Fire Alarm, Potter Boy, PSD Potluck, Luz De Las Naciones, Park Lane, and Break the Fast

Things are getting a little crazy around here. We don't have very many events except for Language Coaching jobs, but this is still plenty to do. We had a beautiful Mission Devotional Monday morning. We learned more about one of our Zones. I love hearing about their "Elijah" moments. One of the brothers in their zone presented an incredible organ song. I loved it.

I spent time on some special projects I was working on. I will talk more about them after they happen. We had a very fun Family Home Evening. Elder and Sister Farnsworth were in charge. It is the last one we will have in our apartment. I'm so sad. 😪 Next Monday is our Mission Evening Fireside so we won't meet as a FHE group. The following Monday, which is our last Monday on our mission, we will be working a screening event. It was supposed to be later in November, but I think they bumped it so we would be here. 🤣 We had a great time. Sister Farnsworth put together a fun General Conference Jeopardy game. We laughed a LOT. We had our largest turn out ever. We took lots of pictures. I'm going to miss them all so very much. That group has been a highlight of our mission.

As I was getting ready to leave our apartment after our Tuesday morning Zone Devotional, I heard this faint high-pitched sound. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Elder Wilcox couldn't hear a thing. He put in his temporary hearing aids and then he could hear it too. It didn't sound any louder in any part of the apartment. I opened the door to the hallway, and it was LOUD. Emergency lights were flashing too. I didn't see any smoke or anything, but I went back in and told Elder Wilcox he had better hurry and get ready and get out. I went back in the hallway to leave when the alarm stopped. I went back to tell Steve he didn't have to hurry quite as fast. I left down the back stairs by our apartment and walked down the walkway that runs the length of our building. When I got to the street, I saw the fire truck and several firemen trying to get into the building. My guess is someone had something burning on the stove and it triggered the alarm. A little excitement is always a good way to start a day. Hahaha

I worked on PLUNET and finished up my special projects. We had our Team meeting in the afternoon. Not long after our meeting, we left for the day. We decided to go visit our Stake President's place of work. He is a potter and has a shop behind his house. It is called Potter Boy. He had a lot of very cool things. We couldn't really use anything he had since we can't take it with us to New Zealand, but we wanted to buy something. He makes these cool little "love" rocks that you can keep in your pocket or purse. We picked out two we really liked and bought those. 

Victoria, wife of one of our interpreters 

Wednesday was a day of not much work. We started the day with a PSD Meeting in the COB Auditorium. We have this meeting once a quarter. Jeff, our department manager, briefly started the meeting and then rushed off to meet with the Quorum of the Twelve. He pre-recorded a longer message for us that was played near the end of the meeting. We heard from two of our teams and then from Jeff. He announced several organizational changes in our department but didn't elaborate on them because they don't really know what it is really going to look like. This is all to move closer to the "Area Centered, Headquartered Supported" model that we are all moving towards. That is part of the reason they haven't planned on hiring any new people on our team. We are reorganizing too. 

After the meeting we had a short "linger longer" activity in the lobby with treats. Then we went to an open house for the Service Project Shop (SPS). This group is full of service missionaries of various ages that are geared up to help any and all teams within our PSD department. I have a feeling we will be using some of these service missionaries to fill in the gaps that our going to occur with no missionaries on our team. The new missionaries that were just assigned are being reassigned elsewhere with no plan to bring on any new missionaries. We will be working out how that will work in the next week or so. Almost everything we have been doing will either be given to the translation team or spread out to the employees on our team. I have training to do next week. LOL

After the tour we had a brief 1/2 hour in our cubicle to do a few things before heading back down to the lobby area by the auditorium for a huge potluck luncheon for our division. It was fun to see so many people from other teams and visit with them. The food was good too.

Thursday started with our Zone Devotional. We only have a couple more to attend. I did a little work in PLUNET and then tried to organize what all needs to be shared with the rest of the team. The Sapps were attending the GA Wives Luncheon. We had a one-on-one meeting with Baptiste where we talked about what all this is going to look like. I think it will be very doable, especially if they get some service missionaries to fill in the gaps. The huge advantage of having the employees take things over is not having to retrain missionaries every year or so. The employees already have the big picture of what goes on for our events. The only things they need to learn are the spreadsheets and that will be very easy for them since they already use a bunch of spreadsheets. I actually feel very good about this moving forward. Of course, they will still need help with things like General Conference, but that can easily be covered with service missionaries to help out.

Some of our Portuguese Team

After lunch we headed to the Temple to finish up our sealings and do an endowment session. I had a very nice visit with Sister Randall before she gave me the new name for my endowment session. After we did sealings, a sister came up to us and said she could just see the love between us because we look at each other over the alter. It was a very nice complement.

Friday, we worked from home again. We had planned on visiting Vicki, but she was going to lunch with her sister so we told her we would visit on Saturday. Steve spent most of the day sorting and packing. We put a lot of things in the hallway by the elevator. It is sort of a mini swap meet. Whatever doesn't go after a few days is either taken over to the monthly missionary swap meet or giving to Deseret Industries. Most everything we have put out has disappeared quickly. I'm not sure we have anything left to put out. Things are looking bare. All the pictures are either packed to go home or put out to be given away. We will sort through our kitchen stuff this coming week. We were given some basics when we got here and are only supposed to leave this in the apartment when we leave. Everything else that we have accumulated has to go. Most of that will be put out for whoever wants it.

Lluvia and Emma

I thought I would be able to work on HawkSoft stuff, but received several requests that kept me pretty busy all day. I had to set up a Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults that will take place the day we leave. There will be two sessions, one in the morning and one in the evening. There are 42 languages, most of which are Tieline so that helps. I think there are only 5 or 7 that will be in SLC in the evening session. Anyway, with that many languages, it took me quite a while to get it all set up. 

After we ate dinner, we headed to the Conference Center to watch the Luz De Las Naciones program. PSD got some really good tickets, so we had great seats. This is the first performance that our friend and interpreter, Alex Melecio, was not in in fifteen years. He is back east for a soccer tournament for one of his kids. I was sad we weren't going to see him perform. We did get to say goodbye, last week to him. The entire performance was in Spanish. We forgot to get headsets, so we didn't understand a single word. HAHAHA. The singing and dancing were GREAT. It was so fun. We sat next to this very fun sister. She introduced herself to us and we told her we were serving a mission in Global Interpretation. She then said that her husband interprets. She is Spanish so I figured her husband was on the Spanish team. I asked his name. Sure enough, he is one of our regulars. We see him all the time. We took pictures and she sent it to her husband who was interpreting for the event that night. We had a great time with her all evening. After the event was over, we saw a bunch of our Portuguese team walk by. We all slipped into some rows so we could visit. It was so fun to see and talk to so many that we know and love. 

Cristina and Helena

Saturday, I spent working on HawkSoft. It took quite a bit longer than I expected but I got it all done. I worked for part of the day before we went to visit with Vicki. After Vicki, we stopped at Mo' Bettahs to pick up dinner for the second session of Luz De Las Naciones that we were supporting. The Sapps were able to attend the performance Saturday night. We had a wonderful time with our Interpreters and Curtis. I worked some more on HawkSoft during the event, but still didn't quite finish it. After the event we took a bunch of pictures and talked with the Interpreters. There were lots of hugs and some tears. They all want to keep in touch so I will be sending out an email with our personal emails so we can keep in touch. After we got home, I spent another hour on HawkSoft so I could finish it up. Whew!!!

I was glad that daylight savings ended, and we were able to get an extra hour of sleep. I woke up without an alarm, so I guess I slept enough. Church was good. I enjoyed the testimonies and Sunday School. Later, we headed to the Park Land Senior Center for our Sacrament and Testimony meeting with the residents. We have enjoyed meeting with them a couple times a month since we have been assigned to this ward. It has been a GREAT blessing in our lives. We will miss them very much.

Spanish and Portuguese Teams

Then, not long after we got back it was time for our monthly Break-the-Fast potluck dinner for our apartment floor. This will be the last one we get to attend. Oh, how we are going to miss our floor. Everyone has become such great friends. Even the new people just fit right in. We are hoping Ken and Leanne Jenson will get our apartment when they start their mission here the first week in December. We let the housing missionary know they would like our apartment and he has made note of it. Fingers crossed they get it. Of course, we told them if they get the apartment, they have to host the FHE group because it is the biggest apartment. Hahaha

Have a GREAT week and start thinking of all the things you are thankful for so you can share them with your family at Thanksgiving. 

Fernando and Curtis

Our Love and Prayers are with you!

Mom and Dad

Grandma and Grandpa

Great Grandma and Great Grandpa

Steve and Leslee

Elder and Sister Wilcox