So much to do, so little time! January 31, 2016

We are running to the finish of this amazing mission assignment.  This week we will busy with transfers and we are grateful that there are 18 missionaries coming, including another from Temple Square.  Transfers are especially hard when we lose great missionaries.  We have some great ones leaving.  They are been good and faithful servants.

The logistics of transfers are more complicated than it may sound.  We have to get all of the missionaries in the right places at the right times.  It takes a van to carry missionaries, a truck and trailer to bring their luggage and a bunch of us from the office to make it happen.  Elder Dixon has the responsibility of getting it all figured out.  I am glad we have him.  If it was up to me, I would make mistakes and we would have three in Florida and two on their way to the Bahamas!

The need for Senior missionaries has weighed heavily on my mind.  We had the opportunity to attend a baptism yesterday and the Relief Society President came up to me with gleaming eyes.  She had heard that we are going to have a Senior couple in their ward (and that rumor was actually correct).  The ward is wonderful, is growing with new converts who are terrific, and needs someone to give extra support to all the new people.  We are fortunate to have someone to do that.

We have loved working with the Branch.  I love the people there so much.  They are good people who give freely.  They sacrifice to attend the Branch, but their attendance percentage is really high.  They do genealogy, they attend the Temple monthly.  They celebrate every event in style and do so together.

I have really loved being with these Young Women.  They are a treasure.  Each of them brings something special to our class.  They are deep thinkers who are also a lot of fun.  I will miss them terribly when our mission is over.

It seems to me that many of our senior church members hesitate to serve a mission because they don't feel qualified.  That is where they would be wrong.  There are so many ways to serve, so many needs, and so many people who can use a lift.  You don't have to be a gospel scholar to provide encouragement to these young missionaries.  They need the support, they need the counsel, they need help with investigators and new members.  We can help with those things.

Weather here is so weird.  The white in this picture is frost.  I wish the pictures had come out better.  It was frost on grass, but looked like pieces of white plastic.