ARRIVAL

We already mentioned we got here on Tuesday.  We went to the office and got a big cheer from the office staff.  They are all happy we are here.  Senior missionaries are so needed!  We see that more and more.  Our dinner with President Strong and his family that night was so nice!  We had a simple meal of salad and soup.  It was delicious and not too much trouble.  Our mission president and his wife are amazing.  They are all about loving and taking care of the missionaries.  That's the highest priority.

OFFICE LIFE

Everything going on at the office right now is quite chaotic.  There's a couple here, Elder and Sister Smart, who are leaving at the end of the month.  Other than that, we are all mostly new and trying to figure out what to do.  Sister Braaten is the substitute secretary.  She's trying to teach me to be the substitute secretary until the real secretary gets here in early October.  She's been here a month and is still struggling with what to do.  I told her this is like the blind leading the blind. When she got here she didn't know anything about computers so I'm pretty amazed at what she's learned.  She's hilarious and has a big personality.  She is a truck driver by profession.  I'm going to be the Housing Coordinator eventually.  I think we have a substitute Housing Coordinator right now.

In some ways, office life is like college.  There was a piece of pie in the refrigerator for two days.  Finally, Sister Matsuda ate it.  She says if something's been there for 2 days, then it's up for grabs.  We were talking about this at dinner after transfers and Sister Smart piped up that she put that pie in the fridge for Brother Bingham who is on vacation and will be back Monday.  Everyone laughed and laughed. Doesn't this sound like college?

I can't wear perfume here.   There's a sister at the office that is allergic to perfume.  I've worn perfume every day of my life for longer than I can remember.  No more perfume for me.

NEW MISSIONARIES

Wednesday night, at the mission home, we had an orientation meeting for all the new missionaries that arrived that day.  I gave a little presentation on house.  Mostly it was just so fun to be with them and look into their shining, extremely tired faces.

ELDER AND SISTER SMART
Just a quick story about the Smarts.  He couldn't go on a mission as a kid because of the Vietnam War.  Sister Smart has always told him she would go on a mission with him so he could eventually go.  They signed up for 23 months.  When she got here she expected that he would be the missionary and she would just love and support him and cook good food.  Boy was she surprised when she found out she was over finance.  She hadn't even turned on a computer before.  She cried for 6 weeks, but now she's a very capable finance secretary.  She had a blessing, then worked hard and read a lot. I continue to be amazed at the things that can happen with the Lord's help.

TRANSFERS
Thursday was transfers.  Our mission owns a big van and a truck and large trailer.  We also rent another big van and truck and trailer on transfer days.  Everyone meets at the Stake Center here in Bentonville, then each set of van and truck heads in opposite directions in a big circle around the mission to take care of all the transfers.  It takes about 8 hours.  Elder Johnson (formerly known as Chris)  was driving one of the trucks and pulling a trailer.  He had lots of fun with the missionaries, but he also got a flat tire.  They had to wait around for a long time for someone to come fix it.  Those cute missionaries decided rather than just stand around, they'd knock on doors so off they went, knocking on doors.

OUR LIFE
We have mostly settled into our apartment.  We have purchased quite a few things we need, except food.   Elder Johnson went to the store last night to buy something for dinner today.  He thought, "What can we have?  We don't have a grill of any kind, we don't have a crock pot, we don't have much."  So we had a frozen chicken pot pie for dinner today and it was delicious.

We have lived so many different places in the last 3 weeks that I can't ever find the bathroom in the middle of the night.  I get up and I can't figure out which direction to walk.  I'm planning on that getting better now.

I have had a terrible time with my knee this week.  I've been in lots of pain.  The mission nurse told me Wednesday night that's she's taking me to the doctor Thursday and I can't argue.  So we went the next day.  She's referring me to an orthopedist and ordered another MRI.  Big surprise, it came back with the same diagnosis:  I have a torn meniscus.  But she says he won't see me without his own MRI.  Thankfully, today my knee is way better.  I only have a little limp now. We have an amazing nurse, Sister Wright.  She's actually a nurse, and she's local.


Overall, we are doing great. There is lots of opportunity. The place we live is really nice. The neighborhood seems nice. The missionaries are great.