Transfer Week

Wow!  Miracles do happen!  We made it through the week, with the help of the Lord and others who were directed by Him.  What a week. . .

On Monday the 22 new missionaries came and I am devastated to say that I forgot to take my camera with me to their orientation.  We may never get such a huge transfer and I'm sick to think I don't have pictures of it!  Here's how transfer day happens:  The missionaries are picked up at the airport at 9:00 a.m. by Pres. and Sis. Black, the assistants, and Elder Dana.  Glen had to help pick them up last transfer, but since there were six fewer missionaries he didn't have to this time.  They are taken to the mission home for breakfast and pictures and then transported to the church near the mission office for their full day of orientation.  They drive past the mission office and we come out and say hi to them and then meet them an hour later for our part of the orientation.  Pres. and Sis. Black talks to them, the assistants talk to them, and then I welcome them as well, talk to them about their new binders and the papers they need to fill out, their mail, their nametags, giving blessings, passports, and a few other things.  Glen talks to them about their housing and cell phones.  Then I serve them lunch, clean up, and then return to the mission office to get other things ready.  They are oriented to their vehicles for the afternoon. Then Glen and I go back and take the mountains of mail and packages to distribute and he takes the cell phones, their MSF cards,  and the packets he has prepared for the new areas with the keys to their apts. in them and information they need.  Then Pres. Black announces the new companionships and has each new missionary come from behind the curtain of the stage and meet his/her new trainer.  It is so awesome to see the new missionary meet his/her new companion for the first time.  There is a lot of cheering among the other missionaries and a great feeling of comradery that is so neat to witness and be among.  Then we load up again and go back to the mission office.  This time we still had supplies we needed to give out and so we were at the mission office until 9:00 p.m.  We just hoped that the missionaries would find their new apartments, and that all would be in order there.  We were praying for them!

It was the last time that we would see Elder Humphery, the assistant who was going home the next morning. This is him playing a joke on Elder Dana by controlling Elder Dana's computer with another mouse without Elder Dana knowing it.  We were laughing our heads off as we saw his frustration with his "broken computer!"  Tears were just rolling down my cheeks!   Elder Dana was a good sport when he found out what was going on.  Anyway, as missionaries leave the office I always say them, "Hurrah for Israel!" and put my arm in the air.  Most of them respond with "Hurrah for Israel" too, and it's so fun.  Elder Humphrey said that wherever he goes now he always says "Hurrah for Israel" and said that it's my legacy now.  It was so sweet!  We have really missed him this week.

On Tuesday night, we had to go to an apartment to help some elders, so Glen helped them so they could have hot showers. We were there until 8:00 p.m. but it was fun for Glen to work together with the elders.

On Wednesday, I had a true miracle happen.  I still can't get over it.  Sis. Black called me at about 11:20 from the church where they were doing leadership training and asked me if the lunch for all 80 missionaries was coming because they hadn't seen anyone preparing for it.  I looked in a panic at my calendar and saw that I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR NOTIFYING THE STAKE RELIEF SOCIETY PRESIDENT about preparing the luncheon!  I had emailed her about 7-8 weeks before, but noticed on my planner in horror that she had indeed NOT responded to my email and I had failed to follow up on it.  I said a prayer and called her--at 11:22--and asked her if she had received my email.  She said she had not.  I told her what was going on, and there was a pause at the other end.  Very graciously, she said, "Let's just say a prayer, I'll go and order pizza, and we'll make this thing happen."  I was sick. . . devastated. . . horrified. . . embarrassed. . . you name it.  I called her back at about 3:00 to see what had happened.  Again, she was very gracious and said, "Actually, that was the best thing for me to not have to spend 7-8 weeks fussing about what we were going to serve, make assignments, etc."  She has been in charge of these luncheons before on several occasions.  She said, "Let me tell you about the miracles that occurred on my end--the pizza guy was able to make 25 pizzas in 30 minutes--I got a parking place at Costco on the front row--I grabbed veggie trays, drinks, etc. and checked out within 6 minutes--we got to the church and there happened to be four other sisters there and we all pitched in and had lunch to the starving missionaries by 12:20."  She kept saying, "Don't think another thing about it--don't worry--(I kept telling her how devastated I was)--it worked out so great, and we all saw the hand of the Lord helping us."  It was really a great lesson for me about how kind people can be in spite of the mistakes and weaknesses of others who are really trying to do their best.  Can you believe that happened?  I thought I was a responsible person!  What was amazing, is that after the leadership training, several elders stopped in at the office and I asked them how the training was--they all responded, "It was good--and the best part was that we got Papa John's pizza!"  But think of the miracle in the first place--that she was HOME when she answered the phone--that she was AVAILABLE to do it--think of all the scenarios that could have been!  And I was all alone at the office and didn't have a car to drive to the church, about 25 minutes away anyway!   Glen had the car and he was at the training!  I continue to marvel at the hand of the Lord that day.

That evening we left the mission office late as usual, and just as we got home at 8:00, the assistants called and said they had locked themselves out of their apartment.  Could Elder McMillan come back to the office and get a key for them?  Of course he could. . . He got back at about 9:30.  It was somewhat gratifying for me to see that others make mistakes too, and Glen responded so graciously even though he was dog tired.

Here I am doing my 110 or so letters that need to be done after transfers.  One for each missionary with a new leadership calling (assistants, zone leaders, district leaders, and trainers), one to inform each of their parents, and another letter with a picture of each new missionary to their parents, informing them that their missionary arrived here, the name of his/her new trainer, and the zone that they were assigned to.  Some of these missionaries need two letters to parents if they are divorced.  Remember that I am sending these letters to many different countries. BUT THEY ARE NOW FINISHED!!!  Please pray for me that none of the envelopes arrive to these parents empty again! 

We worked 8 hours again on our p-day so Glen could get caught up with all the things he has to do and didn't get done because of all the new apartments that had to be found and furnished.  Now we're hoping that next week we can say that we are caught up!  As we were talking about this, Glen said, "I really miss our family.  I miss seeing them.  I miss being with them."  Yes, we have still been homesick.  But we will press "onward, ever onward, as we glory in His name!" 

On Saturday, some elders called and asked if they could meet us at the mission office and get some desks and some desk chairs (the rolling office chairs are the elders' preference) from DI.  I told them that they should probably pray for a miracle because I had just bought two desks and two chairs for some elders the day before, so I knew that DI didn't have any, and that they are hard to come by.  I said several prayers in the morning, and in the afternoon, I went to DI before the elders got there.  DI allows me to go into the back where they process and price the things before they take them out to the front of the store to be sold.  And what did I find in the back?  Can you believe it?  Three desks and three office chairs that were perfect for what they needed.  They were so excited!  I told them they must have been praying pretty hard for this tender mercy to happen.  And  I was pretty excited too--it felt like Christmas!  "Forward, pressing forward, as the triumph song we sing, God our strength will be, press forward, ever called to serve our King!"