Week 2 at San Diego

WEEK 2
We how now made it through week 2 and our first two weeks have become something of a legend in the mission now as a record for events.
Sunday I went to church alone and Mark stayed with the Elder  who was recovering at the mission home from his surgery. He slept most the day. It was calm enough we arranged some family pictures, hung the big clock and as of now we have all the boxes unpacked and most everything up or put away.  I fed the Assistants and An another elder. We left for La Jolla to go meet Dad's two counselors and their wives. We met at one of their homes and They fed us. They are super nice people and it was a nice evening.
Monday Dad left early for the "Valley" or El Centro to do interviews. I stayed home with our sick elder who was doing better. He actually started to eat. I worked in the office most of the day getting up to speed on the medical, reading records, making phone calls, finding phone numbers. I am dealing with everything from swollen knees to mental health....(spell psychotropic drugs)  Mark returned about 4pm. Both of worked on a particular health issue. Elders came by to renew their
temple recommends. AP s showed up at 9:30pm for the weekly conference call to all zones. Jennifer
my house help showed up and let me tell you it is pure luxury and a sanity help. She even irons
Mark's shirts.
Tuesday I took care of  our Elder till the assistants arrived to do that. I drop to the office for an office
meeting. Dad and I then drove to Spring Valley for a baptismal interview.  Then home to feed 3 hunger elders. Tried to get some study in, answered lots of phone calls mental health to dental.  I am
thinking now this is my new normal.  Missed Nicole Green who came by to visit.
Wednesday The Elder went back to work. His companion came and picked him up. I did errands like post office, to the cleaners and then to El Cajon to meet up with Dad who was doing interviews there. I think this is the same building we blessed Jared in when we lived here. Dad feels the same. In the other side of the building from the interviews one of our senior couples was working with LDS Congolese refugees to teach them English. Our senio couple teach English 6 hours a day to these good people so they can qualify for government help. They are swamped.  They are thrilled to have me bring the sister missionaries over sometime and distribute DFG kits.  So Jambo to all the Congolese. Dad and I talked to a former counselor in the mission about his not for profit organization that is trying to help the refugees. We are also going to try and get help for our senior couple.  While at the chapel I talked to a man and his sister who were checking out the building for a funeral on Saturday for his wife. He was totally inactive, his sister who is very active and lives in N
CA was working hard to help. This poor man was in deep mourning and not consolable. I got his
information and hopefully our missionaries can make some contact in a couple of weeks. In the evening I drove to the Battalion site under Dad's instruction to fix a problem between two sisters. When I got there, the Senior Sister greeted me and said how glad she was I was there and a large group of the sister missionaries were gathered too.  Felt just like Girls Camp which as I told Jared is
probably why I was stake girls camp director for 3 years.  One of the sisters was a dear sister from mainland China.  Again my experience with my beautiful chinese daughter helped me understand. Lord prepares us without us knowing. Two hours later I got back home
Thursday interviews again this time in Santee. I drove on to Penasquitos to meet with my mission nurses and get up to speed. Couldn't do my job without them. They are saints and well qualified ones at that.  2 hours later drove back to Santee and spend a good part of the afternoon on the phone trying to help a sister find a psychriatrist or however you spell that. I think we made some head way even if we are still trying to get her in.
I was feeling so much stress by evening I wasn't sure how I was going to unwind. I finally prayed over each of my situations with missionaries I was working on. There came an overwhelming peace that it was all ok and the work of the day was good. I was able to fall asleep
Friday- interviews in Poway. Left the house at 8am   Elders had shown up at the door at 6:30 one
needed to talk to Dad. Good thing we were dressed. Poway is beautiful. I got to visit with the elders and sisters while they waited for interviews. Practiced my spanish with the spanish speakers.  It was really kind of fun.  We ate a late lunch after about 2 and then decided to drive through La jolla and see the temple. Our sister missionaries there took our picture. It really is beautiful.  Apparently Nathan has an office right in there and can see the temple. About 5pm one of the zone leaders from Poway who has a peanut allergy called to tell me he had accidentally got a peanut in his food. But he only had a rash. I told him to get benadryl immediately. Asked if he had an epipen  He said it was back in Ramona at his apartment. I said if the symptoms get worse at all get to Urgent Care. He slept for a little while when he got home but woke up feeling worse, went to Urgent Care where they gave him an epipen and put him in an ambulance to Poway where he spent 3 hours being observed. They got back to Ramona about 10:30pm.  In the meantime here I had the elders, the bishop and his wife and 2 investigators over for a lesson and to set up their baptism.  It was really nice. Elders did a good job.
Whew. I am ready for PDay and I am sure you are ready for this to end. I am going to have to train dad how to take a day off and how to eat properly. He think fresh orange juice is breakfast and a coke an hour later is brunch.  He is going to kill himself.  I take food for him to eat during the day at
interviews. He is off to the store right now while I finish then he promised to take me to the Embracedro.  We found our way to the top of Mt HEloix this morning.  I will attach some photos now and quit talking.
The work is true.  The Spirit literally sustains you each day and I think we have survived the crisis's thrown our way this past two weeks. Even the Area Medical Advisor has been amazed at what we have had come our way. I am grateful for this experience. It is incredible.
love you all and think of you often
MOM

Elder and the Assistants at the hospital last week

 Looking north east from the top of Mt. Heloix. That fog is called the June Gloom and rolls in from the coast at night and is burned off by the sun in the morning. This is about 8am. The cold of the pacific hits the hot coastal area and we get foggy mist.

The temple. It really is beautiful and the people here are so proud of it.