Lonnie Lou, the Louisiana Librarian: Winding Down Down South

I can’t believe it’s already May! This year is just flying by. You may have guessed how busy I am based on my lack of communication since New Year's. I have a few minutes, so I thought I’d give you the highlights of the last few months.

First, I started a Family Home Evening Group with the single sisters in my branch. We get together every Monday and rotate who hosts each week. It’s been a great way to get to know each other better and to learn the gospel together.

I also started attending Institute class. There’s one that meets in Lafayette at the Church on Tuesday nights. I discovered there’s a whole bunch of YSA, just not in New Iberia! I have been blessed by the insights from our teacher, Br. Nelson (which have helped me in teaching Seminary) and in socializing with other people that share the same standards as me.

In addition, I took the Missionary Challenge, which is to have someone taught the Missionary Discussions in our home this year. I met a lady named Catherine, that had some questions about the church, and I invited her and her boyfriend over for dinner and a discussion with the Elders. The first one went so well, that we made it a weekly occurrence. So, for the past few months, I have had everyone over on Saturday nights for “Dinner and a Discussion.”

My friend Barbara (and “Temple Partner”) and I, are trying to get a regular group of temple goers with us each month and we had a delightful time with my friend Linda and her mom, Doris, this last month. We made a day of it in Baton Rouge, by going shopping, doing a session, going to lunch at Chili’s, and then for ice cream at Baskin Robins. Then, they dropped me off at the Stake Center, where I met up with my Seminary girls, Tara and Marteena, and their mom, Chelsie, and we attended the Seminary Bowl. It was a Muti-stake event with all the seminary kids from Baton Rouge Stake and Denham Springs Stake. I've never done anything like that before and it was so fun! They just had different games and competitions (like Hollywood Squares, Pyramid, Jeopardy, ect.) but all based and the Book of Mormon and the Scripture Mastery. Then, they fed us pizza and had a dance. Tara ended up meeting a guy and we met up with them at Cold Stone for ice cream afterwards (Ice cream twice in one day!)

It is just amazing all of the opportunities I have had to feel the Spirit.

On the home front, my Dad came down for a weekend in March to visit. I love when he’s around…I discovered some treasures in my own backyard! We watched the sun set over Vermilion Bay, canoed down the Bayou, chased alligators in the Jungle Gardens, and took a stroll down historic Main Street. It was a nice relaxing weekend for me. Elyse took 2 months off of work and went and volunteered at a hospital in Kenya for 6 weeks and the spent two weeks exploring Barcelona. She was over there when the volcano erupted and everyone was trying to get out of Europe through Spain. Crazy…(all of these natural disaster back to back have been crazy) And, can you believe it, my baby sister is graduating from High School this month…Yeah!