March 29, 2014

I have about an hour free and thought I ought to take advantage of it and get our weekly letter written.  This has been a sad week for us.  They just told us that they aren't going to use us at the Mormon Battalion anymore.  The new director has decided to give those who were actually called to the Battalion more hours and only use us on a substitute basis.  They also want us to be able to spend more time at what we were called to do.  So we will be spending more time in our ward and trying to figure how to stay busy with other things.  It feels as though they are ripping my children away from me.  We have become so attached to the wonderful sister missionaries there.  They show so much love and are such a joy to be around.  We will really miss being able to visit with people from all over the world there too.  :(


We have been busy sending home six more of the sisters.  It has been fun to see them grow from how they were when we first met them and now be ready to take on real life.

 

 We are also loosing a senior couple from the Battalion.  They have taught us so many things and we hope to be friends after the mission is over.  One of the great perks from being on a mission is that we get to make friend with so many wonderful people.

I am starting to get a handle on the Recording Secretary job I now have.  I send out emails, take reservations for tours, take minutes at meetings, help plan events, meet with the other officers etc. If you want to see that I am official there go to http://www.sdtourguides.com/about-us. We love our association there and I will be able to stay in that capacity even though I am not at the Battalion anymore.  We have made so many friends with these tour guides and will hope for continued relationships with them after.  They are from all over the world with so many different challenges in their lives.  We hope to be able to be good examples to them and help them.  We have opportunities to go on FAM tours with them each month.  They are familiarization tours that they do for each other to help each other learn more about different areas in San Diego.  It is a great opportunity to talk and get to know so many wonderful people with different beliefs from us.  I guess the more we get to know them, the more we realize how much alike we are too!  We love this opportunity.

One of the tour guides has invited us several times to watch her grand daughter play softball.  She plays on her high school softball team.  Roger is hoping to be able to help coach her in a summer league.  Interestingly enough, both the tour guide and her son and grandkids live in our ward boundaries.

We were feeling like we were getting a handle on the rescue mission of our ward by trying to find all of the inactive people in the ward, make sure they are really living here, and invite them back to church.  This week we received a new list of new move ins!  There are over thirty people on that list! And only a few of them have we seen in church.  Back to knocking on doors.

We had an interesting day yesterday at the Battalion.  There was a group of 120 elementary students what showed up at 1:00 and had to leave by 2:00.  They were supposed to be there by noon. There is no way to get them all through the 45 minute tour in that time.  We had to split them up in groups and rush them through.  So sad and crazy!  Then as soon as they left another group of 180 youth came.  The Mormon Battalion was a part of their Youth Conference.  They were supposed to come in two groups but they all showed up at the same time.  We had to separate them up into groups and had over 30 youth in each tour.  If you have been here you know that that is really pushing the limits of the rooms.  Roger was doing gun demonstrations, we had movies in theatre rooms, we had groups sitting on the lawn, going through tours etc.  It was amazing but we did it and they all seemed to have a great time.  The tour really is a must for all who come to San Diego!

We are getting ready now to head off looking for the lost sheep in our ward for several hours and then I have three sisters that am taking with me to the Women's General Conference Broadcast.  I am crossing my fingers that none of them cancel on me.  That happens a lot.  But it is looking like it might happen.

I love conference and am excited for God to answer my prayers through the talks given in the next two weeks.  I have several questions that I have written down and am praying for guidance to hear the answers to those questions.  I invite you to do the same thing.  Is there something that you are worried about - some challenge you are afraid of?  Write down the questions you have and then listen intently for the answers.  They will come.