Mission: Week Two In Field, including "A Day in the Life"

Two weeks have flown by!  It seems like we have always been here. At least our old life in Vermont seems to be fading into the background.  I could wish that my brain had enough information in it to give me confidence.  I am pretty sure that confidence will come.

Sister B has been a fabulous help, both to me and to the other office couple and other volunteers.  She has been there about five months and is quite confident and knowledgeable.  She is able to answer every question but does not put answers on me.  This week she did not hover close to me as she did last week.  It helped that I had written up a log of my daily responsibilities and then typed it up, adding to is as the week went by.  By the end of the week I made a Google calendar with things the recur on particular days.  There are things that recur weekly, monthly, and yearly.  Quite a few of them!  Having written them down in my own words has made this week less stomach-clenching.

As an overview,  my job is:
to handle the phone (and may I say there are many calls, and some of them difficult-both in content and tone),
collect and forward USPS mail,
accept parcels and get them moved on to their owners,
update the list (IN/OUT Report) of young missionaries either coming, going, or in field,
send requests for name tags (you will notice that all missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a name tag),
be available to assist the other office people in their work as time allows,
be available to the mission president and his wife to assist them however they need.

And whatever else needs doing!

Because the mail procedure is longish, and probably boring, I have put it into a different post.

The "Day in the Life" bit is as follows:

Wake up

Study

Shower and dress

Make and eat breakfast

Make and pack lunches

Head out the door by 7:55 if possible

Get to the office by 8 AM.  (Isn't that great that we are so close to the office!!!  The mentor couple has to drive 45 minutes to get there to help us.  I am so glad we are here now so they can skip that long drive.  The brother has MS.)

Check the voicemails that came in overnight and deal with them.
Put the phone back to live at 8:30.

Turn on the computer.  My computer is the main office computer/server so it needs to be up and running for the other people to use it.

Check the Internet Missionary Operating System for new incoming missionaries.

Check IMOS for referrals and disperse them properly.

Answer the phone calls and transmit them to the proper person.  This entails getting up from my chair and going to the person to tell them they have a call.  Or I could just shout out that they have a call, but that seems so icky to me so I get up and deliver the message that they have a call in person.  Even to the back office where the finance secretary and the supplies volunteer "live". Later this week I sort of learned how to forward phone calls...

At 9 AM I call everyone together for our daily devotional.  I have to make up the devotional calendar each month and make it as fair as possible, considering schedules.  Someone gives a spiritual thought or leads a discussion on a topic and someone else gives a prayer.  We bring up any business that needs to be brought to everyone's attention then we go back to work.

This week our topic was "hope".  It was interesting the different things people brought up.  Brother B used this one on Friday.  He had a paper copy and read excerpts from it.  We had quite an interesting discussion.

Deal with the email that comes in.  The office uses Outlook, not my comfort zone there, but I am beginning to get it.  Some people want to "collect" their own email rather than have me archive it into their folders.  Others want me to just leave it in the inbox for them to deal with on their own time...

Deal with the mail and packages that come in.

Deal with missionaries and others who come to the office...passing them along to the right person.

Have lunch sometime.

Continue to check the IMOS periodically throughout  the day.

Finish work.

At the end of the day, put the phone on auto attendant, log off the computer, shut off the monitor, REMEMBER TO TAKE LUNCH BAG HOME, and lock up the president's office.  If there are still others in the office let them lock the door, otherwise lock all doors and shut off lights.

Leave, hopefully around 5 PM, though it can be later.

Head back home to make supper and collapse, though the collapsing is getting better now.  Bed by 9 PM.  The time zone change is still rather taxing but we will eventually catch up with it and not be so exhausted all the time. I hope.

That is it, more or less.  And that is it for today. I am going to try to send shorter messages.  With more pictures...

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.

Mission: First Week--The Week's End!

Breakfast, then hurried off to the temple.  It was amazing to attend a temple session that was completely filled with worshipping brothers and sisters, many of them young missionaries who walked up Temple Hill to be there.  There are few full sessions where we regularly attend the temple.

After the temple and walking around the beautiful temple grounds, we went from the sublime to the ridiculous!  When we had been in Layton, Utah before entering the MTC we had gone to Target to do some minor shopping.  (I wanted to find a small purse which would hold my wallet, handkerchief, a pen and small notebook, and my brand new good cell phone, instead of the really fabulous purse I had purchased three months ago which I could fill with so much stuff that I was bowed down halfway to the ground...). I did find such a purse for about $20 plus tax.  It did work but after I had purchased it, all of a sudden I kicked myself:  I thought, "I should have gone to D. I. (Deseret Industries,  a Utah version of Goodwill.). I begged Dear One to stop in there on our way out of town the next morning. He was willing since it gave him a chance to find another tie or two!  There I found a perfect, really perfect, purse for $2.00!  And no tax since it was a donation.  I resolved not to use the other purse but return it as soon as possible.  This was the day.

At this Target, which was about fifteen minutes from our room at the MTC, we were able to quickly return the purse then looked around for some 'rescue food' to put into my purse for when blood sugar issues arise.  This time we got small crackers with peanut butter in them rather than the sweet granola-like bars I had previously gotten.  We also found some luscious nectarines.

Back at the room we rested, studied, and read and wrote some emails.  And did a little, (very little), planning for menus in Beaverton.  It is amazing how easily we slipped into the someone-else-doing-everything-about-food-except-eating-it routine!  We will have to snap out of that rather soon!  It has been nice, though.  Son #2 said we would love the food the first week or so, but after that (he was here eight or nine weeks learning Portuguese prior to going to Campinas, Brazil on his mission a long time ago) it would get old.  I think I know what he means....

On Sunday breakfast was a cold one:  cereal, milk, a few pastries, a little fruit.  I tried the Rice Krispies but held the dispersal bar down for about 3 seconds and filled my tray with cereal!  Yikes!  I scooped up the rest of them with a cup.  It was way more cereal than I have eaten in all my life.  The good news is that I was able to put Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk on top.  Also a small amount of mandarin orange slices gave it a little sweetness guilt-free.  Still, I ate the whole thing since I have such a time giving in to wasting food.  Now it is waisted...too bad.

Church was at 8:30.  Two of the young missionaries spoke briefly, then there was a lovely mixed octet singing parts in the languages of their missions.  The Provo MTC is the language training mission for all Asian languages and many other languages as well, such as Tagalog, Tongan, some of the Spanish and Portuguese, Norwegian, etc.  I base some of this on the fact that we met missionaries going to the places.  After the musical number there were two more speakers.

One of the sweetest experiences here was that at mealtime a group of maybe ten Elders either from Tonga or going to Tonga stood near the entrance of the building where the cafeteria resides and range a wonderful Tongan hymn of gratitude while clasping each others' shoulders.  Stirring, truly.

There was a "Departure Fireside" for all the missionaries who would be leaving the following week.  Because that would be us, we attended.  There were 710 young missionaries in attendance and the 35 Senior Couples who were the remaining part of our group.  The speakers were inspirational and encouraging.

The MTC Mission President and his wife spoke to us, then left immediately, though before they left, they told us we would want to be there for the regular Sunday Evening Fireside for sure!  Two more speakers after that encouraged us to remain strong, obedient, and true to our Father in Heaven and the Savior, Jesus Christ, now just while on our missions but throughout the remainder of our lives.  I think everyone there committed, or re-committed themselves to that end.

When we got to the fireside an hour later we learned that an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ was going to speak to us!  It was Elder M. Russell Ballard!  We were so happy.  Dear One had been in a meeting with him in Massachusetts many years ago for training which was wonderful.  Elder Ballard and his wife entered the room where there were nearly 2000 missionaries singing the prelude music.  When we saw Elder Ballard, everyone quickly but quietly arose out of respect for the man, and for his calling.

Sister Ballard arrived in a wheelchair.  It was sweet to see the loving kindness of those who assisted her up the steps to the stand where she sat beside her husband.  She did not address us, but her presence was a blessing and example to all.  Elder Ballard told us that we need to lock our hearts--and leave the key at home-- so we could focus totally on the Savior as we are giving our missionary service.  This was mainly for the young missionaries, but the same goes for senior missionaries who have concerns that need to be left alone for the duration of our missions.

We were so glad to hear the message and the stories he told.

Mission: Week One, Day Five

This morning after breakfast we had our Teaching Member Experience.  It was so lovely.  A little tummy-tightening at the thought of teaching our first real person, but when we got in there and met Mary Anne, we totally gained confidence.  She was so nice and kind and interesting.  We spent ten minutes getting to know her then we had fifteen minutes to plan a lesson.  We had semi-planned last night but were waiting to meet her before finalizing that plan.

Because she had some of the same family issues and concerns that our missionary couple had, and which we had, we were able to use the bare bones of our previous lesson and flesh it out with even more specific thoughts and suggestions and discussion.  At the end of the lesson we said goodbye with tears in our eyes as we had in that very short time felt great love for this sweet kind lady.

After our district of four couples all completed their TME we met back together to talk about the experience and evaluate ourselves.  The final step was to receive an evaluation from our trainer who was to have met with Mary Anne to get her comments on our teaching.  As it happens, Mary Anne was having difficulty with her asthma.  She had volunteered to do the CME with another senior missionary couple prior to meeting with us, and being in the small divided room was difficult for her and she had to leave before evaluating us so our trainer just spoke with us about her impressions of how we did with our other assignments throughout the week.  Well, we were okay with that.  It seemed to us like the lesson went smoothly.

Following lunch we all met as a large group, the last time we would be all together as some missionary couples were leaving later that afternoon, and others were leaving over the weekend for their areas of labor.  Still others, about half of the 65 couples were staying for some days the following week for additional training for their specific assignments.  (We were one of those couples.).

During that final meeting we talked about what we had learned about sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others, wherever we were and in whatever situation we found ourselves.  We were encouraged to be missionaries for Jesus even after the conclusion of our full-time service.

We also talked of "enduring to the end".  This is something that many Christians think about and talk about.  There is a short article by Dieter F. Uchtdorf  in the July 2016 New Era magazine that we referenced that was really good.  A section that I really enjoyed reading and cogitating over is:

"...enduring to the end is not just a matter of passively tolerating life’s difficult circumstances or “hanging in there.” Ours is an active religion, helping God’s children along the strait and narrow path to develop their full potential during this life and return to Him one day. Viewed from this perspective, enduring to the end is exalting and glorious, not grim and gloomy. This is a joyful religion, one of hope, strength, and deliverance."  

For myself, I hope that I can help others along their way to return to the presence of our loving Heavenly Father one day.  That will bring me great joy.

Weekend is here.  As Senior Missionaries, we have the time free to do whatever we need to do.  Some people went to visit local family members.  Others stayed at the MTC to do laundry, relax, and practice what we have been taught all week. Still others, like us, planned to attend the temple Friday evening or Saturday.

Mission: Week One, Day Four

It is Thursday already!  Hard to believe.  We have learned so much.  Our heads may be nearly full up!  Plus, we have been completely bushed every night.  Tonight we have no evening meetings.  And no laundry to do, so maybe we can rest and go over “homework”.

This morning we had more Gospel App training. I learned a lot!  I had not known how to use the Notes function.  Also it was great to see how to download videos for use in lessons.  The one sad thing about this was that at one point I saw that we could “trim” videos so we could use very specific parts of the videos in our teaching.  Unfortunately I not have been able to find that option again, and had not written down how to do it.

We had some time to study and to prepare to teach Elder and Sister L. again this afternoon.  With our new technology training, we decided to add a small video.  We shared the video of the Baptism of Jesus.  Just click on the previous sentence to view it for yourself.

This experience was to help us prepare for teaching a “real” person tomorrow morning. By real person, I mean someone who is not a missionary. We learned a lot teaching this dear couple.  We have really learned to love them very quickly.  They will be serving their mission in San Diego, California.

Later in the afternoon we had instruction on how to work more effectively with the local church leadership, using several case studies to model.

After supper we had personal time.  We were certainly ready for that and went to bed early.