A long week and the Botanical Gardens

Week of April 7 - April 13

As we arrived at the office on Monday morning there seemed to be a lot of activity and commotion going on.  It's usually very quiet when we arrive.  There were 2 sets of missionaries there and President showed up a few minutes later.  Then the AP's arrived.  What was going on?!  No one really knew (unless they weren't saying)  President was in interviews for most of the day with the Elders.  Individually and companionships.  Back and forth.  Then he told two Elders (that weren't companions) to go home together to a certain apartment.  He totally missed his meeting with the AP's.  Sister McKay held it with them.  Then it was staff meeting tine.  Sister McKay ran that meeting also.  The whole day seemed unsettling there at the office.  After staff meeting, we met with the Financial Department, which really is only a Senior Service Missionary and a Senior Sister Missionary.  Sister Davis found out about a month or so ago that she has Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer.  Her husband is the Mission Doctor.  She is going through Chemo right now and doesn't always come into the office.  They decided to stay on their mission and not go home, yet.  So she isn't always at the office.  This was one of those days, she wasn't there.  We meet with Elder Connell and worked out all the details for the rents coming up in May.  Dan had a Dr. appointment that afternoon, so he left and came back after to get me.  We had a lot of prep getting ready for Zone Conference the next day.  Things to bring to the missionaries for their apartments that they need. Signs and phone calls to them to let them know we have stuff for them.  There are a set of missionaries that have been having a lot of problems with their Internet.  Not all missionaries get to have internet, but if you can't get phone calls or referrals, then we get them internet.  Well these missionaries have been having trouble for a couple of months.  We keep telling them who to call and get it fixed.  But they have not had any luck with it.  So Dan decided to give them a call that night and try and get it figured out.  He was on the phone for 1 hour!  We didn't have all the information they needed at our house so while on the hone we drove over to the office and got the information for them.  Then I had the Elders on my phone while Dan was talking to ATT on his phone.  It was crazy!  We finally figured out that they or us had gotten their apartment confused with the Senior Couple that live in the same apartment complex.  And for some reason the young Elders internet had not been paid for since it had been set up.  We paid for it with the Church Credit Card we have and everything is going good now.  Wow, that was an ordell.  

Tuesday was O'Fallon Zone Conference, so we got to stay the whole time. Three zones meet together at Zone Conferences and so this time it was out in Champaign IL, 3 hours away.  I always love Zone Conference.  We start out with pictures of all the baptisms for the last 6 weeks and those that went to the temple for the first time. We have an hour meeting altogether and then split up in to Zones for a Round Robin.  President usually suggested what they classes should be about, but this time he told them to do something they learned in General Conference.  All the classes were great.  We started out with President doing our first class.  We paired up with our companions and blew up a balloon.  Then as a companionship we had to bounce the balloon back and forth all the way down the Cultural Hall and get the balloon into a bucket.  Well blowing the balloon about did me in.  And then watching the balloons go up and down really did it for me.  I was so dizzy, I couldn't do it.  I couldn't do anything.  I got really dizzy.  I think President was a little upset with me because I wouldn't do it and it just wasn't the time to share how I was feeling right then.  Well, it actually made me feel sick for most of the rest of the conference.  I was having a hard time not crying and went into the bathroom for a while. At the end we all gather in the Chapel again and President calls on missionaries to come forward and bear testimony.  This time he asked us to come ready to bear testimony of our favorite name of Christ.  I sat there praying he wouldn't call on me,...but he did.  I struggled walking up to the pulpit and as I got there I almost fell backwards.  I gave a short testimony of his name My Brother and sat down.  I made it through the meeting and then was asked to take pictures of everyone there.  I made it through, only with the Lords help because all I wanted to do was go home and go to bed.  After Zone Conference we needed to take a dryer to Danville, 1 1/2 hours away from home.  The Elders had been at the Conference too and were so happy and thankful for a new dryer.  They helped so much.  Sso thankful for these good young men. It turned out to be a 14 hour day.  We were both so tired.

Wednesday's Zone Conference was in Cape Girardeau, about 2 1/2 hours from home.  We got there about 8:30 and passed out vacuums and mops and bike rugs and a few other things to the missionaries.  When the conference started we were ready to head home.  The Wilson's, one of our  Housing Inspectors, had called and said that none of their keys fit the apartments that they were suppose to inspect.  Well, we were only about 1 1/2 hours from their house from there, so we called and asked if we could come by and give them new keys that fit.  They were kind but said NO.  The roads were flooded and it would take a long time to get there even with us being so much closer than at home.  We were trying to figure out something without having to drive all the way over to their house another day.  Finally Sister Wilson suggested that we drive to Poplar Bluff, 1 1/2 hours away and give the keys to the Relief Society President there.  She would be meeting with her later that night.  So that worked.  We drove over, gave her the keys and started home.  It was a long 12 hour day.

Thursday's Zone Conference was only 2 hours away.  So after we delivered all our supplies to the missionaries we drove over to Fulton, only half hour away, and put a Dryer in an apartment while they were at their Zone Conference.  

Friday, I had a blood test and chest X-ray.  I'll go back to the doctor in a couple of weeks to find out the results.

Saturday, we both were pretty tired and didn't think we wanted to do anything.  About 12:00 we decided to take a drive and ended up at the Botanical Gardens in St. Louis.  They were so pretty and it was a beautiful day.  It felt just restful to look at all the beautiful flowers and walk around and not be in a hurry.  Afterwards we went to Mama's on the Hill for an early dinner.  Dan had just found out about this place.  Joe DiMaggio's older brother use to be the chef there.  One day he accidently dropped a ravioli in some hot oil.  He was going to throw it away but everyone said let's taste it.  It was good!!  So it became a real thing for lots of restaurants to sell.  It became a famous dish and it all started at this restaurant.  Of course, Dan had to order it for his meal.  It was pretty good.

                                                 

Mama's on the Hill

Sunday night we went back over to the O'Fallon Stake for the performance of  The Lamb f God.  It was amazing!  A great way to start out Holy Week!!