A stormy week

Dear Family & Friends,

            We had two big storms this week, one last Sunday and one on Thursday.  The one on Sunday was heavy rain, wind, thunder and lightning.  We got thunderstorm warnings from the emergency weather service.  The wind drove the rain under our doors and through my window, but not Jim’s.  The one Thursday night included a tornado warning and the wind really swirled around.  We even went in our little bathroom/tornado shelter for ½ an hour just in case.  We keep emergency water and backpack in there.  It sure made a big mess everywhere!!

Just one of many trees that were downed!

            Monday I worked on a letter with lots of enclosures to send to the missionaries who are coming in August.  I started them last week and finished them Monday.  Also went over Monday and Wednesday afternoons to take care of our son, Larry’s, dog so he could stay late at work those days.  His wife and kids are having a great trip and will be gone several weeks.  On Monday I ran into bad traffic on the freeway, so took the longer but faster way home on Wednesday.  For FHE Jim and I went to see “Tarzan.”  It was good but some parts were hard to watch.

            Tuesday through Friday I printed up letters that the Departing missionaries had written to the President over the course of their missions, and put them in the Departing Binders.  I worked on a 3 or 4 each day, and they were all done by Friday morning. 

            We got a new Assistant to the President, and the three were working together to finish off the Transfer information, and to set up the President’s interview schedule for this next Transfer.  He interviews each missionary every three months (oftener if they need it).  We also had a good Staff Meeting Tuesday afternoon.  It is great to get together and bring each other up-to-date on what everyone is doing.  I always get a few new assignments out of them. 

            Wed. was laundry and we signed up for the Indexing blitz for the weekend, plus shopping at Sam’s Club.  Since Arkansas is the home of Walmart and Sam’s Club, there are no Costcos here.  In the evening Jim worked on Family History for a while and now has a couple names to take to the temple next Monday.  It is always special to take our own family names to the temple and makes the experience all the more special.  All of the activity in the Church is to lead us to the temple where “heaven and earth meet” as we were reminded in Church recently.

            Thursday we got a new Office Elder, Elder Boggess, who will replace Elder Phillips, who has a new assignment.  We will miss Elder Phillips, just like we did Elder Lundell before him, who help so much, especially with the apartments. 

Elder Heidinger & new Elder Boggess

Elder Heidinger and Elder Phillips who is leaving

Jim & I worked in IMOS to update all the Leadership changes (Assistant, Zone Leaders, and Sister-Training-Leaders).  Then I wrote each one a congratulations letter and emailed copies of them to their parents, bishops, and stake presidents.  That evening we survived the terrible storm I mentioned above, getting home about ½ hour before it started.

            Friday the Assistants were in the Office again all day, so the Cahoons bought pizza for everyone.  I went and got my hair cut in the afternoon, and we went grocery shopping that evening on our way home.  It rained again coming down pretty good, but wasn’t as hard or as long as the day before and no warnings came out. 

            Yesterday was a quiet day at home—no big travels.  We exercised, cleaned, worked a little on our budget (we are doing good), and I did some Indexing, but then we had trouble logging on again and couldn’t do any more.  This made us very sad as we had hoped to help do a whole lot. 

            Today is beautiful and sunny.  Because of the storm on Thursday, power was knocked out to a number of neighborhoods including the one where Larry’s chapel is, so their Ward came to our building and we all met together.  It was fun!!  They are two wards that were one for many years, so lots of old friends sitting together.  We were glad to be in our own ward and have Larry with us, too.  Five sister missionaries sang a beautiful song today in Sacrament meeting, as a special musical number.  It was very touching, as was the talk afterwards about the importance of temples.

            We love you all,

            Elder & Sister Hartzell