Week One Report

With a full week under our belts, I thought I’d give some thoughts from my perspective.  Sister Williams and I probably share most perspectives, but certainly not all!  The couple we replaced was with us for four days before they left, so they showed us how Sundays work and three office days.  As always in training, it wasn’t nearly enough, but it sure helped!  They left on Thursday morning and we took it from there (trying to avoid the ‘deer in the headlights’ expressions as much as we could).  Like always in the church, there are lots of people willing to help, and mobile phones are wonderful things!  I spoke to Elder Prince (previous vehicle coordinator) on their way to Texas while they were visiting the Susquehanna River visitor’s center, the Grandin print shop in Palmyra, and nearing Kirkland, Ohio. (I told him I was trying to keep him awake and make him feel important…implying that I had everything under control.) As I said the first time I wrote, we are really excited to get past the ‘how do I do that?’ phase.  Another senior couple told us it takes about two transfers (12 weeks). 

We love the elders and sisters we deal with (both Jr. & Sr.), and the people in our branch have been extremely friendly and kind (even when we sometimes can’t understand each other very well)!!  That part of it we already love!  The part that will take longer is the traffic and horn honking and confusion and subways (although we made it to church and back today almost without incident--only one get off at the wrong station).  We went out twice this week in the car, and my co-pilot (and our marriage) will take a few days to recover.  We will now do everything in our power to avoid rush hour, including Saturdays after 2PM.  It took me over an hour to get home from Costco Saturday afternoon, and it’s about a mile away!  (Think no left turn lanes or lights anywhere, and about two cars getting through each light cycle…)  Luckily my companion wasn’t with me on that trip (we senior missionaries can do that!), and was still sleeping off the earlier trip!

The vehicle coordinator position is wild!  It seems to be pretty well understood by everyone that it’s the busiest job.  48 cars, 100 young drivers, constant maintenance to coordinate, an average of just under two accidents a week ($260,000 in body work last year just for our mission), driver training and certification and decertification, temporary loaner cars (when available) for when cars are in the shop, keeping track of who’s driving what car (changes every six weeks) so tickets go to the right person, fielding calls 10-12 hours a day when there are car issues or perceptions of issues, getting luggage from La Guardia to JFK airports and back on transfer days, monthly reports on: mileage, condition of vehicle and gas expenses.  Makes me tired to think of it, but I’m sure the time will go fast!  Then on Sunday I teach the 12-18 y/o Sunday School class and Melchizedek Prep class.  Well, we prayed to feel needed!