We found ourselves with a few hours left of one Saturday afternoon with nothing planned after a baptism got postponed, so we decided to make another great escape to the Safari Park.
Since Glen doesn't really take a p-day on Mondays because he spends literally 7 to 8 hours reading and answering missionaries' letters every single week, we enjoy it when we can take a few hours to de-stress every now and again.
The reason we love the Safari Park is because we can walk and be in nature. It feels peaceful there and it is calming to watch the animals for a while. The mother gorilla and her baby were especially enjoyable to observe.
We caught the tail end of the bird show.
We took the free tram ride around the African plains again. It seemed like a whole new adventure because we had a different guide who told us different things.
The baby elephant stayed right next to its mother, moving forward a step or two if she did, moving back a step or two if she did and walking all around the enclosure when she did. Made me think about the powerful influence a mother has on her young.
The not-so-cute warthogs even provided a few minutes of entertainment for us.
The tranquility, serenity and beauty make it hard to want to leave.
We got to enjoy a full moon on our ride home, so the enjoyment of nature did not end when we left the park.
One thing we do try to do every p-day is go somewhere outside our neighborhood for our morning exercise. We are trying to keep an eye on the Flower Fields. There was one field in bloom.
The field next to it was just starting to have color appear. It was such a foggy day!
Transfer Week #7 was upon us. We picked up this group of six missionaries at the airport. Two sister training leaders went to the airport a little later to pick up two hermanas who were arriving from the Mexico MTC.
Once the group arrives at the church, Glen gets them busy filling out a goal sheet for his interview with them. I talk to each missionary about the medical procedure we have set up in our mission and find out about any of their medical issues. We let them email home.
We had our senior couples over housing, cars, and finance come talk to them. Our office secretary has them fill out some paperwork. We feed them lunch. Sometimes they have time to take a little nap while Glen is receiving inspiration on which trainer to put with each new missionary.
Whenever we have Mexico MTC missionaries, it messes with our schedule a bit. These hermanas arrived too late to join in the instruction with the earlier missionaries, so we had the senior couples re-tell them everything they had told the other missionaries.
By that time Glen and I were anxious to get home because we had some cooking to do. We needed to be prepared when the seven departing missionaries arrived for dinner and to spend the night at our home. The sisters sleep upstairs and the elders sleep on the main floor.
Elder Ruhl is now a trainer, so we have these three assistants who will be helping us--Elder Romney, Elder Horton and Elder Higginson. I feel so short when I am around them.
I like it when we can all fit around one table.
It made me laugh when I saw these three elders smash together sitting on the love seat for testimony meeting.
The four sisters took the couch which left Glen and me in the two comfortable arm chairs. That was a first! No need of any extra chairs. The assistants always do the dishes and clean up the kitchen while we are having our meeting.
Elder Quinney, Elder Picklesimer, Elder Spencer, Glen, Me
Sister Shakespear, Sister Hoffart, Sister Larsen, Sister Gallacher
Elder Romney is now training the new assistants and it looks like it didn't take Elder Higginson long to master the selfie when I handed him the camera to take the group photo.
This may have been the highlight of the evening when Glen not only told the elders about how he has had his toenails removed, but then he showed them one of his toenail-less big toes when one of the elders asked to see it. Hilariously disgusting!
The next morning we arrived at the temple as the sun was coming up. We love watching all of the missionaries as they ponder and reflect upon their service as a missionary as they anticipate returning home later that day.
Elder Higginson's brother was getting married that very day, so he asked if I would take a picture and send it to his family so his brother would know he was thinking of him and wishing him well.
"I love to see the temple..."
Time for the group photo, and this is the selfie Elder Romney took. I have to give him credit for getting the other assistants in the selfie shot. They were on their way to the distribution center.
From the temple we went straight to the airport to bid this group adieu.
That left this group of men--and me.
In keeping with tradition, we went to In-N-Out for lunch. It is always a relief to get the missionaries to the airport on time so they can be on their way home without delay.
Speaking of delay... Glen got a phone call and we ended up eating our meals before he got back in to join us. I was hoping the photo would show better him standing outside so we could all be in the photo together.
We are excited for Elder Ruhl to have the opportunity to train a new missionary. We are excited to be working with these new assistants. It will be exciting to see what good things will come of these changes.
That is one thing that is always certain in missionary work--change. But change is a good thing. It allows missionaries to work and to grow in all sorts of different capacities--us included!
