Hello
to all,
These
past few weeks have been really crazy. The week leading up to the arboreal devouring fiend's visit was used by getting ready. We were safe
in the shelter. Our ward mission leader Brother Young said that all the
prayers worked. Apollo Beach and Ruskin (my current area) barely got hit by
Irma so that is good. We kept power throughout the whole event.
Other areas were hit the hardest and are dealing with a lot of issues with no
power and gas prices being high. With all of this going on, President
Cooper thought that we should go help.
We
went with the Nelson's, Brother Nelson being in the young men's. We woke
up at 4:00 on Saturday morning to go but it was all good. A bunch of
members from our ward were in a group to work together. The work involved
cutting up large trees that had been blown over and moving the pieces to the
edge of the road. I do not know how many houses we helped but we helped a
bunch of people. There was probably eight hundred to a thousand people there
helping out so we got a lot done.
I
learned several things from this experience:
1.
Floridian plants are terrible on my allergies.
2.
It is important to be in shape as it is not easy lifting huge logs.
I
heard that President Eyring went to the Naples building and had a devotional
there. We heard that it was really good and inspiring to the people
there.
Besides
that, we spent the whole weekend working on helping people and then drove back
to Apollo Beach with Brother Nelson enthusiastically shouting FABRICIUS and
2017 every half hour. His parents live in Smithfield nearby Birch Canyon
apparently.
The
whole of last week was used up helping people take down their hurricane
shutters before we went with the Nelson's. Elder Drumright likes doing
service so we did a lot of that. No act of kindness, however small, is
ever wasted as Aesop said.
I
do not really know what else to say as that was what the whole week was
about. I will close it out with some good quotes on service from Matthew
chapter 25.
34
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and
ye came unto me.
37
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred,
and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as
ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto me.
We
become more substantive as we serve others—indeed, it is easier to “find”
ourselves because there is so much more of us to find! - President Kimball
I
hope that all of you are doing well and have lots of fun,
Elder Fabricius
1.
Destroyed tree in Brandon
2.
Elder Johnson and Kimble
3,
Elder Hathaway on the left
4.
The backseat crew
