MISSION OFFICE WORKERS
Wow, the days and weeks are flying by.  We are still crazy busy.  We work hard all day and come home exhausted.  Our new and real deal secretary, Sister Dodds, arrived on Monday.  I spent a few days training her, then started getting trained for my job, housing coordinator. Again, it's quite overwhelming, but I was actually surprised when I started training the secretary at how much I knew, so now I'm hoping in a few weeks I'll figure out my new job and actually know something.   Elder Johnson and I work quite closely on housing and finance.  We went this week to set up utilities for an apartment.  We went with Brother Bingham to sign a contract for a new apartment.  There's a lot involved and I will gradually learn it all, hopefully in a week because Brother Bingham wants to leave.  He's a volunteer from the community.  The Smarts are done and are leaving tomorrow.  Now we are all new and overwhelmed.

This is Jesus Christ's church.  The Spirit is strong here.  We love being here.  The missionaries are amazing.  At Stake Conference last week many of them brought investigators.  It's so fun to be a part of this great work.  We hope and pray we can make a difference.

Last Sunday we drove to Alma, Arkansas to the burial place of Parley P. Pratt.

MISSIONARY EXPERIENCES

I want to share an experience our missionaries had here in the mission.  Keith and Lisa, you will recognize Sister Anderson in the middle.

We had a really cool experience today and thought we’d share!  We did the Book of Mormon experiment on campus and we had a really cool turn out!  We invited people to read a page from the Book of Mormon looking for references to God and Jesus Christ.  We ended up having about 75 people participate and we scheduled appointments with 5 of them.  The 75 contacts were very good contacts and we had really good conversations with each.  It was really cool trying a creative finding activity, and we feel like it was very beneficial.  The members involved also thought it was very cool and it was definitely an awesome learning and faith building experience for them as well.  Sister Adcock and Sister Anderson. 

MODERN DAY HEROES (we admire them so much)

Let us introduce you to a few modern day heroes.

Remember, Joseph Smith's statement:  The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing;...….

I would change it a bit to say:

The Standard of Truth has been erected; no inexperienced office worker can stop the work from progressing; frustrations may rage, new experiences may combine, discouragement and fear may assemble, lots of crying may occur, but despite all of that the missionaries of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till the truth has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done. And oh how those missionaries are loved by the office staff. 

  The Smarts are right in the center, bright pink shirt and the man right behind her.  Sister Smart arrived here thinking this was her husband's mission and she'd take care of him and support him.  When she found out she was the mission finance secretary she cried for 6 weeks because she'd never even turned on a computer. Now they are going home and she can do anything in the office.

Next to Elder Smart, to his right in the back is Brother Bingham.  He's a local volunteer filling in for Housing because there was no one else to do it.  He's training me.  He and his wife have served a mission in Mexico.  

Sister Braaten is in back on the far right.  She also came having absolutely no computer skills.  She's been the sub secretary and is now the vehicle coordinator.  She's a single sister, has been divorced for 18 years and was a truck driver by profession.  She has cried a lot too, but she's getting it.

Sister Wright is in front on the right.  She's our mission nurse.  She's 73 years old.  She's a widow and lives locally and is on a service mission.  She's the busiest one, constantly on the go and she's the young women president in her ward.  She's amazing!

Sister Dodds is our brand new secretary.  She's front row on the left of Sister Wright. She and sister Wright are both 4 feett 10 inches.  She just arrived Monday.  She's never been married, she has two adopted daughters from China, the youngest is on a mission right at the same time as her mother.  Many seniors stay home from missions because of pets.  Sister Dodds left a beloved dog at home.  She has people living in her house in New York for free rent.  In exchange they take care of her dog and her house.  

The only one left it Sister Matsuda.  She's been a widow for 3 years and she's been here the longest, 4 months.  She takes care of referrals and supplies.