"I'm grateful to be............me!"

Sorry this is so long. You choose........

What a wonderful day..........past few days, really! Irene, you are right........working/serving makes us happy! Our MLC lunch worked out really well. We could have used more lettuce, and I've made a note of that. We took the leftovers to the missionaries serving in Ensley with us. They loved it!! 'Course, what 18-20 year old young man wouldn't love food he didn't have to prepare himself!?!?!?? It's not rocket science. I'm so thankful I get to participate in MLC. It's always so good! We get to associate with the committed, hard-working leaders of the mission.......the spirit is always there and I love to learn from Pres. Hanks. What blessings are ours!!!

Surely do love these people and count myself very blessed to know them! I know you can't see them very well, but you can see how we set up for MLC........the piano is behind the camera and we are sitting to the right against the wall. There is another table along the left wall for the President and Assistants.

So Pres. Hanks talked about "our vision".........I don't know really how to define that other than "what blessings do we want for serving"? That sounds really materialistic and serving for the wrong reasons, but it didn't when he explained it. (And he did not explain it as I just did!) He shared with us his vision: in ten years he wants to happen to run into one of his missionaries on Temple Square--the missionary with his/her family and the little six-year-old missing at least one front tooth looking up and him and declaring "we are steadfast in Christ"! It made me cry!!!!! just thinking about it! I want to be there too, to watch!! And to hear that precious, innocent child make her declaration! Can't you 'hear' it? So what is my vision? I'm trying to define it........might take me some time.

Ready for the meeting to begin........us, the Newmans, and the Joneses. All such good, faithful people! I love serving with them!! I think we all have a really good relationship with one another.

As I said, the lunch went well. We got it cleaned up. Went back to the office......well, Roger had an experience I'm sure he won't mind if I share--and you've wanted more from his point of view. He had two cars to "work" on/with. One needed a new bike rack, the other.......I've forgotten. (And he's gone home teaching). ...now he is home and I asked him.......I'll give you the short version. The other car had a trunk that wouldn't lock. He got the keys from the missionaries and went to work on the cars. In the midst of in and out of the cars and keys in and out of pockets he lost a set of keys. After unsuccessful attempts at finding them, he decided to go to the office and get the spare set. THERE WAS NO SPARE SET!!!!!! And the dealership would have to order a key and take several days! The drive back to the church was spent praying that he would find that key. In the trunk. Not there. On the ground in the parking lot. No. On the seat of one of the cars. No. On the floor? No. He was about to give up when he looked just inside the door kind of under the seat......there was a key poking up. Was it the key or another. IT WAS THE KEY!!!!!!! He was so thankful............and immediately offered a prayer of thanksgiving. We took it to the dealership and had another key made before the sisters returned to their area! And he told his experience to the lady who schedules the repairs--there are 4-5 of them, but he likes to talk with Cheryl and she is good to him. 'Course, he's taken them lots of business in the months we have been here.

I think "our" sisters are so beautiful!! 

Owwwww!!!!! some of these are going home this week!! I'm going to miss them!!! (The Assistants are sitting on the far right)

When we came home--after 5:00--and we were putting things away here, I realized I had left my favorite paring knife at the church!!! We were tired and didn't know if anyone would be at the church. We also wondered if the missionaries had finished off the root beer (Roger made some more) and then cleaned out the cooler. I texted the Assistants. They said they were near the church and would go check. I described my knife and told them I would owe them big-time if they could find it for me. They said they would bring it to the office "tomorrow". I asked "When are you coming to dinner?" They asked if tomorrow night would be okay? "What time?" They came at 6:30 Thursday night. It was so fun to have them here!!!! I asked Elder Van Dyke (he plays basketball for the U) what he hadn't eaten here that he would like to have.........can you guess??? Funeral potatoes!!!! So we had pork roast and funeral potatoes, green beans and a tossed salad. Wow! Come to think of it, that's almost exactly like a "funeral dinner"!!!! Oh well. They loved it and it was easy. I need to remember that. I would have asked Elder Posadas, but I didn't feel like I had a prayer of preparing something he would have eaten in Honduras. I noticed he wasn't shy about seconds and thirds though. It was just fun to have them here. It's wonderful to feel their goodness and hear (and watch) their desire to do whatever the Lord asks of them. And they get so tired. These young men really work really hard!! And all kinds of hours! It is a privilege and blessing to know them and work with them. 

The rest of the week was getting things ready for transfers this week.......... I received another order from distribution--it came LOTS faster than usual. I'm glad it's here. Roger put together some bikes. He has 1-2 more to do tomorrow and Tuesday morning. He's getting pretty good at it. Though occasionally he wonders "how does this go" or "is this the right way". We were trying to figure out fenders the other day and decided we would wait and let the missionary figure that one out. I think it was a bike he had had at home, so he will have an idea. Thank goodness!!! Sometimes we feel like we are flying by the seat of our pants!

I went to the doctor this week and had a couple of cysts removed from my scalp..........totally not-scary.......they were just tender and Roger wanted me to get them removed. So now they are really tender, but they are healing nicely and it will be good to have them gone. I was supposed to keep them dry for five days, but I was asked to speak in church today and just couldn't bring myself to stand in front of those dear people with four-day-old hair! So I washed it this morning and then immediately dried it and put neosporin on them. I'm sure I will be okay.