Mission Life

Last Wednesday was a highlight for me because we were able to attend our first Zone Mtg.  Zone meetings are usually held on Wednesdays right when I am teaching my Book of Mormon class, so we usually miss out.  Last week was dead week on campus and so we headed to Madisonville, about 45 min. away for zone training.  I loved every minute of it, but had to do a mental evaluation of the myriad ways I can improve as a missionary.  Not a big guilt trip, but a good way to see how I can better consecrate my life -- same struggle we all have.  It was another small miracle of feeding our 5,000
(ok, 26 missionaries)  I made a braided cherry bread tree not realizing we would be such a big group.  I felt like I was cutting up the sweet roll into 2" squares, but everyone who wanted some had one and there was even one left over.

College Station Zone 2

Friday morning we invited the Sister Missionaries to come over to make 2 receiving blankets for a set of twins in a family they are teaching.  Sister Gutierrez also wanted to make rice bags for her family since she is going home on January 1 along with Elder Smith and Elder Schiffman of our district.

Neil and I love being the home away home and parents away from parents for so many of the students and missionaries.  It feels like an important aspect of our mission to nurture others.

I had the opportunity on Saturday to attend a Baptist Women Luncheon.  It was very nice and a great way to meet more women in the community.  Each table had a hostess who decorated and set their table. . . Relief Society Christmas Activity memory?  I love that women are pretty much the same in most settings!

Angie Taylor works with the Student Activities Dept. at SHSU and came to speak at one of our Friday Forums.  I really appreciated her invitation to the luncheon.  We left after the luncheon to go to Houston to pick up Neil's sister, Genie, and her husband, Winston Lee.  Somehow we got confused on our calendar and went to Hobby Airport in South Houston instead of Bush Airport in North Houston.  No wonder we couldn't find them at the arrivals door.  Poor things, they had to wait an extra hour for us to make the journey to the right place!  Good thing they have a sense of humor.  We went straight to the Houston Temple and did sealings.  What a special time.  Almost every time we go, we meet either a long lost relative or someone who has a connection to us or someone we know.  Last night we met a niece of Uncle Lynn and Aunt Lila Zemp (LeBaron side).

I think Genie looks especially pretty in this photo.  For those who knew Neil's mother, Floss, Genie could be her twin!