Monday night at a Best Western in Wichita.

I have been frustrated because I have not been blogging and have wanted to write a lot of things down. But I get to a point that I am so far behind that I get discouraged. In trying to decide what to do, Adrian called last night and she was not real happy with my lack of blogging and so we kind of talked through it and what to do. I remember how Andrea blogged something every day last year. That is a real committment, but what fun memories she has. I don't know that I can commit to every day, but I am going to try every other day. If I do a little, more often, I won't get bogged down.

OK, the last entry was about transfer day. Wednesday and Thursday are big for us, but then Friday the departing missionaries have stayed at the mission home overnight and leave early for a trip to Far West and Adam-ondi-ahman and on the way home are dropped off at the airport.
One of our sisters was going to New Jersey and we found out early in the day that La Guardia was closed because of a storm. So Sister Balois came back and stayed with the senior Sister Miller across the hall from us for the night

At the airport, the missionaries were able to shake hands with Elder Bednar who had just come from Salt Lake to reorganize a stake in Lenexa. The missionaries were thrilled because they had to leave on Friday and Elder Bednar had called an all mission conference for the Missouri Independence Mission. (MIM is what it is called in the short form).

Yes, so early on Saturday morning we began picking up Sisters to go to Lenexa for the conference. It was a 45 minute drive and we had a full page of instructions about how to get ready for the conference. We had two talks that Elder Bednar had given that we had to study, shine our shoes, press your suits, I mean they get down to the nitty gritty with these teen age kids! We were to be in our seats at 8:30 reading the scriptures. And we were! The missionaries filled the chapel and about three rows in the overflow, where drivers were asked to move back so the missionaries could sit there. The sisters always sit in the first three or four rows and the seniors are on the side and all the Elders everywhere else. It is quite a sight seeing a sea of young men and lovely young girls dressed in their best, white shirts and ties and suits, short hair and scriptures in hard. There was not a peep you could hear.

I had wondered how we could sit for three hours and take it all in. Just before 9, everyone stood as Elder Bednar and others walked in and took their places on the stand. Our President Van Komen conducted the meeting and he is such a sweet, soft spoken, humble man.

Elder Bednar did not give a talk like you would hear at conference. He just said a few words and started teaching about how to be a better missionary. He started asking questions. Kids would respond and then he would ask their permission to ask them a question. It was powerful. I will just give you bits and pieces of some of his words.

"Get out of the way" It is not about you and me. Prayer is a form of work. When you say 'amen', go to work. Prayer is a form of work. Act and the power comes.

Peter did not know he could walk on the water until he took the step out of the boat.

Faith is a gift. You never receive a spiritual gift because you want it, you receive a gift to bless someone else.

If you haven't been rebuked in your prayers, you are not praying very well. Rebuking is correcting.

When we fail to be bold, we fail because we are focused on ourselves.

Elder Bsaid he seldom has time to play golf, but last summer he found a couple of hours to go with a friend. Behind them was a man playing alone. As you golfers know, he would always be done faster than they were and waiting to move on, so they invited him to join their twosome. Introductions began and the newcomer asked Elder B. what he did. He casually said he worked for his church. The guy got a little more pointed and asked exactly what he did. He told him he was one of the twelve apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The guy smiled and said, I thought I recognized you. He was from Florida and had been in SLC for three weeks working. His wife was a member (inactive) and my mother-in-law works in the temple and he had seen Elder B's picture in a magazine. At the end of the game, Elder B. asked him to give a message to his wife. It was time for her to come back to the church and for him to also come to the church. Then he said, "Do you think that it was a coincidence that I was out playing golf and saw this man? NO, the Lord will send his chosen to the other side of the world to find the one."

As he got on the airplane to come here, another man saw him get on and asked if he could talk to him. Again he said, the keys never go anywhere by coincidence. The Lord would send one with the keys around the world to find one.

I guess the most exciting thing was to see the missionaries ask Elder B questions. He would ask a question and several hands would go up. He would point to someone and a microphone was put in their hands and they would ask an apostle of the Lord their question. It was very humbling. But I had many tears as the missionaries would ask him their question.

Elder Brodowski was one who was called on. We got to know him at Christmas time mostly because he was singing in a quartet and we picked him up and transported him. He had a very deep, low voice. He always wore a beret. I think that is what it is called. And he walked very fast and proud and like people couldn't wait until he got there! He was just very proud and arrogant, I thought. He asked a question that blew everyone out of the water. I really can't even remember what it was, but even Elder B. said to him, 'you are not smart enough to have said that'. Meaning it was very insightful and intuitive. Everyone laughed a little. But I saw a new Brodowski.

Elder B had empowered these kids with new ways to teach and work with their investigators. He had made them believe in themselves. He had just given them strength.

Another was Elder Gustafson who I told you about earlier. Just two days earlier he broke down at transfers and cried uncontrolably. He stood up and asked Elder B how he could not be so scared and afraid of things. He is a young elder and looks young too. There was also a Seventy with Elder B, Elder Milken, I believe. He said to Gustafson, the day you were born, what a transfer! But then, fear will probably never be overcome, but it will be filled with new opportunities. You ended up on this mission not by happenstance. Many lessons in the missionfield are preparation for your later life. The Atonement is to cleanse us and strengthen us to do things that are hard. He told him to read the Book of Mormon and underline every passage where the Lord strengthens His people. Or in the strength of the Lord, or people receive strength from the Lord. Write them down and compare them. Well, I was in tears as I listened to this exchange. I mean, the courage it took for that young man to ask such a question of an apostle of the Lord. He was so humble and wanting to get rid of his fear and Elder B was teaching them how to have faith and then act. Oh, it was a beautiful experience.

Elder B said , you return to your family after the mission, but don't you ever leave the missionfield. You will always feel wierd.

One of the Sisters asked what he had learned from the Prophet. Elder Bednar said that Thomas S. Monson ministers to the one. No one ministers to the one more than he. He will go to a church employees child's funeral, not even knowing them. He just shows up.

He said, when you receive impressions, act upon them.

He was the President of Ricks College when he got a phone call from the Prophet. Can you be in my office tomorrow at 3pm? Sure, I'll be there. He figured he was going to be released from his position as pres of Ricks. He was 'stunned' when the Prophet told him the Lord had called him.
He said that when he was into the room with the First Presidency and the other apostles, they treated him as if he had always been there. He told how he had admired and listened to Elder Packer for 35 years and loved his words. In a short time, Elder Packer came to him and handed him a talk he had prepared and asked Elder B to review it and critique it and give it back to him.

He told the missionaries that the best compliment they could receive would be for their investigators to say to them, I don't need you any more!

One of the great things I saw was our Elder Cox who is deaf, stand and with an Elder in front of him, ask Elder B a couple of questions. Elder Neilson was in between and he signs so beautifully. He has a deaf sister and brother and so has been doing it his whole life. It was a beautiful picture as the three of them exchanged ideas and answers came. Elder Cox asked how he could do it. Elder B told him to be like Nephi. Do your best Do what is right. Act and the power will follow. Step out of the boat.

Well, I could go on, but must end. The closing hymn was How Firm a Foundation. Look at verses 1 and 4 and 7.

OK, I think I am convinced. I will be back tomorrow night.
Love you all every day.

What a day! Today was transfer day. It is one of the biggest days of the month. We were up at 6, at the office at 7:10, set up a snack table in the office, down to the stake center at 7:30 and hang out for an hour talking to missionaries, hugging, and quite a bit of crying. There was a very young looking Elder who was down on one leg and crying his eyes out. I felt so bad for him. He really does look very young and other Elders were trying to talk him out of his very sad state. Even the President said to us he had never seen this happen before. The Pres. did say that he had a hard time leaving his folks and had a hard time at the beginning of his mission, but he really broke down at this transfer. He has a hard time with change someone said. But Elder Itzep, who was abandoned as a child in Mexico and raised by, I don't know who, well, he does have a brother who he has lived with, and he could almost pass for Pablo, you know, small stature, Spanish, great smile, really tried to cheer him up and sort of put him on the bus. The bus pulls out at 8:30. Back to the office
and then an office full of kids most of the day. More hugging, snacking, singing the last song on her mission, (and Dad not able to look at her because he had such big tears in his eyes.)
taking pics, getting a little bit of work done for Dad. Me, none. But I did get a new computer today. Took most of the day for Elder Fackrell to install it. He is a great kid who comes into the office on Tuesday and Thursday and just does whatever he is asked to do. He is a real computer geek. He is also rolling his eyes a lot at us seniors. I have seen him do it! You know, these youngens just get tired of our 'senior' questions about computers. Oh, and he installed a new printer for Dad. Dad thinks he has died and gone to printing heaven! He printed out his forms in a few seconds that up until now have taken minutes to do and even then they haven't turned out quite right. Then he printed out a new page of his cars FOR SALE in color. Thot he was pretty smart. Gosh, the equipment makes a lot of difference.

This is Elder Dodds from Twin Falls, Idaho. We got to know him at Christmas time when we picked him up and drove for hours with him to a Zone Conference where he was part of the program. He told us all about his family. A great kid who loved his family and everyone else.

At 2 pm a bunch of us went to the Community of Christ temple to listen to Elder Hurst play the organ. This is Elder Hurst and he is from Blackfoot. He sat at this huge organ and played some LDS hymns. It was beautiful. The lady in their church who plays the organ is kind of known around the world among organ players and she also played for us. We were browsing through their hymn book and found several hymns the same as ours and Dad sort of out loud said, I wonder if she would play, The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning. The Pres got up and went to the front and she played it for us. It was beautiful. The Pres has gotten to know her and while he has been here and told us that she once played the organ in the Tabernacle. She is good.

One of our missionaries, Sister Fife also sang a song for us. She has a lovely voice and Dad cries every time she sings. (He cries whenever any of these kids sing!)

It was after four and two more Sisters arrived who were going home and asked if we would take them to the Mission Home. That is where they spend the night. They had a mission car so they followed us out there and we unloaded their luggage and Dad brought the car back and met the missionaries in the parking lot who were getting their car. The bus had arrived back in town and there were Elders all over again. We finally left the office at 5:50, dropped the mail off and were home at 6 pm. Oh no, it was later than that. We stopped at Taco Bell and picked up food and then came home. What a day! It was exciting, sad, uplifting, fun, just so many emotions. Cried lots of tears, gave lots of hugs and oh, I didn't even tell you about Elder White. This is sad. He is a great missionary and he left today on medical leave.

Elder White had surgery just two months before he came on his mission. He has some crazy cyst around his tail bone. The surgeon sewed him up and now he is in trouble again and has to go home and have the surgery again and this time they will leave it open so that it can heal from the inside out. So his recovery will take awhile, but he is determined to come back and finish his mission. I just got teary as I told him goodbye.

It was a long day and hard on the heart strings. But we love these kids. Gosh, they are great and dedicated and just so good that it is hard to believe.

The Gospel is true and really affects lives. All is Well

Oh, it has been awhile. I have decided that I get a little homesick whenever I post. I think that I realize that we are away and not coming home for awhile. Although we can now say that we will be home next year, it still is a long time away. The weeks seem to really go quickly and January is now over, but we have only passed our four months out mark. And it seems crazy that we will be here for another winter.

Anyway, must get off my pity pot. These are just some random pics that I pulled off the camera and I forgot to organize them, so here goes.

This is my pic of Miss Potter and the books I got at the library. I absolutely loved this movie. I watched it 6 times. (Usually between 10 and midnight after Dad had gone to bed.) Also read the books and one had a DVD to watch. It was fun. Took me back to childhood with you kids. Going to the library tomorrow to get The Lion King.

This is the first pic of our new walls. We finally have something on them. This is the plaque that Andrea made and sent us for Christmas. Guess she had seen my blog and saw what I said about the words on the door that I posted. Thank you Andrea. We love it.

As I pulled the curtains this AM, I saw this little squirrel right out in front trying to get in our car. He would stand on his hind legs and look up at the door. I asked Doug if we had anything to feed him.

This is our new treadmill. I love it! We have gone walking outside a few times lately, but when it is too cold, I just get up and walk alone. And I love that I have one of those huge scriptures and I can do my reading while I am walking. A little hard to do my marking though, so I haven't been real good with that. I am actually a little ahead in my schedule. You know me, I had to write out how much I needed to read each day to finish on time. I am such a scheduler and list person, it is pathetic!
This is the other wall in the living room. All those family pics framed in Salvation Army frames. Pretty good, huh! Amazing what I have found. Salvation Army, Savers, VFW store, Dollar Tree. That is where we hang out!

This is the silverware wind chime that I guess Eryn took off the apple tree, took it home with her and they fixed it up and sent it for Christmas. We don't get to hear it right now unless we manually move it, but we love it and it looks cute hanging between the living and dining area.

This is two of the sweet sisters that are at the VC. Sister Punivaha. Dad had a hard time saying her name, so they wrote out how to say it. POO-NIGH-VA-HA. He now does it perfectly and she give him a high five each time she comes in and he says it right. The other is Sister Lasalosi. You learn these Tongan and Samoan names by saying every vowel. Lasalosi is pretty easy.

That's all folks. Oh, we do have a new senior couple upstairs. Their name is Bouy. They are from Syracuse and she is the new nurse and he is working with the cell phoones and also housing and checking apartments. She worked at Primary Children's and knew Adrian and that was the first thing that she asked me, if I was Adrian's mother. Susan (Adrian and Erin's friend) knows her well and told her that we were here. It is amazing how everybody knows somebody that you know.

We have new missionaries coming on Wednesday, transfers on Thursday and missionaries leaving on Friday, and on Saturday we are having an all mission conference again. Elder David Bednar is coming to Lenexa for a stake conference, so he wanted to meet with the missionaries while he was here. It will be a big and hectic week with lots of kids hanging out at the office. We always try and have treats and goodies for them on these days. Of coarse, we always have stuff to eat at the office. Hot chocolate and Russian tea, if I get it made. Cookies and carrots, a big jar of candy on my desk, and the kids love the Tootsie Rolls that we buy at Costco. I have never bought so much candy and junk food to feed to kids. This week we will have some juice and veges and such. A little bit of good for you food. It is all beginning again in a few hours. See you later.

We just received a TXT from Janae that little (big) Maggie is here. It is a miracle. We are so thankful that she is healthy and we are anxious to see a pic of her. And Mom, of coarse.

Since I can't talk to Janae yet, I am trying to pass some time and tell you about the latest miracle in the mission field.

Remember me telling you about Elder Cox. The newest missionary that we picked up at the airport on Wednesday. And he is totally deaf. This is a pic of him.


and this is his companion, Elder Eckern.

On Sunday, they went to church and the bishop there has each new missionary bear their testimony the first time they come into the ward. Since Elder Eckern does not know ASL well enough to interpret, Elder Cox wrote his testimony on paper and Elder Eckern was going to read it while Elder Cox signed it. The meeting was about to start when a lady walked in and sat at the back of the chapel. The bishop came off the stand and got the missionaries and told them to come with him and then he picked up the lady at the back of the chapel. He took the three of them out in the hall.

It just happened to be a lady who is a member and has been inactive for years and years, but about three weeks ago, came back to church. And she just happens to have a Masters or a Doctorate in ASL! Miracle! The bishop asked if she would interpret for Elder Cox. She said she would. So Elder Cox bore his testimony in sign language and she interpreted for him.

Elder Cox will probably be going to Olathe because there is a deaf school there, but for his first companion was put with Elder Eckern since Eckern had been with two other Elders since his companion went home a while ago. (I can't remember if I told you about the Elder who Dad took to the airport because he was harming himself. Another story about him later.) But mostly it is a miracle because our President lives and works with the Spirit. Miracle! He sent Elder Cox to this area and now this lady has asked Elder Cox to teach the gospel to her boyfriend. She was quite moved by the whole experience and I believe is back in the church. Miracles just keep happening all the time. We are so thrilled to hear about them when they happen.

Just had to tell you about our Zone Conference that just ended. When we got home on Friday, Dad said, "That is the best one we have been to." Gosh, they just keep getting better all the time. We heard a talk from a stake president that was off the charts. He is an institute teacher somewhere in Wichita and his talk was amazing.
It is so exciting when these missionaries come together. They are so excited to see one another. We usually have 5 different conferences on five days, but once again we had two cancellations because of the freezing weather, and so two of the groups were double in size, which I think the missionaries love because it brings more together at the same place and they get to see more of the kids they may have worked with.

A while ago I decided to make a missionary quilt and have a square for each missionary. So I went and bought some muslin and cut my squares out and got some painters tape and put the square onto a clip board and actually had a couple of missionaries sign them. Well, I got two signed and it was a lot of stress for me. I was lying in bed one night not able to sleep because I could not figure out what to do to remember these kids. It came to me. Just take a picture of each one and put it on a scrapbook page and write comments and interactions that we have had with them. Duh! How hard is that. I woke up so excited and discovered that it would be easy for me and all they have to do is smile! After all, they really don't want to sign an autograph quilt for some old people.

So here are some of my first pics. And Dad and I have different contacts with the kids, so we will both write things that happen to help us remember them. After all there are 184 young missionaries here. It is over 200 with all the seniors.

This is Sister Balois who is from New Jersey. We met her right at the beginning and she and her companion persuaded us to go to the ward that they were in. After all, they didn't have any seniors in their ward. So we went. She was transferred out at the last transfer and you have never seen a sadder face. She was nearly in tears. She said goodbye to us and got on the bus without even a smile. She is a very intense missionary and loves the work and it was so good to see her at ZC because she was smiling again. Her new companion is Sister Piris who is from Argentina. We don't know her well because she has been what they call 'full pros'. She is out in the field and not at the VC (Visitor's Center) where we get to know the Sisters. Both of these Sisters are going home in February and they came up to me on Friday and reluctantly asked a favor. Would we take them to Church's Chicken when they come in to go home on the 5th. We have never been to Church's Chicken. It is a fast food place and they love it. I said of coarse we will take you there. They were so excited. It doesn't take a lot to make a missionary happy!

This is Sister Bradley. She has been full pros too, but Dad knows her better over the phone because she had an accident. He talks to the kids several times when they are in an accident. She was sitting across the table from us at lunch and at the side of her bowl is a pile of tomatoes! Yes, she picked out every piece of tomato in her Taco Soup that she could find. We were laughing at her because it tasted so good to us. It was just like what we have at Christmas, but there was corn in it. Yummy! I also got another pic of her with a pleasant smile on her face.

This is Elder Zipf. I talked to him on the phone the other day and he told me his story. Said he would come and introduce himself at ZC and he did. Anyway this is why. A while ago I got a call from Linda and she asked me if was OK for a mother in Logan or Garden City, (I don't really know where,) to read this blog. Turns out her son was in this mission and it sounds like he was like a lot of missionaries and didn't write those detailed letters home. I have heard that Mom learned quite a bit about the mission from reading the Linde Line. And welcome to you, Sister Zipf. Glad to have you aboard. If I can make any mom feel better about her son on a mission, I am up for that. These kids do end up feeling like your own. You just love them immediately and you want to take care of them.

This is Elder Clayton. He is from Provo. He is very tall and so friendly and has an English accent. It is just fun to hear him talk. He is very friendly and sort of like a big teddy bear. We love him.

This is Elder Patterson. He has been a member of the Church for 5 years. We don't know him except.........

that he is a companion to Elder Cuello. Two excited missionaries. Elder Cuello received his mission call on the first anniversary of his baptism into the Church. No one in his family is in the Church. The Prez said that together, these two have 6 years experience in the Gospel. Oh, there are dedicated missionaries out here.

Just a few of the great kids that we are able to work with. It is quite an experience. Just the fact that they get up each day and put on white shirts and ties and suits and pantyhose and skirts and jackets is amazing to me. Then they begin their day with study and prayer and some breakfast and have appointments (20 a week) and they get together on Monday morning and play volleyball at the stake center or go for a run or something. I am still in awe.

We just got back to our little apartment. Left for Zone Conference in Wichita yesterday, and if it is possible, experienced the best one yet!
But I have just been reading blogs and trying to get caught up on all of you. It is so great to read about what is happening and to see pics of kids and things. Thanks.
And if any of you have not read NieNie Dialogues, you should. I cannot believe the attitude and spirit of NieNie. Read her and you will never have a moment for self pity.
I will get my pics together and talk to you later.

31 December 2009
Can you believe that the year is now over! It always seems to fly by. This is a pic of our New Year's Eve dinner with the Stutz's. We had the yummy shredded chicken tacos and fresh pineapple and they also brought sparkling cider. And you know me, I always forget about the dessert. I am just not a dessert person. But I did make brownies. It was a good dinner and then we played a new card game with the ROOK cards. It was called Canadian Salad. Sister Stutz said the best part was that tomorrow, January 1st, we could finally say that we were going home next year! It is true. And at the beginning of the year. March 21st is our release date.

Guess what this is? Dad driving another new car off the lot. Yes, we just got three new cars. But the bad news is that means that we will have 3 more cars for sale. They just are not selling. Isn't there someone who wants a gently used car? Maybe when the snow is gone and spring is around the corner, they will sell.

Here we are looking at the parking lot at the office. Yes, just beyond the snowbank you can see the nose of our little white car. It would be buried if that snow were on top of it. And look at the snow behind the cars. And that is after they hauled trailers full of snow away.

This is the entrance to the Employment Office. That is where the Stutz's are every day. Keep going down the path to the end of the building and turn left and you are headed for our office.

Today the sun was actually shining. It was 5' on the way to church this AM and 22' when we came out. We need some warm sun to melt a little of this snow.

This pic was taken on Friday. It was a zone conference and I was alone in the office for quite awhile as all other office people went to the meeting. I will get my meeting on Wednesday when we take the van and drive a bunch of the Sisters to the meeting about an hour away. Anyway, I am sitting at my desk and I heard this little tap, tap like a branch hitting a window. Our office used to be the mission home and then it was remodeled for the about three or four other purposes. So the tapping was in some very high windows that are just under the eves. I went over and saw a bluebird sitting on the window sill and he was baffled by the glass. Could not figure it out. So back to desk and I hear another little scritch, scratch. I fortunately have the only real window in the office by my desk. I am so thankful. I really look out of the window a lot. Well, this little scratch was a squirrel. The window goes almost to the floor. The squirrel was standing on his hind legs and scratching at the window and the sill. I grabbed my camera and he just stood there and let me take his picture. Look at the ice on the inside of the window. Poor little thing out in that cold. I put the blind up and just watched him for awhile. Then another squirrel appeared and they were running around in the snow. I love those little creatures.

That's all for today folks. Erin is calling on Skype.