Whatever reprieve last week was, this week is its antithesis. It was time to implement our revamped
transfer process, because we would begin receiving missionaries on Monday, May
25th and start conducting transfers in the mornings while welcoming
additional arriving missionaries in the evenings for the next three consecutive
days. This week was a “special”
transfer, meaning it wasn’t part of the every six week calendar that the
Missionary Department has mapped out for years in advance. In that respect, it was not unlike a lot of
transfers we have had in the past several months. But what was different this time was the
Missionary Department decided that sending out too many missionaries in too
large of groups was not good health practice.
So they broke the large group of missionaries they were sending into 3
groups, and sent them on consecutive days.
I sure hope we prevented someone from getting sick, because it about did
the mission staff in. Arrivals and
transfers are a big deal. Getting ready
for one is challenging. Getting ready
for three would have been overwhelming, especially while trying to keep social
distance. The ace up our sleeve was we
saw this coming, and we had a plan.
Tuesday, May 26 was our beta test.
We had lists and schedules and had been checking and rechecking for
several days. Now it was time to do
it. We had a new set up scheme in the
Frontenac parking lot, and the senior missionaries, moving assistants, and APs
arrived an hour and a half early to get ready.
We had driveways to block off, traffic cones to place, tables and chairs
to set up in stations, parking areas to designate, luggage to set out, mail and
other deliverables to assemble, and our secret weapon, transfer instructions,
in three different colors for handing out. It was a warm, sunny day, and the set
up went well. Some missionary cars
arrived earlier than we had planned, throwing us off just a bit, but we
recovered. By the time President and
Sister Bell got there with the new missionaries, we had a good deal of the transfer
work completed, which was the goal. Our
plan had really helped.
Meet Elder Nathaniel Nelson. He
became a third housing assistant today. Ordinarily
after three transfers one housing assistant is sent back to the field. Not this time. We have three Has. This is a bit odd, but these are strange
times all around. Elder Nelson is a
bright young man, interested and skilled in the performing arts. He might just bust out in a show tune at any
moment. And he’s good! But, even though he is from Wyoming, he seems
a stark contrast to the rough and ready other two housing assistants,
especially Elder John, who fancies himself a cowboy. Missions bring all kinds together in the
service of Christ.
Off we go for post-transfer work—first a stop at a new found mattress
warehouse store that supposedly has twin foundations ready and available. And yes, they do! The simple pleasures of a housing coordinator. Then we left for Rockwood 2nd to
set up a Tri. Normally, this wouldn’t be
that big a deal, but Rockwood 2nd is the apartment of the only two
known cases of COVID-19 among the missionaries.
Sisters Austin and Greer had suffered together for about six weeks, and
only recently found themselves getting back to normal. President has assigned a new incoming sister
to join them, and she needs a place to sleep.
I must admit, it felt a little—hmm, I don’t know what the word is—something
like uncomfortable?—to go into a place where you know that the Corona virus has
been in force. We kept our masks on and
stayed socially distant. What would it
feel like to actually move in there with the rccovered missionaries? The new sister is brave! But Sister Austin and Sister Greer look good,
so its just a mental thing (right?).
Then we went to St Charles North to deliver luggage that wouldn’t fit
into the Sisters’ car at transfers earlier today, to O’Fallon, Missouri to drop
of a Missionary Support Funds card to a hungry missionary, and finally to Troy
to set our second apartment that would hold four missionaries, at least until I
can find another apartment in the area. This
last arrangement includes a young man that Sister Hatfield looks after because of
their shared diagnosis, so I have some feelings for him. He is brave too. He could have taken the easy way out and gone
home during the COVID purge (that sounds wrong, but it was a difficult and
negative experience for most everyone), but he (with Sister Hatfield’s encouragement
and support) decided to stay. He now
gets to add on top of the social isolation period a cozy living arrangement. I’m proud of him.
Wednesday, May 27th was the second test of our new transfer
process. And the forecast was for
rain. We recommended to move the
transfer stations into the gym, but the decision was we
would conduct the transfers outside, rain or shine. This time it was definitely rain. In fact, there was a small river dividing our
parking lot space in two. The HAs went
to the mission home to borrow some patio umbrellas, which were of marginal
help. The square shade tent clearly was
for shade, not rain. Packing tape would
not stick to hold up signs. Tables could
not be kept dry. We had to keep luggage
and bedding (especially pillows) in the trailer. It rained constantly during the hour we had
for set up and the 45 minutes of transfers.
Jackets became a wet nuisance. Afterwards,
it took three days for my shoes to dry.
Only about the time that the Bells arrived with the new missionaries did
the rain ease off a bit. We were clearly
not as smooth as yesterday in the clear weather, but we did it. I’m not sure the benefits of doing this
outside in the weather outweighed the burdens.
We’ll talk about this more at the staff meeting on Friday.
On Thursday, May 28th we did it again. Only it didn’t rain this time, and we were
smart enough to leave a bunch of our stuff in the back hallway of the building
where it was easily retrievable. We were
learning, if not exhausted. After the
transfers we headed for the Columbia Zone to Fulton, to drop off some chairs, and to Riverview
South in Jefferson City. I need to make
a decision to renew the lease there, or not.
And we have had a couple of issues, like ants, so I really did want to
take a look. A new Elder Logan Morrison just
assigned to serve in Riverview is the son of my cousin’s best friend in
Arizona. So it gave me the chance to
welcome Elder Morrison to the mission.
Having done all this, it was getting late, and the elders are
hungry. We talked about what we could
eat, and I learned a little secret.
Thursdays are boneless 2 for 1 day at Buffalo Wild Wings. The missionaries take frequent advantage of
this. And since I had three assistants,
the arithmetic was just right to split orders.
We found one in Jeff City, and from the parking lot phoned in our
order. It was hilarious though, because
it was raining and banging on the truck roof so hard that Elder Scheurman and
the hostess could not hear each other.
It was a wonder it worked at all.
In the 15 minutes we waited for the order to be ready, it slowed enough
for us to go in and buy our wings. When
we got inside, to our surprise, there were people eating at tables. Sheepishly, and not knowing for sure whose
rules we might be breaking, we asked if we could eat our takeout inside. They obliged, and I left a good sized
tip. This was my first eat in meal in
months, and it felt good. We were so
tired after this week that we took turns driving the 2.5 hours back to St
Louis.
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