Week 6

February 19, 2017

Dear Family,

Today is Dad birthday and I don’t even know where to begin to say what he means to me. Just I miss him and long for the time when we can be together again. But in the meantime, I am grateful to be on this mission. I have especially enjoyed this week.  We had 7 new missionaries arrive on Tuesday. They came from the airport to the mission office about noon.  After they had labeled all their luggage, been given pillows and other bedding, as needed, we fed them a lunch. The cultural hall looked cute with heart balloons and valentine décor on the tables. We served big sub sandwiches that were ordered and brought on long wood planks.  They didn’t come from Subway but a local sandwich shop and they were really good.  Next summer I will order some for us when we get together.

After lunch, we took them upstairs and they were each interviewed by President Hancock.  While they waited their turn Sister Hancock and the mission nurse who is also a Sister Hancock visited with them. When they were all interviewed, they had their pictures taken with President and Sister Hancock.  I think I need to bring a stool for Sister Hancock to stand on – at one point she was sandwich between her tall husband and an elder his same size and nearly disappeared she is so little.

We then we had a short meeting where President Hancock bore his testimony and each of us in the office had a few minutes to teach them what we expected of them. I didn’t try to handle all the aspects of filing out baptismal records; I only begged them to not write the month as numbers as in 2/4/17, but to always date 4 Feb 2017 and emphasized the importance of filing out the records themselves, not asking the convert to fill them out. They all looked like we should have had “naptime” instead.

I was invited to dinner at the mission home that evening.  It is a lovely home that I drive past when I go to my stake center. It has a large room downstairs where we met after dinner.  The assistants gave a power point presentation about Idaho and the history of the church in Idaho. President and Sister Hancock told them a little about themselves and we saw pictures of their family working together on their ranch. Afterward, they had pictures and nice things to say as they introduced each missionary’s companion.

The next morning they had to be at the mission office by 7:30. The leftover cookies (I made heart cookies and Sister Christensen made chocolate chip cookies) from yesterday’s lunch were set out along with fruit while they waited for what is called the “Train” to pick them up. The train consists of the mission van plus a truck pulling a trailer for their luggage. The train goes first to Blackfoot to drop off the new missionary assigned there and it picks up any there that are to be transferred elsewhere.  It then comes back to the mission office and picks up everyone going east (Soda Springs, Paris, Afton) The missionaries in Cokeville, Wy. Meet the train in Afton.  Missionaries in American Falls come north and pick up their new companions at the mission office.  Everything seemed to go smoothly.

Wednesday, I had send out emails to the families of the new missionaries letting them know their missionary had arrived safely and showing them the pictures of their son or daughter with the Hancocks.

Brother Rasmussen came in to teach me how to do that. He is a former Executive Secretary in this mission who is very tech savvy.  He is kind enough to come whenever we are having computer challenges.  He solved the problem last week of my computer shutting itself off and when I would turn it back on, it said it was not shut off properly. He helped me get the photos into a place where I could access them to attach to the letters I sent. He helped me a few and then I was able to do the rest on my own. Whether I can remember all that I learned until the next six weeks when I have to do it all again remains to be seen.

The happiest moment of the week was when President Hancock came in and told me that the missing package I had forwarded to a sister in Cokeville had finally arrived.  That was answer to a lot of prayers, the Sister’s, her parents, and MINE!!   The package contained a new camera that was sent by her mother about a month ago, I forwarded it weeks ago, and have worried about it constantly since learning it had not showed up. I am so relieved that I didn’t do something wrong in the forwarding process!!!

Next week there will be three Zone conferences.  Tuesday, the first one will be held in my own Stake Center here in Pocatello. Then we will have one in Soda Springs I think and the last one is Montpelier.  I will have about 5 minutes to impress on them the importance of getting the baptism records to me promptly and accurately.

Today, went well in Primary.  Sister Elliott that I team with showed up.  I called her Friday to see how she wanted to divide up the lesson.  She said she would teach the whole lesson this week and then I will have it next week. She didn’t come in to opening exercises until they were almost over.  I was panicking that I would be teaching unprepared again.  She had been feeding her baby during opening exercises. She has a darling baby girl named “Rosie” that I got to hold while she gave the lesson.  Sister Elliott is really good with the kids.  I can learn a lot from her.

Thanks again for all the Valentines, and flowers from Emily and Cherie.  You made me feel loved and cared for.  The Gospel is true!! And so are you!!

Love and hugs,

Grammie