Computers and Rice Cookers!

Some weeks kind of fly by in a blur. This was one of those. We worked hard all week to attempt to get caught up on everything that had been neglected last week when we were at the senior missionary conference in Madrid. I am really sad that when I am not in the office that there isn't some little elves come in and do my work for me. So this week was filled with paying bills, doing bank card reconciliations, and generally dealing with "stuff". Brenda was also pretty stressed as there is a lot going on in the housing side of things. There are some days when you just want to curl up in the fetal position under the desk. So, P-day yesterday was a welcome relief. There was a Relief Society activity that Brenda got to go to, and she had a great time. Of course they wanted her magic fingers on the piano, but they also had a neat presentation where they showed pictures of all of the sisters and they included her. It turns out they had downloaded a photo from her Facebook page of us at the MTC. That was a fun experience for her.

 This week was zone conferences with a twist. President and Hermana Heckmann wanted to really be able to spend some quality time with the missionaries so they decided that each zone would have an individual zone conference. Instead of meeting in a building somewhere, they went to each zone and took the missionaries for a long hike. Of course there were still logistical things to think about and they needed to use all of the available mission vehicles (meaning that the Mini-MAV was not available for us to drive). This meant that even though we didn't participate in the hikes, we did our own versions on several days as we walked back and forth from our piso to the office. The real challenge was on Friday night. We help at the institute every Friday and sometimes they need equipment from the mission. This week they were going to cook about 10 kilos of rice and so they needed the mission's rice cooker. Normally, not a problem, we just toss it in the Mini-MAV and bring it home. However, the Mini-MAV was elsewhere, and so we had to figure out how to lug that thing over a mile. Good thing that we have a 2-wheeled cart. I was able to rig it so it was very easy to wheel it home. I will get to wheel it back to the office tomorrow morning as well. Kind of fun. 

We also had a little excitement as Brenda went to log into her computer at work and found a message there that the cyber security people at the church had isolated her machine do to some suspected problem. That was well and good. We are glad that they are there. However, this lasted the WHOLE week. It's a good thing I was able to bring my laptop in for her to have something to work on while they figured out what to do about the computer. Well, after several phone calls, and more than a little frustration, they got it all fixed on Friday afternoon. So, I don't have to take my computer in this week. YAY!

Me and R2D2 heading home.

We were able to watch Tammy and Gerald's farewell over YouTube. They did a great job and we felt the Spirit really strong. I am very excited for them. They will be fantastic missionaries. I have been thinking a lot about what our mission has meant to us as we have been thinking about the Jones' preparations. Several weeks ago we were talking on the way home after a long day at the office, and we realized that it feels like "home" here. This gets a little tricky because if this feels like "home", what should our actual home feel like? I was reminded of this today as there was a couple in church who have just finished a mission (coincidentally as an office couple) in Colombia. They said that they retired just before they left, and that now that they are home, they are trying to adjust to not only being retired, but being home from their mission. They are coping by doing a whole bunch of travel. It's interesting to think about. 

As I have been getting ready for General Conference, I have been thinking a lot about Elder Holland, and how I am going to miss his talks. His last message was a masterpiece, and is one I hope to never forget. He spoke a lot about "evidences" supporting his testimony of the Gospel. I have been making a mental list of the evidences in my life, and there are many. I am eternally grateful for a Heavenly Father who provides me with Tender Mercies that let me know He is there, and that He loves me. I am convinced that everyone, if they will stop and look for them, will see them in their own lives as well. He really is there, and really is in "Relentless Pursuit" of each of us. 

This coming week will be wonderful as Adam and his sweet family are going to come here! I hope that they are ready to have sore ribs from the hugs that they are going to get. I imagine that we'll have more photos to share next week! We love you all.