The week started out with a birthday Monday. The office people were really good to hit a good balance of letting me know that I was remembered without going overboard and embarrassing me. When I got into the office there was a smelly candle in a jar and a lovely card. When the nurse came in, she brought me some muffins for everyone. She also brought in some sugar free orange soda. The others in the office are really big into having an ice filled cup of soda on their desks that they like to bring drinks in for everyone.
This was the last day of interviews for those missionaries going home. I had some of the waiting companions help with the filing. It is easy enough to do but can get put on the back burner and pile up. I was grateful to get it done.
About 2 pm Dad I brought away to go pick up an extra van to pick up the incoming missionaries. The Church doesn’t want us rent 15-passenger vans, so we have to travel much further to get a 12-passenger van. The crazy thing in my mind is that although the vans only have seating for 12, they have the same size body as the 15-passenger vans. I dropped Dad off and went back to the office. Dad got a call from the elders who help in the office. They had asked the Housing Secretary to order a bigger u-haul so they could have a three-seater cab. They are in a 3-some for the next day or so. When they went to the chapel close to the airport where everyone waits for the word that the plane has landed, they drove into the parking lot and under the overhang leading to the parking lot. When they came out the back side of the overhang, the top of the u-haul caught on the sprinkling system on the overhang. They tried backing out, but just broke the sprinkler off in the process and set the alarms off. The fire department came and got the sprinklers turned off, but what a mess. I felt sorry for the elders. They had been doing this at every transfer, but with a little bit smaller u-haul. The u-haul fit just fine at the entrance of the overhang, but the pavement turns up a little at the back side. Dad got in touch with the vehicle secretary to get things taken care of.
I then went to pick up Café Rio for the dinner for the incoming missionaries. Because they were slow the last couple of times getting our food ready, we ordered it for 4-4:15. When I got there, they hadn’t started it yet. They hurried, but I was a little late getting it to the mission home. Four of the missionaries were there along with President and Sister Caplin. We were able to get it from the car and all set up before the rest of the missionaries got there. We had 22 incoming missionaries.
Sister Caplin had all of the missionaries sing Happy Birthday to me after we had gotten all of the pictures and messages to parents sent. Just before we left she gave me a birthday gift—an apron with the mission name on it, a wooden cutting board shape like Virginia, and some dark chocolate candies (Dad loved that part). I drove the 4 Spanish speaking sisters to the hotel and listened to some fun conversations among them. They are pretty sharp sisters.
Tuesday was Train the Trainer. I had to stay at the office to get a check ready for a new apartment that we had to have for some of the new missionaries. President was tied up in meetings and didn’t get it approved until a little after 10. That made the Nelsons a little late getting there for the set up so I was unable to go into the meeting where the new missionaries are assigned their companions (I needed to stay in the kitchen and cultural hall getting everything set up. We made it and the luncheon was very nice—everyone got enough to eat. The nurse had to go take care of a situation; the other office sister was with her husband getting the apartment set up, so we were short people to clean up. We didn’t get done until 3:30 and back to the office at 4. Dad drove Sister Caplin’s van back to the office and I drove our car. We will take her van to the mission home when we go home.
I was able to get everything unpacked at the office and left over food put into the fridge and even had time to get the rent entered before leaving to drop off a FedEx envelope and take the van to the mission home.
From here we went to a Dr. appointment to get a referral to see a neurologist to see why my hands are tingling. We finally got home about 7 p.m. We folded clothes and then about 9:30 we got a call from Sister Caplin asking about getting another hotel room for the elders leaving. They were going to drive the mission van to the hotel and save a senior couple the trip to the hotel. Always some last minute changes.
Wednesday was check printing and mailing of the 97 rent checks. I am a day or two late this month, so hopefully they will make it by the first of the month. Our 12 missionaries left for home today and our transfers are finished until February 3rd.
Thursday we turned our focus to the missionary devotionals that will be held on Sunday and Monday. The senior missionaries are doing the desserts for each of the devotionals. Each of them were so willing to help out. The Vennards came into the office and brought a picture for each of us. They had gotten the software copy of this picture and sent it to a company and had them print it on canvas and then frame it. It is a good enough copy that we can see the weave of the fabric on the clothing. Very thoughtful of them.
Friday evening I did one batch of cookies to get a start on getting ready for the first devotional on Sunday evening.
Saturday we went to a baptism and then shopping for the rest of the ingredients for the missionary devotional. After dinner, Dad and I did a cookie sheet of mint brownies and another cookie sheet of Christmas bars along with a little batch of chocolate kiss topped cookies. We left the frosting of the brownies until they cooled—Sunday morning.
Sunday was the one-hour musical/narration sacrament meeting. It was very good, but I will say that I enjoyed the musical sacrament meeting of the week before a little better. We have so much talent in this ward that it takes two weeks to let more people have a chance to perform.
We came home and had lunch and talked with family then began cutting up the goodies and plating them. We needed to get to the church by 5:30 to get things set up. We got the serving tables set up and then started putting all of the goodies on the tables. They looked so pretty and I was so grateful for the willingness of all of the senior couples to help with the dessert. Dad was put in charge of the hot chocolate and that ended up being a larger job than we had planned. We had been concerned about having the chocolate drip onto the floor from spigots. Dad figured out a way to put the containers on the table so that if they dripped it would be on the table and not the floor. Good job! The devotional was wonder—both in song and word!
That about does it for another week.
Sending lots of love,
Mom
This was the last day of interviews for those missionaries going home. I had some of the waiting companions help with the filing. It is easy enough to do but can get put on the back burner and pile up. I was grateful to get it done.
About 2 pm Dad I brought away to go pick up an extra van to pick up the incoming missionaries. The Church doesn’t want us rent 15-passenger vans, so we have to travel much further to get a 12-passenger van. The crazy thing in my mind is that although the vans only have seating for 12, they have the same size body as the 15-passenger vans. I dropped Dad off and went back to the office. Dad got a call from the elders who help in the office. They had asked the Housing Secretary to order a bigger u-haul so they could have a three-seater cab. They are in a 3-some for the next day or so. When they went to the chapel close to the airport where everyone waits for the word that the plane has landed, they drove into the parking lot and under the overhang leading to the parking lot. When they came out the back side of the overhang, the top of the u-haul caught on the sprinkling system on the overhang. They tried backing out, but just broke the sprinkler off in the process and set the alarms off. The fire department came and got the sprinklers turned off, but what a mess. I felt sorry for the elders. They had been doing this at every transfer, but with a little bit smaller u-haul. The u-haul fit just fine at the entrance of the overhang, but the pavement turns up a little at the back side. Dad got in touch with the vehicle secretary to get things taken care of.
I then went to pick up Café Rio for the dinner for the incoming missionaries. Because they were slow the last couple of times getting our food ready, we ordered it for 4-4:15. When I got there, they hadn’t started it yet. They hurried, but I was a little late getting it to the mission home. Four of the missionaries were there along with President and Sister Caplin. We were able to get it from the car and all set up before the rest of the missionaries got there. We had 22 incoming missionaries.
Sister Caplin had all of the missionaries sing Happy Birthday to me after we had gotten all of the pictures and messages to parents sent. Just before we left she gave me a birthday gift—an apron with the mission name on it, a wooden cutting board shape like Virginia, and some dark chocolate candies (Dad loved that part). I drove the 4 Spanish speaking sisters to the hotel and listened to some fun conversations among them. They are pretty sharp sisters.
Tuesday was Train the Trainer. I had to stay at the office to get a check ready for a new apartment that we had to have for some of the new missionaries. President was tied up in meetings and didn’t get it approved until a little after 10. That made the Nelsons a little late getting there for the set up so I was unable to go into the meeting where the new missionaries are assigned their companions (I needed to stay in the kitchen and cultural hall getting everything set up. We made it and the luncheon was very nice—everyone got enough to eat. The nurse had to go take care of a situation; the other office sister was with her husband getting the apartment set up, so we were short people to clean up. We didn’t get done until 3:30 and back to the office at 4. Dad drove Sister Caplin’s van back to the office and I drove our car. We will take her van to the mission home when we go home.
I was able to get everything unpacked at the office and left over food put into the fridge and even had time to get the rent entered before leaving to drop off a FedEx envelope and take the van to the mission home.
From here we went to a Dr. appointment to get a referral to see a neurologist to see why my hands are tingling. We finally got home about 7 p.m. We folded clothes and then about 9:30 we got a call from Sister Caplin asking about getting another hotel room for the elders leaving. They were going to drive the mission van to the hotel and save a senior couple the trip to the hotel. Always some last minute changes.
Wednesday was check printing and mailing of the 97 rent checks. I am a day or two late this month, so hopefully they will make it by the first of the month. Our 12 missionaries left for home today and our transfers are finished until February 3rd.
Thursday we turned our focus to the missionary devotionals that will be held on Sunday and Monday. The senior missionaries are doing the desserts for each of the devotionals. Each of them were so willing to help out. The Vennards came into the office and brought a picture for each of us. They had gotten the software copy of this picture and sent it to a company and had them print it on canvas and then frame it. It is a good enough copy that we can see the weave of the fabric on the clothing. Very thoughtful of them.
Friday evening I did one batch of cookies to get a start on getting ready for the first devotional on Sunday evening.
Saturday we went to a baptism and then shopping for the rest of the ingredients for the missionary devotional. After dinner, Dad and I did a cookie sheet of mint brownies and another cookie sheet of Christmas bars along with a little batch of chocolate kiss topped cookies. We left the frosting of the brownies until they cooled—Sunday morning.
Sunday was the one-hour musical/narration sacrament meeting. It was very good, but I will say that I enjoyed the musical sacrament meeting of the week before a little better. We have so much talent in this ward that it takes two weeks to let more people have a chance to perform.
We came home and had lunch and talked with family then began cutting up the goodies and plating them. We needed to get to the church by 5:30 to get things set up. We got the serving tables set up and then started putting all of the goodies on the tables. They looked so pretty and I was so grateful for the willingness of all of the senior couples to help with the dessert. Dad was put in charge of the hot chocolate and that ended up being a larger job than we had planned. We had been concerned about having the chocolate drip onto the floor from spigots. Dad figured out a way to put the containers on the table so that if they dripped it would be on the table and not the floor. Good job! The devotional was wonder—both in song and word!
That about does it for another week.
Sending lots of love,
Mom
| Christmas gift from Elder and Sister Vennard |
| Our table of goodies. Me, Elder Downs (vehicle secretary) and his visiting daughter Natalie and Sister Chesbrough. I'm not short, they are just REALLY tall. |
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