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!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
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!!!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Past week of June 24th to June 30th
Another very busy week - I've honestly not worked this hard in 40 years!!!
Office training is going well - however, we truly feel brainfried by the end of the day. There is so much more involved in this "Office Specialist" position than I ever imagined. We hope to be fully trained in another couple of weeks. Then the fun (?) will really begin. Elder Smart has caught on to the workings of a computer amazingly well.....quite a bit of divine help, I think. As for Sister Smart, I managed to put out a 9 page newsletter this week. I did most of the first 5 pages with some help and my trainer finished it off on Saturday. She likes to go into the office on our P-Day which is Saturday. I will probably learn to do that, also.
Senior Training was on Thursday. Probably my biggest surprise of this mission is the fact that every time we turn around at these "meetings" they have us role play teaching the gospel. Well, the biggest reason I requested an office position is that I am really not comfortable opening my mouth and teaching investigators. My Elder doesn't mind it, but I will learn - probably no choice in that matter - and I really look forward to becoming a better teacher. After all, we have the greatest message in the world and I need to SHARE IT!!!
We found out this week that the Lord truly protects his missionaries. In driving to Oshkosh for senior training my Elder discovered the craziness of roundabouts - 4 of them right next to each other - to be exact. He flew through those things, illegally I am sure - and we had two near misses. We really should be in the hospital right now. He won't want to go to Oshkosh willingly anymore!
Life is good in the Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission - we love where we are living, the people are friendly (the neighbor across the hall from us brought us dinner Saturday night after apologizing for her noisy children - I told her we had 18 grandkids and missed their noise so it wasn't bothering us) So happy to be finally serving. Prayers are always appreciated that our minds can hang in there through this training!
Love Sister Smart (a.k.a. Carolyn)
(Photo is of us and President and Sister Jones, our wonderful Mission President and his wife)
Office training is going well - however, we truly feel brainfried by the end of the day. There is so much more involved in this "Office Specialist" position than I ever imagined. We hope to be fully trained in another couple of weeks. Then the fun (?) will really begin. Elder Smart has caught on to the workings of a computer amazingly well.....quite a bit of divine help, I think. As for Sister Smart, I managed to put out a 9 page newsletter this week. I did most of the first 5 pages with some help and my trainer finished it off on Saturday. She likes to go into the office on our P-Day which is Saturday. I will probably learn to do that, also.
Senior Training was on Thursday. Probably my biggest surprise of this mission is the fact that every time we turn around at these "meetings" they have us role play teaching the gospel. Well, the biggest reason I requested an office position is that I am really not comfortable opening my mouth and teaching investigators. My Elder doesn't mind it, but I will learn - probably no choice in that matter - and I really look forward to becoming a better teacher. After all, we have the greatest message in the world and I need to SHARE IT!!!
We found out this week that the Lord truly protects his missionaries. In driving to Oshkosh for senior training my Elder discovered the craziness of roundabouts - 4 of them right next to each other - to be exact. He flew through those things, illegally I am sure - and we had two near misses. We really should be in the hospital right now. He won't want to go to Oshkosh willingly anymore!
Life is good in the Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission - we love where we are living, the people are friendly (the neighbor across the hall from us brought us dinner Saturday night after apologizing for her noisy children - I told her we had 18 grandkids and missed their noise so it wasn't bothering us) So happy to be finally serving. Prayers are always appreciated that our minds can hang in there through this training!
(Photo is of us and President and Sister Jones, our wonderful Mission President and his wife)
Saturday, June 23, 2012
We are finally here in Milwaukee, well actually Greendale, Wisconsin. Life is so busy but I told myself I had to devote part of our "P-DAY" to updating this blog.
We entered the MTC on Monday May 28th and had 9 LONG but good days of training in "Preach My Gospel" and then on computers for our office specialists position. We felt like we had brain overload each day, and it seemed all we did was eat and sit in class, and now that we are here we REALLY have fried brains but we are gradually getting on to the things expected of us. We work in the office 5 days a week from 8:30 in the morning (7:30 one day) until supposedly 5:30 in the afternoon but it is usually more like 6:00 before we leave.
The best thing about the office is the chance we have to interact daily with many of our missionaries. These are the neatest young people - I LOVE THIS PART OF OUR MISSION!!! They are such strong Elders and Sisters with awesome testimonies. Greendale is beautiful - lots of trees, grass, parks, lakes. We feel really safe here. We will get up the nerve sometime to venture into Milwaukee and go and visit Lake Michigan that everyone talks about. We've had two missionary companionships lose their cell phone to the lake these past couple of weeks. I've got no idea how that happened! I thought they were supposed to stay out of the water!!
Life is good out here and, best of all, we are so pleased to finally be serving the Lord here in Wisconsin. The more we can help out here in the office means the younger elders and sisters have more time to preach the gospel. Senior Missionary is a name I am proud to be called. I love wearing the "black name tag". It was hard to leave family, but I really know that we are where we are supposed to be right now.
Now that we are getting settled, I hope to blog weekly (on Saturday) so check back!!! Love, Sister Smart
PS - We are quickly learning what high humidity really is.....I never did like a sauna!!!
We entered the MTC on Monday May 28th and had 9 LONG but good days of training in "Preach My Gospel" and then on computers for our office specialists position. We felt like we had brain overload each day, and it seemed all we did was eat and sit in class, and now that we are here we REALLY have fried brains but we are gradually getting on to the things expected of us. We work in the office 5 days a week from 8:30 in the morning (7:30 one day) until supposedly 5:30 in the afternoon but it is usually more like 6:00 before we leave.
The best thing about the office is the chance we have to interact daily with many of our missionaries. These are the neatest young people - I LOVE THIS PART OF OUR MISSION!!! They are such strong Elders and Sisters with awesome testimonies. Greendale is beautiful - lots of trees, grass, parks, lakes. We feel really safe here. We will get up the nerve sometime to venture into Milwaukee and go and visit Lake Michigan that everyone talks about. We've had two missionary companionships lose their cell phone to the lake these past couple of weeks. I've got no idea how that happened! I thought they were supposed to stay out of the water!!
Life is good out here and, best of all, we are so pleased to finally be serving the Lord here in Wisconsin. The more we can help out here in the office means the younger elders and sisters have more time to preach the gospel. Senior Missionary is a name I am proud to be called. I love wearing the "black name tag". It was hard to leave family, but I really know that we are where we are supposed to be right now.
Now that we are getting settled, I hope to blog weekly (on Saturday) so check back!!! Love, Sister Smart
PS - We are quickly learning what high humidity really is.....I never did like a sauna!!!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
"The Call" and the crazy next week
I actually figured on posting much sooner than this - I'll explain later on.
We did receive our mission call in the mail on Thursday March 15th. It burned a hole in the table at our house all day long until the family finally gathered that evening for the unveiling. The first miracle happened when we finally got Jeff and Nicole on Skype using a laptop computer that has since died! Our call is to the WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE MISSION to be office specialists and work with the branches at the disgression of our mission president, President Jones. We are very excited and, I must admit, not really surprised, as we requested this mission and we were requested by them, also. You see, we love Wisconsin - it is our home away from home having been there 7 times in the past 6 years. They had openings for the very things we wanted to do, such as office work and working with leadership in branches. We REALLY wanted to stay in the states, speak English, and drive our own car. Also, it doesn't hurt to say that Jeff, Nicole, and Michael live 4 HOURS AWAY!!! We enter the MTC on May 28th, which is much later than we had anticipated but, as things turned out, it is a good thing! WE ARE EXCITED!!!
Two days later Wayne ended up getting sick. Come to find out he had a ruptured appendix (with no real normal symptoms) so he had emergency surgery on Monday, spent 5 days in the hospital, and was released and sent home with 5 days worth of antibiotics to take. He is doing very well, and we were extremely blessed that the rupture was "contained". We are already getting blessings from this mission call and we aren't even set apart yet.
We now have 7 1/2 weeks until we are out of here - lots to do before then - CAN'T WAIT!!!
We did receive our mission call in the mail on Thursday March 15th. It burned a hole in the table at our house all day long until the family finally gathered that evening for the unveiling. The first miracle happened when we finally got Jeff and Nicole on Skype using a laptop computer that has since died! Our call is to the WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE MISSION to be office specialists and work with the branches at the disgression of our mission president, President Jones. We are very excited and, I must admit, not really surprised, as we requested this mission and we were requested by them, also. You see, we love Wisconsin - it is our home away from home having been there 7 times in the past 6 years. They had openings for the very things we wanted to do, such as office work and working with leadership in branches. We REALLY wanted to stay in the states, speak English, and drive our own car. Also, it doesn't hurt to say that Jeff, Nicole, and Michael live 4 HOURS AWAY!!! We enter the MTC on May 28th, which is much later than we had anticipated but, as things turned out, it is a good thing! WE ARE EXCITED!!!
Two days later Wayne ended up getting sick. Come to find out he had a ruptured appendix (with no real normal symptoms) so he had emergency surgery on Monday, spent 5 days in the hospital, and was released and sent home with 5 days worth of antibiotics to take. He is doing very well, and we were extremely blessed that the rupture was "contained". We are already getting blessings from this mission call and we aren't even set apart yet.
We now have 7 1/2 weeks until we are out of here - lots to do before then - CAN'T WAIT!!!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Our Mission Call "has been issued"
WOW! I can't believe how fast things are progressing for us. We received a call from our (shouldn't say this, but DARLING, Stake President) this morning and he said that our call "had been issued" and we should expect it Thursday or Friday. I said "already???" It has only been 2 weeks since our papers were submitted and it usually takes 5 - 6 weeks for senior couples to receive their call. President Keller stated that he had never seen a senior couples call come this quickly. I don't know what to make of that....I'm quite nervous. Maybe we won't have too long to pack............that is okay by me. I'm really ready to go!!! It seemed like we would never get everything taken care of so we could go and now we could be out of here soon! It's a given I won't sleep much for the next three nights.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
GETTING ANXIOUS FOR THE CALL!!
Two weeks and counting since we hit "submit". ??? weeks to go until we get our call. We are doing some shopping for things we know we will need regardless of where we go. Wayne got a new suit, two ties, and some new shoes at The Kater Shop in Logan yesterday. I got some new stuff a couple of weeks ago. To me, that is going to be one of the hardest things to do - buying new clothes. I know that sounds crazy but clothes shopping is not very high on my list of desirable things to do!
We are doing things at home to get ready to leave, also;(1) financial things such as getting all of our bills to arrive "paperless" on our computer, and (2) cleaning out freezers from lots of old stuff. Wayne is daily feeding Kelly's dog, Dakota, out of our freezers. Needless to say, that hound loves his grandpa!
Yes, we are getting excited (AND NERVOUS!) and we are getting ready to get this "show on the road!"
We are doing things at home to get ready to leave, also;(1) financial things such as getting all of our bills to arrive "paperless" on our computer, and (2) cleaning out freezers from lots of old stuff. Wayne is daily feeding Kelly's dog, Dakota, out of our freezers. Needless to say, that hound loves his grandpa!
Yes, we are getting excited (AND NERVOUS!) and we are getting ready to get this "show on the road!"
Monday, March 5, 2012
FINALLY SUBMITTED OUR PAPERS!
Serving an LDS mission has been in our plans for many years. Now that we have no kids at home, and no cows either, it is time to get out of here.
We hit "submit" on our computer on Friday February 24th, thanks to our daughter Kelly's expert computer help. Carolyn got very emotional.....I really didn't think this would ever happen! We had our interview with Bishop Cook on Sunday February 26th at 2:30 and then our interview with our Stake President, President Keller, Sunday evening at 7:00. The rest is history. We are now in the "waiting" process for the call to arrive. Carolyn doesn't have a lot of patience for this type of thing so it could be a very L-O-N-G few weeks! We are excited to get on our way!!!
Photos: Hitting "Submit" on the computer, and "WE DID IT!"
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