MONDAY
I want to write a little bit during the week this time, so it isn't so hard to write on the weekend.

Our Sacrament meeting yesterday was so good.  Everyone bore their testimony about how the church had changed their lives, even saved their lives,  how the Book of Mormon has changed their lives.  One lady said that as an adult she read the Book of Mormon and joined the church.  Her mom was furious with her.  She told her mom that she'd always taught her that she shouldn't make judgements without knowing all the facts.  She told her she should read the Book of Mormon so she'd have all he facts.  Her mom read the Book of Mormon and joined the church.

My work goes up and down as far as how busy I am.  Right now, I'm really busy.  I'm in the middle of securing several new apartments and closing some apartments and all that that involves.  I have a stack of papers from my apartment inspectors that I haven't even had time to look at.  Last week I had our retiring nurse enter baptisms for me one day so I'd have time to spend with Amy's family.  It was a great visit and very needed. So when we heard on Thursday afternoon that the new secretary was going home I got a huge pit in my stomach.  I felt literally sick.  But then I reminded myself of all the help we've received here, all the times the Holy Ghost has stepped in.  This morning as we face the task of taking over the secretary responsibilities, we are facing it with  faith.  We know that we will receive help and guidance as to what is important and what can wait.  We will somehow find time to add to what we are already doing.  I'm soooo thankful!  Just so thankful!

This is a picture of some of the missionaries giving our nurse, Sister Wright, a good send off.  We will miss her.  Thankfully she lives here so we'll still get to see her from time to time.

WEDNESDAY
We've been really busy the last two days.  I've gone home tired like I was when I first got here. Deep, deep tired.  Chris has been working on some of the Secretary stuff and  I've had to think hard and search hard to figure out how to do things the secretary usually does.  And I've had to try to keep track in my brain of three different apartments we are opening and 3 that we are closing and all that is involved with that. I've stepped up my prayers and my study so I'll be blessed.  Our secretary that was with us all year and is now home is going to do some things from home to help us.  The nurse has been helping whenever she has a spare minute.  Interesting thing, I have been filled with a sense of gratitude.

 Last night the mission nurse called me and she had just been on the phone with a missionary and told him to go to the ER because he is really really sick.  She asked me if I knew anyone she could call to go to the ER to be with him.  I told her we have some great senior missionaries there.  She called them but they didn't answer.  She called me and asked if I'd call them because she was afraid they didn't answer because her call was coming from North Carolina.  So I called and they answered immediately and then they called the nurse.  Roundabout story, but as I lay there in my bed I was filled with love and gratitude that I am here.  These missionaries need someone they can call when they have bed bugs, when they can't figure out how to put a battery in their car key fob, when they are sick, when they don't know how to clean mold.  They need someone to smile at them and laugh with them and cry with them.  I feel like in a way this added work is a blessing. Maybe?  It has forced us to count our blessings, call upon our faith, and remember why we are here and that we need to finish strong.

SATURDAY
Today is Saturday and I'm sick with a cold.  Darn!

ARMADILLO ALERT!

We saw a live armadillo in our yard yesterday morning.  I saw it and called to Chris as mean as I could sound that he'd better get in here as fast as he can.  It worked and he came.  We went outside and followed the armadillo down the street till he went down in this culvert.  How exciting!  They are alive!  They aren't born dead on the side of the road!

Chris has been driving around the mission doing phone audits at district meetings.  He is in Springdale today.  He's designed a program for all the senior missionaries to do phone audits at meetings.  He had a skype meeting with all of them Monday evening to do training.  He's slimmed it down so it can be done quite quickly.  The mission president wants everyone to know we aren't doing audits to catch someone doing something wrong.  We are doing them to help them stay accountable and stay focused on their work.

We went to the airport Wednesday evening and picked up three missionaries.  Two are sisters coming from the Temple Square mission to do their 3 month stint out in the field.  One was an Elder who had been in the Marshall Islands but had to go home because he ate a fish that gave him a toxin that was very dangerous.  Now he's back in the mission field in our mission.  We bought Jimmy Johns and then went to the office to give them a little orientation. Then their companions came and whisked them off.  We've had a few late evenings this week.

We had two missionaries go home for illness this week.  Sister Braaten is taking one to the airport this morning.  The new nurse took one to the airport Thursday morning,  which helped a ton.  She's so helpful.  Whenever she has s free minute, she asks what she can do to help.  She's a lifesaver.

Yay!  Cardinals in the yard this morning.  We are on flood watch.  It's been raining HARD!  You can even see a little bit of snow.