EXTRA

SCHLAGERS REASSIGNED  AGAIN  !!

Yes, it's true.   During last transfer, President asked to speak to us, and told us that "This is a mission of change".  After seven months, we are going into the office to work full time.  We will actually not begin until the 7th, and then have two weeks to work with the two elders who are returning to proselyting on the 23rd.  Until that time, we are training the Sheffers to manage the apartments.  

Okay, to save you the trouble, we already know:

Apparently, we can’t hold down a job.

Anyone who gets reassigned  3 times in 7 months has a serious HR problem.

Everytime he gets to know us better, President moves us closer to him.  Does he need to keep a closer eye on us? 

Summer time in the city, new display for the mall.   

But actually, we are SO thankful for the months we had outside of the office before beginning the work we will be doing there.  How very blessed we have been, to have the chance to learn so many different things.  Sister Revillo said to me,  "Lots of experience".   And at least, we are getting lots of experiences!   This week, we taught two workshops at the Training Meetings on the English as a Second Language program that we are helping with.  Elder S said, "I have an English Degree, and Sister studied English too, and here we are 45 years later with an English book in our hands!"  Of course, in the middle of the training, he was called downstairs to install a new white board in the office.  He is passing on the power drill to Elder Sheffer.  It was a painful loss for him!  

Here he is, later, sort of trying to keep his head above water in the office, with all the missionaries busy before they return to their areas.  Can you see him?  Where is Elder Schlager? *  He IS in there, I promise.  

 Other things we did this week:

We taught another workshop at zone interviews on apartments maintenance. 

We had a small dinner party with the Johnsons and the Sheffers, as they will be working together in apartments management now.  (It was a riot!)  Funny stories.  One of the BEST blessings of a senior mission is the other couples.  They are so good, so talented, so experienced, and so funny!   We love the Johnsons very much.  They are from Provo, so now when we go to Utah we will have two really good friends down there to see.  

We went to the temple.

We helped arrange for four sets of elders to move on Monday (Tomorrow)!!  That was not easy, and we didn't do the hard parts.  Sister Revillo and Elder Ballon did it, contracts, etc, while she was doing zone interviews and training, and feeding everyone!   She always has food for them, and it always includes her homemade cookies.  I am pretty sure there are five of her, like the Santa Clause at the mall.  

I taught a new song in Primary.  The teacher for the fifth Sunday did not show up, so I had a lot of time.  Okay with me!   Elder was the pinch hitter for the Sunday School class today.  Fortunately, he had a restless night and decided to prepare something "just in case".

At the church, the guard, (yes, we have to have guards or lock the gates.)  was watching television.  The combination of his high tech digital TV and his No Tech antenna tickled me.  So Filipino!

We passed about three funerals on our way home from church.  They are walking behind the hearse, notice the white balloons  on the back of it, and sometimes they hold out their hands to ask for a donation to the cost of the burial.

WE made time for some walks in the mall.  We did NOT join the dance class going on 

 But we DID run into a new couple just arrived to work as Humanitarian Missionaries, and joined them for a chat and a sundae at Dairy Queen.   

I made a couple of new friends at Primary.  

This is Janna.  I cleaned her fingernails for her last week, and she came to show me that she was keeping them clean.  She likes to sit by me and help me in Primary.  She is 10. She doesn't speak much English.

This is Nia.  Her mother came three weeks ago, with this little one and her brother.  I think it is a divorce situation, and they came from the States.  Neither of the children speak Tagalog, so the Primary leaders asked the other children to "be kind, and speak English".  She is 5, and is a very self-possessed little person.  She said to me,   " My mother told me, Look Nia, it is the grandma from America.   ARE YOU from America?"    She also wants to be where I am, mostly.  I seem to be acquiring a fan club over here!   

One week from today, we will be where we were seven months ago, getting ready to take over the responsibilities of the Mission Office.  There must have been some things we needed to learn before we were actually prepared to do that.  We hope we learned them!   

  

Frankly, I was beginning to wonder if I am just hard to please.  When I came, I had a hard time with the change FROM office couple to MLS,.  Now I am having trouble with the change from MLS TO office couple.  But I know we will settle in and love the new challenges.  Changes are what I fear, I think.  And that our blog will be less interesting!

So, some motivational adages for me:

What e'er thou art, act well thy part.

Take what comes, and love it. 

Bloom where you're planted.

No toil nor labor fear, but with joy, wend your way.

Or as my grandchildren say, 

You take what you git, and you don't throw a fit!

But to help me along the way, Elder Schlager took me shopping last night.  New job, new clothes, right?  Although many women use chocolate, I am a HUGE believer in "retail therapy".