Where have we been?

What an adventure we've been having!  We have been so so so busy learning our new office duties and so overwhelmed that we have hardly had time to catch our breath!  Today, finally, I think we're coming up for air and we're going to take a deep breath.  So that's where we've been--working so hard that I didn't have time to write!  (And also, we didn't have the internet. . . what did we used to do BTI? [before the internet])

It's been two weeks since I've written, so I hope I can remember everything that's happened (at least that I want recorded).  It's hard to believe that we've been on our mission for a month now--the time has just flown and we have learned so much.  We'll never be the same.

On Monday, July 30th, it was Glen's birthday!!  We were still staying at our little casita, so I couldn't make him a birthday cake or anything.  But as usual, he was a good sport.

 Here is Elder McMillan in our little room just behind the reception room of the mission office with his birthday lunch.  He's with the Zobells, the missionaries who are training us.  Only two more days of training with them!

 On Monday evening we had a departure dinner for the Zobells, an arrival dinner for us, and a birthday party for Glen all wrapped in one at the mission home.  President and Sister Black made an amazing dinner for us.  Seated from clockwise are Glen, Sister Conder, Brother Conder, Sister Cantwell, Sister Young, and the Zobells.  We are in the dining room.

 In the kitchen area are from clockwise, Pres. and Sis. Black, Elder Humphrey, Elder Mathis, (the assistants), Sis. Anderton, Elder and Sister Dana, and Sis. McDonald. The four sisters work in the employment center next to the mission office.

Glen is "blowing" out his birthday candle ( aah, spoon that is) while everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to him!  It was fun to celebrate with everyone.  After dinner, we all gathered in the family room for a Family Home Evening.  President Black showed us a video clip and then had us introduce ourselves to the other senior missionaries and then the Zobells bore their testimonies as a farewell.  It was a wonderful evening.

Some of the beautiful cards and artwork Glen received from our family and the grandkids.  Oh, don't you love children's artwork?  We love getting it in the mail!  Everyone was so nice to him for his birthday.

Here is Elder McMillan at his workplace at the mission office with more birthday greetings from the Stevens in the background.  He spends a lot of time here figuring out finances, working with the missionaries with their money cards, apartments, furniture, and going through their cell phone records.  Since we have another 22 missionaries coming in for the next transfer, he has to find another 11 places for them to live and then furnish them and equip them.  He's been ordering a lot of mattresses, bed frames, vacuums, desks, dishes, pots and pans, etc.!  He is busy!

 This is my workspace, at the front of the office.  I spend 90% of my time here!  Transfers were on Monday, Aug. 6, and what a day it was.  It was my job to provide lunch for the 28 incoming missisonaries and help orient them to some of the mission office procedures.  Glen also oriented them to finance, and of course Pres. and Sis. Black oriented them all day!  We saw the elders that we had met at the MTC while we were there, and it was so fun to see them in the mission now.  It was an unbelievably busy day and we were so tired.  But now I had to send 130 letters to the new missionaries' parents, the new assistant, the new zone leaders, the new district leaders, the 28 new trainers, and all of their parents.  We worked 12 hour days for 4 days to get all of this accomplished, plus getting their new apartments ready for them.  We even worked on our p-day.  Our training with the Zobells was over, and I was on my own to figure a lot of these things out.  It was mind staggering to me to do all that I needed to do!! 

When we would go home from the office, I would think about all the things that needed to be done and I felt so overwhelmed.  On Monday morning I was reading Alma 38:5:  "I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your. . .troubles. . ."  I read it over and over.  I felt that to the very degree that I had faith in God, to that very degree he would help me in my duties that needed to be done.  I can't express in words how much that helped me.  I felt such a burden lifted from me, and yet I knew that the work still needed to be done and it was me who had to do it.  But oh, how it brought peace to my troubled heart!  I was able, with the Lord's help, to get all of the letters done, plus still learning my other responsibilities.

In the midst of all of this, we were able to move into our condo. We finally feel somewhat settled but we still don't have internet access, which is another reason why I couldn't write on this blog. Hopefully we'll get it on Monday!

One of the neatest things we have been able to do here so far happened last Saturday.  We attended the baptism of the sister in the middle of this picture, Sister Diaz, in our ward that we loved so much.  (Now that we have moved to our new condo we aren't in this ward anymore, but I'm sure we'll love it just as much!)  On both of her sides are some of the elders who taught her, and on the end on the right is her son who actually baptized her.  Her son was tracted out by the missionaries last year and he accepted baptism, and now, a year later, he was able to baptize his mother!  The baptismal service was simply amazing, and the entire chapel was filled by the ward members in her support.  It was so spiritual and so beautiful--we have just never seen anything like it.  The field really is ripe and already to harvest here in Las Vegas and the missionaries yield an amazing harvest!  The members here are also so supportive of the missionary effort, that again, we have never seen anything like it.  We just love it!