Transfer week is always busy. This transfer we had 14 sisters and 2 elders complete their missions and we had 7 missionaries leave who had been assigned to our mission while waiting for their visas to arrive so they could go to the countries and missions where they were originally assigned. We had quite a turn over. We only had 4 missionaries and 2 waiting for visas arrive so our numbers dropped fairly dramatically.
Monday the office always has missionaries coming and going. It is their preparation day when they can play and prepare for the coming week. They come to the office to check for mail or to get Books of Mormon or other supplies. Sister and Elder Barker and I managed to grab a few of them and went to lunch at one of our favorite places, The Dough Co, for calzones.
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| Sister and Elder Barker, Sisters Lerch, Weeks, and Jones |
Tuesday morning I was awakened just before 2 AM by an elder with lower abdominal pain. The pain was generalized at first but after about an hour and a half, the pain was more localized on the right lower side and he was having some vomiting so I had him go to the ER for possible appendicitis. Good thing he went as it was positively diagnosed.
He was in a smaller community on the coast and the small hospital there didn’t have a bed available for him so he was transferred by ambulance to a hospital here in Eugene. When I figured they would be arriving, I went to the hospital to be with him. It always brings back memories of my days spent nursing in the hospital setting. I love being a nurse!! It is a hard job at times but so worth it to be able to serve and help others.
The life of a mission nurse is much less stressful and labor intensive than a hospital nurse, but none-the-less, rewarding.
An appendectomy was performed and I now report that he is back on the coast and doing well. The resilience of people, especially younger people, is amazing. I know that the Lord had a hand in the well-being of this elder. He received a priesthood blessing just before going into surgery. He told me that the pain he was experiencing was greatly relieved after the blessing. I know it was helpful in his surgery and recovery as well.
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| While waiting for surgery, the hospital chaplain made rounds. The elder gave the chaplain a lesson and invited her to read the Book of Mormon. Always a missionary. I was impressed with his work. |
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| Beautiful view from the hospital window. |
Wednesday the departing missionaries went to the temple in Portland for their departing temple trip. Their companions were with us in the office. Fun visiting with missionaries and hearing their experiences, thoughts and feelings.
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| Waiting to board the transfer van to go to the temple |
Sisters Withers and Sorenson entertaining us in the office LOL
Wednesday evening I was invited to attend a baptism. What a blessing for me to witness a woman step into the waters of baptism and to begin her covenanted journey.
Thursday was transfer day. That day we had missionaries from all over the mission getting their new companions. The missionaries in the north part of the mission met at the office at 7:30 to get in the transfer van and truck pulling a trailer to take them to their new assigned areas. The van and truck go to stops along the way from Eugene to Medford and back to pick up and drop off missionaries and their belongings. They returned to Eugene around 4-5 in the evening.
The departing missionaries were in the office for their departing interview with President Cornelius. I had the blessing of getting pictures with each of them.
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| Sister Woods |
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| Elders Butler and Tufuga |
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| Sister Sutherland and our traditional “silly” picture |
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| Sister Cummings |
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| Sister Stohl |
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| Sister Lerch |
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| Sister Jones |
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| Sister Chaddock |
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| Sister Campbell |
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| Sister West |
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| Sister Thompson |
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| Sister Tripp |
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| Sister Walters |
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| Sister Bottomly (I missed her at the church so got this at the dinner) |
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| Sister Duncan (I also missed her at the church so got this at lunch) |
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| Lunch break for a few of us at Mucho Gusto |
It is quite the scheduling “nightmare.” Getting people reassigned and moved. I don’t know how our mission president does it all. Well, I do know. He receives help from above through the Holy Ghost, but it is still quite a juggling act. The domino effect in motion. You move one missionary and it causes a whole chain of events. I’m sure you can imagine what losing 23 missionaries and gaining 6 can do to the assignment chart!! We have two great assistants to the president who help him a lot in the logistics of all of this moving around.
Thursday evening. President and Sister Cornelius hosted all of the departing missionaries at the mission home for the departing dinner. The office couples and I were invited as well. I have said it but I’ll guess I can say it again, saying goodbye is never easy. The saving grace is that I know I can see these wonderful people again at reunions and such.
Random pics from dinner:
Friday is the day the departing missionaries fly out early in the morning and the new missionaries arrive around noon. We have a lunch for the missionaries and their companions and then each new missionary is interviewed by the mission president and me. I get to know them and get a brief health history. Elder Barker who is over the vehicles gets their driver’s license information and talks about driving and Elder Crump who is over finances gives them financial information.
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| Lunch set up and waiting for the arrival of the new missionaries. |
Whew! Saturday arrived and I was ready for a little break. I did walk every morning by the river but on Saturday Sister and Elder Crump and I walked from Alton Baker Park along the paths between a stream (I don’t know its name), some ponds and the Willamette River. Beautiful rainy day.
Saturday afternoon, I took a load of quilts and a set of sheets to a laundromat to wash them. The missionaries waiting for visas receive bedding they use while waiting here. I helped Sister Barker by taking the used bedding and preparing them for the next time they will be needed. Too many to do in our “little” home washers. I found a large and very clean laundromat.
Saturday night after doing my own laundry and some cleaning in my apartment, I had pizza with the Barkers and the Crumps at Papa’s Pizza Parlor. Good crispy crust!
I get posts on FB for a poetry lovers group. Earlier in the week I read a poem that caused me to pause and think.
I remember looking at families and friends and thinking that they had it all together and I was lacking and not quite what they were or what I thought I should be. Then I began to realize that it is not true. We most often see only the “greener” part of the lives of people. We don’t see the tears and heartache, the financial woes, the day to day trials and troubles. We all put on our “happy faces” when we go out.
Sunday in Sacrament Meeting, the speakers spoke about loving and being kind to everyone as we don’t know what burdens they are carrying.
One of the speakers told a story from his childhood. When he was beginning 4th grade, his family moved to a small rural town. He began the year in a small school where he met Jimmy with whom he became fast friends. To this day, he and Jimmy are friends. Three years ago, Jimmy was ill. Jimmy’s sister came from Las Vegas to see Jimmy and while the sister was in town, the speaker had the opportunity to visit with the sister. He learned from her things that he hadn’t know before.
Jimmy in his years before 4th grade had lived in an abusive family. He was physically and mentally abused and was malnourished. He was taken from that family and adopted by the family that the speaker knew. Even in their close relationship as best friends, the speaker never knew of Jimmy’s trials with his birth family. The children in the school had bullied and teased Jimmy but when the speaker became his friend, the bullying stopped. The speaker was totally unaware of all of this history. He shared this story as an example of what we don’t realize about the people around us. Even the people that we think we know well.
The speaker invited each of us to be warm, welcoming and helpful to all around us.
The second speaker in the meeting spoke about being forgiving and loving everyone and treating and talking kindly to everyone. We don’t know or realize the sting that a word or comment can have. We don’t stop to think of what is going on around us behind the scenes, so to speak.
Sometimes we can be hurt and it is important to be able to understand and forgive. Not forgiving can be a burden which we carry and can cause unhappiness. Being able to forgive can help us draw closer to the people around us and to our Savior.
The closing hymn, Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words, says it well:
[Chorus]
[Chorus]
I pray that as we can remember to love as the Savior loves. To be charitable in all of our doings. And as we go into this Easter week, may we remember all that our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ has done for us. The Church has a website that you may want to visit that shares ways to make Jesus Christ the center of Easter:
I love my Savior
I love you my family and friends.
