Halloween Week

 

We did a lot of baking for Halloween Week- I am finally getting the hang of the chocolate oatmeal no bake cookies. I made a few batches of them, and pinched ears on them, put m&ms for eyes and melted choc chips to draw an iris to make them look like cat eyes, and then used a choc chip for a nose. They turned out to be very cute black cat cookies, which I used as refreshments throughout the week with little Clementine oranges with jack-o-lantern faces on them arranged with caramels and candy corn.

Monday night we had family home evening with a family that has 4 children, 8, 6, 3, &1.  They were all very well behaved and it was fun. We have been trying to get around to a lot of the military families with FHE because it often falls by the wayside when Dad is gone a lot or deployed or comes home at irregular times. We use the dog slides and Dan has an obedience game and relate it all to gospel principles and we provide the evening treat. It is fun and different and it has been appreciated and enjoyed every time we go. And we enjoy interacting with the families, and are able to commend the parents for the diligence and hard work they are putting in to raising their families. It has been a good opportunity to get to know the families with young children, and the children always come up and say hi at church after we have been to their house. 

Tuesday we took Elder Wray and Elder Brooks, who is from Jamaica and will be going home soon, to a Jamaican restaurant nearby. It was relaxing and enjoyable as Elder Brooks told us about his life in Jamaica. We had tasty oxtail and curry goat and brown chicken, and some interesting mango and coconut soft drinks. Wednesday Elder Brown had surgery, so we were in contact all day with the other Sr. couple here who stayed at the hospital during surgery. We had to take a sister to Stafford and switch roommates, and then hurry back to Quantico for our NMCRS budget training.  We spent about 3 hours doing computer training, and almost finished it. It will be interesting when we start getting to work with real people. We came home, ate dinner and quickly returned to Quantico for the OCS FHE. We were delighted that our entire little group was still there. After a very nice lesson by MacGraths, we went home and got everything packed up for the next morning and went to bed so that we were able to get to seminary at 5:30 AM. The kids were great and happy we rewarded their good answers with Halloween candy, and enjoyed the cats and pumpkin treats. We have such admiration for the kids that get up and participate so well at this hour in the morning. They  left to get to school, and we went home, regrouped and then drove out to Prince William to see how Elder Brown was getting along, and took his whole house some Halloween treats. We had returned home and were packing up to go to TBS, when Elder Dalby ( 6’4”?)called and had cut his head on a backboard when he was trying to dunk a basket. He wanted me to come and see if he needed stitches. So we drove back out to Prince William.  Both Brown and Dalby were doing better, so we left feeling that all was well.   Friday we had a zone meeting and Dan provided transportation for many elders and then stayed with Elder Brown so that the  other Elders could all come, particularly since Pres Wilson,  the Mission President was there from Richmond.  I went to the meeting and filled him in.

Saturday we went to Arlington  and stopped at Chris and Reba Orton’s home, where Marianne and Bob and Beth were visiting before helping move Beth back to Washington. It was short, but fun to touch base and see them all. We then went to Frederick Maryland to work on the illusive Virginia ancestor, but again without much success. Frederick was a delightful little town, and we had a lot of fun- the autumn colors were at their peaks, so it was a very pleasant day.

Sunday was particularly busy- After a particularly moving lesson at OCS at 7:30, we stayed in Stafford and attended another Ward in which we have TBS marines. We met with the Ward Council and met the bishopric of the Rock Hill Ward. Although our marines did not show up it was very productive, and the missionaries there let us know of additional members that were marines that we did not know of or have on our list. This communication is critical as they often move in and out so fast that they do not know where to go or no one knows they are here. We then went with the Woodbridge missionaries to give our obedience lesson to a family they were teaching. It went well and was very enjoyable.  It was a good week.