More Roots Tech, Face to Face, and Spreadsheets

Elder Wilcox has been working on a little project for a missionary couple on our floor. Their last name is Woodstock. So, of course, they have a little yellow Woodstock they put in a wreath on their door. The only problem was he kept falling out whenever they closed the door. So a couple of weeks ago Elder Wilcox volunteered to make something that would anchor him to the wreath. Sister Woodstock was so excited she paid us with cookies in advance. (So now he really had to do it.) He finally got all the parts he need and put it together is past week. Basically, he made and hung a little swing in the center of the wreath and then he attached Woodstock to the swing ropes so he wouldn't fall out. I think it turned out adorable.

Monday our Family Home Evening group is temporarily shifting to the Leadership Pattern: Lead Like the Savior group. We had a good turn out including 4 people who joined us on Zoom. I expect we will have everyone in person Next Monday. Our Zone Leaders, the Drasso's are leading the group; however, there may be some times when Elder Wilcox and I will lead the discussion. We are currently enrolled in the same course with an employee based group that is about 4 weeks ahead of this class. I'm actually very glad to be able to take the class so close to the other one. It helps us to review our goals and be able to do a better job of implementing them into our daily lives. It is a wonderful course that I hope they open up to the whole Church someday.

A week or so ago, after our Global trainings, I sent out an email to all the Area Coordinators around the world with full instructions on what was covered in our Global trainings as well as a spreadsheet with their entire team on it and their status in PLUNET. All interpreters, regardless of type (Contractor, Employee, or Volunteer) must be active in our PLUNET system. I was expecting some grumbling and complaining because many areas have been doing their own thing when it comes to using interpreters for events. However, I have been pleasantly surprised by the positive feedback I have gotten. I have almost daily (and multiple times a day) communications with people from around the world answering their questions. I also help them get their people onboarded into PLUNET or deactivated in our other software because they are no longer being used as interpreters. If it wasn't for the Linfords doing what my daily tasks used to be, there would be no way I could have pulled off this monumental project. I am in the process of sending out a modified version to the Language Coordinators of our Salt Lake City teams.  They can review their teams but they can't do any of the onboarding  or removing themselves. They have to send that information to us.

Most of my week was filled with additional meetings. One meeting that turned into two somehow ended up with me on another team. I am to work more closely with our SLC language coordinators to not only clean up their team rosters (which I was already doing); but, now to train them on taking responsibility for doing the follow-up contacts with their team members whose contracts are expiring. Sister Petty was trying to do that all herself. For example, this month she sent out 90 reminders. About 20 have responded. So she has about 70 more to hound until they turn in their paperwork. MANY who will wait until the last minute. We had 4 "emergency RUSH" requests this past week alone where they didn't send in their signed contract (which they had in their possession for over two weeks). They were needed and scheduled for an event that week. Hence, the need for more people to hound them to turn it in. I suggested it should be the Language Coordinators and everyone agreed. Now, I'm on the committee to make that happen. hahaha 

Of course in the middle of all this we still have events to support. It is nice to be able to split them with the Linfords. We didn't really have any that we needed to support on Tuesday. They were done in the Conference Center. 

On Wednesday, we did another 2 sessions of Roots Tech. This time it was the interpreting from the English dubbing we did last Friday into 10 different languages. We did the Tieline languages in the morning plus French, and all the other languages (4) that evening. We did French in the morning because half the team was in France and half were here. The Linfords covered the morning as I had a meeting with Eunlan and a sister from Africa. Kind of cool, huh.  All four of the Missionaries helped serve dinner and then the Linfords got to home early. We were supposed to switch the next night. 

On Thursday, the Linfords covered the morning again. This time the event was some Face to Face for Youth pre-recordings. The real Face to Face will happen in March. In the afternoon we did a very small AgReserves CEO Safety Training in Portuguese. Elder Wilcox and I covered that one. It then went right into the evening Face to Face Youth pre-recordings for the SLC teams.  We had a much larger group with 7 languages. It was supposed to be our turn to leave early right after dinner. Eunlan was in charge and our new supervisor, Joelma, was shadowing Eunlan. Eunlan asked if I would be willing to train Joelma in the software we all use for events and tell her a bit about what the missionaries do. That ended up taking the whole event so we didn't go home early after all.

Things went a little crazy that night. The night before, Aaron found out that there was one more little video for his Roots Tech event that needed recording. They didn't have the video ready that night so they couldn't do it then. So, he asked several interpreters if they would mind staying over on Thursday night since they were coming again anyway, and do the little Roots Tech video. That meant we were going to piggyback one event on top of another. Piece of cake....right? Everything would have been fine if they would have just done the Roots Tech video AFTER the Face to Face event like they did for the French team that morning. But NOOOOOO, they (I'm not really sure who THEY is in this case), decided to do the Roots Tech video right smack in the middle of the Face to Face. That meant most everyone took a break for up to 1/2 hour. I'm not sure how long it all took as I was training Joelma and found out after the fact when Eunlan was trying to figure out the hours for everyone. I won't go into those issues. Suffice it to say I don't think it is over yet.

Friday was a fairly laid back day which was nice. Elder Wilcox and I went to the Temple in honor of MyLiege's birthday. When we got to the Jordan River Temple we Marco Polo'd her and sang Happy Birthday to her.  It was fun! We had a wonderful time at the Temple doing Initiatory work. Next week we will get to do sealings. I love being near so many Temples. We are planning on going with the Linfords the first week in March for Sister Linford's birthday.

NO Events this weekend so we got to stay home. I, of course, worked on some spreadsheet ideas to make my tasks easier and more automated. I have asked Season to help me with one of them. Hopefully we will be able to get it all worked out by Monday as I need to send out emails for it on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. Elder Wilcox went shopping, because he loves to shop and I hate to shop. It works out so nicely that way. hahaha  We had the sweetest treat Saturday night. Sister Burgoyne and her sweet husband belong to our FHE Group.  Elder Burgoyne has MS and usually uses a scooter or walker to get around. They live at the opposite end of our floor. Well Saturday night about 8:30 we got a knock at the door. Sister Burgoyne was in a cute Red Apron pushing Elder Burgoyne's walker around with a tray full of fresh, out of the oven, cinnamon rolls that are still warm.  She gave us 4, two for that evening and 2 for Sunday morning breakfast. YUMMMMMMMMMM

Sunday Elder Wilcox got to sing with a double quartet (plus one) of Brethren from the two branches that meet together for a special musical number. They sang "Ye Elders of Israel" and sounded fantastic. I'm so glad we both get to do things for our branch and zone as well. It really feels like a family around here. I especially love the 3rd floor of our apartment building. We are getting to know almost everyone on the floor and it is so fun. We are on the end of our floor. Next to us live the Beechs from the Stake. On the other side of the Beechs is another couple from Hermiston Oregon. So, of course Elder Wilcox being Elder Wilcox decided to create a sign to hang up leading to the last three apartments; "Welcome to the Oregon Territory". So when we got home from Church this afternoon there was a little group of missionaries hanging out near the first few apartments. We joined the party. I told the Beechs they needed to visit the Burgoyne's apartment just behind us as she had dropped off cinnamon rolls the night before and they missed them. (Sister Burgoyne left a note that we saw when we walked past that morning.) Just then Sister Burgoyne and her husband arrived from Church. She quickly went in her apartment and brought out more cinnamon rolls. She gave the Beechs 4 and gave the Larsen's 2 more and us 2 more. So yummy!!!!

I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful sunshine we have been getting. It is cold, but oh so beautiful.

All our Love and Prayers,

Mom and Dad

Grandma and Grandpa

Steve and Leslee

Elder and Sister Wilcox