Letter to family and friends 1/9/16

This is an Assembly of God Church that is next door to our apartment.  We walk around the large parking lot .  4 laps is a mile.  We try to get out every morning.

This is the view from our apartment patio.  We think this small lake is called Lake Heritage.  (The picture looks better than it really is)  There are ducks and herons on the water frequently.  When it rains, and it does often, the water turns brown and it's not so pretty.

This past week has been busy for us.  I get frequent calls from missionaries about health concerns.  Some concerns are simple questions of curiosity, some have been psychologic issues like anxiety or depression, some have been injuries (usually from P-Day sports), and some have been illness.  I have to keep really good notes on the Church e-med program and make sure the Mission President is aware of anything significant.  We are going out next week on our first round of Zone Conferences.  We will be introducing ourselves to all the missionaries as well as doing a little medical/health teaching.  It will be fun to meet all the missionaries.  The young missionaries are fun and energetic and they are amazing.  We have seen some of them teach such good lessons.  We will also be doing some apartment inspections while out traveling in the mission.  Cecile is in charge of that aspect as part of her responsibilities.  We are trying to give pass-along cards to the people we meet.  We gave one to a nurse that did an insurance physical on me last week.  We invited her to come to church with us too.  We also gave a card to the banker where we opened an account.  She was a lady who had lost her husband (in his 40's) and she was still struggling with this.  We copies some talks from Conference about "why bad things happen to good people" and dropped them off to her.  Maybe they will help her if she will read them.  Our main responsibility at Church is to work with the Ward Missionaries.  We have been visiting members of the ward (West Hills Ward) to help in this effort.  We are having a good experience although we are still getting used to being together 24/7.
Have a good week.  We pray for all of you every day.
                                                                      Love, Dad (Kay for those of you who aren't my children)
Hi from Mom

Just a note since it was dad's turn to write.  I taught him how to blog this week so he doesn't have any excuse not to write during the mission.  I have finally understood my job at the mission office.  Not that I will be good at it yet because there is a lot to remember.  But it is now mine to do.  Sister Thurgood was doing it with everything else she does as the mission secretary which is running the whole mission.  I think she sees that I might be able to be trustworthy and have a little intelligence to do some computer work.  The biggest problem is I do not have a hp computer which is where all the information is kept.  Everyone else in the office has a computer which is important for their jobs.  I think I will be able to use one of the main computers at least once a week otherwise I have to slip into one that is not being used at lunch time or otherwise.  It should work OK.  I hope I can keep on top of the travel because it is how the missionaries go home.  So in short I have about four groups that I work on during the weeks all at different stages of getting them home.  There is  a lot of correspondence with parents stake presidents church travel missionary going home and the mission president.  So 104 days before the missionary goes home I email parents.  Then I have to start the next group going home.  Finish the previous group in the next thing that is needed and so forth.  We found a swimming pool that is indoors to exercise in since we are missing the hydro fit that we have done for the last 28 years together.  It is a health and fitness club very nice place and really not that expensive with indoor and outdoor pool.  They just closed the outdoor pool down for the winter last week.  To cold!!! We went to a class Saturday.  They do shallow water with belts around the waist but we just put on the boots and stayed in the deep end.  We probably won't do the class since it is at 9:00 and doesn't work with our schedule.  But we can go early in the morning and do our own thing.  We have been walking the church parking lot.  WE have even started to jog a little.  I can do one side jog and then walk then jog.  I can't handle the whole distance it kills my knees to pound them but I am surprised that I can do a little.  Dad is even jogging.  I hope we don't hurt ourselves. So far so good.  Well we love you all pray for you and everything that you are concerned about.  Rob we are proud of your determination to go forward in faith.  We pray that you can find the right place to bring your family too.  Justin we pray that you will have doors of opportunity to research and write your dissertation so that everyone that is anybody will want to hire you.  Keep up the hope and work.  Mike and Amy we pray that you can support your family and serve others like you desire.  Jon and Melinda we pray you will have the time and find the time to be together just you as a couple  once in a while.  Susan we pray for your courage and extra amount of the spirit to guide you as teach and love your boys and provide for them.  Jenn  and Darren we pray that you find happiness in being so busy but that you find time to be just a couple.  And that Christian will start sleeping through the night.  Now you know what we pray for plus everything else the mission needs that we need and that our extended family needs.  Love you all