Dear Family & Friends,
Monday was another good office staff meeting, including a discussion of a gospel principle shared by Sister Christianson. We received a FEDEX package during staff meeting for Sister H. which was supposed to contain a bottle of her prescription medicine from Utah. The package had been partially torn open, either accidently or on purpose, we do not know which; and the bottle of medication was not there. Sister H. did not have enough medication for her evening dosage for Monday; and it is essential that she have the medication on schedule. Sister Christianson called the pharmacy in Utah and they agreed to overnight a replacement to us in a more secure package, in hopes it would arrive in time to prevent any problems for the missionary. WE planned to find a way to get the medication to her as soon as it arrived on Monday. We were hoping it would make it by the morning FEDEX delivery time around 10 am.
On Tuesday I had made arrangements with two other sister missionary companionships to meet them at the Joseph Smith Farm at 1:30pm to take care of some problems with their vehicles. The medication for Sister H. did not arrive by the time we left the mission office to go to Palmyra, so we left anyway. We had only driven about 3 miles when the Servoss’s called and said the medication had just arrived; so we returned to the office and picked up the medication. Our intent was to deliver the medication to Sister P. & Sister G. who were at the Smith Farm that day and who lived at the Peter Whitmer Farm where Sister H., who needed the medication, was assigned to serve that day along with her companion Sister T. When we arrived at the Smith Farm I took care of the problem with one vehicle; then started on the problem with the other vehicle. As I was doing so, I discovered the valve stem in the left front wheel was broken and the air was leaking very slowly. This valve stem is the type which has a tire pressure sensor included. So we made arrangements to have Sister Jensen be the companion of Sister P. and ride with her and I drove our car and they followed me to find the nearest Monro Muffler shop to get the valve stem replaced. I thought the nearest one was in Palmyra; but I was wrong; so we had to drive over to Newark about 6 miles east of Palmyra. We left the car there to be repaired, then went back to the Smith Farm to return Sister P. to her companion Sister G. While the valve stem was being replaced we took the medication for Sister H. and drove to the Peter Whitmer Farm to deliver it to her so she could get her needed dose. When we arrived we found that since she had missed two doses; Sister H. was not well and she was dizzy and had a very bad headache due to not having her medication. They knew we were coming with the medication, so when we arrived we awoke her from sleeping and had her take a normal dose. Elder and Sister Fuller, a senior site couple were also at the Whitmer Farm; so Elder Fuller and I provided a priesthood blessing for Sister H. Sister H. is the designated driver for the vehicle she and Sister T. drive; and Sister T. does not have a license to drive so she could not drive their vehicle home. Sister H. was not in a condition to drive home safe; so I asked how are you going to get back to your apartment. Their car was back at the Smith Farm, because they had ridden with the Fuller’s. So we arranged with the Fuller’s to have them finish the shift at the Whitmer Farm alone, and we had Sister H. & Sister T. ride back to Palmyra with us. We stopped at the Hill Cumorah where we helped Sister H. & Sister T. into the apartment of the Toronto’s to lay down and rest and get something to eat while we drove back over to Newark to get the car from Monro Muffler and pay for the repair work done and then take their vehicle back to the Smith Farm so they had a way to get home to the Whitmer Farm where they live. We then picked up from the Smith Farm the car which Sister H. and Sister T. drive and went back to the Hill Cumorah. The two sisters rode with Sister Jensen and I drove the sister’s car and we took them to their apartment in Irondequoit and got Sister H. into their apartment. We then went and bought us some dinner and then went home and arrived home about 9:40pm. Now if you are confused with all of this just imagine how we feel. This made a long day for us but we are grateful to be of service to the missionaries; and in the process we saved President and Sister Christianson from having to do all of this. The next morning I called Sister H. & Sister T. at 8 am to see if we needed to arrange transportation for them to get to their site assignment for the day. When Sister T. answered she said they were in the car on their way to their assignment and that Sister H. was doing just fine, as was promised in the priesthood blessing she received. Heavenly Father loves his missionaries and blesses them as needed and vindicates priesthood blessings given by his servants.
Wednesday was a much easier day than Tuesday; except for the problem that I started on my first day of having a cold and runny nose. I spent more time taking care of my nose than I did anything else; but I did get some of the things from the mission office put in boxes to start getting ready for moving in to the new mission office on Monday the 27th. After we got home I just laid around until bedtime. About 3pm I called the secretary to Brother Gammon in the Regional CES Office and asked her to notify the YSA in the GVB that the Institute class for Wednesday would have to be cancelled since there was no way I could appropriately teach with a runny nose. She took care of that for us.
Thursday was a very long hard day for Sister Jensen. There was a training meeting for all the MLS missionary couples in the mission which was held across the road from our apartment at the other part of the John Young Home from 2pm to 6pm. Sister Jensen and Sister Servoss prepared all the food for about 30 people for dinner at 5 pm. Sister Jensen started about 6:30am to prepare the food for the dinner. I was not much help to Sister Jensen; the only thing I did was not watch the homemade rolls so they were overdone. The rolls on one pan was slightly burnt on the bottom, so they are in the freezer waiting for me to use in bread and milk. Sister Jensen cooked chicken, and prepared newly dug potatoes with creamed peas (frozen ones) and fresh picked corn on the cob; she husked all the corn. Then for dessert Sister Jensen had made her famous fresh peach and whipped cream specialty. The MLS couples told Sister Jensen and Sister Servos that the dinner was just like going home to eat at their mothers. Sister Jensen is an awesome cook, as many of you already know. I slept most of the day and then in the evening I did what dishes were used to do the cooking. I missed the training that President Christianson provided, but Sister Jensen got to hear most of it.
Friday I felt much better; we both went to the mission office and spent most of the day boxing up the rest of the things from our part of the office so we would be ready for moving at 8am on Monday. We have arranged to have the President and the Assistants and two sets of zone leaders and some other Elders who live near the mission office to come and help us move on Monday.
Saturday we attended a CES Training Seminar at the Westfall Chapel to help us learn how to be better teachers in our Institute classes which will begin on September 20th. We had Seminary and Institute teachers from our mission and the Utica mission who attended. President Christianson provided the keynote message and instruction which was excellent and very helpful. There was a CES missionary couple, Elder & Sister Walker who are from Pinedale Wyoming, who provided some instruction on teaching skills. He spent his life as a school teacher and administrator including Superintendent of Schools in the Rock Springs area; and she was a fourth grade teacher for most of her life. We then had sessions taught by Brother Gammon and Brother Baker who are both CES Regional Directors. We attended a session taught by Brother Gammon on what the Mount of Transfiguration experience can teach us. They provided lunch for us then we had a session about ways to involve the students in the process of teaching and learning by Sister Wadell. She had dozens of ideas to share with us; she is about about the most energetic lady I have ever met. We then attended a smaller session taught by Brother Baker on the topic of teaching by the Spirit. We received some great instruction during the day.
Today, Sunday, we attended our church meetings. As we went out to get in the car to leave home an SUV pulled up and stopped in front of the house; I walked over to see if they needed help. It turned out they were an LDS family from New Jersey who had come to see the church history sites. They were trying to follow their GPS to find a LDS Church where they could attend sacrament meeting. After giving them several options they decided to go to Palmyra and see one of the sites while they waited for a later sacrament meeting. I asked them if they wanted to know a little of the church history here in the Mendon area; they said yes. I had them follow me to the Tomlinson Inn where we stopped and I shared a short version of the restoration events that occurred here in the Mendon area. They then went on their way and we went on to our church meetings. The two talks in sacrament meeting were on the topic of unity; and they were both very well done and the Spirit provided some additional messages besides what was said. After our meetings, the Elliott family had brought some lunch with them and had included enough for us missionaries, all four of us, to join with them so we did. We then came home and had a nap and I am now doing the blog message for the week. Tomorrow morning we will have to start a little earlier and be at the office by 8am so we can help with getting the mission office moved to the church building at 460 Kreag Road. So just a reminder, any mail you send from now on needs to be sent to the new address:
New York Rochester Mission
460 Kreag Rd.Pittsford, NY 14534
We express our great love for all of you and pray for you and hope that you will receive the blessings and help you need in your life to do all that is required of you each day.
Love,
Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, Maxine & Richard
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