It's one thing to decorate your own house the way you like it but to have to decorate for someone else is an entirely different story. When a new senior couple is coming to the mission it is our job to find, furnish, and set up an apartment all ready for them to move in and start to work. I do all of the furniture buying, shopping for kitchen items, linens, rugs, lamps, etc. We try to use items that are already in stock but we don't have everything that we need so I get to go shopping. I thought everything looked really nice but the question is, will the new couple?
We are patiently waiting for the arrival of Allison's baby boy so on Sunday afternoon I wrote this report on the family web site. Thought I'd just paste and copy because time is a value commodity these days:
| While we're all anxiously waiting by the phone or computer to hear of Calebs arrival, I thought I'd give a mission update. I guess I haven't for a while. When I think that things can't possibly get any busier, sure enough it does. We've been frantically driving all over creation trying to find new housing for seniors and elders. We spent two days in Polokwane setting up their new residence last week. Now the seniors need a few more things than the elders so it took Elder Bishop and the elders a couple of hours Monday night to load the trailer, then an hour or so to load up all of my stuff - bedding, kitchen needs, towels, rugs, etc - the list goes on and on. Then it takes your dad another hour to rope it all down. He leaves nothing, I mean nothing wriggling! So we take off about 10 a.m. and three hours and one doily later, we finally arrive. The elders meet us there and in about 20 minutes it's all unloaded. We kick the elders out and then go to work. The apartment is very nice and most things are clean, but I can always find things to clean and your dad can always find things to fix. I find the standard African yellow greasy stains in the cupboards. I don't know what kind of oil they use but it can be found in all cupboards and takes about a whole magic eraser to get it off. But alas, I can put their dishes, pots and pans, etc. away in their cupboards. Then I start on the bathrooms, towels and curtains, then the bedrooms, curtains - first shears then curtains. And I can't hang them without ironing them, and then the bedding, dust ruffle (it's called a bed frill here) then the comforter and duvet cover, shams and pillowcases which all have to be ironed - it all takes a lot of time. We quit about 12 then up at 7 to start again. Ross was wanting the McDonalds Big breakfast but I knew if we stopped we'd never get done. I'm hanging away and I hear water - Ross is trying to hook up the washer but it floods. Nine times out of ten, the washer drain has some kind of problem when we try to hook up a washer. We called the agent and a plumber would come the next day. We finally hung the last curtain and put down the last rug about 3 p.m. I thought it all looked wonderful. We put some food in the refrigerator and cupboard and the elders will put a bouquet of flowers on the table along with some chocolate as a welcome. Then after a bite of lunch, we hurried on to Mokopane where the senior couple and an agent were waiting for us to go look at a possible flat for the senior couple coming there in September. I prayed really hard that the place they showed us would be suitable and we could seal that deal. Fortunately, it was so in the middle of Sept we'll repeat that two day marathon again. But not until after we repeat it in Klerksdorp. This is where the senior couple who will work with our Jouberton Branch will live. You don't live in Jouberton but Klerksdorp is close by and there are some nice neighborhoods and complexes there. We said good bye to Jourberton last Sunday. They were very sweet and we will miss those great friends but the new couple will live right there close by and will be able to do so much more. We can do the housing and office but not housing, office, and the branch. We bought some garments for Doris and Sepho because they're planning to return to the temple; gave the two new young women a scripture bag and scriptures, bought Sepho a new set of scriptures because his grandson set his on fire, and returned a working computer to them, so felt this was a good time to exit. We hope to meet them at the temple when they make their temple trip. And thus it goes. We drove to Klerksdorp to look at a possible place for the new senior couple yesterday and have to drive back again tomorrow to look at some more. You just know when the place will work and I'm not sure about yesterdays so we have to keep looking. Tuesday, Sister Leavitt and I get to attend our first zone conference. This will be her first after being here for two years and my first after a year. The president decided we should close the office and attend. We have three new couples coming in this week, so between the Omers, Leavitts, and us, we'll take turns getting them settled in. One goes to Polokwane and I just told you about their place being all ready. One is CES and goes to Tzaneen and we've been holding a place for them and it's all ready. And the other couple will replace the Leavitts. They'll live in a place that we've been holding until the Leavitts leave and then they'll move into their place. Another couple will move into where they stayed. I know! and I have to keep track of all this and make sure everyone has everything they need! It's going to be so hard to see the Leavitts go. They are a part of our mission and I can't imagine it without them. But they're tired and they need to go - they've extended twice so it's time. The new couple are quite young so we're hoping for a little more help with the physical work. I'm hoping to take Sister Hillam with me to set up the Klerksdorp flat just to iron! That would help so much and give them an idea of what we do. I hope they're fast learners because we don't know the Leavitts jobs and they'll be at the office alone many times while we're out doing housing. Since this is the Lord's work, we know that he will help and guide us to accomplish all that is needed. I feel blessed to have lost all of the anxiety, stress, and worry that accompanies the pressure we're under. What IF the place wasn't ready for these new couples and elders? Well it hasn't happened yet and I'm pretty confident it won't happen in the future because we are guided and directed where to go and what to do. I haven't even mentioned the elders housing needs - yup, there right in there also - they only need one set of curtains on the windows instead of two and they get their own personal bedding when they arrive (which I provide - I'll tell you how that works another time) so it doesn't take as long unless we arrive at a flat that was suppose to be clean and ready for us and it isn't. Then it takes us all day! That happened last week. President said he was going to give us a raise or a promotion - one of the mission couples biggest jokes. We're always needing more pay and less hours:) This week starts a whole new phase of our mission with a bunch of new great people. I'm excited to meet them all. And that means we also have more help with inspections. Don't think we'll make it to any of the five zones we have this month - but next month every senior couple will only have two zones so I think everyone will get inspected. That will be good. We visited the Kagiso ward this morning - big ward of wonderful African people. The teacher of the investigator class was an amazing man with an incredible knowledge of the gospel. They are a big ward, lots of noisy babies and children but such a wonderful spirit there. I just love being the only white female in the ward - elder Bishop and Elder Howard were the white males. It was a wonderful ward - such a great piano player for the Sacrament meeting music. There are these kinds of wards and then branches like Jouberton all over Africa - some really advanced and some struggling but the members are so strong and dedicated. It's amazing. I must get to my Sunday dinner. I lost a bet with a couple of Zone leaders so thus the dinner - for a while I thought they'd forgot about it and I was off the hook but no chance!! Love to you all and let's hope some labor pains start very soon. Allison's baby wasn't born until August 17th. He weighed 7 lbs 15 oz, 20 1/2 inches long and his name is Caleb Adam Ramsey. He is beautiful and both mother and baby are doing great. Another prayer answered and more blessings. |
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