Hi Dear Family!

More full days flying by!  We are sprinting! 

Love you all!

President and Sister Shumway

Monday March 23^rd, 2015

Today I was thinking about some of the great people we have worked with here in the mission field-  and two of them called me!

I met _________ at Sam’s Club!  He was at the register and checked out my groceries. The store was almost empty, no one else in line, so we had a conversation about God right there.  He didn’t believe in God and I told him that perhaps I knew something that could change his mind.  I invited him to call me-  and surprise-  he did!   I taught him the first two concepts of the first lesson over the phone, with my “Preach My Gospel” in my lap.   I invited him to the mission home for dinner and he came!  And that started the greatest friendship.  Over the last 2 and ½ years, _____has been to the mission home for dinner or some activity more than a dozen times-  he’s part of the family now!  

He investigated the church for a while, our Elders were wonderful, but he never really gave it a fair chance.  Maybe some day.  He is only 20 something-  he’s bright and has a desire to make a difference in the world.  So-  we’ll just keep our friendship going.  _____ just started a job as a truck driver.  Today he asked me if he could come to Utah and spend his first vacation this summer with us!!    We’ll take him to temple square-  we’ll just keep teaching and loving.  

_________ called me tonight-  I love that dear woman!   In the middle of her journey to learn about the church and the gospel, the sister missionaries took me to meet her, and we were instantly friends.  We had some great long visits at her home and over the phone about various aspects of the gospel and she was baptized a year ago.  This May-  in a month- she will go to the temple for the first time, and I will go with her!    What a blessing for me!  I’m so grateful the Lord is still giving us these wonderful experiences here at the end of our mission.

Wednesday 25- Friday 27, 2015   Transfer Week

Wednesday 25^th

Oh my goodness!  What a transfer week we had!  We picked up the new missionaries from the airport.  Their flight came in late so we didn’t even get them back to the mission home until after 4pm.  On the way home, the black clouds started rolling in.  We had heard earlier in the day that the weather today was set up for tornadoes-  but you never know.   We were going to stop at the office with our group like we usually do, but the sky was looking ominous so we drove straight back to the mission home.  The assistants, with the van and trailer were right behind us.  It started raining, but not too bad, and the wind hadn’t picked up so we thought we were probably ok.  We had so much training to do, very quickly, so we weren’t paying too much attention until the sky really got black and it started to lightning.  That always comes first.  We got right on the computer to check the weather.  They were showing the makings of several tornadoes headed right toward Tulsa.  Just about that time our tornado sirens went off.  Those sirens mean – take cover.  So we pulled everything out of a couple of closets and made ourselves ready, while President Shumway stood on the back porch and watched the clouds for signs of tornadoe activity.  The sirens went off and on again twice more,  and there was lightening for a couple of hours and heavy rain, but thankfully, the tornadoes didn’t actually come close to us or harm any of our missionaries.  There was some damage in Sand Springs, which is in our mission, but no one was killed.   There was a tornado on the ground in Broken Arrow-  my assistants were here helping me in the mission home while their families were at home hiding in their closets.  The power in Broken Arrow was out for hours. 

So-  that’s the start of tornado season!  May it be the worst we have to deal with this year!  We always worry about it.  So many of our missionaries are far away from us and we worry about them. Wonderful members take care of them, and we have protocols in place for reporting how everyone is, but it is a little scary.  We just have to trust in the Lord, and we do.

Wednesday April 1, 2015- 

President and I left Tulsa at 6:30am for Rogers, AR to have Mission Leadership Council there.  We now have 41 mission leaders- counting the assistants!   It’s a big group of the most awesome young people you have ever met.  I love them all dearly!  They are the missionaries that set the culture of our mission-  we depend on them for so much, and they do it! 

We started with a half hour Sister’s Meeting -  and then went straight into our meetings-  We discussed the new campaign the Church has given us to use in finding-  “Because He Lives”.   I hope you have all had an opportunity to see it and are inviting everyone you know to look at it.  It is all over the internet! 

One Zone Leader trained about missionary dignity.  One Sister Training Leader trained about the power of being a positive leader.  We talked about enduring to the end,  had our mission indicators, had a sharing time of great missionary ideas, a section on apartment inspections, etc….!!!   A great day!

During lunch- our assistants switched everyone’s books around and moved papers and backpacks-  our one silly prank for April Fool’s Day!

FRIDAY APRIL 3, 2015

I attended Tulsa East Zone Training Meeting in Muskogee and President Shumway attended Tulsa Zone Training Meeting at the New Haven Building in Tulsa.  Both great meetings! 

This afternoon we had an office staff meeting with our wonderful Senior Missionaries.

April 4, 2015 -  General Conference!   A day we look forward to with great anticipation! 

I felt overwhelmed with gratitude today for the wonderful counsel that was given by the brethren.  I absolutely know that they speak for Heavenly Father.  I felt His Spirit many times today. 

Our assistants joined us for the first session.  Then President Shumway, Taylor, our assistants, Richard and Emerson Crockett (so nice to have family here!) went to dinner before the Priesthood session- our Shumway tradition, and Abby and I went out with our two Senior Sisters in the office to a very nice restaurant. 

Grocery shopping, home to get ready for Sunday.

April 5, 2015-  Another day of General Conference and Easter to celebrate the Atonement!

A drizzley spring day in Oklahoma, but that couldn’t dampen my spirits!  We got to wrap up in our blankets and listen to conference! 

After the last session we had a fun gathering of family and missionaries for our Easter dinner:

The Crockett family, our Senior office staff, our assistants and our Tulsa Spanish Elders, and us!

We truly enjoyed being with these wonderful people.  After everyone left, we continued our Shumway tradition of watching “The Lamb of God”  each Easter, which always makes me realize the magnitude of our Savior’s sacrifice for us.

Happy Easter!