August 26th and 27th

August 26^th, Wednesday, we worked in the office training the Spencers.  I really like Sister Spencer and we always have a good time talking about our lives together.  She is a quick learner so she would go to typing in Baptisms when I wasn’t around to help.  I seldom have to go over something twice.  She seems to be a very smart person and to grasp concepts quickly.

Elder Tufts and Elder Evans

Elder Evans had told me that they took a picture of him and Elder Tufts together when they got to the border and so he sent me one by email.  I am posting it here so you can see how much they look alike.  When Elder Evans’s papers came Elder Tuft had just gone home and we all said, “That looks like Elder Tuft.”

We took David and Maggie out to dinner with us for one last time.  If you remember we took Sammy and Issac out by themselves a few weeks ago so we still owed David and Maggie a dinner.  We went to McDonalds because we were short on money and at least Maggie likes McDonald’s.  We had a good time with them and then we took them home and took Nathan a hamburger from McDonalds after taking them to dinner.

We let Nathan know that we had decided to go home early because of my Mother’s 88^th birthday party.  He was worried that the U-Haul that he had ordered would charge him twice but we assured him that we would make sure that they didn’t.  He had agreed to pay for our car to be wired for towing and for a U-Haul to get the things to Utah that he wanted to give to his brothers and Sisters there.

Missionaries at the Dilly Texas facility

August 27^th was Thursday.  There was a lady that called during the week that is a chaplain at a facility in Dilly, Texas for women that are picked up as illegal aliens from other countries.  They are charged with helping these people to assimilate into the United State and she wanted us to give her some LDS materials that they could read in Spanish that the people could read.  I was a little reluctant because I didn’t know what she was trying to do but she called and Sister Ferguson answered the phone and she was convinced that we needed to help this lady.  So I told her that we could give her several things and that we could send missionaries out to her if that was convenient.  We called the missionaries and they took her a box of Book of Mormons and some other supplies that we got to them and then they went to find out what they had to do to be able to teach those who wanted to learn there.  The picture is one that she took of the Elders that day.  Today she came to pick up more supplies and we were able to give her a number of things that had been sent back to the office as used but still good that the missionaries did not want besides the things like Book of Mormons .  She sounded like she was converted to the church even though she is Catholic and Sister Ferguson agreed to take her on a tour outside the temple.

Isaac, Nathan, David, Sammy and Maggie at his apartment

Nathan asked me to pick up the kids and take them to his apartment for his Thursday.  He is still quite sick.  We picked the kids up and then went to the Pizza place to get a pizza and went to HEB to get some olives he wanted for Isaac and something to drink.  We had a fun night eating pizza and talking and watching movies before the kids had to go home.  I am glad that I could be here to help him this week when he is so sick.  I really worry about how he is going to survive after we leave but I just have to put my faith in Heavenly Father and his promises to me that Nathan will be okay.

August 25th

August 25^th was Tuesday.  We worked at the office again helping the Spencers to learn the jobs that we have been doing.  We were alone for a while because Sister Williams and Sister Ferguson went to the MLC to feed the missionaries at noon.

There was one sad note at Senior the dinner.  Sister Studevant fell off the edge of the curb going out and broke her wrist. She was brave and acted like nothing had happened but then they went to the emergency room and found out it was broken. We found out about it when we read our email this morning.  We were so sad about this as she has been such a stalwart in the mission and helped us a lot with Nathan and is a good friend.

We offered to take the boys to scouts but Sara did not respond.  Nathan texted us and wanted Panda because he thought that we were coming for the boys so we took it to him.  He seemed to be softening about letting us help him as we get ready to leave I think not feeling well made it so he lost that animosity and just wanted help.  He also wanted us to take some stuff to his brothers and sisters.  Heavenly Father has let me know that he was angry because of the stroke and so I have mellowed also and told him that.

Nathan had asked me if I could fix his favorite pants but I could not because the machine would not work so I took them to a seamstress that works by our mission and told her that I needed them by Friday.

August 24

Ellie June

August 24^th was the first day of school for many or our grandkids.  Their parents posted pictures on line for us to see.

Gauge

Nathan went to the doctor today and found out that he has pneumonia so he did not want to go to the Senior Dinner.  We encouraged him to rest and take his medicine.  I was not surprised as he did not act like he felt very good yesterday at church.

Brinlie Blu

Ryker

President had moved MLC up to Tuesday so Sister Spencer and I spent the entire day working on the orders for the zones.  It really went fast with two of us working on it and we were able to finish it before the end of the afternoon and have it ready to pick up the next day.

Elder and Sister DeNile Williams with a friend

Elder and Sister Adair leaving in September

Sister and Elder Sturdevant leaving in September

Elder and Sister Minert

Elder and Sister Ferguson

Elder and Sister Spencer

Sister and Elder Graff

Elder and Sister Zirkle

Elder Presser and Sister Presser talking to Elder Minert

Sister Karen Williams leaving soon, Sister Slaughter, President Slaughter

Elder and Sister DeNile Williams leaving in September

Elder and Sister Greer

President and Sister Slaughter

We worked most of the day at the office but in the evening was the Senior’s dinner for our last time.  We had decided to have it at Mamacita’s in San Marcos and we had five couples that would be leaving the mission this month that were there.  Every Senior in the mission showed up.  President Slaughter came with his wife, probably because of all the Seniors leaving, to see us off. Some people thought that Larry and I had some type of magic to get everyone there but it was because of all the couples leaving. Larry and I were in charge so we had everyone speak and introduce themselves if they were new and the couples that were leaving we had tell about their future plans.  It was a fun night and attended by all the Seniors in the mission so it was very successful in that respect.  We will miss all of these wonderful missionaries and the dinners with them.  Being with Senior missionaries is so positive.

August 23rd and before

August 21^st was Friday and we were working with the replacements when Jake and Kandis Tuft visited the mission office.  They are missionaries that married each other that were here in the mission when we first came.  It was fun to see them in the office even though President had had them speak at transfer meeting.  Sister Tuft is pregnant so everyone was excited about that.

Sister Williams, Jake and Kandis Tuft, Sister Presser

Even though it was Larry’s birthday we did not go out to do anything because we were tired after transfer week.  Misty did post a cute video of their kids singing Happy Birthday to us on Facebook so that was fun.

August 22 was Saturday our Preparation Day so I worked on the quilt in the morning.  It took all of the morning for me to cut the strips on the fleece so that they were even and could be tied together and then we took the quilt down to Nathan’s apartment to tie the quilt with the kids.  I ended up tying most of it but I did show Sammy how to tie one or two and get him to help me with it.

Everyone else was busy with their Ipads or cell phones playing games.  Erik Alonzo and his son were there with Nathan and the kids so I felt good about that.  But there were no girls so Maggie wanted to come home with us to sleep.

August 23^rd, my birthday, was a Sunday this year.  We went to church and helped Maggie and the kids at church.  Some of the kids wanted us to take them home with us to Nathan’s apartment.  When we got there Nathan wanted us to take the kids back to Sara’s as he was tired and not feeling well.  As we could not fit all the kids in the new car with seatbelts then I was voted the one who got to take them and Larry stayed with Nathan. 

 Maggie was wanting chocolate milk to drink but Nathan did not have any chocolate milk mix and I think I had promised her some at the apartment in the morning so I texted Sara asking if I could make chocolate milk for Maggie at Sara’s when we took her home from Nathan’s, but when we got there she wanted her mother to make it so that finished that. 

   

Sammy was upset when he forgot his blanket at Nathan’s so I told him I would get it and bring it to him.  It made me feel good that he wanted his blanket because sometimes he didn’t seem to care about some things.  He did get really excited about sleeping with it when I finished which surprised me because it was a hot day.