... And Then There Was Ned...

Heather has always had a soft spot in her heart for animals, and when she and Sister Frod were driving down the road and saw this box turtle trying to cross, she thought it would get killed and so decided to "rescue" it. They knew a member with a nice yard who would let the turtle live there, so they stopped and picked the critter up.

Well, turtles are fairly docile (but stubborn!) little amphibians, and Ned (his/her/its new name!) really didn't care to be handled. Apparently when Sister Frod took him for a picture, he did what animals do when they're frightened or startled.

Yep. You guessed it. Whizzed on poor, unsuspecting Sister Frod. Isn't nature wonderful?

Is that a look of satisfaction on little Neddie's turtlebeaky face? Looks like it to me...!

Oh Yeah.... Watts.

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With all the excitement about getting the post up about Heather's birthday, I almost forgot one of the most interesting things about it. It seems that Heather made a friend in the MTC named Elder Watts who was sent to California. Well, he must have wanted to give Heather something to remember him by, because he air freighted her a live gecko!

Needless to say, Heather was delighted (pictures LIE!). She named him/her/it WATTS in honor of her benefactor and thought it was cute until one of her pad-mates (four sisters share the apartment) let him out and he roamed around their pad for a couple of days.

Well, everything worked out okay, because they located the poor little critter and he is now safe and sound in a terrarium that one of the members gave them. Of course, Heather has to use some of her limited resources to buy gecko food. So if you want to donate to the Watts Chow Fund, send her a couple of bucks.

DePaulas Come Home

Elder and Sister DePaula, the Senior Missionaries in Bay Shore, completed their mission and came home on May 5th. Heather and the other missionaries in the district all went to their apartment to say goodbye and wish them well. Sister DePaula told me in an email, "We had a teary good-bye as our favorite sisters dropped by just as we were trying to stuff the last few items in our van. We hugged about ten times and sent them off with everything that wouldn't fit and promised to meet in Utah." I know Heather will miss them very much and we will miss all the pictures they posted on their blog, like this one!

Luis Joins The Church

Luis, the young man in the picture, has taken the big step of being baptized a member of the LDS Church. Heather and her companion found him tracting, and he was very interested right from the start. Anyway, he is now a member of the Church, and is enthusiastic about the Gospel.

Congratulations, Luis!

One of the talented members in the Bay Shore ward baked this special cake for Luis. The legend on the cake is "Ask and ye shall receive," and the man praying is holding a CTR (Choose the Right) ring.

This picture shows the missionaries, Luis, and the talented cake baker, Daniella.


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No Transfer This Time

Heather said that transfers came "...and me and the Frod are staying together... I am really stoked about it because we have worked so hard and have a lot of people gearing up for baptism." Sister DePaula shared with us that Oscar and Luis are the first baptisms in Bay Shore in over a year. These kinds of results come when missionaries are working hard and doing what they should. Way to go, Heather and Sister F!

Pomp and Circumstance.....

Jared Graduates from Dixie State College

May 1, 2009 marked a real milestone for Jared as he graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Communication (Electronic Media Production Emphasis). Not only did he graduate, but he qualified to be inducted into the Lambda Pi Eta National Honor Society. At the Communications Department banquet on Thursday night, he received an award as the honor graduate for Excellence and Achievement in his discipline.

During presentation of the award, his professor stated, "We're in pretty good hands listening to any story produced by Jared Burton." Congratulations, Jared! We are all proud of you.

Proud parents and grandma Helen with the graduate.

Jared's Award from the Department of Communication