So Busy

We are nearing the end of this mission. We will be released two weeks from today. I think Elder Lund and I thought we could just work hard and slowly sink into the sunset, quietly, peacefully...But No! We are so busy! I honestly can't believe it. Elder and Sister Tibolla, our replacements,  started at the mission about a month ago. Both Elder Lund and I work with them all day, each day. They are starting to learn the nuances of the job. But we just have a lot going on. Our mission is being split and 47 of our missionaries will be going to the Salt Lake Mission. The SL Mission calls me regularly to find out about how many stakes the missionaries are working in, how many stakes does each Elder companionship serve, how many sister missionaries do we have, where do they live, how many cars are there in the area, who are the Area 70's that are assigned, when is the correlating council meeting, and where is it, that each area 70 hold, do we have any senior missionaries serving in the area, do we have additional rules (in addition to the white handbook) that each missionary needs to keep, can they drive their car on P-day, what temple have they been attending, when do they attend and on and on. I will be glad when everything is changed to Salt Lake Mission. We did the initial paperwork for the switch today and hopefully by the 1st everything will be changed.

I have been scheduling missionary return trips home and I have had to sort out who is in our mission and who will be in Salt Lake. Today, we got new computers so we basically took most of the afternoon to just visit with each other. Elder Lund have 4 new cars to pick up from Salt Lake today, so we took the van, the extra office workers and drove to Salt Lake to pick up new cars. Two days ago, I got word that 2 Visa waiters had their passport and visas cleared so they can now travel to Buenos Aires. I made a trip to Salt Lake to get their passports and travel itineraries. Last weekend, we had a missionary decide to quit being a missionary, so I had to call his Stake Pres., Bishop, and Parents and tell them he was coming home. Then I had to schedule his travel, pickup, and get him to the airport. Yesterday we had a missionary have to have surgery for a nose problem. I got to call Germany to speak with his Bishop to let the parents know everything went fine. Good thing the Bishop knew a little English. Then I had to call Tonga and Samoa to speak with parents of a missionary to arrange travel for returning at the end of an honorable mission for a sister missionary. Unfortunately, I didn't know Samoan or Tongan, and her parents didn't know English. We let the missionary translate for the parents.

Sunday, we will teach our investigator class. Right now, we have 8 people scheduled for baptism on June 23. Hurray!

On Monday, we will need to pick up the cars from the missionaries who will be going to the Salt Lake Mission. Then, Elder Lund and I will drive to the headquarters of the Salt Lake Mission and take them all the records that will transfer to them.

On Tuesday, we have been invited to go with Pres. and Sis. Olson and all the other missionaries to the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square.

On Thursday, it is the mission conference where Pres. Olson and Sister Olson will address all the Utah Ogden Missionaries for the last time. Jon Schmidt is coming to perform with the missionaries.

On the following Wed., June 27, we will have our final interviews with Pres. Olson. It has been an amazing experience I will always remember. Dick and I have talked about this recently. We both feel that the mantle of our mission is slowly being lifted from us. We actually can "feel" something changing. I am going to be so sad at saying goodbye to all these wonderful people and friends. Being a missionary in the Utah Ogden Mission has been one of the greatest things of my life. I will always and eternally be grateful for these experiences. I am so, so grateful that Elder Lund and I got over our "fear factor" and decided to serve now. I understand my Savior and his atoning sacrifice much better than I have ever understood it. I am so grateful to have served side-by-side with my best friend and sweetheart, Elder Lund. What an amazing thing this has been. I will write one more blog and then be done. But for now, I am still too busy to stop and think about leaving.