Sunday, March 17 Happy St. Patrick's Day. Our Irish Coyles celebrate this day big and so in support we went to a small town on the Penninsula called Poulsbo. It's actually a Viking town and you're greeted by a tall Viking statue as you enter the town, but it was settled by Sandanavians. They were celebrating St. Patrick's Day and the town was decked out in green. It's on a bay and cherry blossoms were even out - all very picturesque. We ate at a German restaurant and got treats at a German Bakery, so Jerry was thrilled. Walked around the town which was filled with antique shops. They have a big fair on Mother's Day weekend for antiques. Jerry wasn't as thrilled with the antique shopping, but it was all fun and we saw the northern part of the Penninsula. The northern part is also accessed by ferry from Seattle. Greg and family are coming this weekend for Spring break so we will be able to show them some things were have learned. It will be so exciting even when we squeeze 8 people into this "college dorm" size apartment. It was a busy week again in the mission office. Our goal this week was to get all the cars in place and know where each car was. I felt like I had a garage full of 90 cars. The senior elders had to find them, their numbers, registration, etc. I had to make numerical magnets to go on the transfer board by the missionaires who had which cars. It was detailed work, but finally accomplished. I wonder if soon the missionaries will be back to feet since the cars cause so many problems. We've had three tickets in the last couple of weeks - all amounting to over $200 each. Washington is funding their government through speeding tickets. Then my favorite missionaries parked their car wrong and got it towed to the tune of $400. They were so upset. We really think it was a set up job by some neighbors to get a cut in a tow job. Then just Friday one set of elders slide off the road because of the wet mud and ended up in a ditch and needed a tow - there's another couple of hundred dollars. As you can see, cars are a problem, but bikes get stolen, so what's the answer. We are still waiting for Spring. It rained all last week and is suppose to rain again this coming week. I guess it helps with the flowers. We are seeing the blossoms coming and azaleas are blooming. There are suppose to be tulip and daffadil festivals coming. They ought to be gorgeous. I was reading a Conference talk the other day by Elder Hales called "Being a More Christian Christian." It gave me a boost as he said, "He will make us equal to His work. As we follow Him, He blesses us with gifts, talents, and the strength to do His will, allowing us to go beyond our comfort zones and do things we've never before thought possible." I guess that's me. The new service sister in the office, who they brought in to help since Sister Clark is still recovering, is so encouraging and nice to me. She always has some compliment and something positive to say to me. She and her husband come in the mornings three days a week. He's the patriarch in this Stake and they both remind me of Brother and Sister Widdison - so wonderful and perfect themselves, but make you feel good about yourself too. I think they also came as a blessing to me when I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. For example I ordered stationary envelopes and got a call that I'd ordered them on such an old form that they couldn't process it. I just used the form that was in the box, but it must have been around since the pioneers because it was not working. Now they fax the orders in. See another machine for me to have to handle. I am not modern when it comes to machinery and computers. I'm still good with the phone and ordering supplies. I taught my girls well on spending money too. They sent me a box this week from their trip to the Oklahoma outlet mall when they were all together. Since they had me buy them Easter outfit treats, they had to buy me something too. They sent Jerry some nuts to eat. We really laughed. Also got a fun St. Patrick's Day treat from Rudders, mail and medicine from Sylvia. We have great support and thank you all. Have a good week and be safe since many of you will be on Spring Break. Let us know what all you do. Miss and Love you.

President and Sister Weaver with the sisters.

Here is Sheri Dew happy to be on the Penninsula. She greets the sister missionaries.

Sunday, March 10 What a marvelous day we had yesterday. Sheri Dew came to the Pennisula Stake Women's Conference and they invited the sister missionaries to attend. She was just as fantastic as ever. What a way she has in communicating ideas that just resonnate with sisters. She came in and went right to the sister missionaries and shook their hands and talked to them. I was snapping pictures as fast as I could so that I could give copies to the sisters. Then as she started her talk she invited all the sister missionaires up to stand by her at the pulpit and continued to praise them and use them as examples of service and dedication. They will never forget this and I won't either. It gave me such a boost. I know we don't always have to be validated for what we do, but it is so nice sometimes. I have all of you out there who constantly encourage me and it really does make a difference. Let me give you a few comments from Sister Dew. She talked about Priesthood power and the trials and goals of the latter-days. We are to be grateful we came to the world now. We were divinely programmed to come now and were held in reserve for these last days. She sees what women today are accomplishing. We are all elect ladies. This statement really hit me, "Would He send for the last days men and women He couldn't count on?" I hope He knows he can count on me. So she continued - how do we do it? Learn how to receive and ask for revelation. The best way - stay connected to Heaven and have a spiritual experience every day. President Lee told her that when she was a young Laurel at a Laurel Conference. I think she has done it and it's now my new goal. We can pray for one and watch for one and work for a spiritual experience everyday. We need it some days more than others. This past week for one was where I really could have used some uplifitng. We had the 30 new missionaries arrive with a big lunch and welcome for them and a testimony meeting for the departing missionaries. After transfers it's trying to get all the lists updated as to where the missionaries are, plus we needed to prepare for the next 30 who are coming in in April. Letters to parents, bishops,stake presidents, all have to go out with pictures or certificates, welcoming information, etc. in them. With Sister Clark still recovering, it's like 6 other people are running around with half the knowledge they need to know what they are doing. Then we also have to make sure we continue to do our assigned jobs. It can become very frustrating. In the midst of this I had a call from a senior couple who just got their call to the Washington Tacoma Mission and he said they were called to work in the office and he must be replacing me. I asked when he was coming and he said June. At the moment I was ready to be replaced even though I knew he really had been called to the new Federal Way Mission, but since his call came before the Mission was created he didn't know that. I tried to explain things to him, but he was firm and so I just said,"Welcome, that's wonderful. We'll be looking forward to seeing you." I later found out that they will be coming to be trained for the new office in the new mission. Right, you are all laughing at me training someone with the skills I have. I can show them how to lift up the phone and order supplies. I'm really good at spending money and we have the best equipped supply room around. I may be breaking the bank of the mission, but no one has told me to stop yet. Let me end with some of the comments the departing missionaries gave at testimony meeting: "A mission - a worthy sacrafice. I did what the Lord asked me to do, a sacred call. This mission is sacred ground to me. It's where I found my testimony. You're there for a reason - learn why you are there. When you hit rock bottom - Jesus Christ should be the rock you hit." These are amazing young and prepared people. We are preparing some amazing young people in our family. Megan was baptised on Friday and we were able to see it all through face time on the i-pad. Lindsay prayed, Alison and Trevor talked, Kyle baptised Megan and Matt confirmed her and Grandma Coyle gave the closing prayer and Connie orchestrated it all. Keven saw it from the middle east and we from Washington. The Bishop said it was a world wide broadcast. We'll try to get some pictures posted for you to see some of these events. Have a good week and I will too with my new attitude.

Sunday, March 3 Do you want to hear the spiritual or the secular? We had both this week. I'll be good and start with the spiritual. Jerry had an elder call him wanting to know what he should do with his cell phone. He baptised it. Yes, it was in his pocket during a baptism. We told him to put it in rice and try to dry it out. What won't these elders do? The big news is that McKay Jones got his mission call. He is going to the Japan, Sendai Mission and reports on July 17. That means we get to come home again to be at his farewell and hug him good bye. I guess our family is truly in the mission mode. McKay is so excited. This last week he was chosen for the District and State All-Star Basketball teams, accepted at both BYU and Utah State, all honors basketball team - yes I'm bragging and the list goes on and on. He's a great young man and will make an excellent missionary and now I know what to compare him too. The office was very busy with the new mission news. We have received word of the areas we will be losing to the Federal Way Mission. Haven't heard about the southern areas, but we know we will lose some. In June we will even be sent a couple to train for the mission office in Federal Way. Yes, don't laugh too hard - me training - what a joke. Jerry will do a good job though. Our Sister Clark has still not recovered so two mission couples have come in to help me do her job. We have the 30 new missionaries coming on Tuesday and transfers this week. It is always a headache so I am very grateful for the wonderful help these couples have been. We also found out that we have another 30 missionaries coming in April. We are growing so we can divide I think. I also did my missionary work by giving two DVD's about the church and family to my Russian cookie lady. I can't wait to hear what she has to say about them. Now for the secular. We took an outing this weekend and drove to Forks. It's about 3-4 hours north and west and the outpost of the mission. There are two elders there and a small branch in a town of about 3,000. It's also the home of Twilight and the whole town has tried to captialize on the books and movies. You drive through the Olympic National Forest to get there and it is absolutely beautiful - waterfalls, moss covered trees, lakes, thick forests, and beaches with rough surfs and unusual rock formations. We stayed over night in Forks - at the Cullen house. Saw Bella's truck, Dr. Cullen's parking place at the hospital, the Spartans at the High School, Twiftway where Bella worked, Poice Station, Las Push where Jacob Black was living on the reservation, Rialto Beach and First Beach where so many scenes in the movie took place, just lots and lots of flavor of Twilight. Then we found out that not one scene of the movie was actually shot in Forks. It was filmed in Portland and Vancouver and Louisiana, believe it or not. I guess it was cheaper in Oregon and Canada. Yet they have the town that really exists and I believe great scenery. On Sunday we continuted our drive down the coast through the Rain Forest part of the Olympic National Park. It rains 12 feet per year here, so you can imagine the growth that occurs. And yes, it rained most of the time we were there. It's a 73 mile long coastline with a number of Indian reservations included in the area. It's big in the summer with rafting, kiyaking, hiking, camping, etc. We were in the off season. Now I'm revitalized and ready for our big week. I'm just like a child and need my rewards to keep me going.

Sunday,February 24 Guess you've all heard the big announcement of 58 new missions. Three big ones hit us - two in Washington and yes, our own Nampa, Idaho. All I could think of was that we could have stayed home and worked in the mission office maybe in our own back yard. We are excited to learn all the details. You keep us posted on Nampa and we'll keep you posted on Washington. Since the new Federal Way Mission is on our north and east and the new Vancouver is on our south, we know that it will take many of our zones. All of this will happen by July so it's very interesting. We had a busy week. Our Sister Clark is still recooperating. Hopefully one more week and she'll be back. Since that's the week of transfers we are scrambling to get everything she does done. The one MLS couple is coming in to help us since no one knows exactly what Sister Clark does except the President. Monday he is going to try and direct us. (Some days I don't even know what I do.) We get 31 new missionaries on the 5th and then it's down to 12 in April. We've been told they will no longer come to us in big groups, but will just come constantly, like every time the MTC needs more room. I think everyone is learning. Our McKay gets his call this week. We are all guessing where he might go. Now Nampa is on the list. I had a neat experience this week and felt like a true missionary. A brother came into the office with 100 sets of blocks he had made for the President. They are all labeled and decopaged to illustrate the Plan of Salvation and the missionaries use them to teach. He is from Puyallup and had made some for the missionaries in that area so the President wanted him to make them for all the missionaries. Since I was the only one in the office he was telling me about how many thousands he had made in many many languages and that just this week when he was making so many at one time, his wife who isn't a member asked him what exactly they were for. She had been through many missionaries trying to teach her, but she just wasn't interested. When he told her their purpose she asked him why he didn't teach her with them. He was so shocked and pleased and told me he was going to begin teaching his wife the Gospel. Something told me to take him in our supply room and show him all our DVDs and pamphlets that the missionaries use and see if any of them would help him in his new challenge. I told him what ones the missionaires seemed to use the most and where they were the most effective and he choose a few and seemed so pleased with the help and went on his way. I felt like I had just given a discussion and it was so exciting. I know now a little of what the misisonaires must feel when they have taught someone. Then I went back to my phones and computer - ugh! If I only could do those spread sheets with confidence. Jerry has all the apartments ready for the new missionaries but is still fighting with Sprint to keep the cell phones working correctly. Last week was a mess with many missionaries not being able to call out of their areas. Hopefully it is fixed now. Our Sprint agent was on vacation and no one else seemed to want to help. Jerry is getting a flat ear from being on the phone so much. He's looking forward to a more peacful week. Rain began again this week. They keep telling us to wait until Spring and the flowers and it will all be worth it. I'm counting on that. Yesterday we drove through the park that is by us and the moss is really green. I took some pictures and maybe Connie can post them. It was very beautiful. At least we don't have the snow that some of you are dealing with. We all get our different trials. Almost ready for our new month at the end of this week, February down and 9 to go. Miss you all but feel your love.

Sunday, February 17 We are back in Tacoma after a fabulous weekend. Dee gave me a great gift. I'm sure she asked me to speak at her funeral because she knew I needed to come home and have a taste of the love I feel there. It was a lovely funeral and I think Dee would have been pleased. She looked beautiful and so peaceful - all the pain gone from her face. The music at the funeral and flowers were wonderful. Melissa had such a good idea for the flowers in an arrangement of her purse and shoes - her loves. Her family will continue to need our love and support. We will call and I hope they will call us too. We got to see so many dear friends and see how they are doing. It was Kyle's birthday and so we got to go to dinner with his and Greg's family and then to McKay's basketball game. Jerry had so missed seeing McKay play basketball. I even got to take Avery shopping for her birthday that will be at the end of the month. She wanted to go to Build a Bear and so we did. Sunday was Church with Greg's family and Blake gave his first talk in Sacrament meeting and McKay was called up extemporaneously to bear his testimony, so we were doubly blessed. Had lunch with Kyle, Melissa and Avery and Kyle took us to the airport for our hour flight back on a prop plane. (Didn't know they still made those and made people fly on them.) We arrived safely and are back but missing home and friends. Sylvia feed us and Craig showed how well he keeps checking on the house. Everything looked great. Monday we will be back in the office and see what we missed. Our other office sister has been in the hospital all last week and we sure miss having her there and all she does. Hopefully we can get back in shape as she is back from the hospital but still recovering her strength. I got to help the missionaries last week with their French. Yes, I'm as bad with forgotten French as I am with the computer, but they were teaching an African woman who only spoke French, so I helped them with a few phrases. It's amazing what you need to remember on a mission. They left with two pamphlets - same pamphlet but one in French and the other in English. They can point to both languages and hopefully get a message across. Hope you all had a great Valentines Day. The tradition continued - heart shaped sugar cookies for the missionaries with the help this year from Albertsons. They didn't taste too bad. We will report again next week and as all reminded us this weekend - we are 1/4 through our mission.