Zone Conference Week and a Lost Wallet
Week of January 13-19
Zone Conference Week! I love Zone Conferences. It is so fun to see all the missionaries. We have gotten to know quite a few of them. And they are always so happy when we bring them things they need for their apartments.
Monday, after Staff Meeting, we went through lists of what each missionary needs and what we need to bring to them. Also, it means a trip to the Storage Unit. I have to admit, the Storage Unit is my least favorite place to go. It is ALWAYS so cold. And since this big storm there is so much snow and ice that we can't drive the trailer into it. So, it's extra work getting things into the truck and then into the trailer.
Tuesday was our Zone Conference. President has us still in the O'Fallon Zone. So we get to stay for the whole conference and lunch. President always asks what our take away was from the conference. On the way home Dan and I talked about what ours was. I thought it was interesting that for both of us it was the same. TRUST THE LORD. That statement, President made right at the beginning of conference, just kept coming to my mind all day. Trust the Lord, He knows what He is doing. I have really doubted myself with this new assignment. But it gave me a calmer feeling about it all.
Wednesday and Thursday were more Zone Conferences and more trips to the Storage Unit. Friday we had a trip planned to go to Champaign and put in some bunk beds for a threesome of sisters. We were both worried about putting the bunk beds together and how long it would take, so Dan and Elder Smith put them together in our living room and then put them in the trailer. We were hoping we could get them into the apartment without taking them apart. We stopped first in Springfield to look at another apartment that we have to close and get out of. It looked like a lot of work. It helps us to look at it before we actually go. After a quick look we started driving over to Champaign. It's about an hour and a half drive. President McKay's Brother is Elder McKay of the Seventy. President asked him if he would do a Zoom with the missionaries. So we listened to it on our drive over to Champain. We had asked 4 Elders to meet us there and help us get everything set up. They were so great!! We had brought a package for Elder Kooyman, from his mother. He was very happy to get it. His companion Elder Cunningham was so happy to help. They had to take the bunk beds apart a little and Elder Cunningham was so happy to work on it. He was amazing and helped so much. He loves to do this stuff. He said a couple of times, "I probably having too much fun doing this!" Love the Elders. The Sisters were so cute too. They had fun trying to arrange their beds in this tiny room. They have such good attitudes. Love them!!
Saturday we needed a few personal things from Walmart, so we decided we should pick up some Mission things while we were there. We each took a basket and Dan went to get the mission stuff, 10 pillows and as many bed covers as he could find. I went the opposite direction and got a few groceries and toiletries. Dan had gone to check out before me and was going to go put stuff in the car and come back and help me. After he checked out I could see him standing right past the check out stand for a long time. I couldn't figure out what he was doing. After about 15 minutes, and he was still standing there, he called me. I thought he had been waiting for me and I told him I was almost done. Then in a trembling voice he said, "I lost my wallet." What?! Didn't you just check out? I finished up as quick as I could and went over to him. He had just checked out and was putting the churches credit card and the receipt into his wallet. He had put the credit card into his wallet but was having a hard time getting the receipt in. So he thought I'll just put the receipt in my pocket for now and dropped his wallet into his pocket. But I guess he missed his pocket and dropped his wallet on the floor. But just within 30 seconds he thought to put his hand into his pocket and the wallet wasn't there. He looked all around the floor. He started thinking. When I was putting my wallet into my pocket, a man was walking right by me. Did he pick pocket me? Where did it go. He went over to Costumer Service and talked with them. They weren't any help, We checked garbage cans, the bathroom, all up and down the aisle where he was standing. We both were beside ourselves. Not only was there our debit and credit cards, drivers license, and a few buck, but it was the churches credit card that we were most sick about. What were we going to do. Who do we even call about losing the churches credit card? Dan finally found a manager and asked him if he could look at surveillance cameras and see if he could tell anything. He was really nice but told us not to get our hopes up because if someone did pick up the wallet there wasn't anything they could really do about it. He was gone for about 30 minutes. We were losing all hope for anything good to come from this. Then he came back and said, "It's always nice when you have a good ending." I didn't understand what he was talking about and then he showed us the wallet!!!! The man walking by Dan at that moment had picked up the wallet and handed it in to the Money Services there at the front of the stores. They had given it to a clerk who passed it to another clerk and to another clerk. It had made it's rounds to all clerks. He could see if happening on the camera. It was a huge Miracle and all we could do was thank Heavenly Father for looking out for us. Thank you. After the ordeal we were both exhausted so we came home and watched a movie. That evening we went to the Jones, who live next door and had dinner with a few of the Senior Couples. It was a nice ending to a trying day.
Sunday, Andrew wasn't at church. So, we called him and went over to visit. He hadn't called for a ride because he didn't know if anyone was really going out into this freezing cold yet. But yep, we were. Had a good visit, as always, with him. He calls us his family. What a sweet man. We love him.
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