Hello All,
We can't believe that this week will be the week of
the 4th and then it seems like summer is downhill from then on....not
really downhill.....just that then comes Christmas! We missed another
missionary farewell today. It would not be truthful if we didn't feel a
little/lot sad to not be there. But we are excited for these two
new-in-one-and-a-half-week missionaries! So it seems like Jordon and
Carlee and Taylor and Cade were playing in the kiddie swimming pool in
the back yard just last week!! Can we rewind time and start back at the
beginning? Send us addresses as soon as you get them and we'll send
them at least one letter while they're in the MTC. Sorry there won't be
any cookies in the letters! Speaking of cookies, do you know that this
week, actually the next 5 days, I'm doing refreshments for one FHE, two
Institutes, one fireside and two dinners. This is fair warning that
when we get home from this mission I may never want to cook again!!!!
And there's never any left-overs when it involves YSA. They did a great
FHE last week....the second half of Dungeons and Dragons Book of Mormon
style. That "version" needs to be published and marketed on Deseret
Book or something! It was incredibly creative and everybody had a great
time. We just sat and watched because it was as much fun watching them
play as they were having playing.
We got to go to Utica to be
part of transfer day this week...not that we're being transferred or
anything (thank heavens) but we drove missionaries there. It was a
great meeting to see the new trainers being trained (we told them that
there are lots of Dads and Moms and Grandparents praying for trainers of
new missionaries!) and then to watch these brand new missionaries come
in the chapel and meet their brand new trainer/companions and get hugs
and some of the anxiety just goes out of their faces when that happens.
We met the young elder from AF that I met in the credit union when we
were home for Jordon's wedding and it was good to welcome him actually
in the mission as a familiar face even though it was just for a few
minutes in Utah. And he got a great trainer! We just about had to
paddle home from the mission office because I've never seen it rain so
hard ever! Worse than some of those downpours in Iowa. But the storm
quit for the half hour it took for all the missionaries to load their
luggage in everybody's cars which was a miracle because trying to
squeeze a carload of elders and sisters and all their suitcases in one
car was CRAZY! We brought back Elder Chao and his companion and all his
bags and the sisters's bags with us....reminded us of moving here
ourselves.
Other than the normal things this week, we shopped
and prepared ourselves with 72 hour emergency kits and preparations for
surviving for a few days if needed without power or whatever hopefully
will not ever come. President Wirthlin just said he felt prompted that
all the missionaries needed to be prepared and that included us. And
you know me. I prepare for ourselves and anybody else who might knock
on the door. And.....speaking of knocking on the door, we know one
reason for sure that we're here and that's to love and hug and bouy up
and feed discouraged and hungry missionaries. They're such faithful and
diligent and obedient young people and sometimes missionary work is
hard, hard, hard.
We finally bought some outside flower pots for
our house (with flowers) and if you wait long enough they lower the
prices enough so that we can afford some because I kill them by mid July
anyway. So now it's not quite so bad to look out our sliding glass
doors and see something besides the backside of the laundromat.
Tonight
we just got back from a great fireside at the Stake Center in Owego
that was a "meet the new stake president" night. His name is President
Tony Frutos and he lives in Corning, New York which is about an hour and
a half from here. Our Stake leaders really have to travel when they go
anywhere in this stake....reminds us of Iowa. Anyway he gave a great
talk designed to introduce himself but also to tell us how the
principles of the Gospel have influenced his life. He's in management
at the big Corning glass international headquarters in Corning (ie the
name of the town). He talked about these two chemistry professors he
had at BYU who had such a profound effect on his choice of a career.
What a coincidence that he was referring to Steve and Julie Goates!
It's a small world in the Church!
So, the end of a busy week and
the beginning of an even busier one! We miss you all and know that
you're busy with all the things of summer but be sure and remember to do
the things that matter most!!!!!
Love you Mucho!!!!!!
Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma,
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