Hopefully this will assuage my daily guilt over never having the time or energy to write. Elder Smith and I really are loving our mission. Every day is different and never boring, even though we are involved in office and computer work. The new mission presidency is building on the work done before and taking the mission to greater heights. We have 452 full-time senior missionaries, 91 Young Missionaries, and 836 part-time Church-service missionaries. The Young Missionaries are phenomenal, serving in spite of overwhelming challenges. One of our young elders has been in the hospital for a month now after complications from a clogged shunt. He, like a few others, has spina bifida. Yet they come to fullfill their life's dream of serving a mission for the Lord.
I have nick-named the Presidency the slice-and-dice team, as they continue to streamline, reduce, and eliminate programs and many of the massive reports. If it doesn't serve the purpose of the mission directly, it has to go. I am grateful that I can now go home at a reasonable time instead of 6:00-7:00 p.m. Assuming the jobs of two sisters plus the increased secretarial duties for our new president was simply not possible. I could have worked around the clock and still not have finished. We have a wonderful assistant secretary, so life is good.
Elder Smith has been teaching many new missionaries including an 85 year old widow whose great-great grandfather Alexander McCrae was in Liberty Jail with the prophet Joseph Smith. Alexander was the tall red-haired man who was too tall to stand up in the jail. He also taught the former chief personnel director for the Library of Congress.
Sister Smith continues to teach the mission president how to use the computer, which must be terribly amusing to her family that she can teach ANYBODY about the computer. I've actually become quite competent.
Elder Smith is very excited to be finding so many of his own ancestors. Sister Smith is so busy in the office that research time for her has dwindled.
Our Saturdays are spent doing regular "P-day" activities - cleaning, laundry, Costco (Elder Smith's favorite) and exploring Salt Lake City, driving through the beautiful canyons, going to the varous temples (We have been able to do over 100 sealings for our ancestors in the past two months.), visiting our nephew Greg Schern and his family in Ogden, etc. Autumn has been very beautiful here. The mountains have been blanketed in colors. We had our first snow followed by beautiful sunny weather the last few days. Alas, it will change again next week. We enjoy finding new places to eat. The Mandarin in Bountiful is our all-time favorite. It is seven miles to Nielson's Frozen Custard in Bountiful!
Sister Smith can get in 24 jumping-jacks in the apartment elevator from the 7th floor to the underground parking. That is good since Elder Smith keeps wanting her to share his desserts in the Church Office Building cafeteria.
Sister Smith is still singing in the Elijah Mission Choir.
In August we attended the Martin Harris Pageant in Clearfield. Cold! Brrrr! Glad we took coats and blankets. We went to the annual Swiss Days in Midway near Heber City. We were part of an up and coming performing group of old missionaries that lip-sinced (sp?) a R & R song for our Hail and Farewell party. We were the Fat Rascals!
We have had visits from Ruth and Richard Farnsworth, our son Mike Schern, our daughter Sherry Stevens and her family, Jason, Maddy, and Jaxon, and our daughter-in-law Kristen's parents. We have cherished those special visits with family and friends. We are so thankful for the constant watchcare which the Lord gives our families as they seem to incur one crisis after another on a weekly basis: surgery, paint-ball gun blast to the neck, lacerated foot, dead horse, one daddy with flu falling down the stairs. Enough already!!!
Elder Smith and I served as sentinels for the beautiful art exhibit at the Conference Center several Sunday evenings. We loved attending the Sunday afternoon session of General Conference. It is very special to feel the spirit of conference there in person. Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve spoke to all the missionaries in a temple devotional the Wednesday of Conference. He read excerpts from his grandfather's journal, a real treasure.
Elder Smith and I collected 51 white shirts, 129 neckties, and 18 pairs of reading glasses that we took to our nephew in Ogden. He will ship all he's collected to his parents who are serving in the Fiji Suva mission in the Republic of Vanuatu on the teensy island of Espiritu Santo where the people have nothing. We hardly mentioned it, and the donations came pouring in.
The most important thing we have to tell about our mission is that it IS the work of the Lord. The inspiration, revelation, and miracles that take place in this great work are many, and most are too sacred to even share. Lives are changed, people are able to do the impossible, and the bonds of eternal friendships and families are forged in testimony and sealed in covenants on both this side and on the other side of the veil. We know the work of God will go forth, and no power can stop it. What peace that gives us in this ever darkening world. Our prayers are with our dear family and friends.
