What do you call a place that is built with lumber and brick and has a cement foundation. Most of us would call it a house. We heard a term here that made us laugh. A man was telling us how they moved from a small farming community to Sparks and lived in their first “Stick house”. They had always lived in a mobile home. He said, “Stick house” with distain. I guess it is what you have grown up around that makes the difference. We still hear things that make us realize “we aren’t in Kansas anymore Dorothy”.
This week we had the day we were preparing for in December but thought would never happen. We were asked to help in the Mission Office for a day. The senior couple over health and the cars always participate in zone conferences, they provide training. The other office couple had never had the opportunity to attend a conference so we were asked if we would go to the Office so they could go to a Zone Conference. I’m sure it is much different when you have things you need to get done but we were basically there to answer the phone. It was a l-o- n-g day! We wore out the carpeting taking little walks around the office. Usually when we go to the office it is a bustling place, it was dead that day! We had the one homeless member that uses the office as his mailing address come and pick up a letter. We had three deliveries and about six phone calls. UGH! By the end of the day I was reciting “Horton Hatches an Egg” to Elder Hardman. “I’m tired and I’m bored and I’ve kinks in my leg, from sitting, just sitting here day after day…..” When they returned from their wonderful, uplifting day we told them to call us any time!
Our Sister Wilson is going to leave us. She accepted the call to be the missionary Just Serve specialist just before we came last April. The calling was for a year. She is preparing to be replaced. We are sad. She has been so easy to work with. We think she needs to stay until October but she thinks someone needs to be in place before we leave who knows what they are doing. She had a training with some Zone Leaders and they told her that service was the number one thing responsible for keeping missionaries in the field. It gives them a break in their schedule and they get to be more like themselves. We have spent 11 months creating a program that provides service opportunities in the community for the different areas of the mission. It is becoming part of the mission’s culture. We hate to lose ground on this and can’t imagine anyone else that will work as hard as Sister Wilson has. We will certainly miss her. She would like to have a service missionary couple called to replace her, that live in the Reno area. That would probably be a great idea. We will see what happens next.
The Sienna Vista ward has started to hold a monthly breakfast on Saturday to help the ward get to know each other. We had the first one this week. It was fun to get to know members of the ward. There is a “core” group of long-time members that are amazing in wanting to integrate everyone into the new ward. Elder Hardman was in charge of scrambled eggs. It was a nice morning.
We keep thinking we are going to get the Harding’s to come to church. We keep inviting them and they say they will come but haven’t shown up yet. I am told the success I should feel is in the invitation. I am not good at this! I don’t like to be dumped or stood up. I am not patient or long-suffering. I guess I have to stay longer so I can figure these qualities out.
We saved our St. Patrick’s dinner until today because we were feeding the Elders. We thought it would be a treat to serve something different. It seems they have had a lot of corned beef this week. I did get the award for the best cabbage though!
We had a Mobile Harvest, a Relief Society birthday dinner, two baptisms, a senior couples’ party for Sister Chesnut’s birthday, door knocking and beautiful weather this week. We had gone 11 whole days without a new move-in in the Keystone ward. That was a new record!
The gospel’s true and we love you!
Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman
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