It's Been a Happy/Sad Week

26 Aug 2017

It’s been a happy/sad kind of week.

At our mission devotional on Monday, we all laughed as one of the brothers, Elder Thompson, told of some episodes from his youth. He ended up in a career as a research scientist, but, when he was young, the curious side of his nature got him into trouble a few times. Like, when he accidentally caught a trash can on fire and it ended up burning down the garage. (It wasn’t their garage.) And, another time when he wondered what would happen if he dropped a match into the gas tank of an old car. The car exploded. (Also, not their car.) None of his antics were intended as malicious — in his mind, he was just experimenting. . .

Elder and Sister Thompson teach the capstone course that all the missionaries here take before they go home – so Bob teases them and calls them the Grim Reapers, because our missionaries depart once they go to them. The Thompsons have retorted by calling Bob, El-der-Acula! (because he always wants “fresh blood.”) And, they make a cross sign with their fingers whenever they see him. LOL. (Sister Thompson is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met, and it’s fun to joke with them.)

Of course, like the rest of the U.S., we caught a glimpse of the solar eclipse on Monday. Someone who works near us shared a pair of the special glasses with us so we could see it.

We got some very sad news on Tuesday. One of our full-time sister missionaries, whom we love, has to go home early because of her health. There is a Senior Medical Committee that reviews serious health concerns of missionaries, and determines if it’s prudent for them to remain in the mission or not. (There have been others who’ve had to go home early, for various reasons.) This sister made it a whole year, but, with some new testing her doctors did, they have basically said she’s a walking time bomb. We are heart-broken that she has to go home. (If you met her you’d never know there’s anything wrong. And, most days she feels great.)

On a happier note – We got to attend a special devotional on Thursday with Elder Quentin L. Cook, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. All the missionaries in our mission were invited, and we pretty much filled the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. It was excellent. What a blessing it is that we have Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ on the earth today, and, that we have the privilege of hearing their sure witness of the Savior.

We’ve been so spoiled with all the opportunities we’ve had here – special speakers, concerts, etc. — and we know our next mission won’t be anything like this.

Bob and I celebrated our 49^th wedding anniversary with a special dinner out. It’s hard to believe we’re old enough to have been married that long! We both definitely have an “alternate image” of ourselves in our heads – ones that are much younger and better looking! ;-)