Sunday, April 28 Our busy week started with apartment problems for Jerry. After apartment inspections he had tons of repairs to report and get fixed. Then an elder called reporting fleas in his apartment and bites all over. The week was spent in fumigating the apartment one, waiting for the next hatching, then fumigating again. Poor elders were bitten all over. Good thing one is strong - he leaves in June for BYU football, but that just meant there was more area to bite on him. Then when that was being fixed another set of elders had their apartment complex catch on fire and they had time to get their things and get out and the apartment received water damage. There is always something to deal with. I only had strange referrals - one that kept calling from the State Mental Hospital and one that wanted to have the missionaries come over to discuss some points in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine & Covenants - which usually means they want to bash. The missionaries called afterwards and said it was quite the strange conversation but they are taking him to church today. This will be interesting to follow through. Then another missionary came into the office wondering how bad he really looked. It seemed it went to a college barber school for a hair cut and the lady forgot to put the guard on the clipper and zipped right through the side of his head. He had a freeway look. He said she started crying and apologizing and wanted to give him a total buzz, which he knew was not mission rules. So we just left. We sent him to a professional and told him to tell her to just try and even the sides and leave it at long as possible on the top. He is so cute and was so worried. He's one of my favorites and I wanted to just cry with him, but he came back after the cut and looked presentable and in two weeks it will probably all be grown out. I'd show you his picture, but I'd probably embarrass him so you'll have to wait to see him in my scrapbook. Now for the positive. I went to Enrichment meeting at our ward's Relief Society and learned about cutting knives - shape, size and usage. Then we cut and made pico de gallo. I took it on Friday for the missionaries to try with chips. It was a little strong, I thought, but the missionaries will eat anything. Then the ultimate was Friday night when Janice Kapp Perry came to put on a fireside in Lakewood Stake and the Trotters invited us to go with them. They are the MLS senior couple in Lakewood. What a fabulous fireside. She is a marvelous lady with abundant talent as you all know with 10 of her 1,500 songs in the Primary Children's Songbook. She had us sing with her and she sang personal songs she had written to us. She also sang in the Tabernacle Choir. She said some ideas that I need to work on. "You don't need to have a beautiful voice ... we should have something to sing about. Make the music simple, the words simple, but the message profound." Her goal in writing songs for the Primary is that Primary songs should come back to children when they need them. When it's set to music - it goes deeper. Look for her latest song in the last couple of Ensigns called "The Voice of the Spirit." They performed it that evening with flute and cello accompaniment. We were there early and she visited with us and it was so fun. She's also a sports jock and it was so funny to hear about her love of anything sports related. I'll post a bad picture of Sister Trotter and me with her. Then the Trotters and we went on a driving exploration of the Peninsula. I learned the entire peninsula is called the Kitsap Peninsula. We had been half way through it, but went to the top to a town called Point Gamble. What a beautiful picturesque place. It's at the point where the Hood Canal and the Puget Sound meet. It was once a Mill town for lumber. The homes are Victorian and now mainly shops and restaurants. I'll include some pictures. It's a National Historic site and mostly used for biking, kayaking and camping. Then we drove back through the Viking town of Poulsbo to the Bainbridge Island - very touristy with a ferry there that connects it to Seattle. We just sent the sisters there to open the area up and we saw them doing their job. All was very pretty and it was a great day with milder weather. This coming week is Temple Days for the missionaries. We will take them up in three groups - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with buses, lunches and visiting. They love going to the Temple and will be in a session of all missionaries. We get to do one session and then carrying food and supplies the other days. Will report next week with, hopefully, good pictures. Love you all and miss you. Hope called me to say our tulips looked beautiful in our yard. Drive by and enjoy for us.

Sunday, April 21 After a week of rain we are being promised a week of sun and temperatures in the high 60's. I can't wait, yet the flowers have been so good to us. I'm posting a picture of the rhododendrons. They are all over and come in every color and size. They bloom for a long time so we should be able to enjoy them for awhile. This was a very busy week with incoming missionaries and transfers. It always puts us in a tizzy to find out where all the missionaries are reassigned. We sure don't want to lose any. Then one of our office senior elders had a heart attack and was in the hospital. He is in charge of cars and bikes, so with transfers we were all juggling his job. He was released from the hospital Thursday evening and so we're hoping he is on the mend. We really rely on him to run the office. We were slackers for the luncheon this time and order Quiznos sandwiches. The Quizons owners here are members and they gave us a great deal. Then we made acini salads and cupcakes to go with them. It seemed to go smoothly with all that premade. The outgoing missionary testimony meeting was great as usual. It is great to hear and see the progress made by missionaries. Here are some of their quotes: "Jesus is hugging you - especially in the hard times." Sister Lorz. "God is in this work. Who I've become because of it." Elder Johnson. We will miss these great missionaries, but we received 30 new amazing ones. And they all sang "Amazing Grace." I'll never listen to that song without thinking of this mission. It has all new meaning for me. We had a great surprise on Thursday night. Vard and Linda Williams were up visiting their children in Vancouver and drove up to see us. They grew up in Malad with Jerry and we went to USU with them. They live in Boise and so it was so fun to have a flavor of home. We took them down on the Sound to a great seafood restaurant and had a fun visit. That gave us new energy. A funny thing happened on our way out of the restaurant - a seagull flew overhead and dropped a live crab at our feet. Vard went over and picked it up and threw it back in the water. Some of us rescue different souls. Friday was an unusual day. It was mission apartments inspections. Every senior missionary throughout the mission was assigned apartments of elders and sisters to inspect and evaluate. Jerry had it all set up - over 100 apartments. The office was closed and out we all went with our surveys and treats - yes, treats for the missionaries were expected. It was very eye opening. We saw an apartment made over from a garage to a beautiful home donated by a ward member that over looks the Sound - that's where the AP's and OE's live and the coveted place. We had very good results with our assignment. The missionaries had cleaned and things were looking very good. They also gave lists of needed corrections. On Monday Jerry will have his hands full filling all the requests. I took cookies and apples. Next time I think I'll take toilet paper. As a result on Saturday we went furniture shopping for additions and replacements. I enjoyed it because we got to stop at the Mall and then discovered where Olive Garden was. Jerry has to bribe me to do certain things. We spent the rest of the day working on Mother's Day talks. The Bishop of our ward came into the office on Friday and asked if we'd talk on Mother's Day. He wanted it know if that would be too hard for me seeing I didn't have my children around. Jerry said it would be no problem as I talk to my great children every day and visit with other parents great missionary children in the office. That is the highlight of my mission -hearing and seeing these great young people and trying to keep them stocked with supplies and listening to their successes and failures. P.S. If anyone knows me they will understand this last statement. We found a Sonic!!!!

Sunday, April 14 We started the week with a new experience. We got to go to the Mission's Zion Camp for senior Family Home Evening. It's about an hour away up the Penninsula to Belfair. It is a beautiful area and open year round. Three senior missionary couples run it and one is from Kuna. It's over 80 acres and has it's own private lake for fishing, canoeing, paddle boats, swimming. It reminded me of McCall and I loved it. They have a great lodge and fabulous bathrooms and showers and kitchens. They can handle three stake girls' camps at a time with extra space for individual camping. The couples live in their trailers and are there for 6 to 18 months. I'll include a picture. All the flowers weren't out yet, but they say when they bloom its a Garden of Eden. I think I can tell our area how to up grade our camps after seeing this one. Jerry got his body worked on this week and is feeling like he had an overhaul. He had some laser work done on his eye and the fuzzy is now gone. Then his big toe nail was bothering him and he had a podiatrist work on his toes and he "feels pretty." Then his back went out and he visited the chiropractor a couple of times. I just drove and waited and watched our work pile up. We managed to get things under control by Friday. We are all ready for the 30 new missionaries coming on Tuesday - 4 are Visa Waiters who'll be here one transfer waiting to go to Argentina. But Jerry had to find them beds in the mean time. Already we have 30 coming in May too. Jerry had to find 15 new apartments just this month - more than his trainer had to find his entire mission. Hopefully that will be the big push for him because we have more missionaries going home next month - only 7 this month. It's been raining all week. I'm ready for Spring and warmer weather, but it hasn't come yet. We did venture out with two of the other office couples to see the tulips in bloom. (Same place as the daffodils) They were beautiful, but there was lots of mud and rain. I got a few good pictures. We had fun with eating, shopping, looking and visiting. Our office couples are all very nice and unique. Everyone has a story. Wish us luck with the incoming and departing missionaries. They get Acini Salad for part of their lunch. That will make me home sick. I hope three salads will be enough for 50. These missionaries know how to eat. I will be sad to see some of our favorites head home, but I know how excited their families are to see them. Have a good week and we will be welcoming new choice spirits here to work hard. I love all the new memes from Conference and we are truly "Catching the Wave."

Sunday, April 7 A weekend of listening to the Word and Living the Word. We got Conference on the computer and in between sessions on Saturday the AP's and OE's had two baptisms. They were so excited and did a great job of presenting the baptism talks. One was a young mother from Ghana and the other was an older man. They just glowed after their baptisms. We are loving Conference. The sisters gave us a "Conference Madness" activity, much like "March Madness." You predict those who will conduct, speak and topics. I have done about as badly as I did in the family "March Madness." I was in last place for that and yesterday I was 4 out of 13, but it has been a fun activity. Anyone interested in the forms, let me know and I'll send them to you. My sister predicted the Temple in Cedar City and was so excited. She called us right after the announcement was made and predicted everyone in Cedar would be driving out to the proposed land to view where the new temple would be. We have been challenged to pick out some Conference "memes." Here are a few of mine so far. President Eyring warmed my heart when he said, "As we give service - He will bless our families." I'm counting on that and add my friends to the group. Then Elder Cook, and I'd heard this before attributed to Neal A. Maxwell, "All the rules will be fair and there will be wonderful surprises." Then Elder Ellis said, "His way - the way." I think for sure that will be a poster. And then to go along with Elder Nelson's last conference quote, "As the missionaries - they can help you" is the "Catch the Wave" phrase. To me it meant to be a part and continue on and stay on the crest. I loved President Monson's talk today and we're looking forward to the concluding session this afternoon. I'm posting a picture of the cherry blossoms. They are out everywhere and so gorgeous. Now the rhododendrons are out in every color imaginable. When it stops raining I'll try and get some of their pictures. They look like giant azalea flowers. We have had tons of rain all week. It comes in down pours and then stops and the rain comes out, and then more rain. Jerry got to visit a few doctors this weeks. I think he has eye strain looking so much at the computer so Pete Jensen called a friend he'd gone to school with and he saw him last Monday and Tuesday he will have some lazer treatment for leakage. He said it's minor and would work well. Jerry's had it done before - a problem with diabetes. Then he went to a chiropractor and has found a good one - too much sitting I guess. He's had two adjustments and feels great. Now he knows who to go to and not let it get out of control. He also gets a ingrown toenail looked at this week. I feel like the driver of the medical car. It at least gets me out of the office and a break in the day. And we have managed to keep our work up too. Did you enjoy April Fool's Day? Kyle got us good with the announcement of BYU-Logan. We Aggies were quite scared. I put jelly beans in the missionaries Vitamin C jar. They didn't know I was fooling and thought I'd lost it. The sisters made the day though when they had their miracle. A 12 year old girl had been going to church for two years and her parents would have nothing to do with the missionaries or the church. They wouldn't even let the missionaries in. Well this day they said the sister could come to their home. When they got there they said their daughter could be baptized and they would attend. The sisters were so thrilled. They have hope the baptism will touch their hearts and let them be taught also. The sisters are amazing and can do things the elders can't. One elder had a cute saying this week. He said he was so glad to be here and not foreign as he didn't want to have to learn a foreign language. Then he said - "It was enough I had to learn the Gospel." He was honest and I think that's what the young people today are doing so early with all these new programs. It's amazing to watch. We had sad news this week and exciting news too. Our senior military relations couple that live by us is having to go home because of health problems. They are very disappointed. We have enjoyed them and hope things improve when they are home. Then our friends the Craners in Boise just got their mission call to be member leadership service missionaries in Washington, D.C. They leave in May. Called in April and leave in May. That is the new trend in missionary assignments. We get 30 new missionaries again in April and May and the July list is growing. Well it's almost time for Conference. Have a good week and will report next week. Love and miss you all.