Will You Not Seek For My Lost Ones???

"Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,

Dear are the "ninety and nine";

Dear are the sheep that have wandered

Out in the desert to pine.

Hark! he is earnestly calling,

Tenderly pleading today:

"Will you not seek for my lost ones,

Off from my shelter astray?

Out in the desert they wander,

Hungry and helpless and cold;

Off to the rescue he hastens,

Bringing them back to the fold."

Today has been such an amazing day!!! It started early, but has been a lot of fun! I'm wore out! Last night was one of the worst night's sleep I've had in a long time. I'm not sure if it was the bed or what, but even Heidi had a hard time sleeping. Eventually, I just got out of bed and headed downstairs to study the scriptures.

After everyone woke up and had some breakfast we headed to the pool! Let me tell you, it was the FANCIEST pool I have ever come across! 

Now, this may or may not be a photo from online, but I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the pool haha. It's a different season as well of course. Even the big, round pool is heated!! It felt so good in contrast to the cold air. 

After swimming, most everyone knocked out hard! I took the opportunity to study my scriptures for Monday's new class. Of course, I've already had the opportunity to teach what I will be covering this trimester, but it's so different now as I read through the chapters. I'm grateful for the experiences I had last trimester.

Once everyone woke up we headed to the skating rink!

It's been a while since I've been ice skating, but it was a blast! I got a pair of skates that were size 13. Plenty big, right? WRONG!! Man, I can't even tell you how painful they were because of them being too small! Once I upgraded to a size 14, it was easy gliding from there! Well, not sooo easy...lol

Here's my little man enjoying the sun while his cousins finish up skating! Two thumbs up!!

For dinner we went to this Mexican Restaurant downtown that was pretty good if I do say so myself! Of course, they had chips and salsa for us shortly after we were seated. However, the chips were like crispy corn tortilla shells that we had to break up ourselves! Haha, it was pretty hilarious. But the salsa was AMAZING! 

Anyways, I got one of my normal dishes I get at "good" Mexican Restaurants: Tamales. While we were eating, I happen to look over across the room and there was a catholic father or priest (I'm unsure of the difference, but he was wearing the whole black with a white collar outfit) sitting and talking with a man and a woman at the table where they were having dinner. I'm unsure of the whole purpose of their meeting, but I may or may not have eavesdropped on the beginning of their conversation. 

The priest or whoever he was invited them to dinner to just check up on the "couple" and see how they were doing! It was such a simple meeting, but I couldn't stop thinking about them and looking over at them for the remainder of the time we were there! As I was pondering on some thoughts, the hymn I posted above "Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd" came to mind.

Here was a shepherd who was seeing to the welfare of his flock. The applications to myself and those of us in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are numerous. Home teaching is the obvious one, yeah? I'm thankful for the example I was shown today of one way I can help tend to the Lord's sheep, my brothers and sisters.

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Here are more pictures:

Just some mad selfie skills!! (Right as I take this picture, Papa Jeff points out that a car is waiting for us to cross lol. Well, they're gonna have to wait!)

Our lovely family at the ice rink!

These two studs!! (Russell and Lincoln) They went on an adventure with grandma and grandpa while the rest of us were having fun making fools of ourselves on the ice! haha. I just can't help but think of what these two are gonna look like in several years and look at the difference between then and now. But don't get me wrong! I'm cherishing every moment I can with my little man!