May 12, 2015

May 11, 2015 – 8:10. AM

Bob: We are up and getting ready to go to the Mission Home for some ‘senior missionary’ instruction, a light lunch and then a field trip to a place where Parley P. Pratt and other baptized some of the first Canadian converts to the church. This area is rich in Mormon history as Joseph Smith, Thomas S. Monson, M. Russell Ballard and Bruce R. McConkie have all served in this area. A man well versed in this history is going to speak to us this afternoon so we are anxious to hear him. Not sure is the weather is going to cooperate though. The sun is out, but it is windy and much cooler than last weekend. It has rained the last 3 nights too.

Heard on Facebook yesterday that Bob Briggs had a stroke and is in a Pittsburgh hospital. If anyone knows how he is doing please let us know. Gary Church is trying to find out for us.

Monday was a very long day. My trainer, Elder Gillen, told me last Friday that we had a long report to do by Wednesday for President Clayton. The first thing he said we needed to do was to order a phone/text usage report from Rogers, the phone carrier the church uses. He had forgotten to order the report so by the time he ordered it we didn’t get the report till late Friday. He said it was too late in the day to start the report so we’d do it Monday. Started it first thing Monday, but soon discovered the report they sent us was from the previous month and not the current month. So we had to reorder the report and wait for it to come in.

Started the report late Monday morning and by 5:00 we had one report finished and a 2^nd report partially completed. Had to break and go to dinner at the Mission Home that the Claytons were hosting. Went back to the office after dinner to complete the 2^nd report and do a 3^rd report. Finished that and got home after midnight. Going back to the office this afternoon to finish the 4^th and final report.

The report from Rogers summarizes all the texts and phone calls made by each and every missionary companionship in the Mission. There were over 190,000 texts and I think about 90,000 phone calls. We had to convert Rogers’ report to EXCEL and then combine that with another EXCEL list of missionary companionships in the Mission. There are so many formulas, shortcuts, etc. that I have never seen before that my head was swimming. Next week is Elder Gillen’s last full time week so I am going to be hard pressed to figure this thing out. At least it is the hardest report he does and I have gotten a start on it. The report wasn’t being done until he arrived. Time will tell if we continue the report.

Last night at the dinner most of the senior missionary couples in the mission were there. Each of us stood up and told about our families and at least one thing we have learned on our mission. Some of them have very interesting histories. These couples were from all over the US and Canada, and most of them said they had never expected to be serving in the capacity they were now serving in. Most of them thought they were way in over their heads when they first started. But everyone loves what they are doing and they are committed to their assignments.

Got to run now. Hoping to get our internet tomorrow night. We are supposed to get an email instructing us on which post office they mailed our modem to so we can pick it up. Still waiting for that information although they emailed me it has shipped and will be here tomorrow. Installer will be here between 5 and 9 PM.

4:00 PM

Just got to the office after our senior missionary retreat today. A longtime member from this area told us of the history of the church in the Toronto area. It was very interesting, but the temperature outside was in the high 50s. Because of this it got a little uncomfortable and I think he stopped his presentation early as he was getting cold too.

Brother Pallin that gave the presentation.

 Standing by stream where many Canadians are believed to have been baptized