We also had six visa waiters arrive from Mexico, but these we are calling “boomerang visa waiters” because they are only here long enough to renew their visas. When they got their first visas to go to Mexico they were only tourist visas for 6 months, so they now have to get them renewed. I helped Paulina to get the needed paper work ready. They had appointments at the embassy on Friday and will probably leave sometime next week.
When we got to the office on Wednesday we found out that one of our sister missionaries had to go home. She has had some health problems that they were unable to treat here and so she had to go home to try and get better. We were all sad to have her go. She has been such a good missionary and we have grown to love her. One thing that was a tender mercy of the Lord was that she had a chance to go to the Panecillo last week. She had missed her opportunity with her group when she arrived in the mission but through a set of circumstances she ended up going with the group that I went with. She was so happy to have been able to go before she left Ecuador.
Wednesday and Thursday were combined zone conferences in the Quito area. They decided to have McDonald hamburgers so just Bro. Kaneen and Lynn were able to handle it without Sis. Kaneen and me. We stayed in the office and got some work done. Thursday just Elder Kaneen with an office elder took care of it since Lynn had to take care of some things with those getting their visas renewed and taking some groups of missionaries to get their empadronamientos.
When we got to the office on Friday we found out that Elder Burr was being transferred to be the branch president for a small branch in Lago Agrio, which is probably the farthest area in the eastern part of the mission. The president was talking with the AP’s the night before, going over some of the changes that needed to be made and said, “and by the way, (talking to Elder Burr) one more change is that I need you to serve as the branch president in Lago Agrio.” Elder Burr was so surprised that he wasn’t sure what to say. He is a great young man and will do a great job leading the branch during the short time he has left in the mission. He will be leaving in August. This also means that he will be serving in the Quito North mission. The president and sister Ghent took him to airport in the afternoon. Just before he left I told him that I was glad he would be serving in the north mission. At least then I would be in contact with him when any of his sectors were late with the baptismal records.
Our new mission office is really getting into shape. Sister Thomas and I have visited several times, making suggestions of what should go where. We will probably be able to start moving files and getting things ready this next week. It still needs some furniture but the printers are in and so are the computers.
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| Sister Thomas holding the first letter addressed to the Ecuador Quito North mission. |
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| Such a very small reception area. Where will we ever put the dozens of missionaries that come in on Monday for mail and interviews. Out in the hall I guess. |
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| There's a restroom at the end of this hall. |
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| Sister Thomas and I will have lots of room to work. |
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| Sister Thomas and I have decided that the reception desk will be the perfect place for Elder Nelson since he speaks Spanish and can greet all those who come to the office. |
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| We convinced them that this is not the best place for the printers, taking up valuable counter/desk space for the AP's to work. They moved one to the large work area between the two computers and the other to the small counter you see to the left. |
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| This is the office for the financial secretaries. They still need move the desk around so that they can do interviews across the desk. |
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| This is the president's office. It still needs the furniture. |
The president has to make final decisions and send the finalize assignments of missionaries to the two missions to church headquarters this weekend. After it’s finalized I then have the task of dividing up the lists of missionaries for each of the two missions for the insurance and for the assigned phones for each mission to send to the respective people. I’ve made some rough drafts but need to compare them with what President Ghent ends up with. We are only two weeks away from the division. By June 26th I’ll be able to access the records for the new mission and be able to add needed information for what we already have.
The Segos change apartments to one of the ones in our building. They had problems with their old apartment and needed to make the change. Lynn helped them move a couple of loads. We hope that when Sister Thomas leaves and Sister Platts needs to get into another apartment we can get her moved over to our building. We are hoping that she will get a new companion by then and not have to be alone. It would be great to have all the senior missionaries in our building. Then we don’t have to worry about being our too l
Today at church both Sister Sego and Sister Phelps were gone so I ended up playing the piano for Sacrament meeting and for Relief Society. Not the best job, but passable with no chance to practice. Sister Kaneen said that if anyone complains about mistakes then they can have the job of playing.
We are anticipating a very busy week. Looking forward to the change.
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| When Elder Kaneen needs to go to the bank to get cash we joke that he needs to take Sister Platts with her umbrella for protection. Lynn gets a real kick out of this sweet, mild mannered sister. One day she said to someone "You better not do that or I might have to hurt you." Lynn got such a kick of this coming from her. |
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