Lively Day - Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Our morning progressed as usual and was filled with scriptures, breakfast, prayer, and getting ready while listening to our story Children of the Promise. Yes, we are still involved with it because there are lots of volumes. We are only on Volume 3, and not sure how many more are in the series. But, we have enjoyed it as it brings to life how it must have been to serve in World War II. Not a happy time for many!

Today was hectic and wild with so much going on in the office. When we arrived at 9:00, there were about four or five elders in the office waiting for Elder Peterson to take part of them to the Civil Registry here in San Fernando and the rest to Immigrations up in the Capital. They cleared out after a short time leaving Elder Juarez with us. His companion, Elder Unrau went with the group and would stay with Elder Peterson to accompany him back to the office. The rest were leaving straight from Immigrations to go back to their areas.

Elder Juarez (Mexico), and Elder Unrau (Orem, UT)

At 10:00, the Gulbrandsens came so we could have a meeting to coordinate the transfers next week. This is their second transfer and last time it was all planned out by President Argyle. Now this time they can change, add to, or delete what they want. The meeting kept being interrupted by phone calls to the President regarding his phone and phone service. He is using a Blackberry and is having a hard time with it. He prefers an iPhone because he is used to it so he was on the phone wheeling and dealing to get one approved for his use. The meeting was a little disconnected at times, but we got through it and I think we know what is going on.

The President wants Elder Kroff and me to be involved with both the Tuesday and Wednesday activities with those coming and going. He wanted us to be at the mission home all day both days to be part of the activities and to eat lunch with them. It would be difficult for me to do that all day on Tuesday because I have to set the lunch out for the trainers to eat prior to their going to the mission home to receive their new companions, and I hold down the office while Elder Peterson is outside managing the missionaries that come to the church to change companionships.

Elder Kroff and Elder Paz deliver blankets, pillows, and the new missionary binders to the mission home in the morning, then come back and do some training of the trainers while they are eating. So after explaining what our duties have previously been, he can see that we cannot socialize all day on Tuesday. We have worked it out so we can go over in the afternoon when the trainers go to meet the new missionaries and be with them for a while. He was pleased with that. We appreciate that he wants to include us.

Then on Wednesday, we can spend the whole day with the leaving missionaries, and that is our favorite thing to do. We can be there to wish them well, and have a special moment with those that we have become close to. Last transfer we were there all day and it was a wonderful time.

After the meeting, the office was still chaotic with the Assistants running around, pizza for lunch was being ordered by the elders and delivered to the office, and Sister Gulbrandsen was helping Elder Juarez with his English. The President was still working on some things in his office calling the Assistants in off and on, and Elder Kroff went to the bank taking his sandwich to eat on the way. I was starved but didn't want to eat my lunch while the Gulbrandsens were there.

I worked on entering a couple of baptisms here and there and did a lot of visiting with Sister Gulbrandsen. It was a good thing we talked alot because when the topic of the lunch for the trainers came up, she didn't realize that she was the one to purchase the food and bring it to the office. I am sure Sister Argyle has it somewhere in her instructions, but we went over what to buy and figured how much was needed. That was a good topic to discuss. Whew!!

After the Gulbrandsens left, Elders Peterson and Unrau returned with a story to tell!!! On one of their errands they were having a hard time finding a parking place and came upon an area that said "No Parking" but other cars were parked there. So they figured they could do the same. They would only be gone a minute. Well, on the way back to their car, they could see that it was hooked to a tow truck and was being pulled away. They ran up to the truck, but the driver paid no attention and drove off. They talked to a man in a store close by and he told them where the tow yard was which was about 10 to 12 blocks away. They walked there and had to pay 190 pesos (just under $50) to get the car back. Live and Learn!!! We didn't ask if the other vehicles were being towed also.

While the elders went to their District meeting, Rich and I worked until 5:00 and then came home. We begin the day in a routine and end it in one also. After dinner, I work on the journal entry while Rich reads a book on his iPhone, then he turns on some Fox news, checks out facebook, reads blogs, I iron a white shirt or two, and we go to bed. Very predictable!