92nd Post Mon May 9 - Sunday May 15, 2011

We spent Monday paying bills, preparing forms, for a perspective new missionary apartment and running errands. We are also trying to clean up files/records of security deposits -some go back many years. Lots of missionaries in and out of the office today. Leona was in my office this afternoon preparing new missionary study binders. Two sister missionary came in the office to visit and ask questions. The one sister goes home next week. She was asking about marriage and how do you know when you find the right person. We had an enjoyable discussion with two very good sisters that are very faithful missionaries. We held FHE at the Stringfellows this evening. Sister Stringfellow showed the new Joseph Smith DVD. What a faithful person he was, and his wife and brother. The weather was hot and humid today.

Tuesday we did our typical missionary work paying bills, apartment issues, phone calls, etc. I had to make a trip up to Conroe as one apartment did not get their rent check from SLC. When I gave the apartment manager the check she said "I was going to call you." She had received a compliant about one of our sets of missionaries. The neighbor below the missionaries complained they were making lots of noise late last night. I got the details and went right over to see the missionaries. The missionaries said they had come home late and were jumping up to see if they could touch the ceiling (it is a high ceiling). In those apartments any heavy walking can be heard below let alone jumping! Anyway I had a good talk with them and I know they felt bad about the compliant. I only have had 3 real complaints about missionaries, one was a false report and the other two involved the same missionary. He is a good young man, just not real focused sometimes.

Wednesday already!!! SLOW DOWN Days!! I entered apartment data into the church's iMOS computer system, ran errands (post office, buying apt cleaning supplies, delivering medication to a missionary). Elder Stringfellow has been working on a new tracking sheet format for the new mission president. The data will come more directly from iMOS so the sheets should be more accurate. We had Sisters Smart, Ang, Donkin and Rodriguez for dinner this evening. I think they would have stayed all evening to visit with us but we sorted of told them "good-bye". They are wonderful sisters and they work is a rough part of this area speaking Spanish. Sister Rodriguez is the only native Spanish speaker. She came from Guatemala just a few years ago with her family. Her English has really improved over these many months. What a great day to be a missionary!

Thursday we continued working on the new tracking sheets, and apartment issues. I drove back down to Katy to fill out the apartment application for the Park Fall Apartments. The 4 elders in that area will move into two - one bedroom apartments. The apartment manager was new and had never done a corporate lease. I had all our insurance letters, credit letters, etc, but she was not "getting it". I told her to call two of our apartments that we have been in for some time and where we have two or more apartments on lease. One of the managers is a member of the church so that worked well when she was contacted. It really rained hard on the way back to the office. This is the first measurable amount of rain we have had in over 100 days. Things are really dry in this part of Texas.

Friday is staff meeting day. We enjoy meeting with President & Sister Hansen and the AP's. There is always such a good spirit there. President Hansen is a good mission president. We left a bit early today to get ready for the ball game. The seniors all loaded into the van and went to the Astros/NY Mets game at Minute Maid Park this evening. There were twelve of us in the van. The only ones missing were the CES missionaries from Huntsville (school is out and they had to go back to Utah for a week or so). We enjoy the evening together, the ball park food and the fireworks after. The weather was very pleasant, cool with no humidity. It was very late when we got back. The Christensons (Huntsville) stayed with us and the Buckways(College Station) stayed with the senior sisters in their spare bedroom.

Saturday the Christensens and Buckways (the senior sisters slept in) came over to our place for breakfast. We enjoyed visiting with them. This is the Buckways 2nd mission (both proselyting -first one was in Alaska). We spent the rest of the day doing laundry, making sloppy joes for transfer week, shopping, making cookies, and in general getting ready for next week. It was such a beautiful day, cool with a lite breeze. The AP's and Elders Sorenson and Gardner came by this evening to bring us the list of transfers for next week. Elder Sorenson is moving and will be a new ZL. We had ice cream and a good visit with these outstanding missionaries.

We enjoyed our meetings at church today. The talks in sacrament meeting were about missionary work and both high councilors really did a great job in covering the subject. Sisters Perez and Ferro called and invited us to the baptism this evening down at the Mills Road Chapel. We picked up the Stringfellows to go with us. The service was in a Spanish Ward but there were missionaries to translate for us so we knew what was being said. It was a great service and actually 3 people were baptized. We enjoyed a wonderful sabbath day and pray you did to.
Have a wonderful week, be careful. We love you and pray for you every day.

Love Mom & Dad