Week ending 15 July

It’s been a very full week, ending with a little fun last night (after laundry and shopping during the day). At 6:30 we met at Elder and Sister Budge’s apartment, and along with Sister Healey and Sister Skinner, the six of us played Mexican Train, had all kinds of treats, and watched the Disneyland fireworks at 9:30 outside their north window. The conversations and joking were just what all of us needed after a stressful week. And why was it stressful?

For one thing, President Watrous got really sick Friday, just he was preparing for an influx of 16 new missionaries (and the departure of 12) tomorrow and Tuesday (Transfer day). All of us in the office were either covering for him in some areas, praying for him, or both. Elder Budge’s dictum of “No two days are alike in the office” certainly was true this week. Gary: "He trained me how to deal with a gas credit card that two sister missionaries couldn’t use any longer because it was compromised (phone calls to Salt Lake and such), preparing a 2004 Dodge Caravan to sell (checking tires, fluids, washing the car, etc.), dealing with another missionary car that hit a pillar (insurance and Salt Lake again), going with the Office elders to sign the lease on a new apartment in Newport Beach (near the temple – an area where we’re putting more missionaries), buying three vacuum cleaners for the apartments, ordering supplies for the missionary effort: in the month we’ve been here I’ve ordered (on demand) English, Spanish, German, Russian, Cambodian, Thai, Tongan and Vietnamese copies of the Book of Mormon and pamphlets, getting ready for July’s temple tours, and sending out letters to new converts."

Signe also had fun Saturday afternoon practicing with two other fiddlers in the Orange Stake in preparation for Pioneer Days next Saturday. They are doing Irish, American and other fiddle tunes.

Dr. Francis prescribed water therapy for Gary's back pains, so with the blessing of Pres. Watrous, he is now doing leg and back exercises in the pool, using kicks from the crawl, back stroke, side stroke, breast stroke, and dog paddling. Also very helpful is walking as fast as he can in the shallow end of the pool (3 feet) for a few minutes. He gets winded with all of this exercise, but wants to enjoy it, for it takes the place of his biking and playing basketball.