LAST WEEK OF MAY

MILESTONES MISSED AT HOME

The work here keeps us really busy – which is a blessing in disguise because it keeps us from getting homesick.  But today I started thinking about the birthdays and special events we are missing out on.  Besides birthdays we have missed some very special events in our family.  In the last few months our Bryce and Madison were baptized.  Andrew left on his mission, Sean was ordained a deacon and passed the sacrament for the first time, Alec graduated from 9^th grade and Ashley and Josh both graduated from high school.  Although we missed being part of these special events, we have been blessed with peace and comfort, knowing that our family is progressing and experiencing new adventures, which make us so happy and proud.   Life is full of many opportunities and challenges that make us grow and become better.  We love you all and want to say thanks for your love and support which makes it possible for us to be serving a mission!

WE CAN'T BELIEVE MAY HAS COME AND GONE...

Toward the end of May we flew to Apia for an institute meeting.  It was a great meeting and we learned so much.  The new area seventy was in attendance and it was so great to meet and talk with him.  We got some great teaching ideas to use when classes resume in August.  Even though some of them were not new to us, reviewing the methods and sharing ideas was so beneficial.

On Saturday, May 25^th we received a request to pick up Elder and Sister Dansie, serving a family history mission in Auckland, New Zealand, from their hotel and escort them around the island as they met with the family history consultants and priesthood leaders in the five stakes here.  We invited them to stay with us, rather than use church funds to pay for a hotel.  It was so fun to get to know them.  We really enjoyed their visit.  

We all had a pleasant surprise when we asked them where they were from and they said Taylorsville.  When we asked which stake they lived in it turns out we live in the same stake.  They live just East of 3200 West and a little South of us.  Because our ward was just put into their stake about a year ago, we didn’t know them – we laughed and joked that we had to come all the way to Samoa to meet our neighbors…

Transfers come about every six weeks, so the last week in May we had to bid farewell to 5 of our missionaries, Elders Pepe, McOmber, Brunt, Katiele, and  AhWong.  It was bittersweet, putting them on the airplane to Apia.  Even though they will still be part of our mission, we will miss our day-to-day association with them.  It was like losing 5 sons.

BUT we did got 10 new elders.  That meant we had to find more housing, get more beds made and equip their houses.  So it was a very busy week.  They all arrived OK, but their luggage didn’t.  Seven of them had to wait until the next day to get their luggage.  It is a good thing we had extra toothbrushes and razors….