Our Eighth Transfer

It was probably a good thing that after Adam and Lisa left that we had to focus on transfers the next morning--otherwise I think we would have been so so trunky to see all of the grandkids!  It was so fun seeing them and Jade, Brigham, Lily and Lincoln that it would have been easy to just count the days until we could see the rest of the grandkids.  But there was so much to do to get ready for transfers!

And that Sunday evening, we had the wonderful opportunity to go Dave and Diane Lemmon's home for dinner and visiting.  It was so fun to see them again and see the amazing things that have been going on in their lives.  We had such a great visit with them, and it will be so fun to see them again in Utah!  They will be back a few weeks before we will be.

And Monday morning we started the frenzy of transfer day!  Sorting the huge volume of mail and packages from the weekend to get them ready to take to transfers, getting the transfer lunch ready, (I decided to do a different salad this time--I made an Olive Garden green salad), making sure that the new missionary orientation notebooks were all ready, reviewing my orientation presentation, etc.  We loaded up all the notebooks, luncheon stuff, and presentation materials and headed over to the Alexander building to greet the 25 new missionaries.  It was kind of a strange feeling that this would be the last time that the Blacks would be at the transfer, and our 2nd to the last time that we would be there.  In spite of how busy and crazy this day is, I love transfer days!  This was our 8th transfer and I just loved them.  I love seeing the enthusiasm of the new missionaries, although they are a bit blurry eyed from getting up at 4:00 a.m. at the MTC and traveling here.  Each group of missionaries has its own "feel" and this seemed to be a really good group.  With this transfer, we were now up to 215young missionaries and with our mission complement of missionaries, including all of the seniors, now up to 226.  

After our part of the orientation and the luncheon, we clean up and then return to the office, where I make copies of the passports of the new missionaries process a lot of things for them.  We barely have time then to gather the plethora of mail and packages and return to the church to gather the papers from the new missionaries for me to sort and set up the mail on the long tables for the missionaries to pick  up.

And then. . . drumroll. . . we sing "Called to Serve" and have a prayer, and then Pres. Black always says something before he introduces the new missionaries to their trainers.  This is what he said this time:

"Top Ten List--Why The Nevada Las Vegas West Mission is the Greatest Mission in the Church"

10.  Because the NLVW Mission receives the best new missionaries from the MTC.

9.  Because the NLVW Mission has the most fabulous members who give us rides, teach with us, love us, and feed us.

8.  Because Elder Dana helps everyone drive on the straight and narrow.

7.  Because Sister Dana helps keep track of our referrals and baptisms, and calls you if you forget to email your letter to the president.

6.  Because Elder McMillan knows how to keep your MSF cards funded, gives you beds, dishes, and vacuums for your apartments.

5.  Because Sister McMillan can answer the phone, talk to a missionary at the desk, type a letter, sort the mail, and keep the candy jar full all at the same time.

4.  Because Las Vegas West has the best assistants in the whole Church.

3.  Because Las Vegas West has the best zone leaders, sister training leaders, district leaders, and trainers in the whole wide world.

2.  Because Sister Black helps you stay healthy and because President Black has the corniest jokes in the world.  (By the way, did you hear about the new restaurant on the moon?  Great food, but no atmosphere!)

#1.  Because Las Vegas West has the very best missionaries who love to baptize!

And then the new missionaries are announced and introduced with great fanfare to their new trainers!  And then it's time for mingling with the missionaries who are there and saying goodbye to the departing missionaries.  Since this was the largest group departing (10), and my most favorite, this part was HARD!

  These were the best of the best, and I really hated to see them leave.  This is Elder Alford, who was in the Buffalo ward with us, and was an assistant. He had told us for nearly a year that he wanted to go to medical school, but he surprised us on his last day here that he had now decided to go to dental school instead. 

Elder Lee had spoken the day before in church when Adam and Lisa were with us, and he had invited us to hear him speak.  He had been a zone leader and was an awesome missionary.

Elder Weekes was also in the Buffalo ward with us and was also an assistant.  We were so fond of all of these missionaries!  We would miss them so much.

There is a new calling for sister missionaries--a few of them are called to be "Sister Training Missionaries".  They will be invited to "Missionary Leadership Training" meetings, which used to be called "Zone Leadership Training"  for zone leaders.  These sisters are the equivalent of zone leaders for the sisters, where they will take on many additional leadership responsibilities.  It's so exciting!  This is Sister Christensen, Sister Cox, and Lister Luamanu (from Samoa), three of the six newly called Sister Training Missionaries.  They are awesome missionaries and they truly have the respect and admiration of the elders for all that they do.

We clean up the church and put all the things away, and then head out to the parking lot where missionaries are changing their cars and loading up their suitcases into member cars.  It's a busy, crazy scene!  Pictures just don't capture what is going on. 

The mission trailer is loaded up with the suitcases of the departing missionaries who will now go to the mission home for their departing dinner and departing testimony meeting.  They will go to the airport early on Tuesday morning.  We had been at the office on Tuesday morning for about an hour when a departing missionary mom called me to tell me that her son's flight had been cancelled at the airport and she was so upset that she got another flight for him on her own and I needed to get the message to him.  Since I had ordered his flight, I knew that if HIS flight was cancelled, then 3 other missionaries who were also on that flight  had their flights cancelled as well.  It took me a few hours to sort things out, but the missionaries all had their flights rescheduled and hopefully got home on Tuesday at some time!  Church Travel told me to tell the mom to cancel the flight that she had gotten for him--Church Travel handles getting the new flights!

After transfers, we had to go back to the office to get some things for some missionaries.  We left the office after 7:00 p.m. but decided to still go to the Empty Nester's FHE at the Buffalo Ward, even though we were so exhausted.  It's always so fun to relax and be with our wonderful friends!  

The day after transfers is always the busiest day ever at the office, (getting all the leadership letters and new missionary letters going as well as printing and distributing new Organization Rosters, Phone Rosters, Arriving Missionary and Departing Missionary Rosters, getting 6 new missionary recommendations from church headquarters and sending congratulatory letters to these 6 newly called missionaries, etc. etc. Don't ask me why we chose this day to go clean the apartment that the new senior missionary couple, the Sudweeks, were moving in to, but we did.  The apartment had supposedly been left clean, but for some reason I was afraid that it wasn't.  We took cleaning supplies and we (Glen, me, and Sis. Black) spent two hours each and did some pretty heaving cleaning to get it ready.  Here's Glen even vacuuming the fans.  I was SO glad that we had gone, because I would have not liked the Sudweeks moving into such an. . . unclean apartment.

 I finally finished all the letters and other responsibilities from transfers on Friday, and we celebrated by going out to dinner with the Chapmans at a wonderful Italian restaurant.  It was a beautiful evening and we ate a fabulous meal outside.

On Saturday we finally cleaned our own apartment and then went to greet the Sudweeks as they arrived to the mission from Lehi.  We showed them around the office and then helped them move their things into their CLEAN apartment.  They will eventually take our places as the office couple and they will do a great job.  I'll post pictures of them next week.  We're excited to have them here.

Mother's Day and Adam and Lisa come to visit!

This week we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of Adam and Lisa, Jade, Brigham, Lily, and Lincoln.  We hadn't seen Lincoln since the day after he was born, so we were pretty excited!  This was also the week before transfers, which, along with the week after transfers, is our busiest weeks, so we had a lot to do so that we could enjoy Adam and Lisa's visit without having to get our transfer work done. We learned that we would be getting eight (!!!!!) visa waiters along with our regular transfer on about Wednesday, so I had SO MUCH extra work to get done to get ready for them!  Ahhh!   We stayed later at the office to get things done each night, and it paid off, because we were able to get them done at about the exact moment that they drove in to the office!!!  

We had Mother's Day dinner at the Chapman's, and as usual, it was a beautiful dinner.  Elder West and Elder Manning were there, along with Zina and the Chapmans, so it was a smaller group than usual, but much cozier.  I loved hearing about Elders West and Manning's skype visit with their families.  

Elder West handed me this note at church--can you believe it?  He is such an awesome missionary.  It was SO sweet! Two sister missionaries also sent me notes in the mail which were so sweet.  They meant a lot!  

When we came home I was able to talk to all of our kids, which I was very grateful for.  The feelings that come on Mother's Day are so interesting and cause such reflection.  But our children sent such sweet things to me, and I appreciated so much their thoughtfulness.  And I really loved that the grandkids sent such darling cards--thank you so much for them!!!!! They meant so much!  I just adore children's artwork.

On Monday night we had Senior FHE at the Blacks.  We had a wonderful dinner and then Glen and I taught the lesson on trusting in the Lord, using the story of Hezekiah and the Assyrian army.  We also welcomed a new senior sister to the mission--Sis. Houseman, pictured above, 2nd from the left.  She is a sweetie pie and will be a wonderful addition.

We have ten departing missionaries on this transfer, and here are eight of them who were meeting at the office to go on their departing temple trip to the Las Vegas temple.  This is such a valiant group of missionaries to leave--eight of them were zone leaders and two of them were assistants!  We will miss them so much!

On Friday afternoon, Adam and Lisa and the kids came!!!  They camped at Zion's on Wed. and Thurs. night and then drove straight to the mission office--it was SO awesome to see them!  We had an office full of missionaries and Pres. and Sis. Black were there, so it was pretty crazy for a while, but oh, so good to see them.

We weren't able to give them the full mission office tour until Saturday because of all that was going on, but we wanted them to see everything that we had been experiencing for the past 10 months--the transfer board, the pod, DI, etc.

We took the grandkids to the Mini-Grand Prix here in Las Vegas and right off they wanted to drive these little cars.  Since Lily was tall enough, she wanted to drive one, and we thought we would die laughing--Jade and Brigham immediately started driving their cars around the course perfectly and Lily straightaway drove hers into the center tires and was stuck.  An employee had to get on the car with her and do the steering.

And afterward they awarded all three of them their official drivers' licenses!  

Then we went to the bigger cars where the adults do the driving.  Here are Glen and Brigham, Lisa and Lily, and Jade and I.  

Then we rode on the big slides with gunny sacks---many many times.

And then pizza and arcade games!  It really was a blast.

Then we went to the Silverton Hotel where they have a live mermaid in a big aquarium.  The kids were able to put their hands on the glass while the mermaid "touched" their hands from the inside of the glass.  It was darling!

We capped the day off with swimming at the pool.  So much fun!

This morning we went to hear Elder Lee speak, which was perfect because the ward met at 9:00 and it was right on the way back to Layton for Adam and Lisa.  (Our ward meets at 1:00.)  While in sacrament meeting, Lily put on my extra nametag and proclaimed, "I'm a missionary!"  It was so cute! 

Thank you Adam and Lisa, Jade, Brigham, Lily and Lincoln for driving all the way here to visit!  It made our week--month--year (!) to be able to see you!  We miss you so much!

The Week of Zone Conferences

We've had a really good week and it's been fun to be at the office and do our work and the other activities for the week.  I mentioned last week that we thought our July transfer would be lighter because of the new mission president coming, but we found out that we have a lot more missionaries coming, so now we are up to 21 new missionaries coming!  Can you believe it?  And now we have 26 new missionaries coming on Monday!  The missionaries are just pouring in and I can barely keep up with all that goes on to prepare for them.  Glen will have to open new apartments until the week before we leave it looks like. This is so unprecendented!   But how exciting!  I think we may be up to 240-250  missionaries before we leave.  And I love them all--we just really have some awesome missionaries and I just love them!

On Monday we had the treat of Dave and Chris Rothschild stopping in to visit us on their way home from the California Long Beach Mission where they served a 6 month mission in the office.  We compared how things were in our missions and there were similarities and differences.  We went out to lunch--yes, I WAS able to leave the mission office--and it was so great to be with them.

I love Tuesdays as I have said many times because we get to see all of the zone leaders.  I love hearing about their meetings and who they are teaching and what's going on in their zones.  I looked up from my desk to see Elder Manning and Glen just chilling in the chairs by his office, and I couldn't resist the picture, although it doesn't capture how darling it was to see them just sitting there.  Elder Manning is a great missionary. 

The mission had three zone conferences this week and each zone conference had four zones attend them.  We knew the Mesquite zone would be coming into the office after the zone conference to get the supplies they need since they are 1 1/2 hours away.  Elder Edwards and Elder Ririe came into the office and had been there for about 20 minutes when I asked where the other missionaries were.  They said, "They're still in the van!  We told them they couldn't come into the office because it would take them too long!"  So I went out to the van to see them and they were being so obedient to just stay in the van!  It was so funny!  But since Elder Edwards still had things to do in the office I had them get out to take a picture and we had fun with them.

On Wednesday night we had girls night out again with the employment center sisters, Sister Black, and Sister Dana.  We had a fun dinner and then played Balderdash--and we were laughing so hard the tears were just streaming down our faces!  It was such a fun fun night--I just love being with them.

We were super excited to get some fabulous almond roca in the mail from Lindsey and Brandon!!  Boy, did it hit the spot!  Thank you Lindsey!

On Thursday we received some new vehicles from Salt Lake for the missionaries to drive, so Elder Dana asked Elder Crapo and  Elder Peacock and Glen to drive a car to the mission office from the dealership in Henderson. Here is  the elders 2013 Chevy Cruz.

And here is MY 2013 Chevy Cruz with ONE MILE on it that I got to drive back to the office! I've never driven a car with only two miles on it before! Can you believe what the elders get to drive?  On the way back, the elders were following me, and as I turned off of  I-15 and onto Craig Road, I could hear sirens, and looked just in time to see a big firetruck about four seconds from me!  I hurriedly went to the side of the road and it barreled past me.  It was so scary!  There was a huge accident about a block from where I got off the freeway and it looked pretty bad.

We had zone conferences this week and Elder Dana asked Glen to help him inspect the missionaries' vehicles.  Elder Dana said that Glen could pick out dents and scratches so easily because he is a dentist and is used to "inspecting teeth carefully."  Here is Sister Hanson and Sister Monson checking the oil in their car.  

Glen also did a presentation on teaching the missionaries some cleaning skills to keep their apartments clean.  He was funny and charming and the missionaries loved it!  He ended his presentation by saying, "Remember--mess equals stress."

Sister Dana asked me if I would do her presentation that she had done at the other two zone conferences on the correct way to do referrals.  I had to learn "the correct way" since I didn't know how to do referrals at all!  

I love love love the part of zone conference which is after lunch and the missionaries all stand and sing "Army of Helaman".  "And we are now the Lord's missionaries to bring the world His truth."  It's amazing to be there and be a part of it!  I am also responsible to make sure that the zone conference luncheon happens--I choose which stake is hosting it, organize it with the Stake Relief Society President, schedule the building, and arrange with the zone leaders what needs to be done.  The Relief Society always tells me that it's their favorite thing to do, which is very gratifying.

It's so awesome to see the love and comradery!

I was asked to play the piano for the zone conference, which meant I played about 30 minutes of prelude and an opening and closing song.  After the closing song and about 10 minutes of postlude I was able to talk to some of the missionaries who were still in the chapel. Here I'm talking to Sis. Mataele to tell her how some of the elders were telling me about what a great sister missionary she is. She was genuinely blown away and kept thanking me for telling her.

At every zone conference, the missionaries who are departing before the next zone conference are asked to give their departing testimony.  Since the next zone conference is in August, Glen and I were among those who gave their departing testimonies.  It seemed so weird, because Glen and I still have two more months, but Elder Dana and Pres. and Sis. Black and several missionaries also gave theirs.  

On Friday night we went out to dinner and then to the temple with our good friends, the Christensens and the Wilhelmsens. We just love them!

On Saturday we went to the baptism of 13-yr old David, who is pictured in the center.  I was with the sister missionaries two or three times when they went to teach him, so it was pretty cool that he was baptized.  A 15 year old girl was also baptized at the same service, and she cried through the whole program because she was so excited to be baptized.  Pictured here are Elder Madore, Elder Barlow, David, Sister Ali'ifua and Sister Dewey.  Everyone there loves these sister missionaries so much!  It was really neat to see.

Sister Dewey and Sister Ali'ifua.  They love being on a mission!  And so do we!

Wendy, Jamie, and Jeanette

This week Glen and I finished our reading of the Book of Mormon again, this time underlining every reference to Deity ("The Father, the Son or any of His titles, and the Holy Ghost), and every time He was said something directly (Thus saith the Lord". . . )  I have read the Book of Mormon before just underlining the references to Jesus Christ, but never all of Deity.  It was a wonderful reading, as we read aloud to each other, and we learned a lot.  Every time I read the Book of Mormon I am more in awe of its teachings and its majesty and its truthfulness.  A couple of weeks ago I shared with Elder Findlay and Elder West the composition of the greatest chiasmus in the Book of Mormon, Alma 36, where the center of the chiasmus is in vs. 17 and 18 with "Jesus Christ, a son of God (vs. 17)  and Jesus, son of God (vs. 18)".  This chiamus is so beautiful and truly represents how the Book of Mormon testifies that Christ should be the center of our lives.  We were talking about it on Tuesday, when the zone leaders come in, and I was amazed at how many of them had never heard of chiasmus.  They all loved it and were marking their copies of the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon really is the greatest evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet, because there is no way he could have written even just Alma 36 on his own.  It's so beautiful!

Transfers are now just two weeks away, and I have been preparing all of their folders and notebooks, as well as preparing the departure folders and travel for the ten missionaries who are leaving.  This will be Glen's busiest time as he now finalizes the homes and apartments that the missionaries will be living in.  It looks like this will be the last transfer in the mission that several new places will have to be opened, as our July transfer looks relatively small at this point (only twelve missionaries so far) since we are getting a new mission president.  Hurray!

Here is our week in a nutshell:

On Monday night it was our Senior FHE at the Blacks.  We had a yummy dinner and then played games and then chatted.  It was such a wonderful evening!

We still eat lunch with the Trumans on most Thursdays and as we were eating lunch one day, we decided to go to the show "Mystere" which was being shown at Treasure Island.  So on Tuesday, we left straight from the office and had dinner and went to the show with the Trumans.  The show was simply amazing, showing both talent and humor, and it was completely clean!  We loved it.

On Wednesday night, we went with Elder Vieira and Elder Mavromatis (from Brazil) to teach Wendy and Jamie.  The week before, Jamie had accepted to be baptized on May 25, and Wendy, the elders, and we were all so excited!  It was a beautiful lesson filled with hope and happiness.  But on this Wednesday, the elders found some challenges to Jamie making the May 25 date, and we left their house with heavy hearts.  We'll see what happens, with prayer, fasting, and faith.  On Friday night we went back to Wendy and Jaime's, not to teach again, but to support Lisa, Wendy's niece and Brenda's oldest daughter, in her graduation from pharmacy tech school.  Nearly all of Jeanette's family was there and it was good to be with them all.  They really wanted to celebrate this graduation!

Jeanette and me.  Jeanette and her family came from Laughlin to attend the graduation.  To keep her family straight, we took these pictures:

Jeanette's oldest is Wendy.  Here are Wendy, Jamie, and Wendy's kids, from left, (the one on the very left is not Wendy's), Mystic, Carly, Christian, and Shylo with her son,Johnny.  

Her next oldest is Max, who couldn't be here.  He and his wife Shadow were married in the Las Vegas temple about 1 1/2 years ago.  The only temple marriage in Jeanette's family.

The next one is Krysta, her granddaughter Emma, and Jeanette.

The next one is Tami (in the center) and her daughter on the left, Chandra,and her boyfriend Oscar, and son Oscar, and her daughter on the right,Andrea, and Tami's son David.

 The youngest is Brenda, who is on the right with her daughter Harley.  Her other three daughters are, from the right, Ashley, Sabrina, Lisa Dawn, (the graduate) and her daughter Deanna.  Brenda pulled me aside and told me how much she appreciates how David and Juliann has reached out to her.  It was tender.  I'm so sad that this picture turned out so blurry!

We will be meeting again tomorrow night with Wendy and Jamie and  Elder Vieira and Elder Mavromatis.  Please pray for us!

Today in the Buffalo ward our dear Bishop Larkin was released after being the bishop or in a bishopric for 25 years.  We have just loved him and his wife Melanie. When  President Parker released him in sacrament meeting, he gave the highest tribute to him, expressing what a great man he is, and also what a great woman Sis. Larkin is.  He said that Sis. Larkin made a double sacrifice because she not only was alone during all those years, but she continued to serve with all of her heart in her callings, which were many.  It was an incredible meeting as the members of the released bishopric and Melanie bore their testimonies, and the new bishopric and the new bishop's wife bore their testimonies.  The new bishop is West Allen, and Dave Robison (our good friend) and Gary Chambers are the new counselors.  We will really miss Bishop Larkin and his counselors, Eric Johnson and Bert Lott.