First Transfer Week

 

 

Welcome back!

Well today is day 10 for us in the mission field. Which means that we celebrated our 1 week anniversary being here in the mission field and actually survived our first transfer week.  It was touch and go for a while, I am not going to lie, but  twenty one missionaries safely arrived, had dinner at the mission home, were interviewed and slept.  The next day they were up early at the church for an orientation, driver's training and to meet their new trainers. It is amazing to be behind the scenes to see how it all works so flawlessly. The last of the nine missionaries departing the mission after fulfilling their service commitment should have arrived home by now.  One missionary had to travel for more than 2 days to get home.

This is a picture of my desk at the Mission Office.  It looks quite calm at the end of the day, but we all know that looks can be deceiving. As I mentioned before, it is transfer week so over the course of the day my desk has been surrounded by ten to twelve missionaries at a time.  It can be a little overwhelming, but I love every minute of it. Now if I could just figure out how to deal with the phone!

This is also my desk.  We hold the mail a few days before and after transfers so that the mail and the missionary can find one another. I didn't expect it to be too bad, but it's Easter time and this is just one day's worth of packages.

Elder Busath has his very own office.  Most people would think lucky duck, but not him.  He is afraid that he might miss something :)



On Monday night we met Uncle Barton at his fabulous time share and went out for dinner at Logan's Roadhouse.  We had a great time and could have talked forever, but we have a curfew. We tried to wait and visit with our nephew, Adam Lefevre, who was on his way to spend a few days with Barton and daughter Natalie, but he must have been delayed at the airport :(

 

 Just some long legged friends joining us Tuesday morning at the
New Missionary Orientation Meeting.

Elder Busath enjoying his Boston Market frozen gourmet dinner of Swedish meatballs. We didn't realize how much we would miss having an oven and pots and pans. But it's only for another week and then we will be on the move again into our own apartment.

                                                                             

Tuesday night we attended a session at the Florida Orlando Temple (kind of a miniature Oakland Temple) and on our way home stopped for gas at RaceTrac. Elder Busath was so excited to discover that not only did it have gas, but a bazillion soda, icees and milk shake selections, hot food, cold food, you name it, RaceTrac had it. Fast Eddies in Idaho, watch out for RaceTrac!

 Pre-Easter decorations at our Value Inn room.  I am not quite sure how I am going to hard boil and color Easter eggs without a sauce pan yet, but if there is a will there is a way. I struggled through Saint Patrick's Day, without the traditional corned beef and cabbage meal, but Easter without colored eggs is just wrong!

 

 

 

 Guess what we got in the mail today? After spending most of the afternoon re-addressing the last 5 days of missionary mail due to transfers it was awesome to actually receive a package addressed us! Hand drawn pictures by grand daughter, Sienna, and daughter, Marianne, for our refrigerator, plastic eggs filled with jelly belly jelly beans, chocolate eggs, window stickers, a colorful Easter egg dish towel, chocolate chip cookie mix and best of all Peeps for Elder Busath all nestled on a bed of Easter grass! Maybe Florida will finally get the hint that spring has come because we have been having record lows for the past few days!

 

 Since we really don't have a window to put these on we thought our mirror was the next best thing.  Now we can enjoy them both morning and night.

We were so excited with our care package that we decorated our room immediately.  Okay so Martha Stewart I'm not, but as you can see it's a lot more festive around here and we truly feel loved! Thanks Hudson family we can't tell you how much we appreciate your thoughtfulness!

As Easter approaches I pray that you and your families are happy and find hope from the words of the angel on that very first Easter morning, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said” (Matthew 28:6).

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,

Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.

I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,

That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.

Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me

Enough to die for me!

Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!

(“I Stand All Amazed,” Hymns, no. 193)

 

Wishing you a Happy Easter!