Dear Family,
Another week has gone by—a busy week, but uneventful. We did better at getting to the office a bit earlier—closer to 8 than 8:30. The one thing that seems to have made the difference is making our lunches the night before. This way we have a little more time for our Come Follow Me study.
The office was a little quiet today because of the holiday. It kind of gives me a day to get things done without having more things coming in to do. That probably gives me a false sense of getting things done because double emails and requests come the next day, but at least for today it was good.
A little after 5 we were getting ready to lock up and go home when President and Sister Caplin came in to get the missionary mail for interviews the next day and for President Caplin to sign papers. It was fun to visit with them and talk about some of the wonderful things we have seen with the missionaries. No one else was at the office, so it was a little more relaxed visit. I shared with President Caplin our feelings about the good progress of the sister learning Korean. He was pleased to hear it and then shared that when he had given her a blessing after calling her to the Korean program that she was told that she would have help to learn the language. It has truly been miraculous at how fast she is picking it up. What a blessing it is to see the miracles that happen in the gathering of scattered Israel. Then President Caplin and Dad discussed the project of getting the conversion stories collected from the new members. President has asked Dad to go full steam ahead on the plan that he has put together and been working on for gathering the stories. President now wants Dad to call the Zone leaders weekly to see have them report on the progress of the stories. The missionaries have been given a list of the people they have baptized and they are to set goals of when they will get the stories to the office. Then Dad will have them return and report the progress each week.
Tuesday was our office district meeting where we go over the upcoming events and take a few minutes to practice inviting our friends to “Come and See”. Although I don’t like the role playing, it does make it easier the next time. Maybe if we do it enough times we will have heard many of the questions and comments and have an answer a little more ready.
One of the MLC senior missionary couples came into the office to the meeting and then stayed to get some YSA information. The elder brought his computer to work on getting onto the portals. He had very few new portals that he had gotten on which was a little disappointing. He had been telling us how many he had contacted so I was expecting a bit more. While his wife was in the back room collecting her information, he was in my office talking to himself and to us. The wife would have been done a bit sooner, but she likes to visit a lot. After lunch the elder came back and started doing some calling, but his questions weren’t getting him the information that we needed to get on the portals. I was about ready to stop what I was doing and help with some of the information gathering when the housing secretary couldn’t take it anymore and stepped in and helped. The housing secretary and I have been working on the project for a LONG time and probably thought that our MLC missionary helper understood the process better. Hearing him deal with the apartment people helped us know where he needed help, so hopefully things will move a little faster.
Wednesday we came and worked for an hour and half and then left for the district meeting in Gainesville. We took a table and a couple of chairs out to the sisters to save the housing people a trip out there, but with our car so full we forgot to take the mail. Ugh. It is far enough out there that it takes an hour to get there and an hour back. Luckily for us the zone leaders were going on splits the next day and we arranged to take the mail to the APs on Thursday. The APs are only ½ hour each way.
The district meeting was good and I continue to be impressed with the knowledge and teaching skills these young people have.
Thursday Dad went to take the mail to the APs.
Friday Dad did another mail run to the Annandale zone (our turn this week to delivery to them) and then went to a district meeting to meet with the missionaries that go to our ward. They are going to help with the missionary finding class that Dad is teaching in our ward on Sunday.
Saturday we got a little later start and it was 10 before I had my menus figured out and my shopping list prepared. I did get the laundry started because Dad was down to one pair of socks. He stayed home to work on his talk while I went grocery shopping. I came home and got a salad prepared for the dinner we are going to this evening and did a few more chores and it was time to go to a baptism. This baptism was really wonderful. The two people being baptized shared their testimonies afterwards and they were great. Many times the people being baptized talk about how grateful they are for the people and how welcome they feel, etc. These two girls talked about knowing that Jesus could atone for their sins and they could become clean through the Atonement. They talked about renewing their covenants each week through the sacrament. They knew that Joseph Smith helped restore Christ’s church. They seemed to have a knowledge of the gospel.
From the baptism we went to dinner at a member’s home and had a wonderful time. They always invite the young missionaries in the ward and we get to visit with them as well and that is always good. Dad came home and worked on his talk again. It is about 25 minutes long and needs to be 12-15 minutes, so he is in the mode of shortening and refining his talk.
Today is a busy day full of good things. Dad’s talk will be over—I don’t know when I’ve seen him stress over a talk as much as he has this one. Dad is going to teach his “Finding” class to the people in our ward who have been called to be finding missionaries. This will be an on going class so the people can return and report of their efforts.
That about does it for another week. Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers and we love you lots.
Love,
Mom
Another week has gone by—a busy week, but uneventful. We did better at getting to the office a bit earlier—closer to 8 than 8:30. The one thing that seems to have made the difference is making our lunches the night before. This way we have a little more time for our Come Follow Me study.
The office was a little quiet today because of the holiday. It kind of gives me a day to get things done without having more things coming in to do. That probably gives me a false sense of getting things done because double emails and requests come the next day, but at least for today it was good.
A little after 5 we were getting ready to lock up and go home when President and Sister Caplin came in to get the missionary mail for interviews the next day and for President Caplin to sign papers. It was fun to visit with them and talk about some of the wonderful things we have seen with the missionaries. No one else was at the office, so it was a little more relaxed visit. I shared with President Caplin our feelings about the good progress of the sister learning Korean. He was pleased to hear it and then shared that when he had given her a blessing after calling her to the Korean program that she was told that she would have help to learn the language. It has truly been miraculous at how fast she is picking it up. What a blessing it is to see the miracles that happen in the gathering of scattered Israel. Then President Caplin and Dad discussed the project of getting the conversion stories collected from the new members. President has asked Dad to go full steam ahead on the plan that he has put together and been working on for gathering the stories. President now wants Dad to call the Zone leaders weekly to see have them report on the progress of the stories. The missionaries have been given a list of the people they have baptized and they are to set goals of when they will get the stories to the office. Then Dad will have them return and report the progress each week.
Tuesday was our office district meeting where we go over the upcoming events and take a few minutes to practice inviting our friends to “Come and See”. Although I don’t like the role playing, it does make it easier the next time. Maybe if we do it enough times we will have heard many of the questions and comments and have an answer a little more ready.
One of the MLC senior missionary couples came into the office to the meeting and then stayed to get some YSA information. The elder brought his computer to work on getting onto the portals. He had very few new portals that he had gotten on which was a little disappointing. He had been telling us how many he had contacted so I was expecting a bit more. While his wife was in the back room collecting her information, he was in my office talking to himself and to us. The wife would have been done a bit sooner, but she likes to visit a lot. After lunch the elder came back and started doing some calling, but his questions weren’t getting him the information that we needed to get on the portals. I was about ready to stop what I was doing and help with some of the information gathering when the housing secretary couldn’t take it anymore and stepped in and helped. The housing secretary and I have been working on the project for a LONG time and probably thought that our MLC missionary helper understood the process better. Hearing him deal with the apartment people helped us know where he needed help, so hopefully things will move a little faster.
Wednesday we came and worked for an hour and half and then left for the district meeting in Gainesville. We took a table and a couple of chairs out to the sisters to save the housing people a trip out there, but with our car so full we forgot to take the mail. Ugh. It is far enough out there that it takes an hour to get there and an hour back. Luckily for us the zone leaders were going on splits the next day and we arranged to take the mail to the APs on Thursday. The APs are only ½ hour each way.
The district meeting was good and I continue to be impressed with the knowledge and teaching skills these young people have.
Thursday Dad went to take the mail to the APs.
Friday Dad did another mail run to the Annandale zone (our turn this week to delivery to them) and then went to a district meeting to meet with the missionaries that go to our ward. They are going to help with the missionary finding class that Dad is teaching in our ward on Sunday.
Saturday we got a little later start and it was 10 before I had my menus figured out and my shopping list prepared. I did get the laundry started because Dad was down to one pair of socks. He stayed home to work on his talk while I went grocery shopping. I came home and got a salad prepared for the dinner we are going to this evening and did a few more chores and it was time to go to a baptism. This baptism was really wonderful. The two people being baptized shared their testimonies afterwards and they were great. Many times the people being baptized talk about how grateful they are for the people and how welcome they feel, etc. These two girls talked about knowing that Jesus could atone for their sins and they could become clean through the Atonement. They talked about renewing their covenants each week through the sacrament. They knew that Joseph Smith helped restore Christ’s church. They seemed to have a knowledge of the gospel.
From the baptism we went to dinner at a member’s home and had a wonderful time. They always invite the young missionaries in the ward and we get to visit with them as well and that is always good. Dad came home and worked on his talk again. It is about 25 minutes long and needs to be 12-15 minutes, so he is in the mode of shortening and refining his talk.
Today is a busy day full of good things. Dad’s talk will be over—I don’t know when I’ve seen him stress over a talk as much as he has this one. Dad is going to teach his “Finding” class to the people in our ward who have been called to be finding missionaries. This will be an on going class so the people can return and report of their efforts.
That about does it for another week. Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers and we love you lots.
Love,
Mom
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