Orlando Temple Trip in July 2009

President Hale received permission for one senior couple each 6 weeks to leave the Ft. Lauderdale Mission area and accompany the departing missionaries to the Orlando Temple. So on July 1 it was Elder and Sister Dalling's turn!

At 6 pm we loaded the van at the Plantation Ward Chapel with snacks and 8 missionaries!


Missionaries awaiting departure!

And we were off with Elder Dalling the driver and the 8 excited missionaries anxiously engaged in talking about their mission and all their hopes and dreams for the future!

This was a wonderful group of young men with some great leaders in the group and a very seasoned senior couple!

Elder Jorgensen after an exhausting last two days as an AP sleeps most of the way to the temple! I think you could safely say he was tired! He was the only one who slept!

As we came around the corner, we were all taken back by the beauty of this Temple! All in the van were ever so quiet!

Elder and Sister Dalling at the Temple!

All of us outside the Orlando Temple. What an inspiring day!

We were back in Ft. Lauderdale at 5 pm for a dinner at the Hales for all the senior couples and the departing missionaries. After the dinner a very special testimony meeting was held in the Hales living room. One of the missionary's who left a few months ago had several signs made (his parents own the business) and the Hales always hang one up depending on the occasion! This is hung from the upstairs balcony.

Some missionaries waiting for dinner! It is always amazing to me to watch these young men who become good friends with people they would never have hung out with in high school. What good things a mission does for those serving - all ages!

Elder Jorgensen, Elder and Sister Dalling and Elder Barber. We worked with them in the office when they were AP's and we grew to love them. It was sad to see them go, but their families were excited to have them coming home! Now we have seen both sides to the departing and arriving!

Cute picture of Elder Barber!

Elder King from Pennsylvania!

Elder Barber with Elder and Sister Dalling. Elder Barber has a scholarship at BYU for putting the shot put. He was in our ward when we very first came to the mission! And so our Temple Trip came to an end and the 8 missionaries left the next morning. Each 6 weeks we go through it again, but it will not be our turn to go to the temple for a while. It was wonderful to go with the missionaries. We enjoyed it so much as we had not been to the temple since we left for the mission field.

Elder Dalling giving smiling a try!!!!!!

Fridge art from Jarod and Kamri! Thank you Jarod and Kamri! Great pictures!

More fridge art by Emma, Wyatt, Halle, Sami and Kaylie! Wow do we ever have some great artists in the family! We have also received some super wonderful letters and testimonies from our older Grandchildren - thank you all for your love and support! We love talking to you on the phone too. We love you all! - each one of you!

And one more picture of a turtle which is about the size of a dinner plate that was outside our door one morning a few weeks ago. They usually stay in the lake. It looks surprisingly the same as the little ones we used to be able to buy in the US. We actually also found out that these turtles do not eat the little baby ducks, the big stork like birds do - so sad!