66th Post Monday Nov 8 - Sunday Nov 14, 2010

Monday already! It was such a nice day I wanted to be outside so I went to purchase some cleaning supplies for the missionaries and also picked up some tie down hooks for the inside of the trailer. I spent the rest of the morning installing the tie downs in the trailer. There are a few tools in the mission garage so I found what I needed to complete the job. When we transport furniture, especially desks or tables without the trailer being full it seems with all the shifting around the stuff gets damaged/broken. I figured if I secured the items maybe there would be less damage (we shall see). Elder Stringfellow asked me to follow him down to Katy this afternoon in the truck as he had to take a loaner car to the elders. It seems earlier in the day the elders were at the library doing email and as they were leaving the parking lot to enter the main road two cars hit each other and one came across the lane and hit the mission car in the parking lot exist. No one was hurt, but there was considerable car body damage. The elder driving had just received his email authorization to drive a mission vehicle that morning so he was behind the wheel of a church car for the first time for all of about 30 seconds when they got hit.

This evening we had Elder and Sister Thomas to dinner and then we all gathered for FHE at the Stringfellows apartment. Sister Billingsley taught the lesson on gratitude. We had the song and had picked "Come Ye Thankful People Come" and Elder Thomas had the thought and it was on gratitude. It was wonderful how all the parts of FHE fit so well together without any such planning. We are blessed to be associated with such good, faithful folks. Love this mission.

Tuesday I drove up to Tomball to do a walk-through with the apartment manager of the apartment we recently moved out off, plus I hand carried rent checks to replace the checks that never arrived from SLC. Paper and office work consumed the rest of our day. Leona spent a lot of time calling missionaries about their electricity bill today. She calls each month to remind them about turning lights and fans and AC off when they leave their apartment each morning. Each month, since she has been doing this, the electricity bill has dropped a bit. The missionaries are always so good and want to be obedient.

Wednesday I spent some time in the garage cleaning stuff out and hanging clothes up on the clothes rack. Missionaries bring stuff, especially clothes in and just leave them in the garage so every once in awhile I have to clean the place up.

Leona made copies of handouts that President Hansen wants each missionary to receive next week at zone conferences.

There is going to be a change in the departing DVD that each missionary receives as he or she leaves. President and Sister Hansen are going to talk for a few minutes and bare their testimonies at the end. Hunter (man who puts the DVD together) and his friend came today to work on lighting and set up because it is going to be done in the President's office. They spent a good amount of time working and experimenting this afternoon.

This evening we went to Costco with the Stringfellows (our membership expired last spring). Sam's Club is OK, but I think I like Costco's better, but it is a drive to get there.

Thursday - Veterans Day - Happy Veterans Day to all you veteran's and thanks for your service. We are thankful to live in America and the blessings we enjoy. We are grateful for all those who are keeping us safe and free. I spent most of the day working on apartment and utility issues. I got a call from a collection agency about an unpaid bill from back in April/May. We moved out of the apartment, but there was some damage that they charged us for. As I went back into the file I remembered the issue and found notes of our claims dispute and then resolution. We had SLC email a copy the check the apartment had cashed so I hope that resolves the issue. I went to two different apartment complexes to sign lease renewals this afternoon.

The weather as been on the warm and humid side this week - we are ready for winter -especially Leona!!

A few weeks ago I requested funding to buy some new beds for the missionaries. We received that approval and so I went to the mattress store to buy 20 new bed sets and frames. As the clerk was writing up the order it occurred to me that my purchasing card may have a limit so I called SLC and sure enough I would be about $2000 short, so the church worker told me to have the Mission President call to have a one time adjustment to the card limit. I called President Hansen and found he had a few available minutes. He called SLC and within 5 minutes I was able to purchase the beds. The clerk asked me if things always worked that fast in our Church (of course they do in these matters I said).

Friday after staff meeting, Hunter worked with President and Sister Hansen to get the recording for the departing DVD. I know they were nervous and had to do it a couple of times but when it was all over and President and Sister Hansen had gone, Hunter said it went well and will be the perfect ending on the DVD.

I worked on tracking and picture board photos for the 3 missionaries that will arrived next Tuesday. We have 3 "visa waiters" coming to our mission. One is going to the same mission in Brazil that David went to. The second is going to another mission in Brazil and the Sister is going to Taiwan. We do not know how long they will be here waiting for a visa but they will be put to work!

The AP's had requested that we get new art work for their use at the Spanish flea markets (they set up church pictures - BofM, pictures of Christ, etc, like at a street meeting). Anyway one of the mission president's counselors got these really nice, large pictures from SLC. As we looked at them I knew the missionaries would need a way to transport the pictures back and forth each Saturday. I found a place near the Bering church building (where we use to work), that sold large portfolio cases so off I went to get a couple of them for the AP's. I was reminded as I drove down town why I like living by the mission office.

<-- You never know what you will see out my mission office window!

Saturday we shopped, cleaned and went into the office for a while to work on new missionary binders. While at the office I noticed the return address on a letter written to Elder Joshua Anderson. The return address said, Vernon R. Rice; I kept thinking could it be President Rice. I finally couldn't stand it any longer so I phoned Elder Anderson and told him there was a letter in the mission office for him. I then asked him who Vernon R. Rice was. He said, "He is my grandpa". I asked, "did he use to live in Delaware?" Elder Anderson answered "Yes". I told him that I knew his grandpa well and that I had served as his counselor in the stake presidency. Small world. Another amazing thing is that I never check the mail but Leona wanted to know how many bills she would be dealing with on Monday morning and asked me to go through it. Another tender mercy from the Lord to make this connection with President Rice and our Elder Anderson!

This afternoon Leona fixed a really good taco soup, salad, and made a birthday cake and invited the Stringfellows, and the senior sisters over for dinner and birthday celebration. We had a very enjoyable evening visiting with the other seniors. Sister Billingsley goes home a week from today so it was good to be with her, we will miss her sweet spirit - what a great lady she is. It rained a bit this morning and was cool all day - very nice.

Sunday we got up early and drove up to the Navasoda Branch (just south of College Station) to meet Sisters Naufahu Talakai and Stevenson. They needed some plastic covers for their mattress and box springs (bed bugs!). We have the bug man coming to spray next Tuesday. The Branch is very small, but they have some wonderful people there. Many came up to us and wanted to know if we were assigned to their Branch - we could tell they were a bit disappointed that we were not. We learned in church today that we can find our problems and their answers in the scriptures and that we must make scripture study a habit. You know it is a habit when you can not go to sleep at night if you have not read your scriptures.

Leona gave me Pres. Monson's biography for my birthday. Just reading the introduction and the first few pages I can tell this will be a good read.

We are enjoying our mission so much. It is hard to explain, but we just love what we are doing, maybe because we are doing what we have been asked to do. Thanks for your prayers and love.

Love Dad & Mom