Week of May 15, 2016

Sunday was an interesting day. We had signed up to have a pair of elders over for dinner. About 20 minutes before they were due they knocked on our door. The food was ready so we decided to start eating. About 5:15, the scheduled time for dinner, there was another knock on the door and there was another pair of elders. We were a little surprised, but we invited them in. (As a flashback, when I received the email telling us we would be having elders, I was in a hurry and just deleted it without reading it. Later, I had the thought that I should find out the elders’ names that were coming to eat, but I couldn’t find the email. Since I had not read the email, I wasn’t sure who was supposed to be with us and who wasn’t, or if they had assigned us 4 elders.) We had dished up our food so there were just scraps left of some of the food. Since we served Taco Salad, it was a little sketchy without all the ingredients. The second set of elders were a little put out that we had started without them. I told them we did not know they were coming, but I think they felt we were extremely rude to have started without them.

I offered to fix more food and they said that would be appreciated. I found another package of meat in the freezer—thankfully—and hurriedly thawed and cooked it. We opened another bag of chips—I was really glad we’d bought that extra bag. We only have 4 chairs, so Ted and I were standing. One elder stood with us because he had been taught to stand and offer his chair when “someone at least 20 years older than him was standing.” I insisted he sit down and eat. Anyway, we got through the meal but it was very interesting. After they had gone I looked again and found the email—only the first set of elders was assigned to us. I talked with the lady in charge later and found out her husband had made an error when he sent the emails, so we got the extra pair and another couple got none.

Monday we had a lively discussion in our staff meeting. We are changing the curriculum for the missionaries going home to teach them the Find, Take, Teach program the Church has prepared to help people become involved in family history work. I am in charge of developing a class on descendancy research which is the core of the program. I need produce a handout that will be helpful to the missionaries as we go through the presentation. I also need to help them learn how to prepare the teaching plan they present to people. We will have them prepare one for themselves after searching in their own trees to find ancestors. I think it will turn out OK, but I am feeling the pressure to make this really good. I was told several times that “this is the core to the entire process”.

In the evening we had our Hail and Farewell dinner where we welcome new missionaries and say goodbye to those going home in the next two months. There were a lot going home and only a few coming. Apparently, our mission is down 60 couples from what they need. There was a musical group that played for us and sang pioneer songs. It was really a fun evening.

Young Elders and Mission Presidency singing "Called to Serve"

Tuesday I taught a class that is part of a series on how to get started in research. It’s a good class, but I felt a little disconnected while teaching. I’m really feeling a little overwhelmed so it was just nice to get one thing behind me. After class we went to the temple then back to the library to work for a while.

Wednesday I taught Catalog. I’m not sure why I was assigned three classes this week, but I enjoy teaching and it is a good group. In the afternoon we attended a department devotional/mission conference with Elder Renlund and his wife. It was really good. Elder Renlund spoke about the Second Coming of Christ as taught in Matthew 24. He referred us to the following chapter where it begins with a “then”, meaning “at this time”, and three parables. He taught that the three parables instruct us what we need to do to be ready when Christ comes and it was so good. I was very touched by his comments.

Gazebo by our patio door--amazing roses!

Thursday in our classes I taught Photos and Documents and I really enjoyed it. In the afternoon we had an enrichment class on FamilySearch Apps that was really good. I learn new things all the time—one of the perks of our assignment. Afterward Ted worked with Sister Aroma and made some good progress on his Finnish family. I did some administrative stuff then worked on the Swedish research for the first time in a few weeks. I really enjoyed getting back to that.

Unusual rose--touch of lavender!

Friday we’d had a power outage during the night. I awakened during the night and saw the alarm clock flashing so I looked at my watch, reset the clock, and went back to bed. When the alarm clock went off I got up and got ready. Ted said the clocks in the kitchen were flashing, so I started to set them. When I looked at my watch, I realized it was only 5:15 instead of the 6:15 I thought it was. Apparently, during the night I didn’t read the watch correctly. Ted’s response was, “Well, that’s why it’s so quiet in the building.”

We had our last day of classes. After we finished we were walking to the mall to eat and passed Elder and Sister Renlund. This was the second time I have seen a General Authority while we’ve been here. It is not a very common occurrence. After lunch I worked on the descendancy class and I think it is finally where I’d like it to be. I was asked to take over a class by one of the other teachers who will be out of town, I signed up for an enrichment class on sourcing, and I volunteered to teach a class on Ancestry.com, so I need to get busy working on those. I think my brain is about to explode.

Saturday I did some family history. I had received a message during the week from a man who had entered some information into FamilySearch asking about one of the people I was looking at. I told him some of the issues I saw and suggested he might like to take over. He told me to move ahead, so I feel a real responsibility to find more information on the birth mother of this lady in order to get the records straightened out. In the evening we went to the reception for my cousin’s daughter. It was really fun to visit with so many cousins and aunts and uncles that were there. Good day!