Last Transfer Day - Tuesday, November 16, 2010

I can't sleep very well at night lately and I don't know if it is excitement to go home, sadness to leave the mission, anxiety about packing up, or stress about training new ones. Maybe it is a little of each, but all I know is that my nights are short. However, we jump right up when the alarm goes off and pretty soon we are at the office facing whatever the day brings.

Today was transfer day (our last one) and even though it is hectic and I don't get much done at my desk, I enjoy seeing the elders and hermanas. I give out mail, answer questions, take pictures, put the food out for the trainers lunch, check on this and that, and run here and there. It is a full day, but sort of fun.

Elder Howard came up to me in a panic and said he thought we had four weeks left before we went home, but heard today that we were leaving tomorrow. I assured him we had three weeks left and that I would tell him goodbye. Others who were not at the Sunday fireside were also surprised the time is so near. I told them they are going to miss me calling to bug them about getting their baptismal registers in.

The Gulbrandsens picked up three Americans from the airport this morning and four Latin elders from the MTC here in Buenos Aires. When they arrived at the mission home, Rich left to go over there and have the President sign a check.

Elder Peterson went with an elder to a doctor's appointment in San Isidro to get a prescription for some medication that he will need to take with him when he goes to the South on Thursday. So that took Elder Peterson out of the office for most of the morning. Elder Paz and I held things together while the other two were away. There is always something that comes up out of the ordinary on transfer day.

This group of happy elders agreed to stop for a picture. They are Elders Amasio (CA), Hales (NC), Clarke (Riverton, UT), Ludwig (Nevada), and Cordon (Ogden, UT). When Elder Hales was in the office, he had his picture taken almost daily when I was lacking pictures for my blog. He was a good sport. His new companion is Elder Clarke.

Outside, the elders enjoy talking to each other and also enjoy the warm weather. Most are in short sleeves.

We have such wonderful missionaries serving with us. These are four hard workers -- Elders Brown (CO), Rodriguez (Nicaragua), Heath (Smithfield, UT), and Hansen (CA).

We always have to get a picture of the hermanas on transfer day. This is a colorful picture of mis amigas, Hermanas Olsen, Tejada, Keele, Allen, Rivera, Campos, Freitas, and Peña. Our sister missionaries have good success here in Buenos Aires.

We have a third Assistant again. Elder Urra and Elder Lowry welcome Elder Labra (Chile) to this leadership position. He will be a great addition. At the end of the day after participating in all that goes on with transfers, he admitted he was tired.

Things calmed down in the afternoon for Elder Kroff and me and I resumed working on my desk manual for training Sister Schoeny. An email came through for President Gulbrandsen from the MTC in Provo asking what areas of training the Schoenys needed in week two at the MTC. In the second week they receive office training. We were hoping they could just come here and have us train them, but that didn't happen.

Tonight after we got home, we started taking things off the walls and cleaning out a couple drawers that have collected "stuff." It was good to get started, but strange thinking it was really time.

It was fun re-reading the cards that we saved and taped to the wall. We will continue on with something else tomorrow night.