Our Family Mission Plan

In her email today Alison told us to have a mission plan. " Probably you have heard this a lot from the other missionaries, but I would like to tell you. In consiglio the last time we heard a lot about making a family mission plan. I would like to ask you guys if you have one? If not make one!! We had a Seventy here at our Stake Conference and he talked about his.  In his he said, he wanted his family to give out one book of Mormon every month.  Have the missionaries over for Family Home Evening with his investigator or a friend. They wanted to go out with the missionaries each week.  They wanted to talk to a certain number of people about the gospel. But if you have one already perfect. If not would you be so kind as to make one. It would be very useful for the missionaries. If you have not made one you can even ask the missionaries to help you guys. I know you are busy, but it would be awesome.  I love you all and we have been helping members here make them and they have been giving us so many referrals.  Las Sunday we had a member come with a list of names written for us to contact." We always have the Elders and Sister missionaries for dinner once a month each.  They also told us to have a family mission plan. We love missionary work and we know how important it is for members and missionaries to work together.  Brent knows first hand because he was a missionary and I know because I am a convert. It was because of my aunt and uncle who were awesome member missionaries and because of the Elders who taught us that my family joined the church. 

Our family mission plan:

We are not the kind of people to push the gospel down everyone's throat but we do love talking about the church.  Every time we get the chance we talk about it.  So our plan has been to share the gospel as often as we can.  We have been working with my friend Natty for quite sometime now. We don't push it but we invite her to activities. She loves coming to the activities.  The other day she said that her and her husband were talking to their kids, Valeria and Bryan about what they want to be when they grow up, and Bryan said he wanted to be a missionary!!!! I think we have exposed them to the missionaries a lot hahaha, with Alison being on her mission and also our friend Johanna's son is on a mission.  We have invited them to family home evenings at both Johanna's and our home.  We have shared messages with them. Natty has been Brent's secretary since May and so he shares the gospel with her too. We try to be a good example.

Another way that we are trying to share the gospel is with social media.  I try to post quotes on Facebook all the time. I also post Alison's blog link every week when we get an email.  The other day I went to the temple and posted a picture of the temple on Facebook.  A friend who I have shared the gospel before at the YMCA saw it and liked it. She lives right across the street from the temple and next to Stake Center. The day after I posted the picture, she woke up early and took a picture of the temple steeple all lighted up. It was beautiful and she posted something like "I woke up early. The beautiful Mormon temple"!  I loved that she isn't even a member but was drawn to the beauty and brightness of the temple. 

Another way that I share the gospel is by doing my temple work for my ancestors. I am so busy, I have over 165 names to do!!!  All the baptisms and initiatories have been done for them now I need to do the endowments for all of them!!! I like to think that with all those baptisms done, there is a Ward in heaven full of my family members!!!  My parents are really busy sharing the gospel up there, I just know it!!

Another way that we share the gospel is by getting Parker ready for his mission.  Parker has been going out with the Elders.  Conner also plans on going on his mission.  We have family home evenings, we go to church, and we do all we can to teach them so that they will be ready. I heard someone say once that we should treat our children like they are investigators, and it makes sense. They are learning the gospel, we are teaching them with our lessons and our examples just like we do investigators.

I am also working with the sister missionaries to help me with an inactive sister that I visit teach. 

A family mission plan does not need to be overwhelming.  I think that we do missionary work everyday and we don't even know it.

Trunk or Treat

Last Friday we had our Ward's trunk or treat. In the past we would have a Stake Trunk or treat but our Ward is so big and it's members are almost all active, that it was decided that we would do our own this year. It was a huge success! I wanted to dress up as something but I am not too creative.  When Brinley was visiting this summer she kept saying that I was the queen and Brent was the prince.  So I thought I would dress up as a Queen. Parker had bought a crown for school so I took it to church to see if Brent would wear it.  Brent does not like to dress up at all, so he was lucky and the crown was too small, Parker has a smaller head.  I had a blue sash from Ashley's wedding in my closet and it worked perfectly. I have to say that this is Parker's last Halloween before he leaves on his mission and who knows when we will have another Halloween together, which is weird!! Parker invited his friend who also is neighbor, Matthew, and they both decorated the car and had so much fun and the Trunk or Treat. Parker has always enjoyed dressing up for Halloween and he has never missed one yet!! 

Johanna Lopez and our non-member friend (Brent's secretary) Natty. We keep inviting her to all our activities and she just loves the church.

Conner, Parker and his friend Matthew

Conner, Valeria, Adrian and Bryan

The King and the Queen hahaha

Adrian, Bryan, Conner, Parker and Matthew

Lucy, Parker and me. Lucy is from Puerto Rico and she has this beautiful Indian outfit that someone gave her and when she wears it people think she really is from India.

With Elder Franklin and Dalmas.  Elder Dalmas ancestors are from Northern Italy and he really wanted to serve in the Milan Italy mission.

with Lucy and Yaremy, we are the Puerto Ricans in our Ward.

With the pumpkin

Orlando South Stake Day of Service at Palmetto Elementary school

Our Stake had a day of service at two different Elementary schools. Our ward along with two other wards was assigned Palmetto Elementary. Our Stake has adopted this school. It is in a very poor area and it is in a lot of need of help. We worked hard and I think it turned out great. We had a lot of people attend. 

We helped paint the cafeteria

The kids made cards to encourage the students during the Fcat exam

We painted and cleaned outside

The kids collected trash

resting and having a snack

Organizing supplies

Painting the cafeteria

Making cards

Pressure washing the outside

Conner and Cayden

Tree trimming

Sorella McKell Forbes

Sorella Mckell Forbes was visiting Disney World with her family this week and they visited our Ward.  It was great to meet them! She was a missionary in the Milan Italy mission and knew Alison on her mission.  Her blog was the first one I started to follow when Alison went in the MTC. They are a wonderful family!

Conner loves the piano

He loves to play Star Wars on the piano

Parker's National Honor Society Induction Ceremony and a busy weekend

This past weekend was crazy.  We had so much going on.  Conner's tennis lesson and grocery shopping, getting Parker's BYU application started on line, and Stake Conference. We had Stake conference and Brent had to be at the Stake Center from 4:00-6:00 PM for his meeting and I had to be at the Stake Center at 5:00 PM because we (the Stake RS) had to bring dinner for the Stake Presidency, mission President and his wife and the temple President. Then at 7:00 PM we had our meeting until 9:00 PM.  Brent's secretary who is a good friend of mine and also of Johanna's, said she would watch Conner and Adrian, Johanna Lopez's son (she is the Stake RS President).  She has a son and a daughter and all our kids love to play together and she lives very close to the Stake Center. She took the kids swimming while we were at the meeting, it is still very warm outside at night.  The kids had a great time. Then on Sunday we had our Stake Conference from 10:00-12:00 and after I had to be at the Stake Center at 1:00 PM, because we had to bring a small meal/snack for the Coordinating council.  The Coordinating council consists of 7 Stake Presidents and Elder Munns of the Seventy.

Parker

Also on Sunday we started Parker's BYU application. This is all so exciting!!! I am so excited for him!!  He is so excited for his mission too!!! This is such an awesome time for him and we are so happy for him!!!

Last night was the National Honor Society induction ceremony. He is so smart and a great young man!!

 National Honor Society induction ceremony

Picture of Alison

Sister Training leaders of the Milan Italy mission

Parker was accepted to the National Honor Society

At Parker's school you have to apply to be in the National Honor Society.  Parker got accepted this year.  He had the grades at the beginning of last year, his junior year, but he did not have other things they were looking for. This year he had finished his Eagle Scout and had community service, he also had participated in clubs during his junior year.

Parker does not like to have his picture taken so I had to force him for this one.  He just kept making the silliest faces and making it difficult for me, but it was funny though.  This is the best I could do and you can still see a funny face in there!

Occupational Therapy for Conner

Conner is such a trooper! He works so hard during his Occupational therapy.  Because there was not much improvement in the last 6 months, we are now doing an additional half hour of therapy a week.  Now we are doing an hour and a half of therapy.  On Wednesdays the Speech therapist works with him at school for a half hour.  The Occupational therapist comes to our house one week and we go to her office the next. They are working on his Sensory Processing Disorder. Sensory processing is a "term that refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses.  Whether you are biting into a hamburger, riding a bicycle, or reading a book, your successful completion of the activity requires processing sensation or sensory integration.  Sensory Processing Disorder is a condition that exists when sensory signals don't get organized into appropriate responses, a neurological "traffic jam" that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly.  A child with SPD finds it difficult to process an act upon information received through the senses (sight, sound, taste, touch and smells) which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure and other impacts may result if the disorder is not treated effectively." Conner has difficulty with smells, taste and textures of foods. The Speech pathologist is working on that. The OT is working on his motor skills.  During his sessions the therapist guides Conner through fun but challenging activities. 

In this session she worked on his core strength, keeping his head up while she pulled him on the scooter.

Spinning around on the scooter and stopping when she told him to and doing some push ups.

When he was done he was so tired he just watched TV