Asheville mission is coming!!!!!

 

The weeks just seem to fly by – it seems like only a minuet ago I was writing to you and here it is another entire week gone by.  We have been way, way busy – things just keep happening and we are learning more and more and (more importantly) we are remembering so we don’t need help to do our jobs.  Dad has had special training this week so that he can do his monthly vehicle reports and he is really glad for that.  I have had training on the monthly baptism reports and so now I can do that on my own.  It is a good feeling.

 

 So far this month we have had 24 baptisms – several more are scheduled for this week end so it has been a good month.  Last week we had a young woman baptized and confirmed in our ward.  She is from Thailand and so the brother doing the confirmation gave the blessings in Thai – it was neat to hear – only understood Jesus Christ and amen but it was a neat blessing – the feeling in the meeting was awesome.

Today the sun is shining and it is absolutely beautiful!!!  We have had rain every day this week – severe thunderstorm warnings, and torrential rain.  They mean it when they say bring an umbrella – you are in deep doo –doo without one.

We didn’t speak in church last week – the ward mission leader got excited and was a week early in his schedule.  You are speaking this week so that gave us an extra week—talks are already ready so we are good to go.

Tuesday is the Leadership Council meeting for our mission – Elder Laws Casper is probably coming over for the meeting so we may get to see him!  Two of us are really excited.  I don’t know how he feels about it.

We have the pictures of the missionaries from the Asheville Stake/Zone up in the office and so when the missionaries come in, they all want to look and see the new missionaries.  Someone always says hey there is an Elder Casper here, did you know that?  When they find out he is our grandson they are excited for us.

We are still trying to make contact with the sisters from our ward that we are home teaching.  Some things are harder than others.  We were out Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday nights trying to find them.  One we have gotten in to see and will be going to see her on a regular basis.  One we think she was there, thought we could hear the TV, but she didn’t answer the door.  One we have been by 4 times and she has not been home.  Her phone does not have an answering machine so we haven’t been able to leave a message.  So I have just written notes to each of them to see if we get some kind of response.  We let them know that we want to do what they want – we will be back if they want a visit – if they don’t we won’t bother them.  We just need to know.

Dad thinks we will get some additional names this week to keep trying to locate those who have slipped between the cracks.

We have two of the missionary couples who are finishing up their time on their missions in July so on Monday we have a couples lunch.  I only have to do fruit and dip – I am good with fruit and dip.  It should be fun.


Friday is Zone Conference in Asheville –Papa will be going over to inspect the cars in that Zone, so he will get to see Elder Laws Casper twice next week LUCKY DOG.  In fact everyone will be out of the office for the Zone Conferences except for the mission secretary (me).  I will have the whole place to myself – just think of the damage I could do!!

  

The beauty of knoxville

 

I can hardly believe another week has gone by – they seem to fly!!!  We are really busy and so that is nice.  Learning more each  day and able to do more on our own without having to interrupt others to help us out.  Important and not so important stuff:

 

      Told you we have had a lot of rain – more water than we have seen in ten years total.  Thursday evening we were taking a car to some elders – dad was driving the elder’s car & I was driving ours, when a thunder storm – a deluge – hit.  The water was coming down in sheets – we couldn’t see the road, the car in head of you, the side of the road.  It was horrendous!  We pulled into a parking lot to wait it out – we were there with several other vehicles – all just waiting.  The rain came and came and came – it was 20 minutes before it was just normal rain and you could safely travel.  If that rain had come in St. George, our house would now be in Vegas!
      We took Elder Mann home to Maryville on Wednesday.  Their home is in the Smokey Mountains and for here, is fairly high on the mountain side.  It was like driving in a storybook adventure.  We went through canopies of trees – one place reminded me of the Igabod Crane, where he starts down the lane through the tunnel of trees and meets the headless horseman.  It was breath takingly beautiful but if it had been dark it could have been very scary.
      We are getting ready for the Asheville, North Carolina missionaries to come into our mission – happens on Monday, July 1^st.  So I am doing LOTS   of paperwork so we will be ready and it is so neat to see Elder Laws Casper’s picture and name.
      There is to be a Zone Conference in Asheville on Friday, July 5^th.  Papa will be there – I probably won’t—with everyone gone someone has to run the office and since that is my job that is most likely where I will be.
      We have been watching the fireflies at night – what a fun sight.  The kids around here really do catch them in bottles to watch the light up.
      I have seen a real cardinal.  I know I am not big on birds – but this is the first time I have seen an actually cardinal.  They are tiny birds and the males are bright red – it was kind of fun to see them.  I was in the car and they couldn’t get me so it worked out great.
      Papa and I spent last night and this morning cleaning out kitchen drawers and cupboards and cleaning them up so we can use them for the next months.  This is a darling house but Pam Dosch just left everything and said use what you want and do what you need to make it work for you.  We are doing that.
  Last week for Father’s day, I did a roast/potatoes & gravy and orange Jell-O for dad.  We had the sister missionaries from down stairs up and it was almost like a family – but we missed all of you.

Orange orange everywhere...

Greetings again from the Tennessee Knoxville Mission.  Saturday is our “p” day and so now that we have the shopping done and the laundry done and we have spent two hours trying to find some sisters we are trying to rescue for the ward, I have time to sit and do this email. 

 

     We see UT all over the place – I always think Utah and then remember it is the University of Tennessee – UT.  I will get use to it I am sure.

      Everything is VOLS or Volunteers – know now that is the name of the UT team, so ever body, every business, every doctors clinic have VOLS or Volunteers in their name.
      I have never seen so much orange in my entire life – the bright, bright orange of the UT VOLS.  Makes what BYU and Utah do look like nothing.
      We have had sever torrential rain storms this week and tornado warnings but all we have gotten is rain.  When it comes – it really comes.     We are getting use to using umbrella’s – you have to or you drown.    We are apparently about 13 inches ahead of the average yearly rainfall and we have only been here 3 weeks.

      Papa has 3 of the 7 cars he needs to sell – sold.  The guy hasn’t picked them up yet but that should be sometime this week.  He will be really glad when they are off his hands.


      I do have all the missionary files and am in the processes of making them like our files – President Irion keeps bring me information about Elder Laws Casper.  President is funny.  I think you will get a kick out of him.

   Today we found one of our lost souls over by the UT football stadium.  WHAT A STADIUM!!!!  I asked her if her house rattled with the noise from the crowd – she said only when the cannon goes off.  She thinks it is aimed right over her house.
It is a lot of hard work and we are loving it.  Sister Irion said it is the hardest fun she has ever had.

   We are learning to get around – thanks to our Garmin/GPS.  I still have no idea what direction is what.  For me the sun is coming up in the north.

   Papas least favorite thing is the humidity – it doesn’t seem to bother me.


   I was worried that the humidity would be awful for my hair but just the opposite – it has more body than it has had for a long, long time – so I love that.  I just need to find someone who can trim it and help me get it back to its natural color.  Ron found a barber & it cost him $14 for the cut – he nearly passed out at the price.  I said we are not in Utah any more.

   Because tomorrow is Father’s Day, I am fixing a roast & we have invited the cute sister missionaries who live downstairs to eat with us unless they get an invitation from someone interested in the gospel.  I haven’t cook a roast for a long time.  Heck I haven’t cooked for a long time.
18.   We leave the house by 7:30am each morning and one night we were actually home by 7 but usually it is later.

   We don’t breaks – I do go out and stand in the sun every once in a while – I need the sun.  usually we do ½ for lunch and other than that we are busy with mission stuff.

   Most important of all – we have stronger testimonies of the Savior and His atoning sacrifice and what that means in each of our lives.  This missionary work is an incredible experience.  I am soooooooooooooo  glad we can do it.

Greetings from Tennessee...

We finally have our computer up and running so I can really do an email and let you know how things are going.

 

It is beautiful here – green and lush and really clean.  At least in the areas we have been in.  haven’t been downtown Knoxville yet.  We have squirrels & bunny’s and all kinds of creatures in the yard.
The house we live in is fun.  Really nice remodeled kitchen’s & bathroom. The sister missionaries live in the basement, Sister Preston & Sister Young live down stairs and they are darling.
      President & Sister Irion!!!!!  Can’t even explain how I feel about them.  They are wonderful and amazing.  President is a doctor – a gynecologist – on his Utah plates is says RUPG – used to mean are you pregnant – now it means are you preaching the gospel.

     Wednesday was our first transfer day and we have spent all of our time here getting ready for the day.  At 8:15am we had a meeting with the GOLDENS – the new missionaries, they arrived late Tuesday – had dinner with and stayed at the Mission home – all 22 of them.  Papa & I each had to talk and explain our responsibilities in the office.  Since we don’t know and are still learning our presentations were short.

      The second meeting with all those being transferred was in the chapel – all the missionaries sit on the sides of the chapel and leave the middle open.  Ward/branch members drive the missionaries in who are being transferred and so they sit along the back row and are a part of the meeting, 

      We stood and started singing Called To Serve and all the new missionaries come in and sit in the middle on the first two rows – cried then at the marvelous site & am crying now just remembering.  Each of the new missionaries was introduced and asked to bear their testimony --  papa & I included.

     We had 4 elders and two couples who have finished their service and have now left to go home.  They also boar their testimonies.  Then the new companionships were announced and as they were announced, they came together and sat in the center section of the chapel – an incredible site!!!!

   Papa is the car czar – since we have been here, there have been two accidents – some running red light tickets (they have a camera at each intersection, and if you go through a red light it catches you.  One sister was 1.54 seconds too fast.   He has lots to deal with.  Today he is in the office with the AP’s figuring out which missionaries have which car.


   The other office couple we are serving with are Elder & Sister Roner – they are from Atlanta and are wonderful!  Thank heavens because Sister Roner is saving my bacon.

   I guess I could let you know what I do – I am the Presidents secretary – I do all letters that go out; forward the mail each day; baptism data; arriving missionaries – anything to do with them, and any and all things the President needs.  This is a better fit for me – I don’t have to walk
 We are in the office before 8 each morning and so far we are leaving between 6:30 & 7:00pm. Usually it is closer to 7.