084 Tuesday to Tuesday (Nov. 25-Dec. 1, 2015)

We started off a new week with an apartment inspection. One of the Elders there is Elder Tunstal. He is from Canada, and he is a perfectionist. Some of the other Elders find him a little stiff, and his companion, Elder Smith, is anything other than stiff. In fact, he is really, really laid back. He has one of these toys that has a ball swinging down from a cup. You have to swing the ball and pull up to catch it with the cup. He does that all the time. I want to take it away from him and put it in the closet. He is relatively new, and he has a lot of wise cracks to make. With that being said, I think he is willing to learn and that goes a long way. We hope that he pushes himself. They are an odd companionship.

Later that day we had District Meeting because Tunstal and Smith went to the Temple yesterday with Craig and Dave. Then, that afternoon, I proctored a test for one of the BYUI students. We did not have FHE with the Armstrongs because she was busy preparing for Thanksgiving on Thursday.

For Thanksgiving, we traveled down to Racine to be with the Carsons. They are such gracious hosts, and it was wonderful to be there. We had helped them move in in the summer, and they had done wonders for the place. She is a natural at designing, and I was envious that I have never been able to make things look so natural and lovely. Her brother and his wife and son came (she was a vegan and let us know it), and his sister and mother came. It was a wonderful day full of cooking and eating. They asked if we could stay to watch some of a football game (Packers must have been playing), so we stayed until we couldn’t stand it anymore. The weather had been nasty all day with hard rain. It was old, and there was black ice that had formed so we took it easy going down and coming back. I was able to help her get the kitchen cleaned up, and we helped move the furniture back into place. Unfortunately, I had brought my computer to show someone genealogy, and we never used it. Then, when we left, I forgot it. Didn’t remember it until halfway home, and there was no way were we turning around to go get it. I made up my mind we’d just have to go get it the next morning.

Tim Caarson

eganElkhorn Missionaries, (L) German and a vd

Linda filling her plate.

Tim's mom, a nice Catholic

Jolene's brother on right

As it turned out, we texted them last night and asked if we could come get it on Friday. They were coming to town to have lunch with a missionary who was coming back to visit his old stomping grounds. They met us at the restaurant where they were going to be eating. We had a lunch date of our own with Guy and Mary Porth at their favorite place, Noodles and Company. It was after 1:00 when we got there, so we were able to visit with the Porths and get home later that evening. They are such a good couple, and we feel as if we have made lifelong friends with them.

Mary and Guy Porth at Noodles and Co.

On Saturday, we got up and went to the gym to try to take off some of the weight we had put on over the last couple of days. It didn’t work!  It was a slow, cold day, and since we didn’t have anything we had to do, we spent the time with family history and relaxing. There was supposed to be a train coming through Waukasha, Wisconsin, that had some Christmas activities going on. I had wanted to go, but it was really cold outside so we decided not to do it.

Sunday was a wonderful day at Church. It’s always nice to come together after everyone has been to family and had a few days to relax. Looking forward to being with family for Thanksgiving next year.

Monday was spent preparing for the week. We had to set up apartment inspections for a couple sets of missionaries. It is fun to visit the missionaries in their apartments. We are finding that they are doing a much better job than they had when we first began to do the inspections.

In my reading that morning, for the first time, I read that the Lamanites built the great city Jerusalem in the new world. I don’t know why I hadn’t caught that before, but it just made it more real that I need to pay more attention to what I read and ask myself what it is I’m reading. Pathway has nine different methods to use to read the Scriptures and get more out of the reading. I find myself using various methods, and it has helped.

Tuesday, the first of December. No, wait, I’ve been waiting for December all year, and here it is. This means we have 3.5 months left. It is a lie to say we haven’t been keeping a record of our time on the back burner, but we try not to think of it too much. Two years is a long time for old people, and if we did it again, it would be a much shorter time.

It was a busy day. We inspected two Elders’ apartments – and both were pretty good. There are a lot of old apartments that need some repairs done, but the missionaries have never thought to let the Office Missionaries know. Now we are trying to get these things done.

Craig had actually started off the day with an MRI to see if they could tell anything about why he is having such terrible headaches.  A doctor’s appointment at 6:45 in the morning is just a little early.  UGH  

 However, we then went home and on to the apartment inspections. At 4:30 that day, we met at Sister Darlene Boyd-Watts to celebrate her  birthday a little late because it had to be postponed due to Craig having a cough the week before. She is sick herself and cannot be around anyone who has a hint of illness. We bought her favorite drinks (which were really good) and chips that she can actually eat (they were good also). She supplied the pizza and cake. 

Darlene had invited her niece to be there. We had met her last year at a funeral of her grandmother at the Chapel. She is a beautiful black woman, and while we were there the Missionaries (Palaccio and Potz) who came with us started teaching her the first lesson. Unfortunately, like so many, she cannot read. How sad is that – to be 20+ years old and unable to read. I cannot even imagine where I would be without having the world of books with which I have been able to immerse myself over the years. I love to read. What a blessing! Thank the Lord for Miss Nannie, my first and second grade teacher who was so wonderful in teaching me to read.

After all that had happened so far this day, we had a dinner appointment at Cyndi Duran's to meet up with a missionary who returned to Wisconsin with his parents. Andrew Goodale came back to visit and it was good to see him. Victor went with us, and we had a really nice time visiting with Andrew.
 

Elder Goodale has changed. No tag!

We had no District Meeting today because the new missionaries arrived, and tomorrow will be transfers.  We feel that some of the greatest missionaries are just now arriving in the mission. We are blessed.

Our scripture for the month:

2 Nephi 31:20

Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

Elder and Sister Lenhard