ANOTHER VISIT FROM HOME

At the end of a busy transfer week, I received a visit from back-home neighbors and friends, the Sumsions.  They were traveling through to visit with Deanna's parents and stopped by the mission office.  We ate nutburgers at the Sunflower, and had a delightful visit.  Thanks, neighbors.

We sent 18 missionaries home and received only 10 new ones.  We have two "visa waiters" here who are called to serve in Mongolia, although that's not looking too promising these days.  So you can imagine the changes that have to made every six weeks--in housing, car assignments, etc.  We have many Islanders serving here who are not licensed to drive.  When a driver is sick or injured, changes have to be made in companionships to provide drivers in each.  This week two sisters from Marshall Islands (non-drivers) were assigned together to ride bikes.  They're pretty buff sisters and are really excited about it,  but I don't envy them biking in this heat.  Now we have to find bikes for them.  A visitor from Salt Lake told me that in the missions where everyone rides bikes at least part of the time there are much fewer physical and emotional complaints.

I continue to get interesting phone calls.  I carry my office phone with me on weekends.  Today, while at lunch with friends, I got a call from some sisters asking me to Google restaurants in Tracy.  Someone had given them gift cards, but they didn't know where any of the restaurants were.  They're not allowed to use the internet....so they called me to do it.  You see what a really important role I fill here?

We have two new office elders:  Elder Stephenson, a large, gentle Ben type, and Elder Lagazo, who is very small, dark and wiry.  An incongruous pair.  On their second day in the office I glanced up to see Elder Stephenson outside cleaning the glass door to the office!  Thought I was hallucinating.  We've cut way back on the time that the elders spend in the office, so that most of their time is spent proselyting, except on transfer weeks and zone conferences.

I'm always glad when August arrives... so we can hurry and get it over with.  It really is the dog-days month of the year.  The only good thing that ever came of it was the arrival of Baby Ben.