November 18, 2013 "So Much to be Thankful For"

     

Saying goodbye to visa waiters is bitter sweet...especially this group. We're so very happy that their visas finally arrived, but so sad to say good bye. They were with us for over four months. I wish I could remember all of their names...Elder Flake is in the center and was a sweetie, Elder Afu is on the left and was notorious for taking up a lot of space.  The second from the right is Elder Cobb. He was notorious for making us laugh so hard our cheeks hurt.  

Sister Stanley and Sister Strickler were also visa waiters.
Both groups were heading to Argentina, but not on the same day.
The Elders left a day early as they would take an 18 hour bus
ride from the airport to the mission.
The sisters left a day later as they would
be flying from the airport to the mission.
We take good care of our sisters!

Don't you think these two Elders have an uncanny resemblance?
Elders Simpson and Snider.  They're so great!

We stopped by Marty's incredibly cool antique shop one evening to give her a blessing.
Ken, who dreams of being back in a rock band, managed to find this get up.
Marty titled this photo, "Hot Elder".

Not sure this is appropriate behavior for a missionary. ;)

Ollerton and Robison...two of the finest!
(How many times have they been pictured on our blogs?) 

One of our very favorites, Elder Graham.

Hyatt, Meza, and Kim...they thought it was purple tie day.

Marty and Dusty.

This is what Marty was taking a picture of.

Had to say goodbye to Elder Poffenbarger last month.  (Yes, that stunning tie is crocheted.)

And to Elder Kenning.  Transfer days should be called tragic days.
It is so sad to see the old timers go.

The Elder on the left is Tongan and named Elder Langi.  I've suggested that this Elder get
a job at the Polynesian Cultural Center as a statue of a warrior holding a spear.
He looks ominous, but is about as humble and kind as they come.
The one on the right is Elder Huber. We have both Samoan
and Tongan speaking missionaries in our mission.

These are our Assistants to the President, Elder Barnes and Wadsworth.
This is their little corner where they keep the mission running smooth.

Funny Zone Leaders...this is the box they use to deliver the mail to the missionaries in their zone.

Elder Butterfield has resorted to desperate measures to get the car reports turned in on time.

Another favorite, Elder Z.  He's gone home to Canada.

This was a gift to Elder Wade from Sister Whitney.
Below and on the right is Sister Whitney, and
yes, she is as crazy fun as she looks and
has also had some experience as a mud wrestler.

   

                                                                                 

We did manage to get out one evening and go bowling with Savannah.

November 15 was a big day at the mission office.
There are two other missionaries who celebrate their birthday on this day...
Sister Dono and Elder Monson.

Plenty of excuses to party!

This is what we found the office on the morning of November 15.  Such a fun surprise!

   

Gangam style Birthday 

         

To wrap up a perfect day, there was a
surprise dinner aboard the
Queen Mary.

              Happy Birthday!  Feels so good to be loved!

Elder Leon, Sister Wade, Anthony Depalmer, Elder Wade, Elder Tollefson, & Brother Reed

This is such a humble and lovable guy.

Clara's baptism with Elder Prieto and Ollerton.
We went with them one time to teach Clara.
She is a dear person who has been through so much.
So happy to see her embrace the gospel and move forward in her life.

They sang "Abide With Me" at Clara's baptism.
It was a little slice of heaven.

Here's another pair that look alike.  For the longest time
we kept getting them mixed up.
Elders Monson and Wardle.

September 2013

To get started on the right note, we just have to show a picture of the real missionary in the family... Elder Morgan Wade (far right).  We can only aspire to be half the missionary he is.

Savannah and her very nice friend Daniel at an Angel's game.  (It was Mormon Night, so okay for missionaries.) Elder Wade had tickets for all of us, but at the last minute Sister Wade had to make an emergency run to Henderson for Reggie's tonsillectomy.

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We have a few Elders that are very dear to us.  This one is Elder Andersen.
He is the "Bike Elder", which means he delivers, keeps track of,
 and repairs the bikes in the mission.

On the left is another favorite missionary, Elder Arjona.  He recently returned home to Spain, where his dad is
President of the Madrid MTC.  He was a radiantly faithful missionary and it was sad to see him go.
Front and center is Elder Barnes.  He is the new AP and a real charmer.  On the right is Elder Morin who put off a basketball scholarship to serve his mission.

Elder Christiansen has Asperger's, which means he's super smart, but a little lacking
in the social graces. We love his non-filtered reports on his companion.
(He's not afraid to tell us what really goes on.)  He came to us from Laguna Beach, and after
successfully completing a three month mission in Anaheim, he will go to a new location and
complete his two years of service there.  He is doing well and always makes us smile.

We took a three day break from our mission to attend BYU Education Week.
Ken was quite delighted to find that a plaque had been installed on campus
to honor the contributions made by his fine family. Education Week is always a
hi-light for us and this year was no exception.  Best of all was being able to celebrate
Reggie's 3rd Birthday with the Robisons who were vacationing in Provo.
Reggie is 3, Ruthie is 6, and Luke will be 1 next month.