THE PETER PRINICPLE

The Peter Principle is an observation of the tendency in most organizational hierarchies, for an employee (or missionary?) to rise in the organization to their level of incompetence.  Well, I’ve hit mine.  After months of struggling to learn how to back up a trailer, the transfer six weeks ago was the first time I was successful at parking the trailer.  This week we once again had transfers and again I was successful (after three tries) at backing the trailer into its parking spot, only to find that I couldn’t get the trailer off the hitch!  After 45 minutes in the 25-degree weather, dressed in a suit (I had to present to the new missionaries an hour earlier), I gave up and just locked the truck where it was.  I’ll look at it tomorrow, while I won’t be any more skilled or smarter, at least it will be warmer.  

A week ago Friday, David Bezzant, our mission’s fleet manager from Church Headquarters in SLC dropped by for a short visit.  I drove him around Independence and then took him up to see the Liberty Jail historical site.  While we were driving around in Independence, he mentioned two things that stood out to him.  First, just how many different christian churches there are here.  And second, how many people were wearing clothing with Kansas City Chiefs’ colors and logos.  I told him that there are two religions here, and where there are many denominations of Christian’s locally, the second religion of Chiefs’ NFL football unites all the denominations of the first.

In preparation for Super Bowl Sunday last week, President Sommerfeldt sent out a message to the missionaries talking about them keeping the Sabbath Day holy and advising them all to be indoors by 8:00 PM that night.  Win or lose, the Chief fan’s potential post game activities were a concern.  But last Sunday night’s activities seemed to go okay.  It sounded a bit like a typical July 24^th evening in Utah.

On Wednesday, Valentines Day, there was a Chiefs Kingdom Champions Parade.  The schools and many businesses were closed to celebrate the Chief’s win.  The shooting that occurred that afternoon made the national news.  Two of our young elders, in who’s teaching area close to a million people gathered to see the parade, witnessed one of the victims being shot.  Unfortunately, this gun violence was not the only incident that our missionaries’ have recently experienced.  The  week before last, two of our young sisters had a gun pointed at them here in the Independence area.  The epidemic of gun violence that is plaguing our nation is no longer just in other cities, now it is in mine.

President and Sister Sommerfeldt attended our health council meeting with their Kansas City Chiefs shirts on.  

This restaurant in Olathe was full of kids on Wednesday.  The children had off school because  

of the victory celebration for the Chiefs.

The parking lot in Olathe had this very unusual three wheeled car parked. I am sure my grandkids would have loved a spin in it. 

Elder Healy and Elder Perry bought all the sisters in the office red roses for Valentine's Day. 

The newly arrived missionaries at the airport with President and Sister Sommerfeldt

One of our new elders is deaf and uses only ASL.   The amazing thing is he constantly had a smile on his face. He will be in a trio with these other two missionaries who can translate for him. 

Elder Binns translated our meeting into ASL for our new missionary. 

My amaryllis which I got for my birthday in December have finally bloomed. Just in time for Valentines Day.  They don't get much sun in my office. I think that is why it took them so long to bloom.

Elder Thomason is serving as a service missionary while on leave from our mission and recovering from surgery on his foot.  He received 19 scholarship offers and accepted the one from BYU. He is a gentle giant. The first time I met him I told him "please don't kill me".  He is kind, obedient and has a very sweet disposition.