angels and videos unawares

Wonderful thing for Wednesday, 25 February:

What else can you say, when you spend the day calling on angels?  In reality, it was a rather physically tiring day (especially for Blaine, who is fighting some bug) traveling to Reggio nell-Emilia, Modena and Bologna, inspecting missionary apartments - but angels answered every door.

In nearly every case, the apartments were a picture of missionary propriety - and in the one not-so-well maintained apartment, they were a bit shackled with overmuch furniture, belonging to the landlord, in a large place meant for four, while they were only two...I know, it's no excuse.

Each and every visit, however, was a delight.  How else would you feel when welcomed by angels?
Bright faces, engaging smiles and open countenances; all, even in their "P-day clothes", of a pleasing and neat aspect.  They were thoroughly delighted with our company, eager to accommodate us, anxious to hear our pronouncements - which in  most cases was something like, "Your mammas would be proud, " as expressed by Blaine.

At the end of the day, I mused, "If these 16 young adults, added to the 12 we work with on a regular basis and the other 34 or so in the Florence zone, are an indication of the 80-some-odd-thousand missionaries across the globe, the earth truly is well salted.   There is a shining city on many a hill.

There is a famous clip of President Hinckley surveying the hundreds of missionaries waiting to hear him speak at the MTC, quipping, "Well, you're not much, but you're all the Lord's got!"  and that's true, too - they do put on their pants one leg at a time, as it were.

I'm just saying, there's a full blown apple tree in every one of those bright, blooming seedlings.

Fun thing:

Okay, this is funny.  No, hilarious.  No, uproarious - at my expense.

Somehow, every bishop and branch president in the Florence stake received, instead of a quick informative video touting the benefits of BYU-I Pathway, a puzzling demonstration of Sister Hyde eating lunch while talking to our granddaughter Kenzi via video.

Not sure how it happened.  We found out about it at the very moment when Bishop Ferrini, on the phone with Blaine, clicked on it.  How many other bishops and branch presidents have puzzled over it, I wonder?  Or maybe, in their busy lives, they haven't opened that email yet - or perhaps just not had a chance to view "the video".  Today we sent out the proper video.

For your viewing pleasure:  This:

Versus this:

Go ahead. Have a belly laugh.

Happy 7th Birthday, Kenzi!