What an exciting time this is.  Valentine's Day week was filled with "firsts".  My first beautiful bouquet of flowers while on my mission.  My husband ordered flowers for me as well as for the single sister who works with us in the office.  When Sister Rothman opened up her flowers, she said they were the first flowers she had received since her husband died five years ago.

On Wednesday we had our first arrival of new missionaries that included two eighteen year old Elders.  It's certainly added a lot of extra enthusiasm to the mission to know that there are so many new missionaries coming and changes will come as a result of that.
I love being a part of this and I take lots of pictures.  Transfers have become one of my very favorite things to do on our mission.  New missionaries arriving, new companionship's formed, lots of new bikes, lots of luggage...and then off they go with their new companions to serve in the specific area they have been assigned to.

We took this picture in the office with our two assistants to the President.  We all knew that Elder Olsen (the one in the foreground) was going to be transferred and this would be our last day with him.

 

After transfers were over, we went back to the office.  Many of the newly formed companionship's need media items and they come to the office to get them.  It's always quite a happy time for them.

 

At about 3pm on Wednesday, we left for the temple.  It takes a little over an hour to get there.  It is in an area called Hopkins on the other side of Columbia.  There we met up with the departing missionaries.

 

This is some of the foliage right outside the front door of the temple.  It's so beautiful!

 

This is a picture of President Holm and his wife with the departing missionaries.

After a session in the temple, we went to the mission home for dinner.  While these are very special days they are also late days with late meals and late deserts!  This is the last opportunity to spend time with them before they fly out the following morning.  We enjoy a meal, a testimony meeting and a video that has been prepared for the departing missionaries.  I always take a notebook for recording profound things and plenty of Kleenex.

This was the late desert!  It was huge!

 

Today it was cold enough that we actually had some snow mixed in with the rain. It was around 35 degrees when we left the RV to run errands.  There have been a couple of mornings where there has been ice on the windshield, but it doesn't last long.  Most days are sunny and around the 50's and 60's.  The weather has been pretty mild and I like that.  I know that the heat and humidity is coming, and we'll just have to deal with it when it gets here.

Our oldest grandson has a birthday on the 17th.  We have two teenage grandchildren now, one of which is eligible for a driver's permit.  Oh my goodness!  The time passes swiftly!

  So thankful for all we are blessed with!