September 28, 2014

What a fun filled, busy crazy week this was!  I guess I say that about most of our weeks don't I?

We ate at a great Chinese buffet last Saturday
and this is what my fortune cookie said!
They came!

We were fed way too well and worked really hard and played hard too.  What a great combination!  I guess a bit of self restraint will be used next week to get back on track - I hope.

Elder Soffe demonstrating the correct procedure
in backing a car in his MTC!

This week was busy again with the office.  The new couple, the Knorrs are so great and happy. But it does take more time to get things done when you are training someone.  It will be so nice when they know what they are doing and they are learning fast but it was a bit slower this week.  What is so great about them is their attitude.  They want to experience everything and they enjoy everything they do.  As I was training her on how to put together the physical and proselytizing need for the missionaries she just kept saying how much fun it was to know that she was being instrumental in getting the copies of the Book of Mormon to the missionaries so that they can give them out to all the people who are going to read them and join the church!

Elder Soffe had some people who wanted help and love to build things, build him a car to help him teach how to back up while driving.  He uses it at zone conference and the missionaries love it.  The MTC - Missionary Training Car- as it is affectionately called is a great attention getter to get his point across.  Most of the accidents happen while backing up.  So every time the driver is backing up the companion is supposed to be standing outside the car coaching the process.  Elder Soffe has a darling sense of humor and pulls it off well.  He actually has the missionaries sit in in blind folded and then has the companion try to help him back up with telling them what to do.

It was zone conferences again this week - a different meeting Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  The last one is tomorrow.  It is a full day of meetings and instruction with several zones put together.  We had a surprise this week and were told that the missionaries would be able to view the new movie, "Meet the Mormons".  The church doesn't want them to storm the theaters to watch it and make the non members uncomfortable so they decided that they would show them at zone conferences.  So we were able to watch it this week.  It will be interesting to see how it is received.  It is six different stories in a documentary form about amazing members of the church all over the world.  I can see how members will want to see it but it might just seem a little like we are bragging about how wonderful we are to those who are not members.  Interesting.

We had a bit of a scare with Cory this last week.  He wasn't feeling - or looking well and was finally convinced that he needed to go to the Emergent Care to be checked.  His blood pressure was really low and they sent him over to the Emergency Room.  After lots of tests they determined that his heart isn't in great shape but the immediate problem was that he had a C diff infection and needed to get rid of that first.  So he has been on heavy duty antibiotics to get over that and then will address his heart. Pray for him please.

I fasted on Monday for him and we got treated to a wonderful meal of homemade tacos at Bart and Cheri's home that evening.  Not sure if it was the food or that I was so hungry but it was yummy and I ate way too much.  Forgot to take pictures, sorry.  Roger and Bart did some "male-bonding" over some Monday Night Football and Cheri and I had a great talk.  Cheri will be going back to the temple for the first time in years on October 8th.  She was one of the inactive people on our list when we got here.  We knocked on her door about 9 months ago.  Now she is the Relief Society Secretary, the best member missionary and a dear friend.  Now if we can just get Bart to see the light.  He is afraid that the building will fall down if he comes to church!  I tell him that it will  be plenty strong to stand the shock but that the angels singing "Hallelujah" might shake the walls a bit.  We love them and will be eternal friends.

Debra Lincavage in the turquoise shirt and her
husband Frank in yellow, invited us to dinner
along with the young missionaries and others.
What a beautiful evening with the best shepherd
pie I have ever eaten.  

Tuesday was P day and crazy at work as always.  We were invited to dinner at the Lincavages that night.  They were having the missionaries over and invited us along too!  We are always glad to help!  Frank isn't a member and Debbie is a convert and been a member for 20 plus years.  Frank is so good to put up with all of us strange Mormons and support Debbie in all she does to support and strengthen the ward.  It was another wonderful meal and again I ate way too much!  You know, you can't be rude and not eat lots - right?

Wednesday some of the elders wanted to fix us a meal to thank us for all we do behind the scenes.  Missionaries are amazing that way.  So these two amazing Elders, Elder Cardiff and Elder Larson fixed us taco salad and all the trimmings.  It was a great meal and so sweet of the Elders to cook for us.  Great husband training too.  These guys live right by the office so we see them often and really get close to them and love them.  Missions are great for training boys to be men and girls to be women.  I can't imagine a young man or young woman not taking the opportunity to learn this way.

Wednesday night is softball night for Roger.  He goes and helps our friends grand daughter's softball team and helps the pitchers.  It is a good way to hang out with those not of our faith.

Elder Garner - one of the assistants and Roger. He just LOVES
to hug -whether you want to be hugged or not.
In fact, I think that he likes hugging better when
you don't want to be hugged!

Thursday and Friday were days set aside to pay the rent for all of the apartments in the mission.  It really doesn't take that long but with all of the interruptions it isn't easy.  It was our first time all alone and I hope that we did it well.  We checked and double checked to make sure.  We will see.  I push a button at the end of the ordeal and send off over $136,000.  Amazing!  And that is just the rent - not including utilities etc.  Missions aren't a cheap business.  Thursday night was a nice night with our ward friends at our scripture study class and we had a nice group there.  Rita, a lady who is being baptized on the 11th was there and it was nice to be able to see her progress.

Friday was a big day with our friends Pauline and Royden coming to visit.  I thought they would stay for 4-5 days but they only stayed two! So sad for me.  But we packed a lot into that two days.  We had to get up early in order to get the final stuff done on rents so we were up early enough to see the sun rise our our apartment window.  It was a good start to a good day.

They showed up around 11:00.  I got them settled in our apartment and then took them over to zone conference with us.  We were able to eat a yummy dinner prepared by the Stake Relief Societies and then peak in on some of the zone meetings before watching the movie, "Meet the Mormons."  We then took off for home to get ready for the Ward BBQ at Mission Bay.  We made them come meet all of our good friends in our ward and eat a bad BBQ hamburger before letting them come home and fall into bed.  We were all tired.

Saturday started with Pauline giving Royden, then me, then Roger haircuts.  I asked her to bring her scissors and she willingly gave us all cuts.  I have put it off for such a long time and it feels so good to have a good cut.  We went out on our little porch to do it.

Roger has been having me cut his hair and it was a nice treat to have her do it.  I am not good at it and I always have a hard time for a couple of weeks after giving his his hair cut because I am always checking out my mistakes.  He looks good!

Pauline and Me

The Knorrs

We then all met the Knorr's at the beach for an afternoon of pure joy!  It was a beautiful day at the beach - perfect weather and waves!  We all really enjoyed ourselves.  It was nice to totally get out of the mission mode and play for several hours.

Royden and Pauline

Royden and Pauline.  They are celebrating their
40th wedding anniversary!

Our pan of seafood

That night Royden and Pauline took the missionaries (that's us!) out to dinner at a very nice seafood restaurant in downtown San Diego.  Fish Market.  Oh wow!  What a meal.  It was a beautiful setting with great friends and we again thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  We topped the evening off with sour cream lemon pie from Crowshaw Pies in St. George.  They brought it all the way for us to have a bit of home away from home.

They left this morning and I am already missing them.  Love those guys!

The sunset from our table

Today was church as usual and then we were invited over to dinner at Cheri and Bart's again.  This time they had prepared a birthday party for Roger.  His birthday is Thursday and he is turning the big 70!  But tonight was a good night - and they thought that Royden and Pauline would be here too.  Oh well, we partied with out them and had WONDERFUL burritos.  Bart makes the best and a tombstone cake with "Surf's up!" on it.  

Now to start a new week and see if we can keep up.  Make sure you all write Roger at rogergoeringer@gmail.com and wish him Happy Birthday or call at 801-864-5617!  I am sure that he will love it.  We miss our friends and family.  Please keep praying for us.  We love you all!

Zone conference

Meet the Mormons

Zone one elders and sisters

Happy Birthday!