In the mission December 21-25

This week has been the answer to many questions we have had since leaving for a mission. We now have met our mission president and his wife. We have seen the mission office and mission home. We know what our house is like. Where we can park our car and charge it so we don't run out of charge. We know where the grocery store is located. We know the couples that we will work with in the office.  We know the AP's and have met some of the missionaries randomly. Let me recap the few days we have been here.  Arrived at the mission office to see two medical needs missionaries. And we picked up our keys to the apartment we will live in for 18 months.  We spent the rest of the day moving in and shopping for needs to set up house.. Dad said it was like being newly weds because everything was new and different.  The apartment was much better than we thought. It is not up any stairs but we are on the second level of the three story building. The complex is huge with many units. We do have a clubhouse fitness center and an outdoor swimming pool. However we will be lucky to use any of those things but on the wee hours of the morning because our second day on the job was a full day at the mission office.  It being Christmas the mission office looked like a.mailroom at a post office. I spent most of the day helping the mission secretary get mail forwarded and placed on the shelves when the zone leaders come in they grab the mail and take it out to the field. Remember that this mission has four states and a geographical area that is hours from each other through the appliacian mountains.  The three major cities our Knoxville Chattanoga,Asheville.  Dad knows what he will be doing which is mostly medical and then I have found I am the travel arranger for missionaries leaving the mission. And that includes letting parents know stake presidents bishops church headquarters airlines and the missionary know all the itinerary for the departure plus I will put together the missionaries release journal. That is what he takes home with him about his or her mission. It includes about ten pages of letters that the mission president wrote to them during the mission his or her response their testimony pictures of the mission home and mission office his picture the mission goals and his release letter and certificate. I have not done one yet but I think I can do it.  I will also help the housing coordinator and the mission secretary when she needs it.  I think I am the slave to those two sisters until they leave the mission then guess what I might be doing!  I have realized that the senior couples run the mission. The mission president is to be with the missionaries. We were here three days before we met the president. He was never in the office because he was out with the missionaries making sure they were having a good Christmas party. He also had to go pick up an Elder in the farthest corner of the mission and tell him that his father took his own life. He then brought him back to the mission home so they could be with him while he talked to his brother serving in Africa and his mother and siblings. He is then spending Christmas with the president. We spent Christmas Eve at the presidents' house with his family. He has a very cute wife and three beautiful daughter still at home. Two daughter married and a son on a mission. They have two grandchildren. They live in a lovely home provided by the church. We had a nice dinner and then the AP's gave a very touching lesson on the Savior. The president then bore his testimony and offered the family prayer which was about ten minutes long and so wonderful as he blessed all in the room and thanked his Father in Heaven for each of us. He then blessed all that we left behind to come and serve in Knoxville.  The spirit was so strong that when he was done we were all crying. It was an amazing experience. I think we were all tender at this time because we had that sweet dear elder with us who was needing the comfort of the Holy Ghost and because of that the spirit was really there in great abundance. 

Today is Christmas. We came to the mission office because we don't have wifi yet and so we talked to almost everyone but Amy by FaceTime.  There family was  just going sleigh riding as we called.  So hopefully we will talk to them soon. Rob and family our on there way as we prepare this letter to visit us in Knoxville they surprised us yesterday by calling and telling us they are coming. We will love having them here. We hope they come safely it has been raining all day and the water is really flooding things. 

Well I think this letter is rather long but I will send it on with our Christmas wish that you will always remember that you are loved by us.  We are on a mission because we love you and want the very best for you. This will help you have good parents and grandparents. At least we will try to better than we started before we came. Merry Christmas 2015