SPRING!!

SPRING HAS COME TO ALABAMA ! We feel sort of guilty sending you this news, but it is really something how the weather changes here so quickly. Yesterday was 80 and sunny and humid.   The azaleas and dogwoods are in bloom and they even have wild wisteria, a purple clusters like grapes that grow on vines and trellises at home, but here they grow wild in the woods, reaching to the tops of the tallest trees.  It is a photographer’s heaven.  We have included a picture of the azaleas in our front yard.

Note from Michelle:  Wow!! I can't believe these beautiful azaleas are in their front yard!!

We have been putting in study time and contact time and visibility time and sometimes it seems like there are no fruits for our efforts, but this week one of the less- actives asked me if I would like to walk with her in a walk/run on the 26^th.  I am so excited because she initiated the contact and the invitation.   I confirmed to me that no effort is wasted, no matter how small.  I also have been working with pre-K, Kindergartners’ and first graders in an after-school program called BAMA Kids.   We have about 15 in our class.  I felt like I was a distraction to the teachers discipline and to her teaching.  I had decided that I would do it one more week and then tell them that I couldn’t continue.  Thursday, she tried to buy me a chicken salad that one of the schools was doing for a fund raiser.  She said she didn’t want one her self, but she wanted to get one for me to say thank you.  It turned out that I couldn’t go to pick it up, but I was so happy that she even thought of it.  When I left that day, I thanked her for the thought and mentioned that I felt I was interfering with her class.  She looked at me and said, “I just wait for you to come through the door....it helps me so much to have you here”.  So you know I will continue to the end of the school year and see what happens after that.

We have a busy week this next week, Zone Training on Tuesday in Montgomery.  The have cut the mileage allowances for the young missionaries, so they called us to see if we could drive to Magnolia and pick them up and then go on to Montgomery.  That adds about and hour to our trip.  We need to leave our house at 6AM and will probably get home about 8.  Then they announced Interviews on Friday with the Mission President, again in Montgomery.  Dad volunteered to pick up the Magnolia Elders again on Friday.  We are so happy that we can be a support to the young Elders and Sisters.

We so were so happy to hear that Derek has been asked to extend.  I am sure that the Mission Presidents, with all these very young elders can use some help in getting them off to a good start in learning to be a good, productive missionary.  Some of them come out so very well prepared and others, need some tutoring in planning, studying, and in contacting people.  Keep him in your prayers.  Keep us in there too!.  We love each of you and pray for you in all things.  Love Grandma and Grandpa