3 words

Our first full week in Tennessee can be summed up in just three little words, "Coffee County Fair".

Our bodies can also be summed up in three little words, "Tired, Exhausted, Pooped".

Our feelings about serving a mission here in Tennessee – 3 words:  "We Love It!"

Now let me explain myself.  The Ward had a booth at the fair that was staffed and worked by the missionaries.  We were having a drawing for two prizes.  One was a big framed picture of Christ and the other was an assortment of "Thrive Food Storage" products.  To enter you simply needed to fill out a short 4 question survey!  The last questioned asked was if the person was interested in learning about the church.  Those that said “yes” to question 4 became our referrals for the missionaries to contact.  Ward members were also scheduled to share and work at the booth in shifts.  Of course our shift was easy to remember - we were there! 

So here is how our week went;

• Monday and Tuesday we were away from home from 3PM – 10PM
• Wednesday and Thursday we were there from 8AM – Noon, then back at 3PM – 9:30PM
• Friday and Saturday we were there from 8AM – 9PM.

Needless to say, we did nothing to get our home set up and put into order.  The frustrating part was that we, (all 8 missionaries) were there by 8 as instructed, but couldn't get inside until about 9-9:30AM. 

The fair was lots of fun!  We ended the week with 444 referrals and a one day record of 171!

This is a pilot program in Tennessee, and it is fabulous.  I can't imagine so many people stopping by a church booth at a fair in Oregon.  We talked to lots and lots of little children, of course we gave out free cookies and balloons with CTR on them which gave us an opportunity to explain what C-T-R meant while the parents were filling out the survey.  It was a busy, exhausting, and fun way to start off our mission.  We got to meet lots of people and also had a chance to get to know the young missionaries here.  If we learned anything from the young people this past week, it was that we are old and cannot possibly keep up with them even though we tried our best!

As the sisters were sending around the missionary dinner calendars I told them no thanks, they didn’t need to feed us.  Remember, ward members are encouraged to feed the missionaries to help with their finances, which is great, but this ward has 4 sets of missionaries!  I just thanked them, explained that we don't eat dinner, and we would really prefer that they feed the Sisters and Elders.  I have a little slow cooker that Elizabeth sent with me and we use it.  I made up a pork roast that we ate for several days.  We also ate at the fair every day, so we are doing just fine. 

Speaking of "fair food", when I heard we would be at the county fair I was thrilled.  Fair means SCONES!  I couldn't wait.  Monday after some searching we found the scone/funnel cake booth - so exciting.  I stepped right up and ordered my scone… I could taste it… and – NO SCONES!  They only make scones on Friday Evening.  It was so hard to wait till Friday, but I made it.  Back to the scone booth and ordered MY scone.  Sorry!  The boss decided NOT to serve scones this year.  WHAT???  So sad!  Saturday on the way to the fair we stopped at Wal-Mart and I picked up a bag of Rhodes frozen rolls and stuck them in the back of the car then put them in the fridge when we got home.  Sunday after church I made my own scones.  They were great!

We are getting settled in little by little and the 5th wheel is starting to feel more and more like home.  We love being here in Tennessee and the KOA seems to be a perfect fit for us. This is a grand adventure.  I now go if we go out to the main road and turn left we can go to Wal-Mart or Home Depot and if we turn right we can go to Wendy's or Sonic!  What more do we need?

Papa is excited about only paying $3.08 for gas.  We travel a lot so he likes when we save.  The church is about 30-40 minutes away. 

Our primary duties while we are here, as we understand, is to work with less active.  They want a branch here in Manchester, but there are several things that have to happen first.  The first Sunday we went to church here a lady came up to me and introduced herself and said, "I live in Manchester, we want a branch there, so get busy."  WOW no pressure.  We really can't do anything more until we meet with the bishop. We hope to do that this week.

As I said before, we love it here, are settling in but still missing ya’ll lots and lots.

I'll end with 3 pictures...

Mission Report - 17 Sept 2013

(email from Nana)

Well we have been in Manchester Tennessee for 5 days now!  Things are not what I expected although I am no sure what I was expecting or even thinking for that matter.  

Here is how it went...

Thursday arrived at 8:30 PM and by 9:00 PM I was calling both Joleane and Elizabeth crying and telling them I wanted to come home.  But they both said NO and that after a good night's sleep I would be fine... They were right.  I think what it was, was seeing Steve drive off and thinking he was the last tie to family I had. 

Friday we spent the day trying to unpack boxes.  Not all of them, just enough so we could sit in our chairs and have clothes to wear on Saturday and Sunday.  We had a little flood when we discovered that the sink hose in the kitchen came loose or something.  Calvin worked on and fixed that.

Saturday we again spent the day unpacking boxes.  By now we realize that we brought way to much stuff for the amount of room we have.  Calvin/Papa/Elder did hook up the TV so we could watch the Tennessee/Oregon game.  There is no cable right now in the front room so we had to sit on the bed to watch the game.  We went and picked up lunch to have while we watched the game.  

We did decide that we would try out our nifty little washer/dryer combo while we watched the game as well.  After the game Papa stepped off the bed and into a puddle of water.  It seems the water from the dryer came up to the shower but the shower drain was already full of flies and moths so the water overflowed and settled in the carpet!  What a mess.  Sadly there were a pair of Papa's cowboy boots and our Ugg boots were all filled with water too. We are hoping they are not ruined but will have to wait and see after they dry out.  

Saturday morning we ran into the younger missionaries who told us about a ward missionary meeting that evening and wanted to make sure we could be there so we put lots of towels down on the wet carpet, got ready for our meeting and let the mess go.  

What a great meeting and we discovered there are 8 missionaries serving in this ward.  A set of Spanish speaking sisters, a set of English speaking sisters, a set of English speaking Elders and us.  It is cool to see how excited they all are about missionary work.  It is quite an example to us.  And of course the mess was waiting for us when we got home.  The shower drain did however drain while we were at our meeting.

Sunday we attended our first meetings in our new ward.  The ladies are huggers and made us feel so welcomed.  They acted like we were old friends who had moved away and now returned.  I must admit I was very relieved.  We got to speak, introduce ourselves and share our testimonies.  Papa of course did a fantastic job and I was as always very proud of him.  I am blessed that he is my eternal companion.  

Sunday evening, just like on Friday and Saturday we emptied more boxes and tried to find spaces for everything. We are running out of space but still have 8-10 boxes to empty.

Monday we emptied the last of the boxes and everything is put away, well most of it.  While Papa  worked on the plumbing, I did laundry.  We are lucky enough to have space #1 here at the KOA and right across driveway besides being a pool, hot tub, and great play area for kids there is also the office, laundry room and showers.  So I started 3 loads of laundry, went and took a shower and by the time I was done with my shower the washing was ready to go in the dryers.  Perfect timing.  While the clothes were drying I was able to just relax and answer the letters we received from Logan and Taylor.  

To tell you the truth I like this little set up!  Maybe we would be okay with doing some laundry over there.  We will see.

The ward is having a booth at the Coffee County Fair.  All 8 sets of missionaries plus ward members will spend time there.  We give anyone interested (and we try very hard to get them interested), a simple 4 questions survey to fill out. They are then entered to win 1 of two door prizes.  There are lots of pictures, DVDs, Bibles, Book of Mormons, balloons and even cookies to give out.  It is a great way to introduce ourselves, get referrals, and just be around great people.  

We were at the fair from 3:30pm until almost 9pm and it was lots of fun! My favorite part was talking to the little kids of course, while Papa's favorite part I think was talking to the Ministers on our right and the Gideon's on our left.  Anyway we can't wait to go back tomorrow and everyday this week.

As you can see we are doing fine and having lots of fun.  I am learning to hug the ladies and say "ya'll".   I love listening to the thick southern accents on the children and trying o figure out what they are saying.  They think I talk funny!

Love ya'll lots.

Nana and Papa

Nashville, Tennessee!

They made it! Nana and papa are in Tennessee and Steve is headed back.  It was two full days of traveling now it is time to start unpacking and setting up house.  

Nana is a little sad to be so far away from grandkids, but I know that she'll meet some little kids in the ward there that need her. They won't replace grandkids, but it will help.  It will be through the kids that she is able to reach out and help the parents.  I'm so exciting for them and know that they will be great.  It won't be long before Manchester feels like home.  Before they know it - they will be saying goodbye and having to come home.

Let the experiences begin.  

Besides, what better place to be a Duck fan than Tennessee this weekend!

On the road again - Just can't wait to get on the road again...

Nana and Papa left this morning about 6:50 and were headed to Kansas, Missouri, somewhere between here and Tennessee.  Steve is driving the Ford and pulling the 5th Wheel. Nana and Papa are driving the Trailblazer.  

Here is the breakdown (Colorado time):
10:30 am - On I-70, passing by Flagler, Colorado
11:00 am - Going past Burlington, CO
11:30 am - Still on I-70, Ford is running a little rough - need to stop in Goodland, KS for a fuel filter.  Called Napa Autoparts and they have one.  Text address to Nana and Papa.
2:15 pm - Hayes, KS, looking for bathroom, gas, and food
3:15 pm - A little further down I-70
3:45 pm - Elizabeth is on a conference call, getting kids a snack after school, and playing travel agent / tour guide.  "Let's switch up the route" instead of hitting Kansas City at rush hour...
4:10 pm - Conference call is over, travelers are about to Salina, KS.  Decision made - heading toward Wichita, KS instead of Kansas City.
5:15 pm - Trailblazer tire is low and riding funny.  Pulling over @ Exit 13.  Changing tire and getting back on the road.
6:35 pm - On HWY 54 somewhere in Kansas
7:00 pm - Elizabeth starts looking for rooms.  The new route was a good choice for less traffic - not so good for hotels...
7:40 pm - Nana and Papa stop for gas
8:00 pm - 44 miles from Parsons, KS.  Nana and Papa catch up to Steve who is pulled over to fuel up.
8:51 pm - Elizabeth finds hotel (Days Inn - Joplin, MO)
9:10 pm - Hmm - maybe there is a better one in Joplin, or is Carthage a better choice.  Towns are about the same distance, but which road is better??
9:14 pm - Its settled, Joplin
9:22 pm - Reservation made.  Free hot breakfast, free Internet, good parking (thank goodness for Google maps and satellite pics), good price 
9:59 pm - Writing this and wondering where they are.  This travel agent is tired.  I can't go to bed until my travelers are in their rooms.
10:00 pm - Waiting... sent a text, no response...
*****************************************************
Update - 10:40 pm - at the hotel for the night.  Only about 9 hours tomorrow.

MTC - Day 1

Just had a short phone call from Nana and Papa. Here's what they said: 

• It's very exciting! It's Terrific!
• The MTC has about 3800 missionaries right now.
• Today, 127 Senior Missionaries entered - the record is 128.
• On Wednesday, 600 new single missionaries will enter - 100 every 30 minutes.
• They received their name tags and now have to wear them all the time.
• They had to introduce themselves as "Elder and Sister" Higgins - don't forget.
• During introductions a couple introduced themselves as Elder and Sister Jenkins from Kennewick Washington.  
• Knowing that George and Dorothy Jenkins from Bandon moved to Kennewick Washington, Nana and Papa spoke with them when they had a chance.  Come to find out... the couple who introduced themselves was George and Dorothy's son and his wife.  
• Today's class
• The rules: what to do and what not to do
• Don't let the young missionaries us your electronic devices - they will ask
• Motivational speakers
• Love your area and members from Day 1 - they will know it
• Enjoy it
• Huge cafeteria - they cycle folks through pretty quickly.
• lots of options, lots of tables, lots of missionaries
• young single missionaries have 26 min for lunch
• Senior missionaries have 90 min
• Nana is grateful for the "extras" and "differences"
• Sunday afternoon the young missionaries are allowed to walk to the Provo Temple and take pictures, etc.  
• Nana and Papa happen to be there Sunday afternoon and saw several hundred missionaries
• they said it was really neat
• They haven't met anyone else going to Nashville yet - but maybe they will.
• Nana and Papa are staying at the Marriott in Provo and will head back to Colorado Friday night.

NOTE:  I'm sure there is a better way to describe the "regular" missionaries, but "young" seems to be what comes to my mind tonight.  

PREDICTION:  let me be the first to say - Mission number 1 for Nana and Papa... others to follow!

Missionaries!

It's official! Nana and Papa are Missionaries.  They were set apart Thursday evening by the Stake President. They both received beautiful blessings and given the gifts they need to be successful missionaries.  I know they will be great and will develop a deep love for the people they serve.

Friday morning, Nana and Papa set out for Utah.

We met them at the hotel Friday night and were able to spend some time around Temple Square.  After that, we all had lunch with Michael, Meilanie, Devin, and Zach.  It was great to see them.  I wish we could have visited and stayed longer.

It's now 10:17AM - Nana and Papa have entered the MTC and have been checked in.  There time was scheduled from 10:00-10:15am.