This week we welcomed two new missionaries, Sister Fauura from Tahiti and Sister Parkinson from North Salt Lake. We met them at the Mission home with the other office couples for Sister Varner's famous homemade waffles with buttermilk syrup and afterwards participated in our last new missionary training. Later that evening we enjoyed a delicious tri-tip dinner with the eighteen wonderful Elders and Sisters who have completed their missions. We loved hearing each one share their departing testimony so full of gratitude for the Gospel and the people they've served in Louisiana and Mississippi. Among those returning home were the APs Elder Montague and Elder Bertanneau. Elder Dildine and Elder Glover will now be assisting President Varner.
Following transfers were a couple of busy days of handling reports of apartment conditions and needs from newly assigned missionaries and making rent and laundry compensation payments. Friday we joined Elder McVea and Elder Hagler in picking up eight missionaries in the van and driving to a car dealership in Gross Tete where we formed a car brigade to each drive one of 11 new cars across the Mississippi bridge and back to the Mission office. When I did this a year ago it was in a blinding rain storm with my gas light on empty. I prayed and white knuckled it the whole hour back. But this time the weather held, and I assertively tail gated Elder Jones really close so as not to be separated by a car cutting in!
Our major housing/medical issue this week was the extermination of the bed bug infestation in our Waveland, Mississippi apartment. Elder Jones's research on prevention and precaution guidelines helped the Sisters to prepare for the inspection and treatment which appears to have been successful.
In Slaughter on Sunday Sister Seeley and our new missionary, Sister Wagner, spoke in Sacrament meeting paying tribute to the nurturing and example of their fathers. Their talks were exceptional. In our Gospel Principles class we met Jeff, a humble and simple new investigator and seemingly a little backward until he began comfortably quoting from memory Bible passages on nearly every doctrinal principle introduced. We were humbled by his learning and obvious love of the word of God. He willingly received the invitation to read 3rd Nephi this coming week and compare Christ's teachings to the people in Jerusalem with 'others of His fold' on the American continent. He is a sincere seeker and lover of the word of God, and we hope he'll continue to study with the Sisters and attend our Sunday meetings.