Institute Tuesday

It is tricky teaching Institute twice a week for over a year--I have started worrying about if I am sharing the same stories and testimony.  Using different curriculum for each class adds to my concerns.  This week as I was planning the lesson for Clarksville which included Enos...and therefore prayer, I kept thinking that I had just given a lesson about prayer to them.  In looking though some handouts for a conference talk, I found a handout on prayer--which I had made for the Ft. Smith Institute--just two weeks ago.  Maybe couples teaching Institute should just do one year missions, so that the kids can be exposed to other stories and styles...but we will keep plugging along.

In Ft. Smith this week, I pulled the tables apart when we set up the room--as we had three different group things we were going to do.  Just doing that, increased the talking during dinner--which is a good thing and one of the reason we have dinner before class--for the connections.

We talked about Christlike Attributes----here is our whiteboard summary of Christlike Attributes (plus Benjamin Franklin's list of virtues) and how we can develop these attributes.

It is a great privilege to teach Institute and to talk about the gospel in this setting twice a week.  I will miss it when I return home....and especially the preparation which is one of the blessings of being a teacher.

 

Flowers Are Back!

And actually there have been wildflowers blooming since February.  However, now they are everywhere.  These red flowers can be seen along the road sides and freeways everywhere.  I don't remember them so much when we arrived a year ago, but perhaps it is because they started in March and may be moving to the end of their cycle. 

But I definitely remember these tiny yellow flowers....

And these orange and pink ones that are just getting ready to bloom.

And the "greens" are back.....Green is a perfect color in nature because greens look "good" together no matter the shade and color...

at the bend on our street

More of the red flowers

This is what they look like "in person."

The little purple ones are also getting ready to bloom along our street

The baby yellows....

My mom would have loved Arkansas and its three seasons of wildflowers!

Monday Moments

One of the local cardinals sitting on our mailbox this morning.  Randomly, Gary's screen saver of old photos showed a similar photo of a bird sitting on our Syracuse mailbox later in the week.

We had in-person interviews and district meeting along with the car inspections for the young missionaries.  Here Sister Witt and Sister Holding are posing with their cleaning gear for Jena to take a picture.  Oh, how she loves these sweet sisters.

It was great to meet with President and Sister Collins for our last in-person interview with them.  We shared lunch with them which allowed them to head home to Bentonville a bit earlier than planned. They are awesome and we look forward to our friendship with them over the next years of our lives.
 

Bentonville YSA Dance

Saturday night we headed up to Bentonville to support our young adults at the YSA Regional Dance.

We had four from our YSA--5 counting Jena who had a great time.

"BeReal" happened while on our way to Bentonville--I think this photo matches our last one as Gary once again stuck his finger out---

Due to a traffic accident and the road closed from I-540 to I-40, we had to take backroads which made us late and our YSA were already in the middle of the Swing dance instruction.  They all did a good job considering that they were being taught pretty complicated moves rather than just the basic swing.

Jena liked the line dancing.....

although she did enjoy her private Swing lesson by a "cute guy"  (her words, not mine)

Christian headed out before we got a group photo....

Jena, Lizzy, Roxy, and Sally

a nice spot next to the Stake Center for a dance

A sunset view of the Bentonville Temple
located next to the Stake Center