Saturday, June 15 I have to show you these two pictures. The AP's and OE's have been playing a game with me. We have their pictures up in the office on the bulletin board (Alison made me the shirts)and they decided to be funny and change their pictures. We laughed so hard when we saw them and their funny expressions. So last Monday I tried to get them back and had Alison forward me some funny bodies to put their real pictures on. I had them displayed when they came into the office. All week they kept changing pictures. All wanted to be Captain America or Superman. They are great elders and we so enjoy seeing them in the office and hearing about all that they are doing. I think you can get a feeling of their personalities from the pictures. Monday we had FHE at the Mission Home with President Weaver grilling. All the senior couples from all over the mission came in. Then Sister Weaver gave us a great lesson using M&M's and related them to Missionary Moments and Marvelous missionaries and if you turn them upside down it stands for world wide. The President ended his message with his favorite Trike story. I loved it. "A little boy went to visit his friend down the street on his trike. He didn't come back and didn't come back and his mother began to worry. Finally he returned and when she asked him where he had been for so long he said his friend's trike broke and he stayed to help. His mother said, 'but you don't know how to fix a trike.' He said, 'I know, but I could cry with him.'" Sometimes we don't know how to help someone, but we can cry with them and love them. I loved the story and was touched by it. Started two projects this week - transferring files of the 32 missionaries who will be going to the new Federal Way Mission and getting ready for Elder Piper to come for the Mission inspection and tour. It will be a big week and we hope we are prepared properly. I will report next week. We had a big week for baptisms too. I sent 24 forms to Salt Lake. We haven't had that many for months. Today we went with Clarkes and Trotters to Port Townsend. This was the port that was to be the biggest on the west coast, but when the railroad went to Tacoma instead, the town's prosperity evaporated. It is filled with beautiful Victorian houses and now the best shopping street on Water Way. We had a great lunch looking at the harbor and seeing the ferries come and go and then looking at all the unique shops. It was a great day and beautiful weather. This will also be a week to look forward to Friday when we get Connie, Lindsay and kids arriving for a full week. We hope to show them many beautiful areas that we have discovered and keep them busy while we're in the office and then have fun lunches and evenings with them, plus two weekends. The pictures ought to be great next week. Happy Father's Day to all our wonderful friends and family who are Father's. You all are the best.

Saturday, June 8 It was a week that started with many baptisms to record. The missionaries have really been working hard. I love to record baptisms and send them off to Church headquarters - my little part of the conversion process. Now to get the missionaries to update their referrals. I got a lecture from the Referral Center on behalf of the whole mission. The President was going to give them the word. I felt badly that we got called on the carpet. It was Zone Conferences all week so the missionaries got lots of instructions. Had a few strange occurrences this week too. The Elders in Forks started the 4th of July celebration early by putting fireworks down their toilet and blowing it up. An Indian chief gave them the fireworks. The senior couple out there said the toilet deserved to be blown up. If they had waited the church would have bought the new toilet, now they have to pay for their damage. The man who owned a missionary apartment came into the office with the repair bill for maintenance and fix up - and it turned out to be Jerry's cousin. He actually lives in Arizona but owned a house up here he was renting as apartments. Jerry was so shocked. They had to call his sister who's on a mission in North Carolina and tell her who had found who. We've had great weather and so today we drove up to Mt. Rainier. They call it the crown of Puget Sound as it rises 14,410 feet and commands the horizon. It was a gorgeous drive through glaciers and glacier fed rivers, waterfalls and debris flows. We went to the Paradise Lodge which is situated at the base of the mountain. It was just magnificent. I will post some pictures. They really don't do the mountain justice. It erupted 2,000 years ago, but it is still active and at the top you can see the steam rising out of the fissures. We had great news and sad news this week. Keven came home from the Middle East and Connie and family are thrilled. Received McKay's graduation announcement and mission farewell invitation all in one. A year ago that wouldn't be possible. We are planning to be to the farewell. Then the heart wrenching news that Terah Young was operated on for ovarian cancer. We are sure praying hard that the treatments will be affective and she can have a wonderful future after this obstacle has been finished. She came to see us after we'd been here only a short time to give us encouragement and now it's our turn to encourage her. All of you please keep her in your prayers too. This week starts our preparation for Elder Piper and his mission tour and then the transfer of missionaries to the new Federal Way Mission. Lots of work ahead. Now enjoy the gorgeous Mt. Rainier.

Saturday, June 1 Here is another month down and 5 to go. I have a new scripture to keep me going - Ezekiel 34:26 "I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessings." We have enough showers here that if blessings come with them, we are truly blessed. We've seen this already with the safety of Connie and children in the Moore tornado storms - another one on Friday night. They spent the night in a friend's storm shelter. They lost their fence and utility shed and electricity, but they are OK again. The weather here is even getting better as well as the mission. The week was very hectic but the weekend made up for all the hard work. Friday night we went to a nice seafood restaurant on the Sound to celebrate 45 years of marriage. Yes, it's been 45 years and hopefully this mission won't end the run. Sharing one bathroom may do us in especially if Jerry doesn't learn to turn off the shower and I get hit in the head with water one more time. Then Saturday was "Duck Daze" in University Place. It's the official end of rain and the beginning of summer. They have a parade wearing duck outfits and everyone and their dog marches. They also have a big fair in the park. I'll include a picture. Then we went to Olympia to visit with the senior missionary couple who are there doing extraction work at the archives. They showed us around the area and we had a fun visit with them and dinner. It was a full day but very enjoyable. They are from the Idaho Falls area. Back to the week of 32 new missionaries arriving and 14 going home. We served lunch to 50 and all week missionaries were in the office getting supplies for their new areas. Sometimes there was standing room only. It was good though to get to meet and talk to the new missionaries. Here are some quotes from the departing missionaries: "I love my name tag. I'm going to sleep with it on so I can still wear it. There is no growth in the comfort zone. There is no comfort in the growth zone. If you can't have confidence in yourself - have confidence in the Savior. We are what we consistently do. Remember whose name is on your name tag as well as yours. Why did God appear to a 14 year old boy? Because he asked. The only thing harder than coming on a mission is going home." These young people are very wise and I learn from them everyday. We have another Fireside Sunday night. Even with losing a lot of talent, I'm sure the Fireside will be wonderful. They sing and bear their testimonies and it is very inspiring. Hopefully we are calmer next week, but June will be getting ready to turn two zones and 30 missionaries over to the Federal Way Mission. We also have Elder Piper coming for a mission tour evaluation. Hope we pass. Hope your summers are starting off in great style. Those of you who go water skiing, take a lap around the lake and think of me. Love, Carolyn