Welcome 2024

 

🥳 Happy New Year 🎆. I told you around Halloween that I blink and 💥 it’s New Years!  The clock is ticking and the days are moving!  Let me see if I can catch you up on all of our end of year activities and preserve them for our posterity!

Zone Conference December 2023


We had our last Zone Conference of the year on the 21st.  Great trainings on being Anxiously Engaged, using our agency for a good cause, and diligence.  All good things to be doing as a missionary, but more importantly good lifestyle skills for us all.  The top 10 list included:
  • Act prayerfully 
  • Do good
  • Be an example 
  • Be courageous, valiant
  • Seek the Holy Ghost
  • Beware of adversary (distractions, discouragement, doubts, disobedience)
  • Participate in our own lives
  • Focus, be intentional 
  • Seek Happiness
  • Bear testimony 
All great things to 🤔 ponder.

Sydney arrived for the holidays on the 23rd.  After a red-eye through Boston, we treated her to local lobster 🦞 at a restaurant on the ocean and then we went caroling at Independence Square with the young missionaries to Light the World!  

Christmas Eve was spent singing carols in church and being edified by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.  When we look around at our humble branches, we realize how deeply they celebrate and worship the true meaning of Christmas 🎄.  Later that evening, all missionaries met at the mission home for dinner, dessert, small gift exchange, and carols.  It was fun to see the young missionaries enjoy these small bits of service.  They are amazing!  Made me really miss my family though.  

For dinner, All the seniors missionaries made big pots of homemade soups.  Doug made our kids favorite potato soup and it was a HUGE hit.  We barely made it out with a sample to take to the security guard at our office building who mentioned she had never had potato soup before.  Doug also felt impressed to give her a Book of Mormon as well.  She’s a temporary guard that works the month of December while our regular guard, Dexter, takes vacation.  We’ve come to love her!

Christmas Day was super laid back.  We had found a few souvenirs for Sydney to take back and our APs and Elders Broberg & Thelemaque went above and beyond to get Doug 2 handmade ties from Martinique 🇲🇶.  Afterwards, we made breakfast and went and spent the day on the beach 🏖️.  


This week, Doug has been going into the office early and then coming home and we’ve been exploring the island with Sydney.  She has been a tourist, as well as participating in mission life.  We’ve taken a scuba class, a sailing lesson, snorkeled, went to the wildlife preserve, eaten local foods, and had a true Bajan holiday.  

Bathsheba


First Sailing Lesson



As we begin our new year with new goals, COME Follow Me has taken on a special meaning.  We are learning and growing and hoping to truly LOVE our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ with all of our might, mind, and strength and to develop that love for others and give everyone the grace to change and grow as well.  With God, nothing is impossible! 
Red Eye to NYC

It's transfer week, so we had the opportunity to say good-bye to two of our favorites this week.  We love them and so we send them off encouraging them to "Stay by the Tree" until we meet again.  







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