Day at the Office - Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010

We couldn't believe that last night we didn't have to have the fan on in our bedroom. The outside air was cooler than our inside temperature, so we just opened the window and that was sufficient to keep our room cooled down for sleeping. It was great, and less noisy too.

The humidity was really low today and that seems to make all the difference in how we cope with the heat. We didn't understand humidity very much until we came here. We thought once summer came in a climate that was humid, that the humidity was constant all the time. We didn't realize it fluctuated so much. We live and learn!

Our morning study of the Book of Mormon has us two chapters from completing the book of Mosiah. We are wishing we also had the book the Doyles are reading about the life of Elder Bushe. They have peaked our interest in it, and it sounds like something we would enjoy. Hmmmm, we may have to have it sent to us.

When we arrived at the office today, we saw this white combi parked by our gate. Sure enough, Elder Coria had arranged for a group of the newly arrived missionaries to go to the Capital to begin their legal work at the Civil Registry. They had to be fingerprinted and fill out paperwork for a criminal background check. This is the first step in obtaining their residency. Elder Coria is holding the envelope, and is sending Sister Romo, who will be accompanied by her companion, with Elders Sargetis, Hallett, Griffeth, Simper, Brown, and Hansen. The companions of the elders stay at the chapel and study or go out street contacting. It is a long day for all of them.

I entered 14 baptisms today, handled some medical calls, and cleared up some miscellaneous things on my desk. It wasn't a pressure day at all. Elder Kroff worked on the 2010 budget and was somewhat frustrated because he was trying to understand where all the money was spent last year. We need to reduce our spending by 3% next year, so he was trying to sort things out and make it work.

Our office elders were gone in the afternoon. They had to pay some rents up in the Capital area. Often they would check in with us and let us know where they were and when to expect them back. They were caught in the siesta time, and at their last stop they had to wait 45 minutes until siesta time was over in order to pay that landlord. The traffic was bad and they returned exhausted. I feel bad for them sometimes because after a tiring day, they still have to go out and teach until 9:00 pm. We get to come home.

On "P" day yesterday, an elder emailed home and got his mother all worked up by telling her about a bite on his leg that is red, swollen, and hurts to touch or press on it. She emailed the President who was tied up in a zone conference today to express concerns about something it could be other an a bite. He responded to her email, but referred the matter to me so I could assure her that we do all we can to keep the missionaries well and working. I called the elder tonight to check up on his leg, and he thinks it is a little better. The ointment Dr. Petersen recommended may be working.

Elder Paz got a new camera and has been snapping shots of anything and everything. We were close targets on which to practice and after seeing his photo, we decided to capture one with our camera. Our cameras are almost identical.

The Argyle family minus the President comes back from the south tomorrow night. We are suppose to have Sister Argyle's car washed, filled up with gas, and back in their garage at the end of the day. However, it has a flat tire. Fixing that will be a priority tomorrow.