Oh, how the time is flying by! I mean it. It is going quickly, but only because we are so busy and don't really have time to think about it. Has it really be three weeks since I was last here? Amazing. Partly because I haven't had time to do anything because I am rather tired at the end of the day. Tired and kind of mentally exhausted. You know how your heart just winds itself around some people---well, that is how it is with these missionaries. There are a lot that you would just like to put in your suitcase to take home.

This pic is taken from the car. I was waiting at the light just coming out of the grocery store as the sun was going down. I just whipped my camera out and got this pic. I really love clouds and the clouds out here are very different that in the West. Must be because of no mountains? I don't really know. But with the sun on it, it looks lovely. Fun part was that I looked at the weather report that night and they showed this pic. You would have thought it was my pic. Someone else beat me to it!

This is Sister Sasaki. She is a sweetie. She is from Hawaii and a convert at age 14. She has a beautiful voice. Makes your Dad cry every time he hears her sing. We love her.

Here is Elder Wilder with Dad and I on transfer day. He arrived the day before and was assigned to Olathe. We knew he was coming and were so excited to see him at the mission home last night. I actually gave him a hug! Kind of hard not to hug a kid you have known since he was a toddler!

This is a pic of Elder LeSuma and Elder Childs. LeSuma is an outstanding missionary and Elder Childs now has the distinction of being the tallest missionary in our mission. He is 6'9" up there!

LeSuma and Clayton and Allred and a few others are way up in the 6's, so he doesn't look quite so big unless you are standing next to him. Puts a crink in my neck to look up at him! He is from SLC. Went to Skyline and lives somewhere East of us. Already has shown what a wonderful missionary is.

This is Elder Childs with the Van Komen's. Yes, he looks quite tall here.

This is Elder Wilde and Elder Wilder. The missionaries are always putting their names together and hoping to be companions. Elder Wilder was with Elder Childs in the MTC, so they were known as Wild Child! We have Sisters Power and Love who were companions. The Power of Love.

All missionaries were out in their areas on the 22nd and you just hope and hope some more that all will be OK with the new companions. But it is never all OK. There are usually emergency transfers, ET's. On Monday, the 26th, Sister Lee received a call from Kathy Wilder. She told me she was not sounding very happy. So I went outside and called her. She told me that Brian, Elder Wilder, has emailed her and the President and said he wanted to come home. I talked to her and she told me a little about what was going on and we should have recognized a red flag right off. Elder Wilder had lost 12 pounds while he was in the MTC and he did not like the food. Well, that is so unusual, because there is such a variety of food and you can eat all you want. Most of us gain weight at the MTC! So something was not right. All forces possible were marshalled to see what we could do to help out in this situation. Monday night he had a Priesthood blessing. He came in on Tuesday to see the nurse and see if there was something medically that was wrong and how could we help. He was also not sleeping at night. I had a good talk with him and he wanted to serve his mission, but he could not eat or sleep. The AP's went to his place in the evening and gave him another blessing and had a good talkwith him. He got a mild medication to help him sleep and did sleep slightly longer that night. On Wednesday, they came to see a counselor and afterward Dad and I took he and his companion to lunch. He then went back to his apartment. A couple of hours later the AP's came to my desk and said that he was going home on Thursday. Salt Lake had said to get him home. He had lost almost 20 pounds in 3 1/2 weeks. That is not good. So he was honorably released for medical reasons. At this time none of us know what is wrong but our prayers are with he and his family. Dad and I were at Zone Conference in Topeka on the 29th and so we left there and got to Olathe and then took Elder Wilder to the airport. It was hard. But one thing we have learned here is that we get our hearts broken quite regularly. But everyone will mend and the work goes on.

This is Elder Lamprecht. He is another one that is easy to love and wraps himself around your heart. He called us about 8:30 on Friday night and asked if we could take him to Wichita the next day. Of coarse. You don't say, well, that is my P day or do you know how far away that is! We got him at 7:20am and headed to Wichita. You know, Kansas is a pretty flat, green, spread out state. Not a lot between here and there. It was an enjoyable ride though. He is going home a couple of weeks early so that he can start at BYU. We will miss him.

It is late and my bed seems to be calling. Oh, Dad and I are doing some new back exercises. Janae had told us about a book on how to live pain free and we are giving it a try. Every two hours we lay on the floor and do our exercises. I can feel things in my back that I did not know were there. Also shows how stiff we are. We are hoping for PAIN FREE!

Loves to all.