Mission: The Second Week, AND ARRIVAL!!

The second week went in a blur!  The days were filled with training on various office systems which we will be using.  It was totally new and different.  Windows computers with unknown-to-us software packages.  There will be a steep learning curve when we arrive in Oregon, I am afraid.  But with Heavenly Father’s help, and help from the Elder and Sister already there for a few days,  perhaps we can keep the egregious errors to a minimum.

On Tuesday evening for the General Authority fireside we were privileged to learn from Elder Neil L. Anderson, a real joy.  After the fireside which was broadcast to fourteen other Missionary Training Centers, Elder Anderson and Sister Anderson descended the podium and shook hands with many Elders and Sisters.  That was such a kind thing to do.  Eight of their grandchildren from about 5 or 6 years old to teenagers were there on the front row to be with their grandparents.  Elder Anderson asked them to shake hands as well.  So lovely.  One little boy and his older sister or cousin came our way and shook our hands.  That was as sweet as greeting Elder Anderson!

Elder Anderson spoke of the flame of faith and reminded us that the responsibility for keeping the flame bright rests with each of us individually.  We can keep the flame bright by putting ourselves in Our Father’s hands, remembering to pray that we can be an instrument in His hands.  I love that. 

It was bittersweet to have our time at the MTC end.  Senior couples that we had been associating with in our district, at meals, large group meetings, and at firesides peeled off as their training was completed.  Depending on what service they were assigned their training either continued or was complete.  Several of “our” couples left on Friday or Saturday the first weekend.  Others left during the week.  Our “assigned couple”  left on Wednesday.  It was hard to let them go.  Sister L. had picked up a bad cold so we could not even hug goodbye.  Our friends who are going to Tonga leave on the 21^st!

Some the missions people will serve are military relations, Church Education System to serve college students with religion classes, humanitarian service, self-reliance training, family history in several different ways such as filming records or training how to do family history work (I would have enjoyed that assignment!), teaching on the religion faculty at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, serving in the Polynesian Cultural Center in various ways, also help local units of the church in whatever ways the local leadership needs. Plus there were three other couples assigned to work in the mission office as we were.   There are others that I heard of but they have slipped my mind.

Places these couples will be serving  London, England, Scotland/Ireland, Romania, Turkey, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines—several couple there, Cambodia, Guam, several missions in Canada,  many missions in the USA, Mexico.  And others!

On our penultimate day we packed up our luggage and put everything expect my medical equipment and overnight bag in the car.  Before breakfast the next day we loaded the last of that into the car and left our room tidy and the trash empties.  We managed not to leave any of our belongings there.  Then off to breakfast, class, and lunch then the final training.  That day was an office simulation where we received assignments to do a sampling of all the things we would be doing when we actually arrive.  The men had more things to do so the sisters finished before lunch.  Dear One and the other men had an abbreviated lunch and were back at it.  They finished by 2:00 or 2:30 and we were on the road headed out of Provo before 3 PM.

That night we stayed in Twin Falls, Idaho in the last king-sized bed for a year and a half!  The room was in a Shilo Inn.  Very nice place, except the refrigerator froze the baby carrots we had gotten to munch on in the car the next day.  Oh, well. I can cook them when we get to Beaverton, I guess.  With a tiny bit of butter and honey they should be pretty good when cooked…

Our last night out we stayed in La Grande, Oregon.  If you are looking at a map you may think we are wusses to only travel a few hundred miles.  Well, I guess we are.  Those 12- and 14-hour days to get to Utah are not something we really want to repeat unless absolutely necessary.

The only “bad” thing that happened on our whole trip (unless you count the frozen carrots) is that at the last motel I managed to leave my cell phone charger.  Not smart at all.  I still have not managed to get a solid answer on how to get it back.  It looks like it will cost $40 to $50 to get a new one so I want to get the other one mailed to us.  Maybe on Monday I can get through to the office.  The receptionist was folding sheets when we got there which answered our question about why no one answered the phone there the two times we called during the day to verify our booking.

As missionaries, we wear a name tag with our name and the name of the Savior on our clothing.  As we have been traveling we have had opportunities to witness to people of the Savior because of those tags.  It is wonderful. 

And now we have arrived!  The other office couple and the mission nurse were at our apartment having helped with cleaning after the new carpet was installed that morning.  They helped carry our stuff up the SEVENTEEN stairs to our apartment.  I made 4 trips and called it good.  Each of the others did about that many and Dear One did at least one more after everyone else had stopped.

It is a two-bedroom apartment with an open kitchen-dining room-living room.  There is a little deck and storage room off the living room.  There is a washer and dryer!!!!  Yay!!! I am so grateful for that.  Almost as soon as our new friends left, I put our dirty clothes going.  Well, no. Actually after they left we climbed back into the car to go get a Costco membership (they have a pharmacy) so we could get bedding, laundry soap, and some food.  After that we went to WinCo and got some more food then went back to the apartment, put away the food, cooked the frozen pizza and made a salad with refried beans on top, made the bed and crawled in.  Barely after 9:00 I was asleep.  I don’t know about Dear One.  We had just finished our prayer when there was a knock on the door. I did NOT feel compelled to put clothes back on and go out to chat with the Elders. They live somewhere in the complex and came to offer to let us follow them to Church in the morning.  That was nice of them.

Church was good.  How can it not be?!  We came home for a quick leftover pizza, veggie burger, and salad lunch then I went to bed to read and nap again.  Still have time change issues. I used to wake up early at home in Vermont.  Now early is REALLY early.  I hope to get caught up with the time zones soon.  Maybe the eclipse will change everything!

At five o’clock we went to the mission nurse’s home for a wonderful dinner which she prepared:  chicken chili which was wonderful, some great bread roll twists that had Italian seasoning and garlic on them, a fabulous salad with I adored, and for dessert some peanut butter cookie dough-marshmallow-peanuts-popcorn-and white chocolate drizzle bars.  They were decadently sweet and delicious.  Dear One accepted one to take home.  Elder and Sister J took the remainder to the office, which we got to go see as the was an emergency phone call from a set of Sister missionaries. They had locked their keys in the car…

So off to the mission office we went along with Elder and Sister J then rode along with them to rescue the sisters.  Beaverton is considered out in the country.  I just shake my head in wonder at this “country”.  It is not Vermont!  NO AT ALL!!  Two Costco’s within fifteen minutes.  Trader Joes and Whole Foods Markets as close.  Many apartment complexes.

Well, we will learn how to get around.  Eventually.  I must say it will be a challenge to go grocery shopping with Dear One.  We have totally different views of so many things.

This is so long.  I am sure no one is still reading, but if you are:  we don’t have internet yet. I hope I can post this using the internet on our cell phone.  The daily updates are probably a thing of the past.  Tomorrow we don’t go into the office until 1 PM because the other office people are going to head south to where they can see the totality of the eclipse.  I will just watch from our balcony/patio.  I remember the last one while working in Hanover—the way the leaves looked, the shadows.  I am sure we will see that from where we are.

Maybe Dear One can get internet for us soon.  I have loved having internet wherever we went because motels always have WiFi.