September 17, 2023

This is what Senior Missionaries look like after Transfer Week! It was a busy week so we decided we needed some R&R on our "P" day. We headed out to Seaside for the Sandfest to view the sand sculptures and to just sit on the beach. We stopped in Forest Grove on the way and enjoyed their Sidewalk Chalk and Roasted Corn Festival. It was a beautiful fall day and so fun to enjoy these small community events. We love Oregon!!!

We were tired because it is a busy time in the office during transfers. We have to update housing in the computer, make sure all the apartments have enough beds, change the driving assignments, take missionaries to the airport, shop and prepare a dinner for all the new arriving missionaries and their trainers, and this time around make sure everyone had the right credit cards and knew what to expect with the new ones. It is a crazy busy time in the office with missionaries coming and going but we love it! Here is the departing group from this transfer and the ones who have become extra special to us.

Elder Slemboski

Elder Short

Elder Schwendiman

Since I post so many pictures of us having fun I just want to make sure everyone understands that we do work hard in the office every day. We are not always off playing :). Here is a picture of us talking with the trainers before they met the new missionaries.

And it was extra exciting this week making dinner when the smoke detector in the kitchen in the church went off. The new missionaries were sitting in the chapel with President & Sister Phillips and when the smoke detector went off it wasn't just in the kitchen. The fire alarms all over the church went off! It was pretty exciting! We determined something in the bottom of the oven was smoking and that is what set it off. The fire trucks and all came because apparently the church has an alarm system and they called the fire department. We learned there is a key that allows us to open a box to turn off the alarms, we assured the fire department it was just a smoky oven, and we carried on!

Early in the week we were busy too catching up on some personal items and seeing family. One of the things we were worried about when we came on our mission was seeing the dentist. We are used to having our teeth cleaned every 4 months and we were not looking forward to finding a new dentist. Lucky for us our son-in-law Tom is a dentist and he said we could come to his office! I told Tom having him look in my mouth was a little like me looking at his financials but we didn't need to worry. We had a great visit and his staff treated us like royalty. I think we are going to come out ahead on this deal! Here is Tom's dental office and him working on a patient.

On Tuesday we headed back up to Washougal after we were done in the office and were able to catch a two for one. Tracey & Danica participated in a high school XCounty Meet and then Alyssa had a volleyball game. I failed to get any pictures at the XCountry Meet but I did catch this cute photo of Tracey & Alyssa.

Today at church one of our speakers spoke about the Prophet Moroni from the Book of Mormon. This Thursday, September 21st, will mark the 200 year anniversary of when the Angel Moroni first appeared to the boy Joseph Smith on September 21, 1823 and told him he had been chosen to restore God's church on earth. I would like to bear testimony that I know of the truthful of this event. I know that Joseph Smith was a prohet and that Moroni appeared to him and that eventually he was able to receive the gold plates from Moroni and translate the Book of Mormon. I had the opportunity in 2002 to travel to some of the church history sites with our family and extended family. I visited the restored home of the Smith family and was able to stand in a replica of the room where Moroni 1st appeared. As we stood in the room (2) sister missionaries relayed the events of that night and bore their testimonies of the truthfulness of it. The spirit bore witness to me that it was true too. The spirit I felt that day was strong. I testify that if you will read the Book of Mormon you will know the truth of it too!