November 8, 2014

Guess which one of these elders was
able to eat "the big Mama" in less
than 30 minutes.  

It is hard to believe that it is November! I guess last week was a bit cool in the evenings and I could get a bit of a feeling of the crisp fall air.  But mostly it is still - well - perfect around here.  Today is mid 80's.  A bit too warm for me, but we are close enough to the beach that there is almost always a bit of a cool breeze.

Roger just got home from spending several hours in the surf.  I had a nice long swim in the pool, sat in the sun for awhile and came up to our little apartment and cleaned etc.  It really is nice to have a Saturday!  Laundry is going in the laundry room, the apartment is clean, we are relaxing a bit before we take off to buy some things we need at the grocery store and get a bite to eat at Hometown Buffett.  A really nice change from the hustle and bustle of our weekdays.  But we love them too.

I didn't feel well last Sunday and it was hard getting through all of the meetings and church.  Not sure what hit me but I was sure that I might be coming down with the flu or something.  But by the time we got home and ate I felt much better and have felt good all week.  I just don't have time to be sick! We put in a pot roast and had a nice meal after church which we ate on through the week too.  Yumm.

The mission president's daughter,
Ellie.  She has started giving
tours with the Sisters!

Monday through Friday was business as usual at the office.  Roger has spent some part of most every day this week out and about either looking for new apartments in new areas that we are putting missionaries, signing leases, moving elders and sisters around from one apartment to another, or a number of other things.  He usually has missionaries with him and that is always fun.  He will often make his famous lemonade slushy for any one who helps him and he has become quite famous with the missionaries.  He really likes that part of his calling rather than the desk work.  But he is getting pretty darn good at the computer and business part of his job too.

My job goes from crazy busy to nothing from one day to the next.  Transfer times are really busy and in-between we get a bit of a breather.  But just when I think that I will have nothing to do the next day things always come up.  Taking care of the missionaries that call in or walk in with all of their many challenges and joys can take up a whole day.  And those are the best parts of my job.  I answered the phone call from a mother of one of the missionaries.  She wanted to speak to the mission president about her husband's health.  I called the mission president and he found out that the father is dying and only has a short while to live.  The missionary came in and was told and then the president gave him a wonderful blessing.  He was told that his father would be given the opportunity to be involved in his mission and help him in ways that he couldn't have help had he not died.  There was a wonderful sweet spirit that day.  The missionary then was given the opportunity to FaceTime his mom and dad so he went in to the office and spent about an hour with his parents.  He asked for permission to go home for a few days and it was granted.  So he will fly home on Monday and spend a few days home before flying back to the mission on Friday.  He is a missionary that lives across the street from the mission office so we know him well and will be able to love him and help him when he returns.  It was interesting - the evening that he found out he spent several hours making cookies to take around to people the next day - 9 dozen in all!  He said that it helped him cope.

If you can eat the "big Mama" in
30 minutes or less - you get
it free!  

The missionaries always seem to amaze us with their strength of character and ability to "keep on keeping' on".  We love them and feel so blessed to be where we can be so involved with them.

Monday evening was a Senior Couple's Family Home Evening.  It was a wonderful evening.  The mission president had a video of a talk that President Uchtdorf gave to the mission presidents in the MTC and we watched it together.  Oh and then we had some wonderful pies that one of the talented senior sister made!  She had made pumpkin, banana cream, apple, cherry, strawberry and coconut cream.  What a feast.  It is always so much fun to be with all of the other senior couples.

We had a beautiful experience at the temple this week.  Tuesday was our ward's sealing session.  We went and were amazed at how many showed up.  There were fifteen of us from the ward there which was great.  Our high priest group leader is African American and is a convert of about three years.  During our session he had his parents sealed to each other and then sealed to him and we were able to witness it and enjoy the wonderful spirit of that occasion.  Wow!  Nothing beats that.  It was great to be in the temple all in white with all of the good people who came too.

Walking out of the office at
the end of the day.  Pretty but
way too dark!  Not liking the
 time change!

Wednesday was our day to stay late at the office and with daylight savings time change we walk out the door of the office as the sun sets!  It doesn't leave any time to jump into the ocean before dark after work!  I think that I ate a Costco hot dog and Roger had a Costco pizza for dinner that night and we went home tired and prepared the lesson for Scripture class the next day

We really enjoy our little group of people who come and I will miss them all when this mission thing is over.  We have a special bond from studying each week together and feeling the Spirit together.  We are studying Abraham now.  If you haven't read the Pearl of Great Price lately - pick it up.  Its a great book.  We had a big group this week.

The big Mama.  

We thought that we were going to come straight home and relax on Friday after work.  It had been a physically tough day for Roger.  So we had just sat down at home when the mission president called and asked us if we had any big plans for the evening.  He asked us to meet him over at the mission office because he had some sister missionaries to interview.  So we drove back to the office and were able to visit with the sister that wasn't interviewing with the president while the other talked to him.  The two sisters are struggling in their companionship and one of them was thinking that she wanted to go home.  She has only been out not quite two months.  It was interesting to be able to talk with them and understand their hearts.  This missionary work is tough but when you add relationship problems into the mix, it gets even harder.

We were able to talk with the mission president for awhile after and hear all that he had done that day.  Boy I don't envy him.  What a taxing job he has - and he is still raising his family while he handles the 24/7 of missionary president's life.  I don't know how they do it.  But he and his wife both say that they love it - and it seems like they really do.  They are always up beat and in tune with what needs to be done.  What is cool is how they include the kids in the mission.  Ellie, their one girl has learned the tour at the Mormon Battalion, had a dress made for her and is giving tours now.  The favorite day for the kids is P day.  They get to hang out with the missionaries and do an activity with the different zones.  Bless their hearts.

The elder with the light hair and glasses in the back
is the one that finished the burrito in 29.51!
Many have tried and one ONE has conquered!