15 months!!

Easter!  What a glorious day!!  Today we felt a special spirit as we partook of the sacrament in our home.  How grateful we are for our Savior’s sacrifice, love, and suffering.  Today we celebrate his Resurrection!!  His glory of eternity; knowing we can also be resurrected and be with Him and all our loved ones again.  This is the greatest life changing event in our world’s history.  

I woke today really missing an opportunity to gather with others to celebrate with song and words of worship.  There was an email from our Bishop (Avey) serving in our home ward in Greencastle.  The youth had put together an Easter program and individually recorded their part.  The last song was by a very talented sister who has the voice of an angel.  She sang, “There is Peace in Christ.”  The program ended with a message from Bishop Avey.  It was wonderful to have that connection.  There was also a special pre-recorded “Music and the Spoken Word” for Easter.  It has been wonderful to enjoy all of this.  

It is sunny outside and the snow is melting from the sun, but it is only 32 degrees feeling like 20.  I will stay with my illusion of a spring day.  Our apartment is very sunny and that makes things even better.  We have really been blessed with our living arrangements on our mission.  Tender mercies.

This week the weather has been pretty nice.  In fact, Friday it was 68 degrees and full sun.  Such a contrast from Saturday and today.  We will have cold weather for a few days and then return to more Spring like temperatures.

Monday was the anniversary of our first date.  41 years ago, we had lunch together at McDonald’s.  Walt used a lot of napkins and I talked the whole time.  To celebrate, we got some dinner at McDonald’s.  Big budget folks!  Walt gave Bishop Checketts a call that evening just to say Hi.  I didn’t realize he was calling, but when I heard the Bishop’s voice, came running.  I have really missed that family and the Bishops deep voice.  Things are going really well for his family.  They are enjoying having all their family home and just being at the ranch.  They have sent a couple of pictures of new calves.  I really miss being around the cows.  

Our celebratory McDonalds

Becky Checketts sent me this picture.  Such a cute baby!

Tuesday was our 15 month mark for our mission.  It’s hard to believe we only have 3 months left!!  What an experience we have had.  It almost seems like we have served 3 different missions - MLS (teaching people, preparing them for the temple and for baptism, reactivating people who have become less active in the church), then a CES (Church Educational System) mission -teaching the youth seminary. Lastly, an office mission.  It’s funny because 4 out of the 6 missions we put down for a preference were office missions.  We are enjoying our time here in the Mission Office, but don’t think serving in an office for 18 months would have been our favorite experience.  God knows all!!  We are very grateful to serve in each of those capacities and the different blessings each has provided.  We truly feel blessed by our service.  July still feels very far away; especially when there is snow on the ground here.

Sister Wild.  Behind her is the Baptism board.  Each month, pictures of baptisms are posted.  One of my new jobs!

Elder Wild.  He is in charge of finances and housing.

Walt in his office.  He is the Vehicle Coordinator

Me - lots of papers

We have started taking a walk each evening.  I have really missed seeing wide open spaces, sunsets and wildlife.  On Tuesday during our walk, we were treated to a beautiful sunset.  I thanked Heavenly Father for that.  He knows how much I love them.  The walks have been great for fresh air and just getting outside for a bit.  Other than that, we basically go to the office and come home.  But that is probably pretty close to what everyone else is doing; staying at home.  Seems like most of the working people in Walt’s family, do their office work at home through meetings on Zoom.  Speaking of Zoom, I will jump ahead to Saturday (yesterday).  William (Walt’s brother) turned 60 yesterday and they had a virtual birthday party on Zoom for him.  I had to give the Folks, and Annis and John a lot of credit for breaking through that technology barrier and getting connected.  The younger the person, the easier it was for them to jump on and participate.  We are kind of in the middle.  We just need more experience with it.  It was really nice to see everyone.  Some people we haven’t seen since Christmas last year.

The beautiful sunset from our walk

This week in the mission, it was transfers and some departures.  Transfers is when missionaries are moved from one area to another.  Usually only one of the companionship are transferred, and how long a missionary serves in an area is not pre-determined.  Lots of inspiration on the President’s part.  Right now, there are no new missionaries coming out.  All that are not currently in “the field” have been released and are deciding if they want to be on hold until they can safely return or if they want to defer for 12 to 18 months and get a new assignment.  In the meantime, there are missionaries returning home because they are done, or are in the category of having served 21 months of their 24 months; a recent change since COVID-19.  When we first started working in the office, there were around 196 missionaries, including Senior couples.  After yesterday, there are only 126.  With so many fewer missionaries, many areas are being reassigned or combined with other areas.  That makes a lot of changes for the office staff.  Walt now has quite a few cars at the mission home that aren’t currently needed and empty apartments as well.  It’s basically on hold until things get back to a more normal situation.  Sister Wild (mission secretary) and I have been busy this week with re-organizing lists and reference type things.  It’s been a busy week.  

Us and Sister Smouse.  She went home Saturday.

Sister Smith and us.  She was serving in our District soon after we got here

We don’t have nearly as many cases of the virus here in Montana, but still have a Shelter In Place order.  Everyone has been encouraged to wear masks when outside of their home; especially in public places.  My handkerchief wasn’t my favorite and I saw a no-sew mask idea on the Delaware Country (in PA) website with one of their updates.  It uses the bottom of a t-shirt.  So I made one of those with a shirt I got from Walmart for $1.  Walt was happy with his handkerchief.  I think we still look like bandits.  We keep them around our neck; ready to pull them up as needed.  Usually there is no one around when we walk.  

The bandits strike again!

Thursday was transfer day.  Usually all the missionaries getting transferred arrive at the mission home that morning and are redistributed by car to go to their area.  Some creative measures were taken to keep them in compliance with no groups larger than 10.  The group from Wyoming arrived in the morning and stayed in their cars until it was time to leave for the next area.  Only the missionaries actually moving came to Billings.  Then the mission van and trailer with suitcases made its round to the different areas.  It worked out pretty well.  It really cut down on the amount of people hanging around the office.  We love seeing all the missionaries but are quite ok with them keeping their germs to themselves right now.

That morning, to prepare for the increase in vehicles, Walt and the Wilds moved the 4 vehicles from the office parking lot to one of the church building lots; as suggest by Elder Wild.  President Larson came in around 10 am, and the first words out of his mouth were, “Where are all the trucks?”  He wants them parked at the mission home; he feels they are safer there.  So after lunch, Elder Wild and I helped Walt move them all back.  It was a beautiful day so it worked fine.  One of the vehicles was a brand new red Tacoma.  Boy, that would be the truck for me.  So Walt let me drive that one back.  He’s so thoughtful!  Another great surprise for the day was seeing Elder Glover.  He was the missionary in Newcastle that arrived just a few weeks before we did.  He taught the Smith children and Kay with us.  It was a great experience for all of us.  He is a really good missionary.  He is now serving in one of the area in Billings!  So we might get to see him occasionally.  He has been to 3 different areas since serving in Newcastle.  

"My" new red truck.  Don't I wish

Friday was just a really good day!!  The weather was just amazing!!  There were also about 25 missionaries returning home and arrived in the mission home on Friday and flew home on Saturday.  Again, a good job keeping them in small groups.  Each missionary has one final “interview” (discussion) with President Larson before returning home.  So we got to see quite a few that we have gotten to know in our past 15 months.  We are excited for their next phase of life that lies ahead of each of them.  At first, each will have to quarantine at their home for 2 weeks.  If possible, in their own room.  That’s not a fun way to end a mission, but it’s only 2 weeks.  The day had lots of catching up with old friends.  

At lunch, since we were fasting, we took a walk around the Temple grounds.  The fence is locked up so we just had to stay on the outside sidewalk.  It was still wonderful to see the temple.  We have loved serving there and even more, taking friends there. That afternoon, Sister Larson needed me to pick up breadsticks from Olive Garden for dinner that night.  Boy did our car smell yummy!!

Friday walking around the temple.  It was a windy day!

The bluffs behind the temple

That day was also a World Wide fast for this COVID-19 pandemic.  President Russell M. Nelson  (of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) had asked this of us at our General Conference last week-end.  Here are his words - “Let us prayerfully plead for relief from this global pandemic.

I invite all, including those not of our faith, to fast and pray on Good Friday, April 10, that the present pandemic may be controlled, caregivers protected, the economy strengthened and life normalized.”

On Friday, we were told about a FaceBook group.  It is a  Facebook group dedicated to the call to fast and has reached over 400,000 members, with people of all different beliefs posting messages of hope and sharing how eager they are to take part in the fast together. And the messages have come from all over the world.  It was an amazing thing!!!  To have our world, the WORLD  - united in so great a cause as to call on the powers of Heaven to bless His people!!  We participated in that fast, as did all of our mission.  (If you click on the blue link above, it will take you to the FaceBook page and you can read of the many amazing experiences people have shared.

Saturday, we woke up to snow and it snowed all day.  After the “party” for William, we headed out to somewhere that was not involved in the snow storm, or at least tried to.  We headed out on route 90 in a westward direction.  After about an hour of driving, we stopped at Big Timber.  Like most places in Wyoming and Montana, not a very big one.  Then we decided to go to Livingston through the mountain area.  It was so beautiful.  We have really missed that kind scenery. The snow made it even prettier.  We thought we were on the right road, but then it turned into a dirt road and just kept going further and further into the mountains.  There was no signal, so we weren’t really sure if it was the right way.  So we turned around, got signal, and then turned down a different road.  After about 20 minutes on this (not well maintained) road, it got really bad and barely drivable.  So again, we turned around.  At least the scenery was amazing.  We crossed over Boulder River a few times; which is really beautiful.  We also stopped and saw a place called “Natural Bridge”.  We’d like to go back there when the weather is nicer.  We ended up just going back through Big Timber to go home on the highway.  We stopped at “the” grocery store there, got some donuts for dinner, some eggs and 2 other items; not many people there.  

Boulder River

The bridge over the "natural bridge" (not in the picture but below)

Heading into the Gallatin Mountain National Forest

The drive home wasn’t too bad, except for the bridges.  All my life, I have seen signs about the bridges becoming icy before the roads.  This was the first time I have really experienced it.  They were definitely slick.  Walt ordered pizza from Domino’s for dinner.  We picked that up on the way home and then went through a car wash.  I think it was Thursday, we drove around town and found a DIY carwash.  The inside of our car was still muddy and filthy from Newcastle.  So we washed our mats, and vacuumed.  It looked so nice.  Then yesterday after our adventure, it was coated with frozen mud; so another carwash was needed.  Grateful we have a garage to keep it clean.

Getting those muddy car mats clean

The rest of our Easter Sunday was pretty quiet.  I made a nice breakfast of pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream, but the rest of the day was leftovers.  I see both of our daughters made nice dinners for their families and both made homemade rolls.  Guess I taught them well.  We are quite proud of our children.  We were able to FaceTime most of the grandchildren.  It took about 2 hours to talk to each individually but it was time well spent.  We get to have video chats with Emma through Marco Polo.  She is the funniest girl.  We love our family so much and will be grateful to see them all again in person.

Couldn't resist getting a picture of this sign.

We will be keeping you all in our prayers for safety and good health.  Let us all keep those in difficult situations either physically, emotionally, or financially in our prayers.  We need to help one another more now than ever.