February 11, 2024

The week started out good. Elder Rowan needed a haircut and usually I cut his hair. In the office we noticed how nice the haircuts were for our local Elders and found out that one of the Assistants, Elder Soucy, has been cutting their hair. Elder Rowan told me after his last haircut that he wanted me to learn how to use the "Guards" to taper his hair. I was really scared to try. What if I messed up? So when I found out that Elder Soucy was a pro I asked him if he would cut Elder Rowan's hair and show me how he did it. Turns out the haircut is called a "Fade." You learn something everyday! Anyway, Monday was Elder Soucy's Pday and he said he would cut Elder Rowan's hair. It turned out great!! Probably shorter than I have ever seen his hair but it looked very professional. I am not sure if I can do it next time. If Elder Soucy is still here I may need one more lesson to give me confidence :).

Monday was also our Audit day and I am happy to report that we PASSED!! The auditor was happy with everything and we have very little corrective action to take. The best part is that it is over and we won't be here next year for the next one. It really wasn't bad it is just the anticipation of the whole thing!

Late Sunday night I started coming down with a cold. It just seemed to come out of nowhere. Monday I managed through the day but by Tuesday I was feeling a little worse. We had MLC to prepare so I continued on and with cold medicine it really was manageable. Sister Incze, the mission nurse, came over in the afternoon to help us and I mentioned that I thought some of the Assistants had colds and that is where I probably got it. She proceeded to tell me that one of our other local missionaries had COVID! He had just tested that afternoon. Now I was worried so I put a mask on but it was probably too late not to infect others. The Elders had even been there that morning helping us set up. See the cute little one in the middle? Yep, Elder Nielson is the one who tested positive!

Dinner was Hawaiian Haystacks, always a winner with the missionaries. I kept my mask on and even went and ate alone in my office since I had to take my mask off to eat.

When I got home I took a COVID test because I thought there was a high probability that I caught what the missionaries had. Yep, it was positive! I was actually surprised. I have had all my COVID vaccines and even had the latest booster in late Oct but I guess there are always new strains. Now that I knew I had COVID I gave myself permission to stay home although it was too late to not infect everyone in the office. So far they are all well so praying it stays that way. I stayed home Wednesday and a few hours Thursday morning but was feeling only a little sick by then so I went back into the office. The damage was already done. At least it was a mild case and I was not nearly as sick as I was in 2022 when we got it.

The rest of the week was pretty quiet, just laying low and getting our work done. I was feeling much better by Saturday so we were able to go to the temple and join with some of our ward members for pie at Bannings after. Pie in Oregon really is a treat. Did you know that the Oregon State Pie is Marionberry Pie? I have to say it is one of my favorites so I understand why. All Marionberries are Blackberries but not all Blackberries are Marionberries. Maybe by the time we leave here we will be able to tell them apart :).

We have really been enjoying studying the Book of Mormon this year! The Come Follow Me Lessons are amazing and often it is like we are studying the Book of Mormon for the first time. The insights are so incredible and being able to listen to podcasts helps us to focus on the things that are important. This week we listened to both Follow Him and Come Follow Up. Interestingly they both had the same guest on their shows. It was our friend Lili Anderson who's husband Chris just died in December. She is amazing and shared some great insights. In October I set a goal to read the Book of Mormon twice more before we finished our mission. I just finished the first time of those two times and it has been a really special experience to me. I think I finally get what our prophets say about the Book of Mormon. President Monson said, "I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day. As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven's help in our lives." I testify that this is true and I can't wait to start again!