Trip to the Zoo

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. The sun came out so we cleaned up our apartment quickly, went to the office to show a car to an interested party, and went to the Cincinnati Zoo where they were letting people in for 1/2 price.

Click on any of these to make them bigger.

The last two are video clips.

We have to ask first

When the missionaries have an accident with their car, they call me to report it. Then I have to make them fill out the accident/damage report. The report form is in their glove box in a folder called, “What to do if I have an accident.” The report is fairly lengthy and for some reason most of them are somehow funny. Granted, it wouldn’t be funny if someone got hurt but most of them are like, “I thought I had room enough to turn around, but I guess I didn’t.”

On Monday evening there were two calls, both fairly minor (under $1000). The first was a slide off during a turn on a snowy road while going too fast. The caller said, “We were going too fast for the turn and went off the road into a wall.” Whoa, I wondered what kind of a wall? Turns out it was a low brick planter at the edge of the property. All it did was bend the frame of the truck and break the planter bricks.

Then next call was “We hit a deer but we don’t think it hurt the car, except you can’t open the door.” I got the written report in the mail yesterday. I am quoting, “…we were on a straight road but a deer ran out from some trees and we think we clipped his shoulder barely and it swung his butt in to the side of the car. It was only a little baby doe.”

I am pretty sure that angels ride with the missionaries, but I think they get together in the evenings at a pub and tell about their adventures of the day. I can almost hear them.

We have been pretty busy selling 7 cars we pulled from the fleet 4 weeks ago. I was a bit worried about trying to sell so many in the desired time frame, which is 45 days. This morning as we were leaving the apartment to go to the office, Sister Earl asked in our prayer that the Lord would help us in selling the last car. It is a Mazda and we had not received a single call on it in a month. Within 3 minutes of her prayer, as we were getting in our car, the cell phone rang. The man who called came to the office an hour later with a cashiers check in hand and bought it. He didn't even drive the car. The Lord is in the details, but He requires that we ask. That’s just the way He set it up. He stands there with blessings and to spare, but waits for us to ask.

Thank You Lord.

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He is in the Details

Several months ago we were out visiting ward members and we met a widow, Beth, and had a wonderful visit with her. She asked for a blessing of comfort which Grampa gave her. She told us about a good friend down the road from her that might need a visit also. It was late when we left and we were tired but the spirit said to go. So we did. We met Br. & Sister Ison. Br. Ison was on his third round of chemo. What a positive sweet older couple. We just fell in love with them. At each of these homes they expressed their gratitude for the blessings of being sealed in the temple for eternity. That brought them a lot of comfort. Well, this past week Br. Ison went to meet his Savior.  We went over to visit Sister Ison after we found out about her husband's passing. We found Sister Ison with her dear friend, Beth. Because of our previous visits we were welcomed and we had a wonderful gospel discussion. And like always, grandpa left them laughing and begging us to return which we have done. We love these people!

Last week grandpa sold a car to a young man from China who is working in America. I had the opportunity to visit with him while grandpa was outside changing license plates and getting paper work out of the car.

I found out he had a fiancé who wants him to become a Christian. He had been attending several Churches with her. We knew he was coming back in to the office so we had emailed our niece who served a mission in Korea and asked her which language of the Book of Mormon this young man would probably read. We have almost all languages of the Book of Mormon in our office, including Mandarin and Cantonese.

I bore my testimony of the Savior in my life and told him about the Book of Mormon and how it helped me raise a righteous family and how I couldn't have done it without God's help.  I then presented a Book of Mormon in his language to him. I expressed my love for the beauty of his language and asked him to show me how he would read it. He opened it up and the look on his face when he saw his mother language told volumes. He was so pleased and I could tell he was visibly touched by my testimony. What a wonderful experience. I am so grateful we had all languages on hand and Elizabeth Temus could clue us in on which he could use. What a wise Father in Heaven, preparing ages in advance for that special moment when I could give to a brother a sacred book in his own tongue. Thank you, Father in Heaven, for watching over all of your children.

We have been busy in the office this past week preparing for the January audit. All of us have been organizing files and sifting though stuff to make the process go smoothly.  We send our love to all and pray the richest blessing will come to you this New Year.

Love, Gramma April

Obedience, the first covenant

Have I told you I love these obedient missionaries?  Friday at District meeting the topic of swine flu shoots came up. Elder Earl and I had just received ours that morning. The good folks of Ohio ran out of them in November and then finally got a new supply in. Elder Earl was wearing his Brave sticker!

Well, one of the sister missionaries stated she had not received hers yet and besides she heard from a nurse in her ward that there were some side effects and the shots might not be a good idea after all.

(A little back ground information: We had received a visit from the regional doctor for 14 missions in the area. After much study the 1^st presidency encouraged all missionaries to get the shot because of their sensitive age group and because of all the people they came in contact with. The doctor also encouraged all Senior Couples to do the same.)

After a discussion of the pros and cons in District Meeting Elder Earl in Elder Earl fashion stated, “The real question is whether you (talking to the sister missionary) are going to be obedient or be smart?” She looked at him and said “Yes, I guess so.”

Later that evening she called and asked for the address and phone # for the health clinic.  Such obedience!

The previous week we had a similar conversation with the office elders. They overheard me making an appointment with the health clinic and they divulged they hadn’t got their shot yet. They had lots of reasons why they put it off and they listed them one after another. They asked me what I thought and I simply said, “If you want missionary blessings you have to be obedient.”—The health clinic got them in the very next day.  Aw…the power of a mother having the last word.

We are doing great here but seem to be missing out on some exciting times back home. We want you all to know the Lord is at the helm. I bear my witness to his tender mercies happening every day in each of our lives. To list just a few:

Grandma’s hip only being cracked not broken all the way!

Nate getting tubes in his ears now and not waiting for future problems to happen!

Brooklyn getting the run around at the emergency room when she broke her arm and ending up with one of the best children’s doctor in that area.

Cristine finding out about her back problem now so the proper treatment can begin!

Marisa receiving the right medical help when she was sick and her numbers went so high!

I am sure you know of tons of tender mercies that I failed to mention but are very real. I am grateful to a loving father in Heaven for watching over our love ones while we are away!

We love you all.

Grandma April and Grandpa Scott

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Once in a while I find it easy to be an instrument in the Lords hands, simply because I am pretty dumb. Hey, I don’t even have to think. That’s easy for me. I am used to it, and April is pretty used to it too. Thus when the Lord needs a simple tool to do a simple job, I can do that if I don’t let my mind get in the way.

On Tuesday a recent convert told us that she felt she needed a blessing for a fairly minor physical discomfort and asked how blessings work and could we bring the Elders to give her such a blessing. We told here we would find out who her home teacher was and work it that way.

I made a few calls and emails and found her home teacher but by then it was New Years Eve and people had family activities. I tried the missionaries but by then it was after 6:00 pm and the missionaries were told to be home by 6:00 in order to stay out of harms way. We were just relaxing at our apartment when that little voice said “GET UP” and go give her a blessing. I argued that I didn’t have a companion Priesthood holder, but the voice said I was just looking for an excuse, so off we went.

At her home we talked about her concern for a few minutes and she too said it was such a minor thing but it was still bothering her, so I gave her a blessing. The funny thing is that I didn’t really say anything about the problem she was having, but I blessed her home that it would be a safe refuge away from the world.

Today is Fast Sunday and this good lady went up front to give her testimony. It was so sweet. It was also a little amazing, for she mentioned the blessing and how well she had slept that night, and that when she got up early on Friday morning to go to work she found that someone had tried to break into her home that night. The lock mechanism in the doorknob was completely chewed up and broken to pieces but they couldn’t get it open. She said that the Lord had “sealed her in” and no one could harm her when He did that.

I am glad I listened. I keep learning, but I am sure slow.

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