Feasting in Nauvoo!

We had a busy week with staff meeting lasting late enough that I didn't get my Monday baptism stats report finished and sent Tuesday morning before Zone conference.  Zone conference was uplifting!  I got to see my companion Hermana McKay who I trained in Chile 42 years ago! We left early and tried to get Edmonds keys working, gave Br Harrinton a blessing in preparation for his stem cell harvesting in Iowa City this week, and took Alain to see an immigration lawyer in Cedar Rapids who was very helpful!
We got all caught up in the office! We got to help teach the multi lingual family with the Elders again! We had fun going to a Mexican restaurant with the Sanders Saturday night and took them to see Racoon River park.
Sunday we went to 2 wards again hoping the family we taught would be there, we had the Sanders over for lunch, did service with the Waukee Sisters and headed to Tama!  We had dinner and spent the night at the Robert's awesome house so we were close to pick up Paul and Lea to go to Nauvoo!  They were endowed, sealed, and had a daughter sealed to them! 
We drove to Barry Illinois and decorated Elder Quincys veteran dad's grave.
We spent the night in another awesome home with the Cummins across the street from the temple.  We got to go with them to clean the temple that night!  They fixed us a lovely breakfast which we ate before we drove to Carthage, and visited the Carthage Jail.  Then we got to attend a temple session with the departing missionaries and the Badgers!  Food for the soul!  Now we're home getting laundry done and preparing for our 3 day work week with so much to do!  Such a great adventure! 

The office staff

Sister Yourstone (aka Hermana McKay)

Alain with the lawyer

A deer hiding in the trees

This guy served 13 months in the Des Moines mission office and now is the bishop to one of our missionaries!

Racoon River Park

First time doing yard work on a Sunday!

The cool bedroom at the Robert's

On our way to the temple at 5:30 am!

Pouring rain soaked us on the way in!  

Great ward support!  Marshalltown is awesome like that!

Elder Quincys dad's grave.

Carthage Jail

This room is a sacred place where Hyrum died and Joseph fell shot from this window.

Outside the window where Joseph died!

Back to the temple!

All these missionaries, including President and Sister Badger leave in June!

View from our bedroom window!

These two are such a joy!  They are sealed and armed with power from on high!  How I love them!

Working 9 to 5 and back to Marshalltown!

We keep learning more in the office.  Just when I think I things figured out I realize I missed doing one step in processing a new missionary or I find out I saved the wrong file. Keeps me humble!

We had the Easter Lake Sisters and the Sanders (our fun coworkers in the office) over for dinner.  We went to a huge mall and bought Elder Quincy another suit.  It's a miracle when I get him to shop for himself.  

There was an amazing thunder storm on the way home!

The corn is growing taller!

Br Harrington is battling cancer.  They need to sell their trailer.  Saturday we went to Marshalltown to help put some new flooring in the laundry room.

Sister Harrington and I visited the Tsolukas!  I have missed these cuties!  They came back and looked at the trailer.  Now it looks like they want to buy it.

The Stake President was released in Stake Conference today.   The visiting authorities were inspiring!  Its such a blessing to be here serving with such great people!

Getting Settled!

We are starting to learn how to do our jobs in the office!  There's so much to do and so much to learn, but we have learned how to do lots of our stuff! My trainer, Sister Evans is very organized and patient! The missionaries who visit are fun.

Saturday we got to help teach this awesome family!  They wanted Book of Mormons in French, English, and Swahili!  We were excited that they all came to church today and really enjoyed it!

We went to Iowa City to check out the new office site.  There were some beautiful clouds to enjoy on the drive!

The office will move into this church.

The planted corn is growing!

Today we went to Marshalltown again!  It sure feels like home!  We saw the Kangnis, Amy Haight, and the Harringtons!  

I heard from most of my kids and got to talk to my wonderful mom!  A lovely Mothers Day!

 

Starting over again!

Monday and Tuesday were busy with packing up our apartment taking things to the new apartment and cleaning up the new place before unpacking the first car load, then packing up the last car load, cleaning the old apartment and unloading again.  We also took Dino and Alain to the employment office and the hospital, had Family Home Evening, visited Nancy and the Harringtons,met with Steven at Sand Lake, then came back to leave the apartment keys with the Sisters and to turn in our modem.  So 3 round trips between Marshalltown and Des Moines in 2 days! We got start up supplies and enjoyed our new apartment which is bigger, newer and has 2 bathrooms and a laundry room!
The office is actually a very busy job!  No time to worry about missing our loved ones in Marshalltown!

1st load

Sand Lake

Steven

Random cute baby at Wal-Mart

We miss our ponds, but the budding trees are nice to walk around.

The new place.

We left Marshalltown in very capable hands!

1st day in the office was district meeting day so lots of missionaries stopped by to get stuff and to leave gas receipts, including our Sister Smith!

After dinner we have free time (weird), so we visited Pearson park one night.

The swimming pool opens on Memorial Day!

We found Raccoon River park another night.

Another nice thing about our apartment is having another missionary couple to play with!  The Sanders are awesome!  We went to the Tulip Festival at Pella with them on Saturday!

A beautiful, crowded place!

The Sanders fed the Elders that night and invited us to join them!

We went to the Easter Lake ward on the other side of town.  A great ward!

Then we returned to Marshalltown for our last Self Reliance class! And Cinco we Mayo party!

Such a great group!  

We are learning!  It's nice to only be an hour from Marshalltown!