Letter #4

Transfer Day! What an experience! We went early Tuesday morning to help with the luncheon and to get the church ready for the new missionaries arriving. It looks like Christmas morning. There is a big black bag full of the new missionaries bedding, and most of them have a new bike ready and waiting for their arrival. The gym has tables all set up for a nice lunch and everyone is just waiting for them to come to the church. The mission President and his wife and the A.P.s go to the airport to pick them up. We also had a sister that came straight from home without going to the MTC. She is from California and did the MTC online. I didn’t know that happened. Her family drove her right to the mission field, interesting. Sister Beutler (the other MLS senior missionaries) puts on an amazing lunch. We had four new missionaries, three MLS couples, and the two office couples, along with President Chesnut and his wife and the A.P.s. I made funeral potatoes but that was just a small part of the lunch! After lunch the missionaries get training on all sorts of things and that lasts until about 4pm. Then their new trainer shows up and meets them, they take a picture and off they go! In the meantime the other sisters and elders that are being transferred arrive and the trading takes place. They received their new assignments on Sunday night so they know where they are all heading. It seems to be a chance to see and enjoy visiting with other missionaries while they load up suitcases, bikes and even teddy bears. They end up with their new companion and then drive off. It is quite a day! I looked around but decided to stick with the same companion so we drove off to help with the next meal of the day.

We hadn’t been to the mission home yet. It is on a hill up by the Temple. In fact it has a beautiful view of the Temple from the backyard. The Beutler’s were already there cooking. This is the dinner for the missionaries that are going home. They spend the night at the mission home and fly out on Wednesday for home. Brother Beutler had dropped the missionaries off at the Tempe for a session before they leave. We had to put their suitcases in the garage because it started to rain. Usually I guess it all stays in the back of the truck until they leave. Once again Sister Beutler made an amazing meal. I hope this won’t ever be my assignment. She must cook for two days before these events! We set the big table for all of us. We ate and then the missionaries bare their testimonies. It was a sweet opportunity to hear them. We knew one of the missionaries that was leaving. He is a remarkable missionary. Every time he speaks I have learned something. We only knew him a short while but we will miss him! It was a long exhausting day but now we know what transfer day is like.

We had a meeting this week and met the Sister that we will work with helping the missionaries with service opportunities. There is a program called, “Just Serve” that is sponsored by the church but it is done rather quietly. They work in communities with many other churches and organizations and have a website in different areas that show ways people can help others. This sister will “vet” opportunities for ones that can be done by the missionaries. We will work with the zone leaders to have the missionaries know of more service that they can participate in. This Sister lives in Reno and she is amazingly organized. We look forward to working with her. After this one meeting she called and invited us to come to dinner on Sunday with the Sister Missionaries in their area. This was a sweet invitation since it was Mother’s Day. BTW, her husband is also a Bishop. People in Reno are so kind. This was our second dinner invitation this week. It was Elder Hardman’s week to cook. He didn’t have to make anything on Tuesday, Sister Beutler sent us home with leftovers so he didn’t have to cook on Wednesday either. Then we were asked out Saturday and Sunday. I think he cheated on his week! This week he invited the zone leaders to dinner so not only will I cook all week but we will have guests. Remember how I just said how nice people are in Reno…I haven’t been here long enough to turn nice yet.

Our funny (sad) story for the week was while we were looking for an address. We pulled into a complex and I could see that an old man was sitting in a wheelchair in the doorway of an apartment but he was leaning forward with his hands down by his feet and his head was hanging nearly as low as his hands. I got out to see if he was okay and Elder Hardman came up behind me. I asked several times, loudly if he was okay. Elder Hardman said sadly, “Oh dear, I think he’s gone. We will have to call someone” and I looked and saw his finger move so I asked if he was okay again. He sat up and asked who was there. This was a rough looking fellow, he seemed nearly blind and had a big ugly sore by his eye, his fingers were tobacco stained and his clothes were very dirty. I told him that we saw him and were worried about him and asked if he was okay, if we needed to call anyone for him. He told us, “No” he had just been “deep thinking”.

I was very spoiled for Mother’s Day. I received Jeffrey Holland’s “Mother’s” book, the Mormon Tabernacle choir’s new CD, chocolate covered strawberries and roses, and a picture painted by Sage. Wow! Thank you to all my sweet children. It didn’t take the place of spending the day with you but I love the gifts and you! You are all so special to us and we miss you everyday!

We love you all! The gospel’s true and we love you!
Elder and Sister Hardman