News from CAM March 21, 2017
Dear Loved Ones All,
Well it stopped raining, the sun came out, and magically the umbrellas turned into sunbrellas. Not only that, but they seem to have multiplied. Maybe people here just like to get wet. On P-day I got to kick back and make some cards between doing laundry and cleaning while Elder Macbeth worked on the 50th file. It seems like that is a never-ending job, but he claims to be just about finished. I’ll believe it when I see it. We got to go visit with a less active (upgraded from in-active) who has some fairly difficult health issues and is also helping care for his aging parents. We basically gave him the Home Teaching message in the Ensign and then encouraged him to get out his scriptures and read them because that will help him with some of the things he is dealing with.
Elder Macbeth is busy with his Executive Secretary assignments. He schedules meetings and appointments and then reschedules them. I went to the Family History Center while he was taking care of his duties on Tuesday evening. We also got to deliver some of my cards to sisters who have had birthdays this past week. They always seem to be surprised to be remembered, and of course they like the cards.
This week has been Zone Conferences. That means that we get to help with lunch. Elder Wong is amazing. Besides running his own business, a professor at one of the colleges, changing the oil and checking the brakes for the missionaries’ cars, a father of 9, and his ward’s mission leader, he single handedly cooks the most amazing lunches (grilled steak, teriyaki chicken, rice, and salad) usually for less than the value meal burger at McDonalds. He has decided that I can mix the salad when he gets to the church building. That is because he says I am not like “Relief Society” and am willing to mix it with my hands. Of course sometimes we only have 5 minutes it get the food out on the table so mixing with my hands is the fastest way. He also told Elder Macbeth and I that he is not so stressed if he is running late if we are there to help. That is an awesome complement. Training at Zone Conference is always fantastic. We go away wanting to be better and better. President Taggart always tells us training is to help inspire us and to give us more tools/ideas to use and is not meant to overwhelm us. He says if we are feeling that way to back off a little so we don’t burn ourselves out, but to do our best and follow the Spirit. We have a great Mission President.
Elder and Sister Jameson have been serving in the office for 30 months. She as the mission secretary and he as the financial wizard. Wednesday, March 22, will be their last day, so I have been trying to get a memory book together for them. Three weeks ago I left the Zone Leaders packets with papers on which they were to have the missionaries in their zone write a few words and sign their names and return it to me on the 10th. Well, as of Friday I still didn’t have them all. I also asked the senior couples to write a page with their photo. Same thing, but since we were to meet for FHE at the Mission Home on the 20th, I figured I could get their pages and slip them into the book then. Needless to say, I have been working on the memory book off and on for the past few weeks. One night after we got some pages from the Westergards (they work in the office so I told the ZLs that they could turn their pages into them) we decided that we needed to go to McDonalds two blocks away and get some smoothies. Actually Elder Macbeth got a Shamrock shake. It is amazing the things we get to do vs the strict rules for the younger missionaries. We have even got to Facetime/Skype to see our newest grandson which is really great since we aren’t there in person.
Besides serving lunch for Zone Conferences we got to serve at Mary’s Kitchen. I don’t know if those homeless people know how blessed they are because the food they are served is really high quality, and basically they get to eat as much as they want. Some are rather picky and some feel entitled, but for the most part they are mostly appreciative.
We had a big group at Book of Mormon Class on Thursday night. There were quite a few members, one who is fairly new and recently moved into our ward, as well as missionaries and even a new investigator. Of course one of our favorites, 8 year old Austin, continues to amaze us with his questions and comments. Elder Cook has also been teaching him tricks with yoyos. This time however, he had a tennis ball on a rubber string.
Friday was St. Patrick’s Day so I popped a corned beef into my crockpot before heading out the door. I rinsed it off slightly but as it turned out it could have been completely rinsed off because the carrots which I added were so salty that they were completely inedible. It’s a good thing that the Westergards had insisted that they bring some carrots and potatoes when they came down for dinner that night. I also sautéed cabbage and made a strawberry dessert.
Besides studying, phone calls, texting, and occasionally being able to make some visits we helped clean the church Saturday morning before going to a care center so Elder Macbeth could clip Keith’s fingernails and toenails. Is anyone else surprised that that isn’t part of caring for patients at hospitals or care centers? I also attended a baby shower for a new mom who recently moved into the ward. We got to visit a family whom we have been +trying to see for several weeks. They were invited to attend the temple preparation class so we wanted to encourage them to be sure to attend. Unfortunately on Sunday we got to call or text everyone to tell them the class was postponed again because the teacher got sick.
The Early Sunday morning pre-church meetings seemed awfully early. When we went to bed Saturday night Elder Macbeth asked me if a half hour was long enough to get ready in the morning. I told him if I had already picked out what I wanted to wear I could probably do it. Well Sunday morning I got up at 5:30 am. but that half hour also included the travel time to get to church. NOT enough time. I threw on my clothes and did part of my make-up and jumped into my heels and we ran out the door. As we were hustling down the corridor to the garage I wondered if my right shoe had lost the rubber tip but we were in such a hurry I didn’t check. When we got to church as I was walking in with the same feeling of being slightly unbalanced I glanced down and noticed that I had on one black heel and one blue heel and the blue one is slightly shorter than the black. URRRRRRRG! Elder Macbeth commented that most people wouldn’t even notice. Well when he went into his 6:00 o’clock meeting I went out to the car and returned home, got the other black heel and was shocked to note that my body had already adjusted to the different heel heights, so I was dragging/catching my right heel as I walked. I kicked off both shoes and finished putting my “face” at our own vanity, them put my shoes back on, without the strange limp this time, and returned to the church before Elder Macbeth’s first meeting got out. At that time of the morning there is no impeding traffic. Sacrament meeting was awesome. The first bishop of the 4th ward is still in our ward and he was the speaker. He talked about family history, but really it was to record memories that we have as well as finding the stories of our ancestors. After the block the Bishop invited the young missionaries to dinner and he asked Elder Macbeth if we would like to come too. Of course he was hoping we would because I always ask if we can bring something and he always wants salad with the sweet red onion dressing. I told him I would also bring what I needed to make “Elephant Ears.” Actually I use raw tortillas and fry them in oil so they puff up and then sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar. They are a good fast substitute for the real thing and they are so easy!
Well, so much for the life of a MLS missionary. I guess we are doing what we have been called here to do since the Bishop seems to be happy and the Mission President only gets good reports. I just hope the Lord is also pleased. With that hope all of you have a fantastic week. Don’t forget to write some of your memories down so that someday others will have a clue about your lives.
Love, Sister and Elder Macbeth Go! Fight!! WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! J
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