OUT WITH THE OLD...IN WITH THE NEW

Isn't that always the way???  Just when you get used to things one way...things are changed!  I think I've noticed it more on our mission than I remember noticing it before.  We have a group of missionaries...and we grow to love them.  And then they're gone and we get a new group to get to know and love.  It's kind of like when your kids (or, in our case grandkids) move out on their own. You just hope they're prepared, and that they make the right choices, for them, in their new lives. Anyway...I guess you can tell this was transfer week.

                                                                                                                                                                   These are the ones who went home.  Some of our missionaries come out with major medical conditions...but they want so badly to serve that they/we make it work!  The cute little blonde above is Sister Christensen.  She is going home to heart surgery. She has had two before, been a "Make-a-wish" kid, and has served an awesome mission without any major problems.  We have a sister with Rheumatoid Arthritis, an elder with Cerebral Palsy, one with hearing loss who wears hearing aids, 4 with type one diabetes on pumps, a few with Aspergers.  And various mental issues we deal with.  I am so impressed with these young people who, despite their problems want to serve the Lord!  




These are our new arrivals.  I can't wait to get to know them better.  I did take one of the sisters, and her companion, to a clinic their first day here.  She got sick in the MTC, and was miserable with an ear infection.

I have to admit, that despite all we have to do, there are days I really miss our family and home.  Our apartment is decent but the property manager really doesn't put any time into keeping it up.  We've had paint peeling in the kitchen since we got here and he's been notified at least two times.  Oh well...we keep telling ourselves it's a "mission apartment" and it's not supposed to be like home.

Elder Breinholt is getting really good at getting us around.  My sense of direction is shot here...there are no mountains to the east, so I have no way to tell which way we're going.  I also am amazed at the way he gets around on the freeway here.  Thank goodness for Google maps!  We haven't gotten too lost yet.  This afternoon (Friday) we're driving down to one of the southern parts of the mission (Leitchfield, KY) to deliver an insulin pump sensor to one of the Elders.

The weather has been just right until this week.  It's been in the 90's, but next week is supposed to be in the 60's. It's almost sweater weather...but not!

Another random pictures:

They keep moving "our" sisters (the ones in our ward) around...but then we get to know others too. These are Sister Cook and Sister Allred...both from Utah.  Sister Allred just completed training Sister Cook and has been moved to Lexington until she leaves in two transfers.  She is also a RN (she worked for Intermountain for a year before coming out).  Sister Cook is now here with Sister Shepherd (also from Utah).

So...now it's Saturday and I have some more pictures from our trip to Leitchfield.  The town isn't as small as I had pictured in my mind but the two Elders are on their own.  They said they have about 20 people who come to church and they meet in a run-down old Pentacostal church.  They were coming from service at the food pantry yesterday. It is amazing to me the amount of service that is rendered from the missionaries.

On the way back, I talked Elder Breinholt into taking the back roads to Louisville.  It's about 1/2 longer but much more scenic.  I, of course, took lots of old barn pictures. There were buggy caution signs but I still haven't seen any Amish.  Maybe we need to go further into Indiana.  Anyway, we went past a field that had all these little (3 feet high maybe) plant pyramids.  Looking closer at them, the plants had been pulled up out of the ground and stood upside down to dry.  It was fields of tobacco.  We drove past a couple of barns that have an open space all the way around to let the air circulate with tobacco hanging upside down in them.  Of course I didn't get any pictures!  Anyway...it was a pleasant day.

A couple of things amaze me about Louisville.  The size of their parks are HUGE.  The one we drive through to the office and back is 409 acres with a 2.4 mile one-way scenic drive that has a walking/biking lane on the other half of the road.  That's Cherokee Park, Seneca Park is just past it and on our way home too it is 300 acres, Iriquois Park is 739 acres.  All of them were designed by Olmstead who designed Central Park in New York.  Those are just three of the parks!

Not the best picture but those are  a couple of people walking the loop in Cherokee Park.  The Park always seems to be full of walkers, runners, bikers, and even a rollerblader we pass frequently.


The other thing that amazes me is the amount of squirrels.  I know I've said it before but they're out storing nuts for the winter.  We have an oak tree in the front yard and the acorns are plentiful.

The work goes on, we are happy and are grateful we're here, the Lord has been good to us.  We love our family and appreciate all they are doing to keep track of each other.