First Full Week of the Mission Office

We finished our first full week in the mission office. Three days of training by the couple we are replacing and we were on our own. Elder Cutler's duties are all the financial records, paying bills for rents, utilities & mission charge cards. He also makes sure the missionaries receive their monthly food & living expenses...usually about $160/each. Also he reviews, signs and records all new apartment leases and starts new utilities. Big job right now because of all the new apartments that are needed for the new missionaries. We receive 21 new missionaries on the 12th with 1/3 of them sisters. Pres. Worthlin is receiving inspiration on who and where all these new missionaries will serve.

Sister Cutler's duties will be answering the mission phone, recording and reorganizing transfers, monthly newsletter, weekly president's letter, recording baptisms, arranging arrival and departure packets, and the list goes on.  Busy!!!

Saturday, we were finally able to move all our belongings from our car and the mission home into our own apartment (our apartment is the bottom right).  Living out of a suitcase for the past month was getting tiring. We had stored some of our stuff in the basement of the apartment, but Friday night, the basement was filled up with 3" of water and some items got really soaked...lost some books and possibly some temple clothes which were in a soft bag.  We had to buy some items for the apartment on Sat., so by night time we were pretty exhausted...but we now are finally settled. Our apartment is on the ground floor, small kitchen area, comfortable couch and leather easy chair in the living room, one small bathroom and two bedrooms (king bed and twin beds). From time to time, we will be having missionaries stay overnight. All the major stores are within 2 miles (except Costco).




{Dad going to the post office.  Note the dirty car!}

Today, Sunday, we drove 37 miles to the branch where we are assigned. It used to be a thriving ward, but when most of the old factories closed, many of the strong members had to leave. Today there were about 70 members in attendance. We felt the strong spirit of the branch immediately and were warmly and excitedly accepted. We are going to love attending. Don't know what the Branch President will want us to do yet, but will do what is asked. We are replacing a couple who are on a temple mission at the Palmyra Temple. That's about a 2 hour drive each way. They would usually leave on Sat. night and stay at a member's home that night so they could be there for Sunday meetings. He was a counselor in the branch presidency and she was Primary president. What faithful senior missionaries.

After church, we were invited to have lunch at the home of a member of the Stake Presidency who lives in the branch. They asked us to follow them home and arrived through country back roads which took about 25 minutes. We would have never found it on our own. Wonderful family who has a daughter who was in the MTC when we were there. It took us about 50 minutes to drive back to our apartment...left at 9 am and returned about 5 pm. Long day but very enjoyable experience.  We have taken a couple of pictures of the countryside, but because of the white clouds and white snow it is hard to see anything.

{View from the apartment building we live in}

We are going to just love this mission and upstate NY and the wonderful faithful members. The missionaries are pumped up and the excitement is high. We love our Mission President and his wife. Missionary life is great, tiring and worthwhile.