88th Post Mon April 11 - Sunday April 17, 2011

Monday morning we were up extra early to exercise, get ready and then travel to MD Anderson. Leona had an consultation appointment for a colonoscopy - which she is looking forward to. The trip down was right at rush hour but we made good time until we hit 59 south to the 288 turn off, just three or four miles but it took 25 minutes. The appointment went well and the Dr was on time. When we returned to the office we answered emails, paid bills, handled apartment issues, visited with the missionaries as they came into the office and ran a few errands. For FHE we BBQ'ed burgers and hot dogs at the office - the Stringfellows, us and Sisters Young and Nance. A very pleasant evening, sitting on the back porch of the mission office and visiting.

As we drove into the apartment complex we saw a large woodpecker land in a tree so I turned the car around to get a closer look. It was an pileated woodpecker, the largest of the wood peckers. They have a very bright red top knot - the Woodywood Pecker type.

Tuesday I started the next round of apartment inspections. They all looked good except one. Worked on files and recently assigned missionary photos. A beautiful day, cool this morning and just warm this afternoon. A great day to be a full time missionary. We got word that they have called a church service missionary to take Sister Marsh's place in the office. She will start this coming Monday.

Wednesday I attended Zone Leaders Council at the invitation of President Hansen to make a followup presentation on Mormon.org. I went up to the Glenn Loch Farms building and helped the Stringfellows set up for the missionary lunch. Leona made a big batch of very good brownies. While the group was eating I set up in the RS room and made sure the Internet connection, etc was working. Mormon.org is a great site and a wonderful missionary tool. You need to check it out and complete a profile. I think the discussion we had went well and Pres Hansen is always very complimentary about my teaching and approach. Back at the office I loaded up the truck with supplies for tomorrow's apartment run, helped Leona with the mail and phones, and worked on apartment lease issues. Another wonderful day in the Texas Houston Mission - we are so blessed to be here. It is a 23 month second honeymoon - we don't want it to end!!

Thursday I left the office right after our prayer meeting and drove to College Station/Bryan, then to Brenham, and Waller checking apartments. I drove over 22o miles on this apartment trip. The apartments looked good for the most part. I had several cases of Books of Mormon and other supplies for the missionaries. Many of the missionaries were home as it is their planning day. It is always fun to visit with them, especially if there are apartment cleaning issues that need attention - I do have fun with that!

A member (artist) from Sealy, TX, delivered two paintings to the office that he had done for President and Sister Hansen. They are beautiful. One is a field of bluebonnets (flowers) that come up in the spring time, we enjoy them on our trips to College Station. The other painting is four missionaries - Elders Bone, Lang, Shaw and Maughan walking on a dirt road in Sealy. The mission truck is in the distant backgound with their bikes on the back. The scripture that goes with the painting is D&C 84:88 "And whoso receiveth you there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up. In the painting you can see next to Elder Maughan, the face of his grandfather who died while Elder Maughan was serving his mission. The story is that this grandfather was a big part of why Elder Maughan came on his mission. Next to Elder Shaw there is an angel (a relative) and walking in front of the four Elders is Christ. You can see the nail prints in one of His feet. It is a beautiful picture and has great meaning. We asked the artist if we could come visit his studio and he said yes - another thing to be sure to do before we leave Texas.

We stayed late at the office this evening as Leona had payment items to deal with. A long, but great missionary day.

Friday I left the office just after 8 am, even before staff meeting as I wanted to catch some missionaries at home to help unload bikes and beds. The elder that needed a bike was at home so he was able to get it out of the truck. I missed the elder that needed a new box springs, they had early district meeting. Friday is district and or zone meetings day. It was encouraging that some of the apartments that really needed attention last inspection looked very good this time. I got back to the office just after lunch time. The mission van needed a bit of cleaning so I vacuumed it out and cleaned the windows. There is so much pollen from the trees and settles on the vehicles and turns them a "dusty shade of green". Anyway we loaded up the senior missionaries and headed to Huntsville. All the seniors and the Hansens met at the Sam Houston State University Institute building for dinner. The Stringfellow and us from the office, Sisters Young & Nance from the Employment office, Elder & Sister Peacock from the bishop's storehouse (managers), the Buckways from Bryan (member support and leadership mission), the Christensons (Huntsville) member support and leadership, the Nagels who are CES missionaries at the institute, Sister Nagel's, sister and brother in law (Brother & Sister Payne -he is the Provost at SHSU) and their neighbors were all gather for a wonderful New Orleans Jambalaya dinner. We had a wonderful visit then went over to the newly opened performing arts center on campus to watch the US Air Force Concert Band and Singing Sergeants perform. We have seen this group perform in DC and really enjoyed them. They did not do as much patriotic music as I would have liked but a great performance none the less. At the end they had all the veterans stand as they performed each of the 5 branches of the military's "song". The conductor, Lt. Col. Waite, thanked each group for our service and saluted each group in turn. A touching tribute with color guard and all, a beautiful evening. There were enough senior missionaries there, in "uniform", that they could have played "When the Saints Come Marching Home" and had us all stand, but alas they did not.

Saturday we did our normal reading, cleaning, shopping, and errand running. A much warmer day - I think we are headed for summer.

Sunday morning we went over early to feed the ducks at the lake. There must have been 40 or so baby ducks all following their mothers around. What a sight.

Wonderful, inspiring talks in Sacrament meeting this morning about the blessings of the temple. Ace Endicott spoke, he is the son of Necka Beck Endicott, who we knew when she lived in Delaware. He bore a sweet testimony about when he walked through the temple doors to do baptisms for the dead and how he felt so good and warm and felt his real mother's arms around him. Ace has special needs and loves everyone and loves attending church. He is an inspiration to all each Sunday. President Hansen has given Ace a Texas Houston MIssion pin and he wears it proudly.

Happy Birthday to Christine today. Christine was born on a beautiful Sunday morning, just as it was today. We are so thankful for her and her example to our family.

We hope you each have a good week. Be careful. We love you with all our hearts and thankful for you and all you do.

Love,

Mom and Dad

87th Post Mon April 4 - Sunday April 10, 2011

Can it be transfer week already? I left right after prayer meeting this morning to go help Elder & Sister Thomas move out of their apartment. They are the employment missionaries that replaced us. They lived a couple of miles closer to the Bering Church than we did when we lived "down town". Steve Stotts the employment manager had rented a large U-Haul truck to make the move. I needed to get furniture to Elder & Sister Buckway who just arrived and were assigned to the Bryan/College Station area as member support missionaries. There were 4 elders from the South Mission at the Thomas' to load the truck, it all went fairly well. After we got all the stuff into the truck I drove to College Station, about 2 hours north. The wind was blowing hard and it rain some on the way. I felt like I was pushing the accelerator so hard it was into the radiator and still was not moving very fast. What a trip. The gas gauge lay out was very confusing so I was not sure if I had 1/4 of a tank or it was empty. Well out in the middle of no where, on the freeway, the truck started to sputter, then I knew. Way up ahead I could see a gas sign so I pulled off the next "country exit". So off the freeway I went but the sign was up at the next exit (you had to have been there) and right back on the freeway with the truck sputtering the whole way. I was praying so hard just let there be enough gas to make it. The next exist seemed 100 miles away, but as I went down the exist ramp there was a major cross road ahead and a gas station just on the other side. The truck was now stopping and starting. I prayed even harder that no cars would be coming as I knew if I stopped at the stop sign I would never get the truck across the road. I looked both ways and not a vehicle was any where in sight so I coasted across the road and directly into the station and up to the closest pump where the truck died and I almost did too! What a blessing. I put $75 of gas in the truck (the pump cut off at that amount) and off I went. I got to the Buckways and 7 of our missionaries arrived shorty after (3 sisters and 4 elders). They had the truck unloaded in just a few minutes. Elder Scoresby, the College Station Zone Leader rode back to the office with me as he is the new AP. We enjoyed our ride and visit together, until he fell asleep. He had been up most of last night worried and thinking about his new assignment. I stopped and put another $124 of gas in the truck and it was still not full. The wind was behind us and so the truck moved along a lot better, I felt more like I was driving it rather than herding it. The seniors came over for root beer floats this evening. The Thomas are staying with us until they depart Wednesday morning. I went to the store to get fresh fruit for the dinner at the temple tomorrow evening. A long but wonderful day in the mission field.

Transfer day and the weather was beautiful. We always start each day as the office staff with prayer and we always gather in the President's office to have prayer. There were several missionaries in the office early because of transfers so we invited them to join us. Elder Mackey, our ASL (deaf) missionary offered the prayer in sign language. What a beautiful experience that was. At first I closed my eyes but then I thought how will I know when to say amen? So I watched Elder Mackey; his eyes were closed and his hands were speaking. I felt the Spirit and my heart was full of gratitude for my blessings and for the priviledge of serving a mission and having our morning prayer with the missionaries. Elder Mackey's prayer was so pure - I did not hear it with my ears but I saw and felt it in my heart.

We have 10 missionaries leaving, 9 arriving (tomorrow), plus all the other changes, which were a lot. The office is just a beehive of activity all day. The transfer bus was late getting back from College Station so I was late leaving for the Bear Creek Chapel (near the Katy area). I hustled the missionaries with their loading and unloading so I did get back for the departing testimonies. My route is from the office to the Bear Creek Chapel, then to the Mills Road Chapel and back to the office. Loading and unloading luggage, bikes and missionaries along the way. The departing missionaries testimonies were so good. They really have changed during their service. Elder & Sister Thomas also participated, we will miss them a lot. After the testimony meeting they went to the temple. Leona and I went back to the office for a while and then loaded up stuff for the dinner at the temple. We served 19 people; there was one guest, a father of one of the elders come to pick up his son. The dinner was great and Leona's THM cookies are always a big hit (especially with Pres Hansen).

As the missionaries were about to leave the temple cafeteria - the Elders were standing by the door and President Hansen was with them. Leona asked President Hansen if she could give the Elders a hug goodby (it has only been handshakes up until now). He said, "Sister Walker, you can give them a motherly hug", so that is what she did. Elder Barlow was first in line and as she held her arms wide he look at her and then at President Hansen and said "Is it alright?" and President Hansen said "yes" so Elder Barlow gave her a hug and said "thank you for all you have done for me, I love you". Elder Barlow is such an obedient missionary, always wants to do everything right. How we are going to miss these 10 missionaries!

It is late by the time we clean up, take the cooler back the Sister Tamya's home and drive back to our apartment. It was a very cool morning and nice all day. Another good day to be a missionary.

Wednesday the new missionaries arrived about 2 pm. What a wonderful group they are. Eight elders and one sister. One of the elders is from Alpine (Elder Asay). One is from here in Texas (his parents drove him here as he did not go to the MTC). He arrived before the others, so when I went out to the driveway to greet them I put my arms around him and told him how much we had looked forward to having him serve with us. He told me he had looked forward to this his whole life. You could just see how proud his parents were. As a matter of fact when we went into the office we gave him his name tag and he put it on and turned around to face his parents, his mother about lost it as did the rest of us. What a sweet spirit there was at that time. He will make such a good missionary. While we waited for the others to arrive I took this good elder and his parents over to the welfare complex to meet the employment Sisters, see the bishops storehouse and to tour the peanut butter cannery. Randy, the cannery manager, was there and gave us a real up close and personal tour of the operation. Our guests really were thankful for the experience. The peanuts are grown on the church farm over near where these folks live.

After the others arrived, the office staff did our little orientation, had them fill out paper work, and I took photos for the transfer and picture boards. I worked on getting those pictures formatted and mounted until about 6:30. Leona had gone home to start cooking bacon for tomorrow's mission home breakfast.

Thursday we were up extra early and up to the mission home before 7 am. We fix a nice french toast, bacon, sausage, and fruit breakfast for the new missionaries and their companions, etc. There were 28 at breakfast this morning. Five big loaves of bread, 6 pounds of bacon and 4 pounds of sasuage and a very large bowl of fruit. They do love the breakfast. The butter milk syrup is especially a big hit. After breakfast Pres Hansen announces companionships (that is always exciting to see the missionaries reaction), I then take photos of the new missionaries and the Hansen (to send to the parents) and a couple of group shots. This group of missionaries seems so ready to go to work - they are great. One missionary's parents are divorced, father is not a member and mother has asked to have her name removed from the records. Not much support at all but so ready and excited to serve - what a faithful missionary. Another one has been home from his first mission about 10 months (went home early) and is now back ready to finished the mission he started in South America.

Back to the mission office, we stayed very busy getting our photos ready and mailed, updating iMOS and all our other records. We took the letters to the new missionaries' parents up to the mission home this evening for Pres Hansen to sign (he will not be in the office tomorrow). He sat and visited with us for sometime. There were some issues that were weighing on his mind and he just likes to talk things through sometimes. As we left he thanked us for our service (as he always does) and for the wonderful "home teaching visit". What a heavy weight the mission presidents carry

Friday was a busy day of updating apartment files, apartment inspection sheets and just getting things in order for next week. Leona always has much to do keeping up with all the bills and with Sister Marsh gone she is answering the phone all the time. I help a little bit with that and with the mail. It was a long day so we decided to go to dinner with the Stringfellows this evening. After we went back to their place for ice cream and to play Yahtzee. It was a fun evening even though Leona won both games (as usual). Much warmer and humid today.

Saturday we did our laundry, shopping, reading and all the other P-day stuff. We even made flight reservations for our trip to Utah. FYI - We depart PHL Monday July 25 and return Monday Aug 8 (well actually Aug 9 at 1:30 AM !!). We went over to feed the ducks this evening. The pair of mallards have baby ducks and are they ever little.

It is always a blessing to attend church. I am thankful for being born in America and the many freedoms that we enjoy and so often take for granted. I am thankful for those serving our country, helping to preserve those freedoms.

We took a loaf of bread and fed the ducks at the pond. There were five baby ducks last night but only four tonight! They are fun to watch and to watch their mother and father guard and keep them together and safe.

We pray for your safety. Safe guard your families and homes from the worldly influences that surround them. We love you. Have a good week.

Love,

Mom and Dad

86th Post Monday Mar 28 - Sunday April 3,2011

Can it be Monday again so soon? Where does the time go? We are so blessed to be here at this place and time. We love our mission. I updated the ever present apartment files, bought apartment cleaning supplies and signed another 12 month lease down at the Concord at Little York apartments. The new management there really seems to be trying to clean the place up and it does show. I went over to the employment office for a few minutes to chat with Elder & Sister Thomas and just for fun compare our old employment list with their current one. There were not many candidates from our list that are still on the current list. The Thomas now use the new employment computer system to track all their candidates. We were going in that direction when we were transferred to the office.

I drove the van and the senior missionaries up to the mission home for FHE. All the senior missionaries were there except Sister Marsh. We had a wonderful dinner and visit. The Thomas are completing their mission next week and we welcomed Sister Nance. What a wonderful day and it was even cool (I opened the apartment windows this morning it was so nice).

Tuesday I got my apartment inspection forms updated, worked on tracking board photos for the new senior missionaries, ran some errands and bought what I needed to repair an all wood dinning table. The base (round table) had split and one of the legs was broken off. A couple of elders came by as I was out in front of the office garage fixing the table and after watching me for awhile asked if I was a "handy man" back in my employment days. I ran a bed down to the elders in the Copperfield area and made other apartment stops along the way. President Hansen was in the office for a short time today so we spent some time reviewing up coming apartment leases, apartment issues and what to do with the 3 bedroom apartment that the senior sisters are in. Sister Marsh has been transferred to the Family History Center in SLC. She leaves this Thursday.

We went out for dinner this evening with the Stringfellows, Sisters Nance and Young, also Sister Young's daughter who is visiting from SLC. We all came back to our place for ice cream (St. Patrick's Day dessert).

Wednesday I loaded up a washer and dryer, stopped at the hardware store for washer hose gaskets and dryer vent hose and hauled them all down to the ZL's in the Seasons Apartment Complex. I took our hand truck as the elders live on the 3rd floor. They were very excited to get a washer and dryer. The missionaries do not like having to use their support money for laundry. Went back to the garage and had some elders help load up several items to haul to NAM (similar to Deseret Industries). I needed to get the garage cleaned out a bit. Elder and Sister Buckway from Utah came in this afternoon. President Hansen met with them, they will be going to the Bryan/College Station area as member support missionaries. They seem like great folks (this is their 2nd mission).

This evening we walked over and fed the ducks and stopped by the senior sisters apartment to say goodbye to Sister Marsh. What a beautiful day the weather was so nice, did not get to 70 which is great. A wonderful day to be a missionary.

Thursday I left the office right after our staff prayer meeting. We are moving the English elders in Conroe out of the 2 bedroom apartment into 2 - one bedroom apartments. For the most part they were ready to move, but they had a lot of clean up to do. This apartment was one I moved the elders into almost a year ago to the day. The first few sets of elders were really hard on the place. The carpet was stained and had not been cleaned, one of the bathrooms was just filthy. After all the stuff was moved the elders spent a lot of time cleaning their apartment. One set of elders had never cleaned the tub or toilet. They got a real lesson on how to clean. They had a washer and dryer but the new apartments do not have laundry hook ups. We took the washer and dryer over to the Conroe Spanish elders place. In as much as I had to do my "dad speech" concerning keeping the new apartment cleaned up and cleaning up the old apartment, I thought "reproving at times with sharpness - showing an increase of love less he esteem thee as an enemy" - I took the 4 of them to Ryan's for lunch. The elders love Ryan's all you can eat and good food. Anyway it was a good move to get completed.

President and Sister Hansen took Sister Marsh to the airport this morning. She will serve in the Family History Center in SLC and we pray she will enjoy her new assignment.

We went shopping this evening for fresh fruit and then spent the evening cutting it all up for a BBQ the Hansen's are having at the mission home tomorrow. The West Zone missionaries are weeding, trimming and spreading new mulch at the mission home and then having lunch afterwards - the BBQ. On the run all day and into the night, but what a blessing to be a missionary.

Friday -The Stringfellows and us met with President Hansen this morning since he did not have an interview scheduled. He wanted to go over Sister Marsh's responsibilities and how we could divide them until a replacement for her could be found. Sometimes I wonder how we can do more but I have found all works out; the Lord always provides a way. Staff meeting was good, there is always a good feeling when we are together. Pres Hansen called on Steven for the spiritural thought and he did a good job as usual. President Hansen announced that Elder Miller (one of the APs) was going back to the field. He said that he was planning on keeping Elder Miller as an AP until he went home (Elder Miller) in June. There was a problem and Elder Miller said "maybe I could help" so the President is sending him. We will miss Elder Miller - he is a fine dedicated missionary.

Derek drove over from his meetings in San Antonio this evening. It was great to see him and spend the evening visiting.

The APs stopped by this evening with the new "bunny sheet" (transfer sheet). We will have a new AP, four new zone leaders, four new distict leaders and nine great trainers. I pray that each of the missionaries adjust to their new areas and companions next Tuesday. The missionaries are wonderful - the future of the church is in good hands!

Saturday - Derek left early to fly back to SLC. We are glad he was able to come even for a short time. We did our P-day jobs today and enjoyed General Conference on the Internet. The quality was so much better today than it has been in the past. We really enjoy seeing and hearing from apostles and prophets - how blessed we are. Elder Stringfellow rode over to General Priesthood meeting with me this evening. President Monson really was very direct in his counsel to young single adult men and marriage.

Sunday -We enjoyed both sessions of conference today and the music was inspiring and beautiful. One quote that struck me was "Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words". Our examples are so important. I am so thankful for good parents, brothers and sisters, for our children and grandchildren and for my eternal sweetheart. I have so many wonderful righteous examples to follow. We are so blessed.

We love you and pray you each have a wonderful safe week.

Love,

Mom and Dad

85th Post Mon March 21 - Sunday Mar. 27, 2011

We were up early to start a new week in the Texas Houston Mission. Leona had a doctors appointment at MD Anderson this morning - just routine check up. We waited our obligatory 2 hours - the medical center is great and for us the cost is right, but boy they sure run behind schedule regardless of the department. My cousin Suzanne and her husband Alan were down visiting one of their kids and family. They called and took us out to lunch and then over to their condo (really a home) to show us around (we will stay there in September when I come back for the last - I hope - BCG treatment). They have a very nice place to stay whenever they come to Houston.

For FHE this evening the senior missionaries did a pot luck stir fry. It was very good. We enjoyed a great visit together.

Tuesday we were up and on the road by 6:30 to College Station for Zone Conference. The leaves are coming out on the trees and the grass is getting green - just a very pleasant drive of about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Elder Stringfellow and I do short vehicle and apartment training at the beginning of the meeting. President and Sister Hansen always do a great job. Their subject is from the simplified curriculum of Preach My Gospel - Revelation through Church Attendance. A wonderful perspective on keeping the sabbath day holy and why we (children of Israel) must remember that covenant. The AP's always do a good job of teaching. Elder Galbriath is especially a gifted teacher. The RS always does a great job with lunch. We left to come back to the office after lunch was cleaned up. This evening after dinner we went back to the office as Leona wanted to get some bills paid. A great day to be a missionary.

Wednesday we drove down to the Longebough building for Zone Conference. Not as far as yesterday, only about 45 minutes west on FM 1960. President Hansen did not talk about the sabbath day, but said how he appreciated how Elder Walker always teaches the "doctrine of apartments" using the scriptures. He then proceeded to teach how we can solve our challenges, by teaching the following concept. If we understand the doctrine and form a strategy, then like Nephi (1Ne 4:6-15) we will act even if the strategy is not 100% complete or known, we then become doers of the word (James 1:22) and receive the blessing/answers to our challenges (D&C130:20-21). It was a wonderful lesson and you could feel and see how he was being lead by the Spirit the whole time. A great experience for us all.

We did not stay for lunch as we wanted to get back to the welfare complex for the re-dedication of the peanut butter cannery. What a great event that was. Elder Nielsen, an area 70, and one of the Stake RS Presidents spoke. There were government, community, law enforcement, and media representatives there. The meeting was held in the new addition, which houses the new peanut roaster and the 2000 lb bags of shelled peanuts. They had refreshments that were made from peanuts/peanut butter, including sandwich wraps, smoothie drinks and dips and hot sauce -they were just outstanding - if you like peanut butter this was the place to be. The visitors were given tours of the Bishop's Storehouse, and donned hairnets and were able to go in where the peanut butter is made and bottled and boxed for shipment. The Church allows the Houston Food Bank and their corporate volunteers to make peanut butter one day a week. That has been a great project with wide spread community impact. Peanut butter is the single most requested food item of the Food Bank. The President of that organization made a special presentation to the Church and the Cannery Manager. He said that they have identified young children who are poor and hungry in 200 schools and they fix "boxes" for them to take home on the weekend and the peanut butter is the main item and the favorite item. He said this past Christmas he received an email from a school teacher. She told how the children in her class were excited for the Christmas break all but one who seemed worried. She questioned the young student if there was something wrong. This young child was worried and began to cry about being hungry through the holiday, there would be no "boxes". This little child was not excited about Christmas or not having to go to school, he was worried about being hungry. We are so blessed. What a great missionary tool this dedication was, we truely felt the Spirit in abundance. It was a real blessing to be a part of this wonderful day.

Thursday and another MD Anderson day. I had my last BCG treatment for this series. All went well. I just stayed at the apartment and drank and disposed of LOTS of water.

Friday I stayed at home again. I was up every half hour to 45 minutes last night. I feel fair, just tired. I worked on our taxes all day. That is enough to make anyone ill. We went for a short walk this evening as I am feeling a bit better.

Saturday I feel a whole lot better. Went into the office for awhile, washed the car and ran a few errands. We went to Sam's, Krogers, and then to Al Waidi's for an early dinner. Much more warm and humid today. I guess summer is just about here.

Sunday, it was Fast and Testimony meeting today and the Spirit was strong, many heart-felt testimonies were shared. Brother and Sister Johnson, Brother Johnson's sister and her husband, and Sister Johnson's son and his wife came for dinner this evening. Brother and Sister Johnson have been so good to us, we have been in their home many times this past year to share a meal with them. Anyway, they will be leaving tomorrow they have sold their home and are moving to Spanish Fork, Utah. We enjoyed our visit with them, they will be missed.

We are to another Sunday evening, the weeks pass by quickly. We love our mission. We are so thankful for this great blessing.

We hope that you each have a wonderful week. Tell your eternal companion "I love you" at least twice each day. Give each one of our perfect beautiful grandchildren a hug and kiss from Grandpa and Grandma Walker! We love you. Be safe.

Love,

Mom and Dad

84th Post Monday Mar. 14 - Sunday Mar., 20, 2011

We went into the office early this Monday morning - lots to catch up on. Being out of the office Thursday and Friday put me a bit behind. I worked on photos for 7 new missionaries coming in the next several months, updated my apartment spreadsheet and distributed it and drove up to an apartment complex near the Temple to sign new leases for 2 - one bedroom apartments. The apartments are very nice. They are on the third floor, but the elders are young and strong and used to moving stuff up stairs.

Elder and Sister Thomas came to our place to eat dinner prior to FHE. The topic was on miracles and tender mercies we have experienced on our missions. Many great blessing we all shared as a result of being full time missionaries. My main contribution to the evening was refreshments (yes I made pumpkin cookies- under the careful supervision of Sister Walker, and root beer floats). We have a new Senior Sister, Sister Nance from Georgia. She is assigned in the employment office and replaces Sister Billingsley who went home in November.

Tuesday I hooked up the truck and trailer and drove up to move the Elders at the Cypresswood apartments near the Temple. The Mission President is having me slowly move out of the 4 man apartments, just to many "distractions", if you know what I mean. The Elders were boxed up and pretty much ready to go. They were excited to get into the new apartments.

After we completed moving their stuff I drove down to one of our apartments that missionaries no longer occupy. The last missionaries who had lived there met me there and we moved the furniture out and cleaned the place up. The elders had done a good job of getting the place ready to move out. There were only a few items worth keeping, a desk, table & chairs, bookcase and beds. There were two old sofas that we set down on the sidewalk and before you could turn around there were folks there wanting to know if they could have the stuff. It was great to get rid of many items not worth taking back to the mission office. When I first came to this apartment complex about a year ago it was nice for the area, but boy has it gone down hill fast. We were glad to move the missionaries out. When I did the walk through with the apartment manager she mentioned how much she missed seeing the sisters we had living there. Even the manager did not like the area and the sisters would come into her office and say hello and really brighten up her day. She missed that interaction. We moved the sisters out a few transfers ago and moved elders in. The elders were moved out two transfers ago and now we are out of that apartment all together It was a great moving day with very nice cool weather in the morning.

Wednesday more paper work. Seems like I am not as caught up as I normally am. I drove down to the Copperfield area to pick up Elder Stringfellow as he had to take a loaner car to some elders who got into an accident the other day. President Hansen was in today and asked Elder Stringfellow and I to meet with him. We have a couple of Senior sisters who are just not getting along at all and wanted our council on options.

I spent the rest of the afternoon with the help of Elders Gardner & Sorsenson arranging things in the garage, hauling a few things to NAM (like Deseret Industries) and unloading the truck and trailer. The elders are always good to help me when ever I ask.

Thursday we were up early for the drive to MD Anderson. Steven's appointment was at 8am but he wanted to be there early so we were there about 7:30am. After completing his check in stuff they told him that they would order the medication from the pharmacy and would call his name again but that it was going to be a wait - and it was, about two hours. When his name was called the second time he was finished very quickly and we were back to the apartment about noon. He spent the rest of the afternoon resting, drinking LOTS of water, and in the bathroom. Two treatments done and one to go!

Friday: I am not sure how much sleep Steven got last night. He said that he was feeling ok. He did not go to office. We had staff meeting and President Hansen shared an email that he had sent to Elder and Sister Kikuchi and their response back. Elder and Sister Kikuchi have children, grandchildren and siblings in different parts of Japan. After more than four days they had finally received word that everyone is safe. Elder Kikuchi said, "so many people have died, I feel so bad I am here and could not help them". President Hansen offered the closing prayer in staff meeting. It was filled with love and blessings for Elder Walker's health. Sister Stringfellow offered the opening paryer and she too poured out her heart for a blessing of health and speedy recovery for Elder Walker. With prayers like were offered today, no wonder Steven is doing so well. We are so thankful and so blessed.

After I got home from the mission office Steven did feel well enough to go for a short walk around the lake and to feed the ducks. He is doing much better this evening.

Saturday I felt better so we decided to go on the senior outing down to the Houston Ship Channel and San Jacinto Battleground Historic site. Most rode in the van, but we decided to drive in case I needed to leave early. President and Sister Hansen also drove down. This is a first time they have gone with the seniors on P-day. We enjoyed the boat tour of the shipping channel, the Battleship Texas, and the San Jacinto site (Leona and I did this same trip in early Feb). The Christensons and Nagels from Huntsville joined us, as well as the Thomas's from downtown (employment missionaries) and the Shipleys from the South Mission and of course the seniors from the mission office and employment office. It was a very enjoyable day, warm and a light breeze. Fun to be with the other seniors. I did fine and glad we went.

We enjoyed Sacrament meeting. Lots of babies and small children in the Olde Oaks Ward and some Sundays they are quite entertaining. It brings back "fond" memories as we watch the families. The talks were given by two high counselors and they both did well. We were reminded to look to Christ and the prophet and other church leaders for guidance - they are our lighthouses".

Elder and Sister Stringfellow invited us over after church to eat dinner with them. They are great people with strong testimonies and faith. We had a nice visit and we sure enjoy serving with them in the mission office.

We hope you each have a great week. Be careful in all you do.

We love you,

Dad and Mom

83rd Post Monday Mar 7 - Sunday March 13, 2011

Mondays are always "busy" as there are lots of missionaries who come in the office on their P-day to use the computers, check the mail, or to just "check in". We did get to the office early so Leona could get a check ready for an apartment that never received their check from SLC. We also went to WalMart to get cleaning supplies and to the post office.

The senior's FHE was at the mission home. We enjoy having FHE with the Hansens once a month. Sister Young had the lesson which was a video about the tabernacle of ancient Israel. It was very interesting. We enjoyed our evening together and the wonderful refreshments that Leona provided. Another wonderful day in the mission field.

Tuesday I hit the road again to inspect apartments. I drove out to Sealy, and the Katy area. The apartments looked good.

Leona goes over to the bishop's storehouse on Tuesdays right after work to see if they need her help. This evening they did. I went home changed, grabbed something to eat and then went back to the storehouse. We stayed until about 7:30 filling orders and stocking shelves. Every "Deseret" item I handled I thought what a great program the Lord has for helping all His children. We are so blessed to be in His church.

(Leona speaking) Wednesday, I am thankful for the gospel and the blessing of serving a mission with my wonderful eternal companion. Always plenty to do each day and the hours pass by so quickly. There was a missionary leadership training meeting at the Hafer building so when it was over there were lots of missionaries in the office checking mail and getting supplies, it was good to see each one.

We learned that we have a missionary going home in a couple days. He is having some emotional/mental health problems bless his heart; he is such a fine elder wanting to share the gospel with everyone. Our prayers are with him.

Paul and Marsha Johnson, members of the Olde Oaks Ward, invited us and the Stringfellows to dinner this evening. They are moving to Spanish Fork, Utah the end of the month and will be greatly missed. They have been so good to us. Dinner was delicious - chicken, green beans, potatoes, tossed salad and ice cream and Mississippi mud cake, yum yum! We had a very nice visit after dinner, Brother Johnson is a retired Shell oil man so he and Steven always have lots to talk about. Sister Johnson told how her mother joined the church in a little branch (she said it was more like a "twig") in Louisiana and then her father joined about 1 1/2 years later. She was nine years old at the time. She served a mission to Canada and Brother Johnson served in Australia. A great couple, we will miss them.

Thursday, we were up early did not exercise because Steven needed to be at MD Anderson at 7:45 a.m. We left the apartment at 6:30am and made our way into Houston along with everyone else in Texas it seemed! Traffic was heavy even on the Hardy Toll Road but we arrived on time. He got his lab work done quickly but his appointment with Dr. Grosman (urologist) was a long wait being moved from room to room (they do that to make you think that you are not waiting). They did the cystoscopy (TV camera look around his bladder) and it looked good - all is well, we are so thankful. After more waiting time they did the first BCG treatment and we arrived home about 2pm. After Steven got settled and resting I went to the mission office for a couple of hours. We are thankful for the medical help that Steven has received. These treatments are not pleasant, he has a lot of pain afterwards and just feeling sick - kind of like the flu and sometimes he has a fever. He never complains and tries to be upbeat, I am so thankful for him and love him with all my heart.

Friday, Steven had an OK night, he is up more than he is down. He needs to drink lots of fluids to flush his system. I left to go to the mission office at 7:30am. We did not have staff meeting as President and Sister Hansen needed to be in Huntsville early this morning. Steven called later in the morning and said to come get him at 1pm he wanted to come to the office for a couple hours. When I returned home he was dressed but looking pretty pale. I could tell he did not feel so good so WE decided that it would be better if he just stayed home.

We had a quiet evening, walked to the pond to feed the ducks - they are always starving! The swan is mean and bites the ducks; if the water was clean and I could swim I think I might jump in and wring her/his neck! I guess I won't.

Saturday, Steven is feeling better today and since he was I put him to work vacuuming and cleaning the apartment! He washed the car at the mission office and we spent some time going through papers, etc. that always seem to gather on the counter and table. We went to a Mexican place for a late lunch and stopped to get a few items at the grocery store on our way home.

Sunday we enjoyed our meetings. You all know this but it is so much better when you really concentrate on the words of the sacrament prayer and what they mean for us. I am so thankful I am a member of the Lord's church and for the many blessings we enjoy.

Another great week to enjoy our time in the Texas Houston Mission.

We love you all,

Dad and Mom

82nd Post Monday Feb 28 - Sunday Mar 6, 2009

Monday and the beginning of another wonderful week in the Texas Houston Mission. We left the office late morning as I had an appointment with the dermatologist at MD Anderson. He took a "core sample" from a small bump on my chest and froze 4 spots on my face. The core sample required 2 stitches. All went well except for the two hour wait. By the time we got back to the office the day was about gone. We enjoyed FHE at the Stringfellow's apartment this evening. We watched an LDS therapist talk about the Book of Mormon. We enjoy our association with the other senior missionaries.

Tuesday I started another round of apartment inspections - most looked good. Leona had her computer "upgraded" so she had fun getting things back to normal (what ever normal is). Sisters Donkin and Rodriguez came to dinner this evening. What good missionaries they are, just a real inspiration to be around. Sister Rodriguez is from Guatemala (lived in the USA for a few years) and Sister Donkin is from the Portland area. Her family has a "vacation home" in Sea Side. The weather was very cool this morning, but nice and warm by afternoon.

Wednesday I drove to Conroe, Huntsville, Montgomery, and the Woodlands doing apartment inspections. There was one apartment that was a real mess but the others were in good shape. I have several pending apartment moves this month, plus I start my next round of BCG treatments so I spent time trying to get the missionaries, the apartments managers, and my schedule all on the same page. The church computer system (iMOS) was down again today, so Leona went back to the office this evening, while I ran to the post office. David called and said his phone interview with Notre Dame grad school went well.

Thursday was another long distance driving day for me, about 230 miles. I went up to College Station, Brenham, and Waller inspecting apartments. This trip is always interesting as the country side is full of large ranches and farms. The trip started out foggy but cleared up by mid morning.

Friday we had our normal office staff meeting. It is always a blessing to meet with the Hansens. They are such good people. I inspected apartments closer to home today. Later in the morning Pres. Hansen called and asked me to look for apartments in the Bryan/College Station area for a senior couple. We just got word that we will be getting another proselyting couple at the end of the month. I did some checking online and made some phone calls to see what might be available, besides the apartments where we have young missionaries. I called the Buckways (from the Odgen area) this evening. They sound like great folks. We had Sisters Bullock and Porter over for dinner this evening. They are so enthusiastic and into their missionary work - fun to be around them.

Saturday we went into the office for a few hours to catch up on things. I got a call late last night that the sisters at the Oaks of Wimbledon had received an eviction notice for not paying rent. Even though Leona gets all the info to SLC early, some times the checks just get lost in the mail. Anyway we worked on that and several other "bill" issues.

We got most of our p-day work done and then went to the Texas Roadhouse for a late lunch; it seemed a very short day today. The weather remains cool.

I got a call this evening from some elders who got their car towed. Elder Stringfellow was out of town and not available so I called him to make sure I had all the paper work, the cash $207!! and then arranged with the elders to meet them at the "junk yard". It all worked out in the end but it took some effort. I suppose I should get hearing aids or something. When the elder called he said it was Elder Parker, I thought he said Barker (we have both). I told him I would call back after I talked to Elder Stringfellow to make sure I could get the car out of impound. To complicate things more, the elders were on exchanges, so I call Elder Barker's number and there is no answer, of course I had told Elder "Barker" to stay close to his phone so we could get things handled. Well I called several times and left messages of increasing urgency (the impound place would close and the cost goes up $30 after midnight - of course the elders are responsible for all parking and traffic fines). I even thought to call the other elders they had exchanged with and left them an urgent message. Well after 45 minutes Elder Barker calls me back and I start in on the poor guy - "where have you been? - why did you not stay by the phone? - do you want your car back or not?......" He said "has our car been towed"?? I could not believe it - Elder didn't you call and tell me your car was towed - to which he replied "no". Oh my - now what?? We finally figured it was Elder Parker who called not Barker. So I called Elder Parker and he picks right up and we made arrangements to meet and get his car. Later in the evening I get a call from Elder Lindsey ( he was involved with the exchange with the other elders). "Elder Walker I got your message - our car has been towed??" He was all concerned needless to say. Anyway I reminded all concerned that they were dealing with a hearing impaired senior missionary so please relax as all is now well in the car kingdom. Boy what a night.

We got up this morning and took bread and cheerios for the ducks at the pond here in the apartment complex. The swan is pretty much the boss when she gets around the rest of the ducks. They stay out of her way, if not they will loose a few tail feathers! Lots of sunshine and cool enough for a sweater with low humidity - perfect weather today!

Fast and Testimony meeting was very good, lots of humble testimonies shared. We have enjoyed a wonderful Sabbath Day and we are ready to begin a new week. We hope that you each have a good and safe week. We love you and so thankful for you. Take care.

Love,

Dad and Mom