, who are on a mission at Temple Square. Sister Neire, on the right, is from the Phillipines and on a two month transfer from Temple Square. She speaks beautiful English.

Sister Kynaston, Sister Dalling, Sister Call and Sister Smith. Sister Bean got sick and had to go home earlier. We are all almost exactly the same age.

Sister Hale taking pictures of the Sisters. The background is pictures of the missionaries in order of their departure date. We are on the second row from the bottom, right hand side. Moving up with six months behind us.

This is the service project we did. Popcorn to give to someone special we are working with or a gift to the Bishop of our ward. We each took three home!
AND THUS ENDS OCTOBER 2008!