Do I Need a Bandaid?

One of Marc’s hearing aids is “in the shop” so he has been going without one.  Here’s a taste of the conversation we had as we headed out to the Island the other day:  (Diane) “It’s not a bad day today.”  (Marc) “Do I need a bandaid? What?”  We do a lot of laughing here in the mission field.

With Sister Peterson right before she left.

This week was sort of sad for us.  Our dear friend, Sister Marie Petersen, completed her mission and headed home.  She invited us to dinner on Monday night to thank Marc for helping her with her car (she had a fender-bender last week and he helped her take it back and forth to Hallelujah Praise the Lord Automotive) and just to say goodbye.  Marie left on Tuesday and many tears were shed and promises made to see her again in January.  We feel bad that we have not taken many pictures lately.  I take it as a good sign that we are too busy and having too much fun to think of pictures.

Sister Shapiro, who makes arrangements for incoming and outgoing missionaries, said we were on her list of departing missionaries to work on for December (the transfer before we leave in January).  That made things just seem too real.  I often feel like there is not enough time to accomplish all the things we need to, especially in the Branch.  We have come to love the Branch members so much.  When I think of leaving them I get a little teary.  When we first came here, Sundays were difficult for me.  Now they are the best part of the week.  As I teach the children in Primary, I think, “What more can I do to strengthen them for the future ahead of them?”  When I began teaching them I used to think they were possibly the wildest group of children I had ever encountered.  Now I think they may be the sweetest group of children on earth (with the exception of my grandchildren, of course). 

The week and a half or so before transfers is our slowest.  On Thursday, I had no work to do all day.  It was so boring!  I found myself thinking of going home a little too much.  We have both learned that when we feel this way it is time to do more!  I bought a bunch of paper and notebooks to make LOTS of flipcharts for singing time.  So on Friday I had plenty to do and I felt like I was giving service--the best remedy for boredom and discouragement.  Plus I had the sweet strains of the Primary songs running through my head all day.

On Friday night we went to our third Bible Study class with Jay (who doesn’t like us to mention him) and the two English speaking elders.  It is so wonderful to have a gospel discussion with adults.  The person whose name we shall not mention has a great memory and a love for the scriptures.  He sometimes puts us to shame with his memorized quotes of scriptures and talks.

Yesterday Marc and Jay and I went out to the Island (shorthand for “out on Long Island”) to deliver a car to some missionaries.  It was our P-day but sometimes giving service is as much fun as sight-seeing.

I came across this quote by President Lorenzo Snow while studying Preach My Gospel:  “There is no mortal man that is so much interested in the success of an elder [or sister missionary] when he is preaching the gospel as the Lord that sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord’s children.”  I feel this so often as I see His protecting hand over us and over the young missionaries.  I feel it as I have to redo my whole Primary lesson at the last minute because only one student is there and am somehow able to prepare it in under 10 minutes.  I feel it when I have to learn and teach the Primary songs in English and Spanish and ASL and I’ve never led music in my life.  I feel it when I am helping the sisters teach a discussion or in Bible Study Class and the Spirit comes so readily. I feel it when I am working on the paperwork for a baptism and the computer won’t let me submit the information and I realize I forgot to add a child, and I feel it when my feet hurt and I am called upon to walk with the Sisters for 2 hours on pavement and I don’t think I can take another step but somehow the strength and ability comes. 

I fear that when we go home and people ask us how our mission was, they will think I am exaggerating when I try to describe the happiness and joy involved in serving the Lord and the people of New York.

The Air Conditioning was out in all of the building except
the mission office.  These missionaries chose to spend their P-day
with us.