It's been a busy week in the mission office with 27 new missionaries going through orientation. Then, in a week there will be 29 more who are service missionaries. And February is even more! Thank you Elder Rasband! On the second Sunday of each month we have a gathering where we get to meet all the new missionaries and say goodbye to those who are leaving. It's so fun!
Meanwhile, in our corner of the mission, it's been a bit of a lull. The new semester started on Monday so the rush to get students in for that deadline is over. But, that means that the students we did interview are the ones who are very on the ball and getting ready for April ahead of time. One man we interviewed said that he had been chosen to be the leader of his Pathway Connect class and wanted to get his interview and registration done quickly so he could help everyone else.
I made the discover this week that I actually can understand the students with not great English skills better than the ones who are really good at it. The ones who are good speak at a normal, fast speed and when you add in an accent it is pretty hard to keep up. The ones who aren't so proficient speak more slowly and it's much easier to understand. Sometimes we just have to make sure we get the yeses and noes at the right time and just smile and nod for some of the other, more long winded answers. It's a fun adventure.
We had a fantastic devotional on Monday evening. Steven Sharp Nelson and his wife spoke, played and sang. Steven is the cellist with the Piano Guys and his wife sings and plays the violin. It was such a beautiful and inspirational evening! Not only was the music amazing but the messages in between were just what we needed as well. When we posted the picture to our kids, Tyler pointed out that the daughter of the Nelson's is his daughter Jaina's best friend, so that was fun!
We went to the Jordan River temple on Tuesday with the Johnsons (other Chaplains) and only got slightly lost trying to find our way in and out. Another dozen or so times there and we may actually be able to find our way around that temple.
We got to visit Dal and Julie Coleman this week. Dal was one of Gary's counselors when he was Bishop in Layton and they are both just amazing. It was so good to visit with them and catch up their lives and what it going on with their children and grandchildren.
Gary is getting some extra work over the next few weeks helping out with the data validation for the new Pathway student portal. It's up his alley, doing what he did the past few years of his career so he's right at home. Meanwhile, the students keep getting interviewed, we keep trying to stay organized and on top of our lists and life is great.
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