Six Missionaries From Nicaragua, Training Meetings, Gifts From the Foot Doctor

The Missionary Department kept sending us missionaries from Nicaragua...one at a time it felt like. We had received our first elder the previous week. This elder arrived on a Sunday evening.

When we got home, Glen interviewed him and then he met his new companions.

Monday evening we had the assistants take a truck to the airport to help haul the luggage of three missionaries reassigned here from Nicaragua. 

We stopped to eat at a restaurant across the freeway from the temple--which called for a photo.

We ate at California Pizza Kitchen. They all comment about how cold it is here coming from such a warm climate.

When we were finished eating, it was getting dark and the temple was all lit up.

Once back home, Glen interviewed the three missionaries. Their companions came to get two of them. The assistants took one of them home with them to their apartment.

On Tuesday we went back to the airport to pick up the 6th and last missionary reassigned here from Nicaragua. We took him to a different restaurant in the same area close by the temple.

By the time we got him fed, home and interviewed it was once again getting late when he met his companions and got off on his way.

The next day we brought them all into the mission office church building to have a meeting and to get all their forms filled out and signed. 

Sister Radford got the traditional California burritos (meat and French fries inside a tortilla) for the missionaries' first lunch with us. It's tradition! 

From lunch we went right into a first trainer follow-up meeting with the missionaries who have been here 4 weeks. We had the sister from Nicaragua and her companions join in with the meeting as she hasn't been on her mission very long.

We met former Elder Clayton Horton for dinner that evening at our favorite ribs restaurant in Carlsbad Village. He was in town on business--thrilled that a work trip took him back to his mission.

What's not to love about this place? The flowers, plants and trees are gorgeous!! 

Here's an update on my feet--same old, same old! More injections. UGH!! Every three weeks more of the same.

This time Dr. Dustin surprised me by giving us a gift. He had hand-crafted two pens and an oil vial out of olive wood he had imported from Jerusalem.

The pens have a little line of red in them which he told us is from an old skateboard. He wrote:

As you know, trees have great significance in the scriptures. I think one of the most important trees is the olive tree. There are so many beautiful cultural and religious representations of this sacred tree. My favorite is in Jacob. 

I wanted to include some local Carlsbad wood. I chose skateboard because the sport has ties to this area. Many of the best and most famous skaters started right here. I used a broken discarded skateboard. I wanted to thank you for reaching out for those in our area; missionaries, members and not yet baptized people that may feel broken or discarded. I hope it makes you think of how you rescued us and encased us in the love of the Savior.

I often think of how Jesus worked with wood and probably used olive wood to make beautiful things. The great and true carpenter sees our true value and creates a work of art in all of us if we allow Him to mold us and sand us smooth. Thank you for being a great instrument in His hands.

There were other things he wrote that makes it sound like he was giving this to us as a farewell gift.

I'm going to have to break it to him that we have another whole year here. Which means he's got another full entire 365+ days to continue taking care of my troublesome feet...!!!

Now on to other more pleasant things besides my feet. That would be Brooke, the girl who just turned 11 years old. I love how she decorated her own birthday cake. Why not?? 

She's clever and creative and knows exactly what she likes. I love it!! And I love her!!