Saturday, January 26, 2013
It's Us!!!
Well, we can forget the "regular" blogging, obviously. It's not going to happen! It looks like my last one was in September. Would you believe that we are busy??? We actually really are. We continue to enjoy this mission as we approach our 8-months-out mark. The time is flying by!
In our mission we are seeing the flood of new younger missionaries. Where we usually receive 8 - 10 new missionaries at transfer time, in February we are receiving 23!!!!! Sister Shumway, the missionary over housing, is going crazy now trying to find 10 new apartments and purchase the furnishings and move into these apartments over the next couple of weeks. Also, we have been told from Salt Lake to not expect any more cars until at least May. That poses a real problem in Wisconsin during this time of the year. With our winters, bikes and walking aren't too good of options and there aren't many areas that have public transportation. All in all though, it is a very exciting time to be serving a mission in the office. I really NEVER go home at night with all of my work caught up.
Christmas was very no-stress this past year. We missed our family dearly but it was nice to not do the shopping thing......making a list and checking it not twice in my case, but usually about 50 times! Elder Smart and I went to our son Jeff's to spend a few days at Christmas time. We had a fun experience on Christmas morning with our darling 4-year-old grandson, Michael. It was about 6:30 a.m. and Mikey was opening his presents when he looked at us and stated "Grandma and Grandpa, you don't have your missionary name tags on!" Good grief........we were in our jammies! Well, we went and got our tags on because we wanted to be obedient missionaries!!
Another funny incident was a week ago when Elder Smart went to the doctor. He had removed his suit coat with his nametag on when the doctor came in the room but I still had my nametag showing. The doctor came in the room, said "hi" to Wayne and then looked at me and said, "Hi Sister, you must be a nun!" I guess we do things differently in our church, we nuns can be married!
When we were coming out here and knew we'd be office staff missionaries, I told my daughter Kelly, who had graduated from Utah State University in something to do with computers, that she really needed to move out with me. She said, "mom, just ask the missionaries for help". Well, I can't count the times that I've done just that. Something kind of interesting, our new Assistant to the President (they come into the office every day) is Elder Bradley Johnson, our friend Betty Jean Mumford's nephew. Our missionaries are the best, and we simply LOVE serving with them.
The weather here has not been too bad regarding snowfall, but then there is the COLD!!! I thought I knew what cold was, being from Idaho. I didn't! This is humid cold and it is just......HORRIBLY COLD! However, the way time is flying spring should be here soon!!!
I'm going to try to post a couple of photos. One is of E & S Smart (us) in front of the Mission Home Christmas tree which we cut and pasted and added information on about 200 cards of our 2012 mission baptisms. The other is me with a Wisconsin cheesehead......pretty dorky, huh? Take care.......I hope to blog again a little sooner next time.
In our mission we are seeing the flood of new younger missionaries. Where we usually receive 8 - 10 new missionaries at transfer time, in February we are receiving 23!!!!! Sister Shumway, the missionary over housing, is going crazy now trying to find 10 new apartments and purchase the furnishings and move into these apartments over the next couple of weeks. Also, we have been told from Salt Lake to not expect any more cars until at least May. That poses a real problem in Wisconsin during this time of the year. With our winters, bikes and walking aren't too good of options and there aren't many areas that have public transportation. All in all though, it is a very exciting time to be serving a mission in the office. I really NEVER go home at night with all of my work caught up.
Christmas was very no-stress this past year. We missed our family dearly but it was nice to not do the shopping thing......making a list and checking it not twice in my case, but usually about 50 times! Elder Smart and I went to our son Jeff's to spend a few days at Christmas time. We had a fun experience on Christmas morning with our darling 4-year-old grandson, Michael. It was about 6:30 a.m. and Mikey was opening his presents when he looked at us and stated "Grandma and Grandpa, you don't have your missionary name tags on!" Good grief........we were in our jammies! Well, we went and got our tags on because we wanted to be obedient missionaries!!
Another funny incident was a week ago when Elder Smart went to the doctor. He had removed his suit coat with his nametag on when the doctor came in the room but I still had my nametag showing. The doctor came in the room, said "hi" to Wayne and then looked at me and said, "Hi Sister, you must be a nun!" I guess we do things differently in our church, we nuns can be married!
When we were coming out here and knew we'd be office staff missionaries, I told my daughter Kelly, who had graduated from Utah State University in something to do with computers, that she really needed to move out with me. She said, "mom, just ask the missionaries for help". Well, I can't count the times that I've done just that. Something kind of interesting, our new Assistant to the President (they come into the office every day) is Elder Bradley Johnson, our friend Betty Jean Mumford's nephew. Our missionaries are the best, and we simply LOVE serving with them.
The weather here has not been too bad regarding snowfall, but then there is the COLD!!! I thought I knew what cold was, being from Idaho. I didn't! This is humid cold and it is just......HORRIBLY COLD! However, the way time is flying spring should be here soon!!!
I'm going to try to post a couple of photos. One is of E & S Smart (us) in front of the Mission Home Christmas tree which we cut and pasted and added information on about 200 cards of our 2012 mission baptisms. The other is me with a Wisconsin cheesehead......pretty dorky, huh? Take care.......I hope to blog again a little sooner next time.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Life in Greendale, Wisconsin
We are serving in the WIsconsin Milwaukee Mission but we actually live in Greendale, a Milwaukee suburb. Greendale is beautiful - I've never seen so many trees! Every place we go we drive by trees, many forested areas, too.
Greendale seems to be a very safe place to live. Where Milwaukee seems to have nightly shootings and stabbings, many Greendale residents walk outside after dark and don't seem concerned. Our apartment is one of those where a key is needed to enter the building so we feel very secure here. We have great neighbors. They are either Indian or Muslim - the mother wears a wrap around her head. Wish our church could adopt that (?) then I wouldn't have to cut or color my hair!!! Our neighbor across the hall has brought us dinner 3 times. We try to reciprocate and return her pans with cookies or banana bread in them. They have 3 young children who we love to watch play outside of our window. The little girl, about 8 years old, took me to her bedroom to show me the doll house her mom made from cardboard. Her mom apologized once for her noisy children. She said she told them they needed to be quiet because "a grandma and grandpa live there." I told her we had 18 grandchildren at home and we missed their noise and that her kids didn't bother us at all. We love talking with them and plan to spoil them at Halloween (they are the only kids that will probably trick-or-treat in our building.)
Our apartment is VERY small - 650 square feet - 1/3 the size of our house in Clifton. 1 bedroom, 1 small bathroom, a living room, eating area, and very small kitchen where only one of us can be in at a time. Some of our missionaries live, on the other hand, in apartments with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, balconies overlooking rivers, etc. And they rent for $550 a month where ours rents for $850. The beauties of living in the smaller areas, I guess.
Well, life is passing quickly and this blog is about 1 week late. Sorry........we continue to love this mission!
Greendale seems to be a very safe place to live. Where Milwaukee seems to have nightly shootings and stabbings, many Greendale residents walk outside after dark and don't seem concerned. Our apartment is one of those where a key is needed to enter the building so we feel very secure here. We have great neighbors. They are either Indian or Muslim - the mother wears a wrap around her head. Wish our church could adopt that (?) then I wouldn't have to cut or color my hair!!! Our neighbor across the hall has brought us dinner 3 times. We try to reciprocate and return her pans with cookies or banana bread in them. They have 3 young children who we love to watch play outside of our window. The little girl, about 8 years old, took me to her bedroom to show me the doll house her mom made from cardboard. Her mom apologized once for her noisy children. She said she told them they needed to be quiet because "a grandma and grandpa live there." I told her we had 18 grandchildren at home and we missed their noise and that her kids didn't bother us at all. We love talking with them and plan to spoil them at Halloween (they are the only kids that will probably trick-or-treat in our building.)
Our apartment is VERY small - 650 square feet - 1/3 the size of our house in Clifton. 1 bedroom, 1 small bathroom, a living room, eating area, and very small kitchen where only one of us can be in at a time. Some of our missionaries live, on the other hand, in apartments with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, balconies overlooking rivers, etc. And they rent for $550 a month where ours rents for $850. The beauties of living in the smaller areas, I guess.
Well, life is passing quickly and this blog is about 1 week late. Sorry........we continue to love this mission!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
About Life in our Office
Our work day begins at 8:30 a.m. Monday to Friday after we make a 7 minute drive to the office from our apartment. After turning the phone off of "night" which enables it to ring (forgot that little step once and boy was it peaceful in the office!) we and our other office couple, Elder and Sister Shumway (from Las Vegas) gather for our morning devotional. We listen to a beautiful hymn or song from the Tabernacle Choir, or occasionally children singing from The Children's Songbook, then we have a prayer to begin our day. After prayer we recite the mission scripture of the month - hopefully from memory - then we recite, also from memory sort of, Our Missionary Purpose and The Standard of Truth. After that we study in "Preach My Gospel" for anywhere from 30 - 45 minutes. We are learning quite a lot!
After devotional we each head to our various desks, boot up our computers, and begin our work day. I check emails frequently for important notes from our Mission President, new Missionary Recommendations, travel plans for incoming and outgoing missionaries, and baptism photos and paragraphs sent in from our missionaries about recent converts. I use those in "The Liahona" which is our monthly mission newsletter which I am in charge of. This past one I just finished for September was 10 pages long!!! It is emailed to the Missionaries, Stake Presidents, and Bishops and Branch Presidents in our mission. Part of it is photocopied and mailed to the Missionaries.
I have on my desk a large binder that is titled "Secretary Bible" and that it truly is. It is full of checklists to be done for Incoming and Outgoing Missionaries. I write TONS of letters to Missionaries, parents, Bishops, Stake Presidents. I can now easily operate a very fancy scanner and, what's more important, find the document on the computer!!! I am also trained on our postage thingy which will enable me to get a job in the Post Office upon my return home. I can figure out the postage for ANYTHING to be sent ANYWHERE!
Elder Smart, also, spends his day at his computer paying bills, paying utilities, funding the missionaries, calling missionaries who phone or text too much on their cell phones and showing "sympathy" to those Elders (not Sisters!) who find themselves with 14 cents in their account with 2 weeks to go until they are funded again. Lately he has been earning money by getting utility companies to refund back sales tax which we should't have had to pay. He has mastered the computer very well. He occasionally has spare time so I have managed to put him to work.
Our day at work is supposed to end at 5:30 p.m. but it is usually at least 6:00 when we leave the office. We are working very hard but actually enjoying it. It is so good to feel needed and useful at our age! We highly recommend this as a way for our senior friends and family to spend 18 months of their retirement.
After devotional we each head to our various desks, boot up our computers, and begin our work day. I check emails frequently for important notes from our Mission President, new Missionary Recommendations, travel plans for incoming and outgoing missionaries, and baptism photos and paragraphs sent in from our missionaries about recent converts. I use those in "The Liahona" which is our monthly mission newsletter which I am in charge of. This past one I just finished for September was 10 pages long!!! It is emailed to the Missionaries, Stake Presidents, and Bishops and Branch Presidents in our mission. Part of it is photocopied and mailed to the Missionaries.
I have on my desk a large binder that is titled "Secretary Bible" and that it truly is. It is full of checklists to be done for Incoming and Outgoing Missionaries. I write TONS of letters to Missionaries, parents, Bishops, Stake Presidents. I can now easily operate a very fancy scanner and, what's more important, find the document on the computer!!! I am also trained on our postage thingy which will enable me to get a job in the Post Office upon my return home. I can figure out the postage for ANYTHING to be sent ANYWHERE!
Elder Smart, also, spends his day at his computer paying bills, paying utilities, funding the missionaries, calling missionaries who phone or text too much on their cell phones and showing "sympathy" to those Elders (not Sisters!) who find themselves with 14 cents in their account with 2 weeks to go until they are funded again. Lately he has been earning money by getting utility companies to refund back sales tax which we should't have had to pay. He has mastered the computer very well. He occasionally has spare time so I have managed to put him to work.
Our day at work is supposed to end at 5:30 p.m. but it is usually at least 6:00 when we leave the office. We are working very hard but actually enjoying it. It is so good to feel needed and useful at our age! We highly recommend this as a way for our senior friends and family to spend 18 months of their retirement.
Monday, August 13, 2012
More Senior Moments!
One of my responsibilities in the mission office is to answer the telephone. Now, you see, 90% (at least) of the time the phone is for Finance (Elder Smart) Housing (Sister Shumway) or the Car Czar (Elder Shumway). Still it is my job...........go figure.
I have been known to forget who I am and where I am when I answer the phone. I am simply supposed to say "Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission, this is Sister Smart". Well, I have had several senior moments when I pick up the blasted phone and promptly forget where I am and who I am so I totally mess up the greeting. Most every time this happens it is the Mission President calling. I told him that I try to look at the large sign on the open door which says "Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission" and then if I also space out who I am I have that cute black nametag to remind me. Well, the other day he called (of course) and I botched up my greeting. He laughed and said "What's the matter, is the door closed?" Well, actually, it was. I'll be lucky if I'm not banned to the Upper Peninsula. I hear it is lonely and cold up there.
Greendale Wisconsin is so beautiful and I didn't think it was possible for that many trees to be in one place. I am anxious to see these trees in the fall!
We are loving this mission, inspite of the many goofs we make each day. I managed to both lose and gain a missionary in the same day today. Apparently on August 1st, which was right in the middle of the hectic transfer week, we received an email saying that one of our missionaries coming in September wasn't coming after all. Neither I nor my trainer remember receiving that. Then today I received a medical card for an Elder I had never heard of. He, too, is coming in September. Now I KNOW that we didn't receive notice of him. Even finance in Salt Lake had no record of him. Many more days like today and my brain will totally be fried!!!
Also, this week and next are Liahona producing weeks.......................HELP SOMEONE!!!
I have been known to forget who I am and where I am when I answer the phone. I am simply supposed to say "Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission, this is Sister Smart". Well, I have had several senior moments when I pick up the blasted phone and promptly forget where I am and who I am so I totally mess up the greeting. Most every time this happens it is the Mission President calling. I told him that I try to look at the large sign on the open door which says "Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission" and then if I also space out who I am I have that cute black nametag to remind me. Well, the other day he called (of course) and I botched up my greeting. He laughed and said "What's the matter, is the door closed?" Well, actually, it was. I'll be lucky if I'm not banned to the Upper Peninsula. I hear it is lonely and cold up there.
Greendale Wisconsin is so beautiful and I didn't think it was possible for that many trees to be in one place. I am anxious to see these trees in the fall!
We are loving this mission, inspite of the many goofs we make each day. I managed to both lose and gain a missionary in the same day today. Apparently on August 1st, which was right in the middle of the hectic transfer week, we received an email saying that one of our missionaries coming in September wasn't coming after all. Neither I nor my trainer remember receiving that. Then today I received a medical card for an Elder I had never heard of. He, too, is coming in September. Now I KNOW that we didn't receive notice of him. Even finance in Salt Lake had no record of him. Many more days like today and my brain will totally be fried!!!
Also, this week and next are Liahona producing weeks.......................HELP SOMEONE!!!
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Senior Moments in the Mission Field
This past week has been a real doozy for me. (Sister Smart) It has been the "creating of the mission newsletter, The Liahona" week. In case any of you are familiar with the Preston Citizen Rural Route article for Clifton that I used to write - that was ENTIRELY in a different city, county, state, and country than this Liahona is. To begin with, this was a 10 page newsletter this time. This goes out on e-mail to all of the missionaries in our mission, Stake Presidents, Bishops, Branch Presidents and anyone else that has any remote thing to do with our mission. We print off the front page with the Mission President and his wife's articles, the monthly calendar, the monthly scripture, and the Mission President's wifes "stuff" which can be health tips, cleaning tips, and this months plea to dress appropriately and cut your hair, and mail it to the missionaries. Thank goodness we don't mail the entire thing as several trees would have to give their all for us.
I put baptism photos, Zone Conference photos, photos of the incoming missionaries and photos and departing paragraphs from the outgoing. This precious little epistle took me well over 2 full days to produce......I felt like I had given birth!!! It turned out really good, I hope, and my sweet Elder husband was heard to say "Only 16 more!!!" (he was almost dead meat!)
Then I had a HUGE senior moment (blame it on the Liahona!) You see, as Mission Secretary I always answer the phone even though 90+% of the time I transfer the call to another desk. Anyway, around 1:30 on Wednesday afternoon I thought to myself, "Wow, it has been a really peaceful day on the phone today." OOPS!! I forgot to take the phone off of "night" when I got to the office that morning so the answering machine message told anyone if they really needed something or needed to talk to the Mission President to call Sister Smart at ---------- (my cell phone #) I was wondering why some of the missionaries were calling me on my cell phone...............how did they get the number??? Many more goofs like that and I'll be sent to the Upper Peninsula close to the North Pole!
Anyway, things are going good. Elder Smart is figuring out ways to save the mission $$$. He discovered that the mission shouldn't pay taxes on utility bills since we are a religious entity so he has been making tons of phone calls and already figures we will pay about $200 less a month on utility bills. (He won't be sent to the North Pole!) He is doing amazingly well on the computer! We are officially trained, and I don't mean potty trained, and on our own now. HELP!!!
We are loving it here. Milwaukee has even gotten a little rain lately so the lawns are looking alive again. We'd love to hear from everyone. Our email is wsmart5218@gmail.com. Everyone take care and I'll blog in 2 weeks if I live through transfer week! (that is this week.............)
I put baptism photos, Zone Conference photos, photos of the incoming missionaries and photos and departing paragraphs from the outgoing. This precious little epistle took me well over 2 full days to produce......I felt like I had given birth!!! It turned out really good, I hope, and my sweet Elder husband was heard to say "Only 16 more!!!" (he was almost dead meat!)
Then I had a HUGE senior moment (blame it on the Liahona!) You see, as Mission Secretary I always answer the phone even though 90+% of the time I transfer the call to another desk. Anyway, around 1:30 on Wednesday afternoon I thought to myself, "Wow, it has been a really peaceful day on the phone today." OOPS!! I forgot to take the phone off of "night" when I got to the office that morning so the answering machine message told anyone if they really needed something or needed to talk to the Mission President to call Sister Smart at ---------- (my cell phone #) I was wondering why some of the missionaries were calling me on my cell phone...............how did they get the number??? Many more goofs like that and I'll be sent to the Upper Peninsula close to the North Pole!
Anyway, things are going good. Elder Smart is figuring out ways to save the mission $$$. He discovered that the mission shouldn't pay taxes on utility bills since we are a religious entity so he has been making tons of phone calls and already figures we will pay about $200 less a month on utility bills. (He won't be sent to the North Pole!) He is doing amazingly well on the computer! We are officially trained, and I don't mean potty trained, and on our own now. HELP!!!
We are loving it here. Milwaukee has even gotten a little rain lately so the lawns are looking alive again. We'd love to hear from everyone. Our email is wsmart5218@gmail.com. Everyone take care and I'll blog in 2 weeks if I live through transfer week! (that is this week.............)
Saturday, July 14, 2012
WE ARE FINALLY TRAINED!!!
We have had a good couple of weeks in our office specialist positions. Things are finally coming and we are able to do most things without any assistance. Thank goodness because our trainer is leaving this week to spend her last 6 weeks in the field with the younger sister missionaries. There has been a real lot to learn and I had many doubts at first, but I think the Lord has helped us greatly. We aren't young, you know! I'm sure many brain cells have taken a permanent leave of absense from our heads.
We love working in the office. Our Assistants to the President are in most every day.....they are so awesome. I only wish my oldest granddaughters were about 3 years older. Several of the local missionaries also come into the office almost daily to see if they have any mail (note to anyone reading this, write to your missionaries REGULARLY because they live for their mail!) We also have a community table in the office where we office workers put goodies, and healthy items such as carrots and celery, for anyone to devour. Last Saturday Jeff, Nicole, and Michael came to visit (a real blessing for we senior missionaries!) and we went to the Jelly Belly factory down by Kenosha. We brought home 5 huge bags of "Belly Flops" which are the jelly beans that are weird sizes and can't be sold in the stores. So on Monday we took in a bag of "flops" and we just took in a second bag on Friday. At this rate they won't last too long and we'll have to take another trip. (Wayne will be thrilled!)
Wisconsin is in a real drought, at least the Milwaukee area. This place that usually gets 1" of rain per week hasn't had ANY for a month. People are actually starting to purchase sprinklers for their lawns, but the water is so very expensive. One of the beauties of apartment living; we don't have to worry about watering.
We love this mission - it is already going by quickly. It is hard being away from family, and mountains, but it is the best decision we have made in a long time. I have decided, however, that I probably NEVER will learn my directions while I am here. More times than not I am convinced Wayne has turned the wrong way to go somewhere...and he hasn't!
Enjoy life, be happy, please pray for the missionaries, and I'll write in a couple of weeks!!!
We love working in the office. Our Assistants to the President are in most every day.....they are so awesome. I only wish my oldest granddaughters were about 3 years older. Several of the local missionaries also come into the office almost daily to see if they have any mail (note to anyone reading this, write to your missionaries REGULARLY because they live for their mail!) We also have a community table in the office where we office workers put goodies, and healthy items such as carrots and celery, for anyone to devour. Last Saturday Jeff, Nicole, and Michael came to visit (a real blessing for we senior missionaries!) and we went to the Jelly Belly factory down by Kenosha. We brought home 5 huge bags of "Belly Flops" which are the jelly beans that are weird sizes and can't be sold in the stores. So on Monday we took in a bag of "flops" and we just took in a second bag on Friday. At this rate they won't last too long and we'll have to take another trip. (Wayne will be thrilled!)
Wisconsin is in a real drought, at least the Milwaukee area. This place that usually gets 1" of rain per week hasn't had ANY for a month. People are actually starting to purchase sprinklers for their lawns, but the water is so very expensive. One of the beauties of apartment living; we don't have to worry about watering.
We love this mission - it is already going by quickly. It is hard being away from family, and mountains, but it is the best decision we have made in a long time. I have decided, however, that I probably NEVER will learn my directions while I am here. More times than not I am convinced Wayne has turned the wrong way to go somewhere...and he hasn't!
Enjoy life, be happy, please pray for the missionaries, and I'll write in a couple of weeks!!!
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