May 23, 1982 Little Rock, Ark.

Dearest Ron, Ann, Susanna & Jessie & Russell, Rick, Jean, Ricky & Barji and Roy,

We're getting about down to the wire and each day it gets a little harder to realize we won't be living in this beautiful home ever again. The neighbors had a party for us last night and it was really nice - Roy and Maxine Bass came up from Louisiana to help host it. They were going to have a back yard party with barbecued chicken and picnic food but it started raining early in the morning and didn't quit until about 5 p.m. and their back yard was nothing but mud so they set tables up all over the Woods' home and white linen cloths with picnic food. Just the day before we had received a lot of information from the Montana Mission President so we could tell them all about everything and show them pictures of the mission home - they were wonderful about listening to it and we hope they were sincerely interested. Let me tell you who was there - John Robert and his wife Kay and their children (they have a little baby boy fourteen months old and she is expecting again in August and she is a darling lady), David and Ann Donald and his girl friend (he will graduate next month from a computer school and is doing better than we have ever seen him), Margie and Alvin Reap, Florence Kruger, Betty and Chick Luten, Jack and Janita Hoskyn, Pete Hipp, Jeannette Barbee, Jane Sherrod, Tom and Bobbye Dennis and Bob and Claire. They had an autograph book and everything wrote something in it - we will cherish that and the memories we have of our wonderful neighborhood. David is leaving the last of June to go to Tulane University for a residency in internal medicine for three years and then he said after that he may go into radiology - we hope he was kidding!!!!

We loved the pictures of little Russell and Susanna and Jessie - you really have a good photographer - we have never seen such good pictures of a newborn. We took them all to the party last night and will take them next week for the church reception.

Rick - how was New Jersey??? We surely hope it was a good productive two weeks and that you will really enjoy your new job. We talked to Ann yesterday and she said you, Jeannie, were feeling some better and able to eat a little bit - we hope so much that continues.

Roy - we had a wonderful letter from Patrice and a lovely note from her mother inviting us to stop in Darien to see her on our way to see you. I'll write to her explaining that our plans have been changed. Patrice sounds excited about graduating - I'm sure she is!!!! We surely hope you will be able to come to Montana during the Summer sometimes - John would really appreciate having a big brother around about that time - he's talking about making "several" trips back to Little Rock and we can't let him do that.

Bob had last week off and he and Daddy went fishing some - they loved just going on the river and seeing all the snakes - they didn't catch any fish. Daddy was pulling the string to start the motor and it came around and hit him in the finger and almost took the top off - it has really been painful. He is officially a senior now!!!!

We have two weeks of school left - I keep hoping they will close the reading labs so I can finish up my paper work and quit. It's kinda' hard because if I quit then it leaves my aide without a job and she wants to keep working. The high school seniors will all be taking finals next week and then it's graduation. Johnny is really in a social whirl - he is going constantly - either to a party or swimming at Carolyn Landfair's house. I try to liken his moving to Anna moving from Phoenix because they are about the same age - the situation is quite a bit different but there was no way we ever thought we could be as happy in Little Rock as we were in Phoenix and we have been - so it proves you make your own happiness. Johnny says he wishes he had some brothers and sisters to move with.

They released Bishop Doan today and put in Dick Pearson - he is the new administrator of the hospital here and will be just great. They live in Maumelle New Town in a lovely home - they have five small children and she is expecting in late Summer. Bishop Pearson's counselors are Jim Morgan and Jim Blankenship so we have a young Bishopric. They let Neil Littlefield out and I felt badly about that - he was Doan's first counselor. I imagine they will release Sandy Blankenship as Relief Society President now.

I can't think of anymore news - we are anxious to get our move over with and get on with our Mission. We love you all so very much - let us know if we can help you in any way.

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