Today is another spectacular Sunday!  It's sixty degrees outside with a clear blue sky..yes..at the end of November.  We have the weather here and at home set to the home page on Doyle's computer.  We have seen the cold and snow that's been the weather situation at home, so this looks really nice here.
It is pretty chilly in the morning, however.  We drive by a nursery on the way home and they are selling flats of pansies as well as Christmas trees!  I've never seen that before.

On Monday I turned into Sister France the barber!  One of our AP's asked me if I cut hair and I told him I cut Doyle's.  He asked if I would cut his.  I took our clippers in to the office and went to Sally's beauty supply and got two aprons, one for me and on for the victim..er..Elder.  First Elder to get his hair cut flinched like crazy and I asked him if I was pulling his hair.  He answered that I was.  Mind you Doyle had told me this on several occasions, but we never bought new clippers.  He simply toughed it out.  This Elder asked one of the other Elder's that he lives with to bring a set from their apartment.  From then on..no more pulling!  These were sharp and good.  They told me what number they wanted me to use and I went to work.  They all looked sharp when it was over!  I'm sure I'll get many more opportunities to be their barber.  Oh..and... by the way.. I agreed to get rid of our old ones! 

Last Wednesday we had transfers. What a great experience that was!  All the missionaries from the mission gathered at our Irmo building, with lots of luggage and excitement as transfers are announced.  We sang Called To Serve, which is always such an uplifting song.  When we sang it at the devotionals at MTC, I thought my heart would burst as I listened to the volume and enthusiasm of the missionaries sing that glorious song.  While the total volume was less on Wednesday, the enthusiasm was still there! Doyle and I were asked to sit on the stand and bear our testimonies at the end of the meeting. Sitting on the stand gave me an opportunity to look into the face of the future of the church and our country.  Young men and women filled with the spirit and the promise of the future.  I look forward to the next transfer!  Soon it will be so much busier as the influx of new, younger missionaries begin to flood the field.  It will effect our mission alone by an increase of 50-100 new missionaries.  Think of that on a world-wide basis!  Amazing!

For Thanksgiving we went to the mission president's home.  There were eight of us there, the mission president, his wife, one of their daughters, and the five of us that work in the office.  We talked about going out to a restaurant, but the mission president's wife wanted us to come to their home for a potluck.  It was lovely.  While it is true that nothing can replace the holidays with family, we enjoyed our time with all of the staff.  We know that the Lord is watching over our families as we are away.

President and Sister Holm, Thanksgiving 2012. 

Doyle came down with a sore throat and the accompanying distress over a week ago and has been dealing with that.  He hasn't missed any days at the office, but he has been tired.  I've been going along full steam ahead thinking that I would escape...but I didn't make it.  Yesterday my throat started to bother me and today it is raw and sore.  Vitamin C in large doses and liquid Echinacea are now part of my daily diet.

Our office is the one right in front of the red car.

I realized a long time ago that putting a tree up in the RV would never work as we are lacking any extra space, so to fill my need for putting up a tree I went into the office yesterday and put up the small tree at the office.  It's about 4 feet tall with the lights already on it.  I found a large box of bulbs in the closet and put all red on the tree.  The topper that was there was too heavy for the little tree and kept flopping over, so I went out and found a little angel with a hollow center and it fits perfectly.  I also found a nativity and bought some gold mesh fabric to set it on.  For the next two Christmas's I will have to get my Christmas tree fix at the office!  I usually put our tree up either before Thanksgiving or the day after.  I love Christmas, the trees and the lights.  But we all know the true meaning of Christmas.  May we all reflect on the real reason that we celebrate and enjoy the blessings that are ours.

To our most beloved family and friends and associates, we love you and hope that you enjoy this wonderful holiday season.  Happy holidays, y'all!!

It has been a week of firsts and a week of goodbyes as we took one elder to the airport, attended the temple, had a wonderful dinner at the mission home and enjoyed a video and a testimony meeting with these fine young men.  One of them, Elder Fuller, was in our branch and we had gotten to know him better than the others.  Dinner was chicken pot pie with the best crust I have ever had, a wonderful salad with an apple poppyseed dressing and the lightest, fluffiest, creamiest homemade banana pudding. It was heavenly!  As I was trying hard to be good with all this wonderful food, the mission president came around with the pudding bowl and put more on my plate.  What could I do?  You know what I did!  Oh my!

The elders each bore their testimony, which was very touching, as they all made special reference to how their strength in the gospel had grown so much in the last two years while teaching others about Jesus Christ. When the elders finished the president asked the senior missionaries if we had any words of wisdom to contribute and Sister Putnam shared this, "There are two great days in your life, the day you are born and the day you find out why."  Very profound.





Elder France and I with Elder Fuller who was preparing to go home to Utah the following morning.

Columbia South Carolina Temple
 

On Wednesday we took Elder Burchfield to the airport.  I plugged in the address that I had found online into the GPS in the car, while Doyle spoke the address into his phone to get directions.  We were prepared..until we saw the sign on the freeway that directed us a totally different way.  I made the decision to follow my GPS and off we went further down the freeway and off through downtown, the capitol building, and finally down some side streets that looked nothing like the picture online.  Well, we had found the airport alright...the industrial airport!  Three choices and I took the wrong one!  Thankfully we had lots of time!  While Elder Burchfield directed us out of the area and back to the real airport, he shared lots of Revolutionary and Civil War history.  We found the airport and this one looked like the one I had seen online.  We sent the Elder off for home with 2 full hours before flight time.

Columbia, South Carolina Airport

On a funny note, today Doyle was asked for the second time if he is the new mission president.  I guess he just has that look about him!

We wish everyone a splendid Thanksgiving!  I see many posts on face book regarding the things that people are thankful for...one specific item for each day of the month.  We have so much to thank Heavenly Father for including His Son and His atoning sacrifice for us, our lives and our parents decision to bring us into this world, our families, and countless opportunities to learn and grow. 

Have a great week everyone!  Much love to you all!!

 

What glorious and beautiful fall weather we are having!  Today it got up to 75 degrees!  Nights are getting colder however.  It's been down around mid 30's.  We did have ice on the windshield one morning.  I miss having our vehicles garaged.  They get dirty so much faster and they are cold in the morning.  With our gas water heater in the garage at home, it gives off just enough heat that the cars never really get cold.

This week was a week of firsts for us.  We went to two of the zone conferences.  The first one, on Tuesday was in West Columbia where our stake center is.  Doyle and I made brief presentations to the missionaries with regard to housing issues and baptismal forms.  We watched some driving safety videos produced by the church specifically for the missionaries to encourage them to keep safety first while in the car.  We then started vehicle inspections of all cars in the Columbia and West Columbia zones.  Inspections include overall maintenance, cleanliness and record keeping accuracy.  If they are doing everything well, they get a treat and a happy face card.  If they are neglecting to do things well, they get a frowning face card and no treat.  On Wednesday, we traveled an hour and a half to Greenville to have zone conference with the Greenville East and Greenville missionaries.  The procedure was basically the same.  Both days we were finished before lunch, and then headed back to the office to work there.

Missionary cars lined up for inspection in Greenville.

Next week, on Tuesday we go to Augusta and then Wednesday is Florence zone conference.  On Friday, we will spend time with the departing missionaries going to the temple and having dinner at the mission home with President Holm and his wife.  Saturday is missionary departure day and the following Monday we have arrivals, then on the 21st is transfers.  (I'm tired already!)

The following day is Thanksgiving.  Fixing a big Thanksgiving dinner in the 5th wheel would be quite an undertaking.  The refrigerator is small...so what in the world would I do with all those leftovers?  I think the office staff will probably all go out to dinner together.  We went to a wonderful buffet last Tuesday.  Everyone really enjoyed the food so we may go back there.

Today was a busy day.  Doyle worked on a few maintenance issues on the fifth wheel as we prepare for unknown weather conditions during winter.

So efficient!

 

Laying in the dirt and gravel after putting on the tire covers.

 

 Everyone says it's pretty mild here, but it has been known to snow from time to time.  We have been told when that happens...everybody stays home.  They have no snow plows to deal with removal issues, so an unscheduled day off makes for smiling faces on school children and a few adults, I'm sure.

We did take some time to go for a short walk here on the campground property.  There is a small lake and it looks so lovely from the other side looking toward the campground.

 

 

Tomorrow is our predictable opportunity.  As two of the newest faces in the ward, we have been asked to speak.  It is the way of the church...when you come or when you leave, the request always comes.  We accepted of course, so we'll be looking out into the faces of the branch members.  I'm ready and looking forward to it.  My topic is service to others.

 

People are so friendly here!  Lots of smiles and courtesy.  Speaking of courtesy, I have really noticed it while driving.  People will actually stop and let you out into traffic.  Now that is a rare sight indeed in the Seattle area!  I love Seattle, but the drivers are pretty rude most of the time.

 

Until next time, I wish all my friends and family all of the peace in their lives that can be achieved by living the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I love all of you!

 

What a week we have had.  The work in the office has kept us on our toes as we learn more  about our job assignments and implement them.  We rearranged our office and removed two old printers and hooked up the new one.  Doyle and I share the same office, but we each have our own desk and our own computer.  It's cozy!

On Thursday we had dinner with Danielle, a member of the branch we attend.  Her boyfriend and our two missionaries from the branch were there.  We had a lovely visit.  Her dog Zoe loved Doyle and didn't mind showing it!  What energy.  Danielle sent us on our way with a quart jar of her  chicken soup made from her grandmothers special recipe. We plan to enjoy it for dinner tomorrow.  On Friday the office staff had lunch with the Mission President and his wife at the deli just a short walk from the office.  It was a luncheon to thank the Bowman's for their work in the office as it was their last day.  The deli has the most divine Tomato Basil soup.  Tonight we had a staff dinner at the Bowman's apartment with our local sister missionaries, the assistants to the President and our last three visa waiters who leave for Columbia tomorrow.  Sometimes it takes a longer period of time for some visas to process after a missionary is out of the MTC and so they put them on a temporary assignment in a mission in the US.  These particular missionaries had been here for six weeks waiting.

Our wonderful sister missionaries, Sister Allen on the left and Sister Chai on the right with Sister Rothman, our receptionist.

Our visa waiters Elder Soderburg, Elder Palmer and Elder Schwab.  They fly to Columbia in the morning.

 

 

Yesterday all missionaries in the mission plus all stake presidents and their wives had a very
wonderful and special opportunity to hear from a member of the Quorum of the Twelve.  From 4-7pm we were all privileged to be taught by Elder Bednar in our stake building in Columbia.  He was so insightful in how he conducted the meeting by allowing the missionaries to ask many questions and giving instruction to them.  He said that the Holy Ghost is always the teacher, not the individual and that we need to be worthy conduits for that purpose.  He taught that we should first observe, then listen, then discern, and finally, after we do those things, we should talk.  We have to know what the needs of the individual are before we can help them.  We all gathered for a group picture in the cultural hall.  There were about 220 of us. When Elder Bednar was finished speaking to us we each were able to shake his hand!  I will post the picture when I get a copy of it.  Needless to say, it was amazing!  Probably a once in a lifetime opportunity. 

It seems that we are going all the time.  The Mission President has told us that we need to have a date night every week.  I'm not sure how that is going to be possible but we are going to try.  Once a month probably sounds much more realistic.  I'm not complaining!  I'd much rather be purposeful and productive than lost and bored.  I love my mission!  President Holm gives a beautiful coin to his  new missionaries.  On it are the following words:
I love tough things.
I am first to do tough things.
I do tough things first.
I'm a finisher.
Words to live by!