Wednesday, January 21

Tonight Ellis called to tell me that Mom is not expected to live much longer. Her liver has failed and she sleeps a lot. The Doctor said two days to two weeks. Probably closer to two days. So I guess I will need to decide again what I am going to do. I hate interrupting the missionary work again and putting everything on hold, but need to honor my mother and her memory by being there.

Tonight we met with the ward PEC and missionary committee in both wards. It is a lot different keeping up with two wards. There is a lot to do. Today we spent our time looking up media contacts, delivering them and setting up appointments. We delivered one media who had requested a Book of Mormon. He was black and said he didn't know what a Book of Mormon was, and didn't have the time to talk about it. He would call us later. He didn't even seem to know why he had ordered it!!! Go figure that one!!!

We are finally starting to get our teeth into the second ward. They have been doing zero missionary work. We are getting out into the homes and finding a lot of people who need a visit or activities to keep them busy. Especially young couples are just not friendly with each other. As Elder Whiting and I talked with the PEC tonight, they immediately put it on their agenda to call a couple to be in charge of holding activities for them once a month. That was very exciting that they would listen to us. But contained within the twenty or so couples are many part member families who need to have their spouses taught the Gospel. They need to be friends with each other and fellowship.

As we met with Heather Bray, in the second ward last night, it became evident that she needed a friend within the church to fellowship with her and have fun. So I started talking with some of the other young couples in the second ward and they said the same thing. They were lonely and had no one to go to for friendship. The Ward Mission President and the Bishop just jumped right on that one.

We got busy tonight and forgot about one of our appointments. Darn!!! We were trying to take care of Christy who had been to the Er for a sore throat, etc. We ran her over some stuff to take care of that. She is the one we are teaching in the first ward whose husband is already a member.

We visited with the Spanish Elders a little tonight and yesterday at District meeting. They are both very good looking and young. But they were telling us that one of their investigator young women had called Elder M___ up and told him she loved him a couple of days ago. So she came to Seminary tonight and brought two other girls with her. So he went out with someone in the ward to teach the three of these girls who are in love with him tonight, one of the lessons. Anyway we teased him about it and he got red in the face. The funny part is that the girls are spanish and he is from South America so they are very comfortable around him. These Elders are so young and well mannered and sweet. I just want to protect them from these girls. They are really putting there "all" into their missionary work.