THREE MONTHS IN MISSOURI

Eileen reminded me that it was three months ago today that we arrived here. While we had some very busy times in Indonesia and Germany, those occasions usually involved traveling to other places within the mission. Here the work just comes to us via our phones with missionaries calling us needing our help or reassurance.  Our predecessors told us it would be 24/7, but in truth it rarely starts before 6:30 a.m. or extends after 10:30 p.m.  Thank goodness the missionaries have to sleep!

In the past three months we have had five automobile accidents, the front ends of our cars tagging the other vehicles four out of five times.  The most recent altercation took place early Tuesday morning (see picture below).  After getting the car towed to the shop, I followed up with the missionary driver to get some additional information.  The sister asked me, “Do you think we can have our car back by Thursday for transfers?”

 

For the past two weeks, Eileen has been reviewing the files of the 23 missionaries that came in on Friday.  A number of them have medical issues that she followed up on by calling the parents to learn more about them.  A couple of the missionaries’ medical issues sounded quite challenging, enough so that calls were made to Missionary Medical to see if perhaps a mistake had been made.  Missionary Medical responded by agreeing with Eileen’s concerns.  We have had challenges with Missionary Medical over the last few months when they have looked at issues purely on a remote, emotionally detached basis, never seeing the missionary or taking into account the opinion of the missionaries’ presiding priesthood leader.

 

On Friday afternoon we picked up the new missionaries from the airport and Eileen interviewed each of them, discussing any medical needs or concerns.  It was interesting to me to see the change in Eileen after meeting the individual missionaries.  The missionaries went from being names on a piece of paper to her fellow missionary and someone for whom she had assumed responsibility; some combination of primary care nurse and mom (Grandma?) had just kicked in.  I can now understand better the role and perspective of Missionary Medical, but if I am ever in need of real medical help, I hope the mission nurse and mission president are the ones calling the shots. 

The accident that occurred earlier this week quite early in the morning. The car had 1400 miles on it. 

This little creature was in our office parking lot one evening. Russell and the grandkids think it is a fox.

President Sommerfeldt at transfers talking with the groups of missionaries before they saw who their next companion would be. 

    We had 23 incoming missionaries. They had all gotten up that morning at the MTC at 2:45 a.m. and were pretty tired.

                                         Some of the new missionaries with their newly assigned trainers.

                I love these missionaries-they just haven't mastered the art of making a heart very well yet. 
 

Forty turkeys were distributed on Thursday to the missionaries. Each zone will be cooking three turkeys for their zone. The nurse in me is concerned that Thanksgiving evening might be a very busy night with potential food poisoning. I typed up instructions on how to thaw and cook a turkey, with strict instructions on how long it could be out before being thrown away. The other senior missionaries thought it was pretty funny when they read my instructions about washing the turkey, I  included that it should be washed with water only, no soap!  

The past week this lady drove her car into the bushes at the church, came out of the car with nothing but a robe on and her eyes covered with an eye mask.  She did her business on the lawn and then proceeded to drive a half mile up the road driving backwards at about 50 mph.  I called the police twice but they never came.

On Friday we went to the old courthouse. It was built in 1827.  We had a very interesting hour learning of the history of this building and also Independence.