So Much to Do, So Little Time Left

Branch Social, Tug of War

Last week was fairly eventful.  Monday was our Branch Social for Memorial Day.  We love Branch Socials!  It gives us a chance to mingle with the Branch members that we don’t get to talk to on Sundays due to other responsibilities, and also gives us a chance to learn a few Latin dance steps (there is always dancing!)  Our new Branch President, President Garcia, is awesome and likes games.  So we played a lot of them.  And of course there is always so much food!!

Some of the people we love.  

Branch Social.  L to R Brother Novac, the Fairbanks, Elder Williams

Tuesday was Transfers, so there were new missionaries to get to know and departing ones to say goodbye to.  Many tears were shed.  I got to take Sister Talaboc (from Philippines) to the airport because her flight was in the evening.  Some missionaries we get extra close to and Sister Talaboc was one of them.  She has a little tiny body and a great big spirit.  We also said goodbye to one of our former office elders, Elder Reese.  It was a hard transfer! 

Elder Reese at the airport.  We love our Office Elders!

Marc tweaked his back lifting all those 50 lb. suitcases but, being Marc, healed quickly and is about 98% now.  He had 3 accidents to deal with this week—all rear-end collisions so not the missionaries’ fault.  Marc is good about asking first if the missionaries are OK, then asking if the car is OK (since she trained me...Marc).

I keep asking myself why I love being a missionary so much.  I have decided there are two reasons:  first, I love being useful and the missionaries are so very appreciative for all we do. And, second but more importantly, we love the people!  Maybe not so much the people in general—the ones who honk at you for no good reason and are pretty aggressive when it comes to getting a parking space—but the people that you get to know.  Not just the missionaries but the people of the Branch.  We just love them so much.  For me, I especially love the children!! I admit that it is kind of good for my ego when I stand up to do Singing Time and they yell, “Yay, Sister Williams!!” or run up and hug my legs when they see me in the hall--not so much the older ones because they are way too cool but even some of the older boys will follow me and ask if they can carry books for me or ask if they can help me.  I love teaching them and they seem to love learning.

It’s hard to believe we only have 5 transfers left!  It makes feel a little anxious and I wonder if I couldn’t have done more to serve and to help others and what can I still do in the short time I have left.  Marc loves it here too but admits that he is looking forward, just a little, to actually being retired.  We are so grateful for the opportunity to be living this whole other life that we didn’t even know existed and to be serving the Lord at the same time.  I only hope when it is time to go home that we can feel good about what we have done here and that we can say we have done our best.