Week of March 5, 2017

Sunday we were asked to offer the prayers in Sacrament Meeting. On Fast Sunday they always invite missionaries going home to share their testimonies first. Since we go home next month we decided to share our testimonies while we were on the stand. It was a good experience—the first time we’ve been able to share our testimonies in Church since we got here.

Monday we spent the day going over lessons and mentoring (answering questions) the new missionaries. They spent most of the morning getting things set up and doing housekeeping stuff, so I had plenty of time to go through the lessons. I enjoy the mentoring and the missionaries are an interesting group.

Tuesday I did more mentoring. There was more involvement with the missionaries as they are getting into their lessons more. Some have gone through several lessons and been assessed already while others have not completed the Basic Computer class. There is such diversity of skills and personalities that it is an interesting situation. I went to the library after we finished to do research and was able to find some additional records. I am trying to get as much of the Swedish research done while I have such good access to the records here.

It appears that we will be able to teach some enrichment classes after all. We will use the lab in the Training Zone on the weeks of inservice and call backs when they don’t have new missionaries. I am just waiting for the next change—they seem to be coming very hard and fast.

Wednesday I finished the certification assessments. I am done. I am glad I did it and I learned several new things along the way, mostly the whys, so it was worth the time and energy. I’m not sure I think it is better, but it is a fairly good program.

I was able to do an assessment today. I don’t understand the rotation for mentoring and assessment. Some do only one and others do only the other and some don’t seem to get into the rotation at all. I just walk into the lab and help until I’m told to do otherwise. The missionaries are definitely more into the lessons now and seem to be moving along well. Several are nearly done while others are just starting, but they all seem to be getting it. I went to the library again after work and was able to find a few more records. I have a stack of research forms with just a few things needed on each one, so I’m gradually chipping away at them.

Thursday I mentored again. I was able to do a little research during lunch, but I can’t access the Swedish records from the JSMB where we work now. In the afternoon we met some friends at the temple to do a session. She is blind so she needs to have someone with her when she attends. After dinner we went to dinner and enjoyed a good visit. It was a good evening.

Friday I did a couple more assessments. While I waited I did some Finnish research. As I researched one family I was trying to find records for a second wife of an ancestor. The marriage date did not seem to work with the births of the children of the other wife. I found a record that indicated the second wife and husband had a baby which I was totally unaware of. It didn’t seem to work out with the birth dates of the other wife either. Suddenly it hit me, this was the first wife. The marriage date was before the other marriage, the child was born and died before the other family, and both the child and the mother had died right after he was born. It made me very sad. I was able to put the information into the system with the documents for marriage, birth, and deaths.

Saturday we went to a luncheon for our Zone B. Our former Assistant Zone Leaders are leaving this month and we and another missionary are leaving next month so we had a luncheon at a missionary’s home. Some former missionaries were there—they left in January—and a new missionary came as well. It was really a good time. We had a good visit and enjoyed just being together. It will be sad to see us all go our ways.