LABRM Driving Rules

We have 3 driving rules here in the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission (hereafter to be referred to as LABRM).

Rule #1 - If you are backing up, your companion must always be outside to make sure you don't hit anything. And, as long as your companion is helping you back up, it's a very good idea to pay attention to what said companion is telling you to do or not to do. That's why he or she is there! Then you should be able to avoid hitting other cars, poles, or removing your rear view mirror unnecessarily.

Rule #2 - Don't pull off the road and into Louisiana mud (which is quite similar to glue), no matter how urgent it is for you to stop. This could result in still needing to be towed even after a nice semi-truck drive with excessive power has assisted you and caused your trailer to jack-knife, thus damaging the front diamond plates, or it could also cause unexpected removal of your bumper.

Rule #3 - Don't drive through standing water, especially during or after rainstorms. Period! If you do you could be subject to a wall of water being forced over and underneath your minivan by a large truck, drowning your engine and causing somewhere in the neighborhood of $8000 in damages to the engine.

A Mission Miracle

Today's blog may be the fastest one yet.
President Wall had interviews at the Stake Center. Boo!
We still had a few elders come by the office. Yay!
I was so busy that I didn't take pictures. Boo!
Went out to dinner with the Fontenots. Yay!
Left the office at 3:15 and just returned home. It's 8:15 and scriptures aren't even read yet. Boo!
One of our missionaries shared a mission miracle that's the main content of this post. Yay!
It's shared by the ZL but written by one of the sisters.

"This is our finding miracle from the Lafayette Zone:
Okay, so this past week we attended the Gladys Knight Event.... and that was awesome! It totally inspired us to find more black people. 

"So, we were down in Morgan City visiting some members of the church and driving on the side of the road when we see these black people; so being friendly, we wave and smile. We visited a member and then went down a different street and saw the same people on the same street as us (2 times same day). So, we try to wave smile again (kinda awkward)... then we visit some Young Women in our branch and we see them AGAIN! (3rd time) Coincidence? We think NOT! so were like "we need to talk to them its a sign"...

Walking up to them was very intimidating, they joined a bigger group, so it was a big group of black people (ghetto) and we just walk up to them all smiling and say, "Hey! we figured since we've seen you a couple times today we thought we should come say hi!" and they just laughed and then we did too and we just kept talking and even discussed the importance of having a relationship with Christ, got the number of one black guy who seemed interested in developing his relationship with Christ and then we left.... 

"Later that week we ended up teaching him about Alma the Younger! He invited his friends to come read with us, and we taught them about the Book of Mormon. They felt they could relate to him from their experiences in the past. We knew they felt the spirit and they knew what we were testifying of made sense! They loved the Bible and (though hesitant at first) they were excited to read more in the Book of Mormon! 

"Now we're all really good friends they call us their sisters every time they introduce us to someone and tell everyone they're our body guards. 

"As a result of that, we visited another family in a different area and this big black guy sees us from a distance and acts as if he knows us and says that he saw us talking to a big group of people the other day and that he wanted to go to that church if they go, etc! He invited himself to church because he thought all his friends were going to go! Talk about a ripple effect! :)  

"We continue to pray everyday to find more people of color to share the gospel with and it's amazing how the Lord answers our prayers if we put ourselves in the position to find."

MLC Day

Well, I forgot that it's MLC today which means that the Assistants, Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders are meeting at the mission home with President Wall. They have training today then ZTM (zone training meeting) in their own zones on Friday. So I spent 3/4 of the day taking care of the building changes and arguing unsuccessfully with the referral system which needs a serious makeover! 

I thought that most of my communication could be done by email, but not so. Darn! I had to use the old fashioned method--the telephone. I'm still waiting for some call backs. The worst event was opening the referral page and seeing 35 new referrals! Referrals are great, but when they're sent to our mission by mistake it's almost impossible to send them on to the correct location. I had 3 today that refused to be sent no matter what I did. When I finally reached a read person in Utah she couldn't tell me what I needed to do but at least she took the information and resent it to the correct mission.

When referrals come in they sometimes include comments, so I've recorded a few (These are exactly the way they came in):

I really need understanding and wanna get closer to the lord

I Need bible

Came to the Temple Visitors Center in Hawaii. They were so sweet! Celebrating anniversary. want to learn more about the temple and teachings of the Church.

Please send me one thank u

God is my father. Jesus is my best friend

a free king james bible with large print.

wanting to know more of our lord & what he expects out of his kids'

Just wanted to make sure my step dad had a bible in prison thank you in advance.

Works at Bumper to Bumper his mother says he spoke with missionaries. she thinks a visit would be good.

No Comment I take the 5^TH

No se a que capilla asistir y tengo referencias para los misiomeros me pueden ayudar???

Thanking you in advance. My current bible is tattered n well-worn. 

Looking for meaning in life. Referred by a friend. Told her "All I ever wanted was to be a dad."

He wants know more about church, he speak spanish and he wanna read the book of mormon in spanish. 

housewife and minister to other about God

i thank u for a free copy of the bible i am giving my self to the lord jesus christ our savior as well as my husband and kids.it feels so good to have him in my life. so thank u.

If you have a LARGE PRINT I would like a copy. I have several copies but they are in small print. Thank you n may God bless

This young man needs to see the light of Jesus Christ. I am deeply concerned for his spiritual well-being, and I am convinced that he can be saved.

Please call and make an appt to visit. She wants to talk about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Sarah is elderly and blind

I'd like to chat about the church. I went to stake conference and a service here. I want to know if this is the place for me.

I'm a Christian looking to better understand your faith.

Thank you god bless.

hi my name is J.M.  and i did not get my Holy bible king james version can you sand me the holy bible

Delivery person for Blue Bunny ice  cream. Met sister missionaries. They gave him a Book of Mormon. Nice and friendly - agreed to visit.

Wants to gain peace and a better relationship with God. Interested in reading the Book of Mormon. Anytime is alright to come by. 

I need and will apreciat this bible and will ,love to read about the lord

I've sinned a lot and I'm interested in the Mormon faith. Can you help me?

Please call or email before making the trip to my house so we can schedule to meet on an agreeable day. 

Please come save my friend. I am really concerned for his well being. I think a good relationship with god may help him. Thanks!

I am seeking to be saved from myself, i need the help of the lord.

I don't need Jesus. He needs me.

Silly me. I didn't even think that we'd have visitors today, but several of the Zone Leaders came by the office before heading home. Here they are!

Elder Bennett and Elder Crane--Lafayette ZLs

Elder Mecham sending a Mother's Day Card            Another Elder Crane and Elder Mecham                                                                                                                   
Elders Griffin, Carter, Hansen and McCutcheon. Except for Elder G, ZLs in New Orleans      

                                                                                              Just as we were leaving Sister Thornley and Sister Worthington came by to say hi on their way back to Hammond. It was so good to see Sister T again. We really miss her in Plaquemine! Sister W is very beautiful, but I snapped the pic just as she was answering a question. Not very nice of me. I'll get a better on next time.

Turned out to be such a great day! Lots done before all the visits. Who wants to work when there are missionaries to see?

Interview Time

Now what could possibly be better than having the Assistants and Office Elders in the office at the same time? Twelve Elders! They weren't all here together but in and out to meet with President Wall. Today began Pres Wall's quarterly, and final, interviews with all the mission. He's meeting with the Baton Rouge Zone this week and interviewing in his office here at the mission office. (I know-- department of redundancy department) We first had the Spanish East and the East Spanish Elders who were here for 2 hours. (I didn't name them.) Pres W likes to take 30 minutes with each missionary. While the companion is with President the Assistants are doing some training or motivation or something. Actually I have no idea what they're doing. Maybe I'll ask them. Anyway, Elders McMurray, Billings, Peltzer and Howald are quite often together because they share an apartment and a car.

Next came Elder Andrews and Elder Glauser, the 2 cute clowns with shades. Elder Andrews, on the left, goes home to Mesa AZ after our next transfer on May 28. Elder Glauser just came out last December, so he'll be with us for awhile. He's from San Bernardino! They wanted me to send the pics to their moms so when I asked for their phone numbers and Elder G started with 909 I quickly asked where he was from. Unfortunately we didn't have much time to visit--just long enough to get a picture.

I should have started this post with the beginning of the day but just had to get a word in first on the stream of Elders coming in and out today. And it will continue for a few more days, because there are 36 missionaries in the Baton Rouge Zone. Yay! Twenty-four more will be coming in by Friday.

President Wall walked in this morning and set up doughnuts and orange juice for today's elders. He said Sister Wall had given him directions to "make it look cute!" No comment. Elders don't care about cute anyway:) Then he walked into our office, handed me a July calendar and said, "I have a problem for you." I told him I like problems so he proceeded to turn the entire month of July upside down! The only 3 days unchanged are incoming, transfers and go-homes. Other than that it's all different, but for good reason. President Hansen actually takes over as of Monday, June 30. The 2 presidents talked yesterday and decided that zone conferences would take place the first week that the Hansens are in charge. At each conference Pres & Sister Hansen will introduce themselves, then there will be a testimony meeting. It will give the Hansens a quick opportunity to put names with faces and receive some impressions and inspiration about each of the missionaries. The conferences will only be 3 hours instead of the usual all day including lunch. Then the missionaries can go out to lunch with the $5 extra that Elder L will put on their support cards. So the schedule will be  New Orleans North and South on Monday, Baton Rouge and Denham Springs on Tuesday, Lafayette Wednesday, Alexandria on Thursday, and Preparation Day on Friday, The Fourth of July! Perfect. Maybe all the missionaries will get invitations to family barbecues or boils or frys or whatever they do here on the 4th. Now all I need to do is retype the calendar, reschedule 6 buildings, cancel all the luncheons that the stakes prepare for their zones, and pray that President Wall doesn't make anymore changes. Piece of cake! Thank goodness for email. It's made my life much easier.

Sister Hebert and Sister Covington

I still don't know much about either of these sweet sisters. You can't tell from the picture, but they are both in wheelchairs. Sister Hebert, on the left, has a bit of Alzheimer's, but her daughter brings her, more like drops her off, most of the time. She's rather quiet but participates in Relief Society. She sings the hymns and reads when called on. Although her last name is the same as the Branch President's they aren't related. That's about all I've learned about Sister H. And my knowledge of Sister Covington, on the right, isn't much greater.

Sister C is so faithful and is always here unless there's no one to pick her up. She has a strong testimony though only a member for eight years. Today she bore her testimony and shared a bit more insight about herself. One day, eight years ago, she was watching TV when a commercial came on called "On the Way Home." (I'm pretty sure she was referring to the video produced over 20 years ago about a young girl's concern for a friend that led her to a change of heart. The video introduces doctrine taught in the first missionary discussion relating to the Savior, the purpose of life and the Restoration.)

So Sister C called the number on the screen to get the video, was asked if 2 missionaries could bring it to her, and she agreed. Within a short period of time she was baptized and has been faithful ever since. At the time of her baptism she was asked if she was scared of the water and being in a wheelchair. No way! She'd been scared when she was run over by a train and lost her legs! Nothing scares her anymore. She says there's a reason that she's here--"God saved her for a purpose." Oh my goodness. Such a faithful soul! About that time my challenges all but vanished.

A few more observations on this dear woman. She brings her large print hymnbook every week and sings pretty much every word of every hymn even though Sister Harris says she's almost blind and can't read. I sat next to her in RS this morning as she sang every word of every verse to "I Need Thee Every Hour" with her book turned to a blank page! Sister C, someday you'll hear the Savior say to you, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. . . enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!

Shotgun!

Finally! A few pictures of "shotgun houses!" We keep seeing them in the older areas, especially on our way to church in Plaquemine. But there's never enough time to stop, turn around and get pics, and on our way home we don't usually see them because they're on one way streets going the other direction. Today we were in downtown Baton Rouge and were able to find a few examples.

"Shotgun houses" are said to be called that because of their straight nature referring, not to the long barrel of a shotgun but to the ability of shells to shoot through from the front to the back. I'm not sure how that works, because the rooms are stacked and there isn't a long hallway. Typically a living room is first, then one or two bedrooms and finally a kitchen in the back.

As a sign of its New Orleans heritage, houses are usually raised 2-3 feet off the ground. There's a single door and window in the front of the house. Unless, of course, it's a double-barrel shotgun.--2 shotgun houses connected to each other and sharing a central wall. Then there would be two front doors and each house is about 12 feet wide and maybe 20-30 feet deep. The ceilings are relatively high so the warm air can rise and the lower part of the room tends to be cooler. Surprisingly, the lack of hallways allows for cross-ventilation in every room. I think I'll take central air, thank you!

So here are a few example of said houses. The gray one looks like it might have an addition on the side. It's almost a double wide!

Elder Mapa and See's Candy

I'm thinking that I forgot to mention the day the box of See's Peanut Brittle from the Jordan's arrived. Elder Mapa happened to be in the office at the very moment I opened the it. Wish I had a picture of his eyes when he saw the contents. He's from the Bay Area and is very well acquainted with See's Candy. Of course I offered some to him, but he turned it down because he and a few other elders had just attack the candy jar. I didn't offer it to anyone else, because I just knew they wouldn't appreciate it. Then I promptly tucked it away and took it home that evening. The next time Elder Mapa was in he asked about it, and I had to tell him that it was at home. We hadn't opened it yet. Good thing since I opened it this morning and bagged some up for him. When he walked in this morning I presented it to him, and he was very excited!

As mentioned, Elder M is from the Bay Area--San Bruno to be exact. He's Tongan, but his father was just released as the Branch President of the Fijian Branch located somewhere on the San Francisco peninsula. Why Fijian? That's where dad served his mission. It gets better. The Branch in the SF Calif East Stake--which is Tongan! They have family in Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Japan, New Zealand and who knows where else. After Elder is released with the mass exodus in August the family will take a vacation to see some of the kin in far away places. Oh, and dad works for the airlines. Free flights!


Now how cute is this picture of Elder Helie and his little red finger friends. I can't believe he's smiling. Crawfish have teeth--and they bite! Looks like he's at a crawfish boil. See the pot over to the left. That's what I was talking about, or in the South, "Nauw that's what 'am tawkin' 'bout!" It 's a huge pot for boiling critters and such. I didn't take this picture as Elder H lives down yonder near 'Nawlins, but it came in an email and I asked for his permission to use it on the blog. Yay! permission granted:)

Sorry about the picture "frame," but Marc said that Elder Helie's pic didn't come through so the Assistants texted one to me and I don't know how to fix it. So this is better than nothing. I'll keep working on it.