Dear Family,
Another week has raced by and time to look back over the week. Much of the week is the same—because we go the office every day—but it seems that the days vary a lot. The week started out gray and with a little bit of rain and a bit early. Since we needed to leave early to put our potato casserole in the oven, we decided to come into the office a bit early.
One of our utilities payments came back on Friday saying the address was vacant and could not be delivered. When I called the leasing office, they said that the address was right and that they were there. In order not to have a late payment and late fees, I drove the payment out to the leasing office. The office was being remodeled and was locked. It did, however, have a note indicating that the office was on the side. After persevering a bit and with the help of a tenant I was able to get into the building and find the office and give them the check. Although it was not an easy delivery, I would hope that the mailman could have figured it out—we are not the only people who mail checks to the leasing office.
We left a little after 4 and I couldn’t believe how nice it was to be leaving when it was still light outside. We went home and got the casserole in the oven and then got ready to go to the Mission Home for dinner with the Mission President/Wife and the other senior missionaries in the mission. The home is beautiful and would be perfect for a family reunion. There are two full-sized dining rooms, 5 bedrooms upstairs and 5 bunkbeds in the basement. Being the good mission president and wife, they invited their nonmember neighbors to come and have dinner with us. We got to have the neighbors, Bob and JoAnn at our table and had a wonderful time getting to know them better. They seemed to enjoy themselves and we all enjoyed them. Maybe we can get them to come to the next get together in 3 months.
We spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday in the office by ourselves. One of the couples had an assigned friend that was moving into a new government assisted apartment complex and they went to help her move. The other couple was out refurnishing one of the missionary apartments. The missionaries were out teaching on Saturday evening and some time between 3 and 9 pm were robbed. The thieves took everything in the apartment—all the dishes, silverware, food, bedding, dirty clothes, cleaning supplies, books (many Books of Mormon) on the book case, and anything else that was loose. There were a couple of large garbage sacks in the bedroom that looked like they were getting ready to take the clothes hanging in the closet, but got scared away. The sadest loss was the senior companion had his daily journal that he had faithfully kept for over 500 days taken. Anyway, the housing secretary and his wife were out buying new supplies for the apartment.
Thursday was a bit slower and I had time to get monthly reports worked on. Stuff was coming in, but it wasn’t coming in faster than I was getting it out. That is a relaxing day. We left about 4:30 to go to Costco to get some of the food (and order sandwiches) for the Mission Tour luncheon. We have instructions to have the missionaries through the food line in 5 minutes so that they can take their lunches and go someplace in the building to work with their companions on some assignments that will be given them. We are, therefore, having their lunches packed in brown paper bags and a bottle of water for them.
Friday Garn worked on a letter for President Caplin to send to Elder Bennett with the agenda for the mission tour. They have done so many rewrites of the agenda that it will be interesting what will really happen. Elder Bennett really knows what he wants and what he feels will help the missionaries the most. He has the sister missionaries sitting on the right side with their companions, the elders in the middle with their companions, and the seniors in the back. He has asked that everyone be in their seats 15 minutes early listening to the prelude music, reading their scriptures, and contemplating. That should help the missionaries get into the right mind set.
We had been home long enough to eat dinner when we got a call from the APs wondering if Dad could get the final draft of the agenda off to President Caplin on letter head paper and with the President’s signature. So we drove back and while Dad got the letter onto letter head paper, I found President Caplin’s signature that got that to Dad and he got it on the letter. Success!
Saturday we decided to go to Alexandria and walk around old town and then listen to a musical presentation by the Navy band. It was just 10 or so musicians that did quartets (clarinet), 6 members with a clarinet, a bass clarinet, an oboe, 2 french horns, and a bassoon. They were really good! There was a solo on a euphonium where the guy was able to play three notes at the same time. He explained that he played a note on the horn, sang another note (you couldn’t tell he was singing, but you could near the note) and changing the shape of the oral cavity to produce a higher note above the other two. It was amazing to hear and quite unbelievable that it could be done. Since this musical performance was part of the armed services celebration of Veteran’s Day, it made me think of family—all of my brothers who played in bands and Kent whose birthday is the day after Veteran’s Day. After the performance we walked around the downtown area for a little, but with the wind blowing off the Potomac River it was a bit too cold to be enjoyable. Also, the electricity was out in most the little shops so there didn’t seem to be too much reason to stay.
I got a text from Kent saying that he was on his way home from having dinner with Uncle Don and Aunt Joy. He said, “I really like them.” I had called them to see if I sent them some money if they would buy a birthday cake for Kent’s birthday. They told me they would make him one (much better tasting). I was so grateful to have someone help me make his birthday special. Uncle Don and Aunt Joy magnified their calling (ministering angels to family) and prepared dinner for him. Isn’t family wonderful!
One of our utilities payments came back on Friday saying the address was vacant and could not be delivered. When I called the leasing office, they said that the address was right and that they were there. In order not to have a late payment and late fees, I drove the payment out to the leasing office. The office was being remodeled and was locked. It did, however, have a note indicating that the office was on the side. After persevering a bit and with the help of a tenant I was able to get into the building and find the office and give them the check. Although it was not an easy delivery, I would hope that the mailman could have figured it out—we are not the only people who mail checks to the leasing office.
We left a little after 4 and I couldn’t believe how nice it was to be leaving when it was still light outside. We went home and got the casserole in the oven and then got ready to go to the Mission Home for dinner with the Mission President/Wife and the other senior missionaries in the mission. The home is beautiful and would be perfect for a family reunion. There are two full-sized dining rooms, 5 bedrooms upstairs and 5 bunkbeds in the basement. Being the good mission president and wife, they invited their nonmember neighbors to come and have dinner with us. We got to have the neighbors, Bob and JoAnn at our table and had a wonderful time getting to know them better. They seemed to enjoy themselves and we all enjoyed them. Maybe we can get them to come to the next get together in 3 months.
We spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday in the office by ourselves. One of the couples had an assigned friend that was moving into a new government assisted apartment complex and they went to help her move. The other couple was out refurnishing one of the missionary apartments. The missionaries were out teaching on Saturday evening and some time between 3 and 9 pm were robbed. The thieves took everything in the apartment—all the dishes, silverware, food, bedding, dirty clothes, cleaning supplies, books (many Books of Mormon) on the book case, and anything else that was loose. There were a couple of large garbage sacks in the bedroom that looked like they were getting ready to take the clothes hanging in the closet, but got scared away. The sadest loss was the senior companion had his daily journal that he had faithfully kept for over 500 days taken. Anyway, the housing secretary and his wife were out buying new supplies for the apartment.
Thursday was a bit slower and I had time to get monthly reports worked on. Stuff was coming in, but it wasn’t coming in faster than I was getting it out. That is a relaxing day. We left about 4:30 to go to Costco to get some of the food (and order sandwiches) for the Mission Tour luncheon. We have instructions to have the missionaries through the food line in 5 minutes so that they can take their lunches and go someplace in the building to work with their companions on some assignments that will be given them. We are, therefore, having their lunches packed in brown paper bags and a bottle of water for them.
Friday Garn worked on a letter for President Caplin to send to Elder Bennett with the agenda for the mission tour. They have done so many rewrites of the agenda that it will be interesting what will really happen. Elder Bennett really knows what he wants and what he feels will help the missionaries the most. He has the sister missionaries sitting on the right side with their companions, the elders in the middle with their companions, and the seniors in the back. He has asked that everyone be in their seats 15 minutes early listening to the prelude music, reading their scriptures, and contemplating. That should help the missionaries get into the right mind set.
We had been home long enough to eat dinner when we got a call from the APs wondering if Dad could get the final draft of the agenda off to President Caplin on letter head paper and with the President’s signature. So we drove back and while Dad got the letter onto letter head paper, I found President Caplin’s signature that got that to Dad and he got it on the letter. Success!
Saturday we decided to go to Alexandria and walk around old town and then listen to a musical presentation by the Navy band. It was just 10 or so musicians that did quartets (clarinet), 6 members with a clarinet, a bass clarinet, an oboe, 2 french horns, and a bassoon. They were really good! There was a solo on a euphonium where the guy was able to play three notes at the same time. He explained that he played a note on the horn, sang another note (you couldn’t tell he was singing, but you could near the note) and changing the shape of the oral cavity to produce a higher note above the other two. It was amazing to hear and quite unbelievable that it could be done. Since this musical performance was part of the armed services celebration of Veteran’s Day, it made me think of family—all of my brothers who played in bands and Kent whose birthday is the day after Veteran’s Day. After the performance we walked around the downtown area for a little, but with the wind blowing off the Potomac River it was a bit too cold to be enjoyable. Also, the electricity was out in most the little shops so there didn’t seem to be too much reason to stay.
I got a text from Kent saying that he was on his way home from having dinner with Uncle Don and Aunt Joy. He said, “I really like them.” I had called them to see if I sent them some money if they would buy a birthday cake for Kent’s birthday. They told me they would make him one (much better tasting). I was so grateful to have someone help me make his birthday special. Uncle Don and Aunt Joy magnified their calling (ministering angels to family) and prepared dinner for him. Isn’t family wonderful!
Today Sacrament Meeting was great. The talks were on faith and they all did a great job. I came away with a renewed desire to act on my beliefs or in other word to exercise faith. One of the speakers told of a time on his mission when he had been in France for 5-6 months with very little success if any. When his mission president asked him to give a talk on faith he came unglued. He was discouraged because he had been doing everything he felt like he could and still wasn’t having success. He was wondering what he was doing wrong. After the meeting the president interviewed all the missionaries and guess who was last? His president asked him if he was getting up on time—yes. Was he having individual scripture study—yes. Was he having companionship study—yes. Then the missionary asked his president why when they were doing everything they could that they didn’t have any success. The mission president then told him that if he would continue to do all that was asked of him to do, that they would have a baptism by Saturday. This was Tuesday. He didn’t go into the detail of every day, but the miracle happened and that Saturday evening they had their first baptism. We have to have the faith to do our all, then in the Lord’s time the miracle will happen. Can you imagine the faith of the mission president to promise a baptism on Saturday when the interview took place on Tuesday??
Life is good. We work with wonderful people doing good things. I am so grateful for the goodness of these young elders and sisters and their desire to be so obedient. I am so proud of them.
Thanks for being such good examples to us. Know that we love you and that you are in our prayers always,
Sister Nelson
Life is good. We work with wonderful people doing good things. I am so grateful for the goodness of these young elders and sisters and their desire to be so obedient. I am so proud of them.
Thanks for being such good examples to us. Know that we love you and that you are in our prayers always,
Sister Nelson
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| Fall colors on the way to the office. |
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| Garn in Old Downtown Alexandria. |
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