October 3, 1982 Billings, Montana

Dearest Roy, Bob, Claire, & Michael, Rick, Jean, Ricky & Barbara Jean and Ron, Ann, Susanna, Jessie and Russell,

This has been such a fun week - for one thing Daddy and I have been able to stay home all week. We have loved hearing from some of you - Bob and Claire sent an adorable Olan Mills picture of little Michael - actually two, a small one of his standing by a little red ladder and a larger one of him sitting on a stool. It's hard to believe how much he has grown in just three months - he looks a lot like you did Bob, only you were more blonde - I'll have to admit I can see a lot of Claire in him too. Ann & Ron sent an adorable picture of Susanna, Jessie, Barji and Ricky when they were already for church - how you could have snapped it when they were all so perfect I will never know. Annie - we loved your long and newsy letter too and we feel so bad for little Russell and his sore bottom - I couldn't help but laugh though to think that you will have to go to cloth diapers (Russell is allergic to disposable diapers) - he must really have a wonderful disposition to not be cross when he has had such a bad rash. Claire we loved your long and newsy letter too - we're glad you have decided to not go to China and we're also glad you could all go to Memphis - that sounds like so much fun and I know Michael loves it. Susanna and Jessie - thank you so much for the beautiful pictures - I have them on our refrigerator up in our apartment and they make it so homey - Susanna we're happy you like your school at BYU and Jessie your neighborhood school.

I believe it was in my last letter that I told you about Elder Arendt being transferred to our mission from the German Mission. Daddy sent him to the best place in Montana - up by Columbia Falls - and with the best training companion we have. Thursday morning really early his companion called Daddy and said Elder Arendt had packed his clothes and taken the mission car and was no where in sight. Daddy called several people up there and in about half an hour he got a call and they had found him at the airport - he was on his was home Salt Lake. To make a long story short - he came to Billings and we met him at the airport and he stayed at the Mission Home overnight and went home early Friday morning. I don't know if this is happening all over the church or if it is just in our mission but this is the fifth one to go home in three months and that surely isn't good. Once they make up their minds to go home there isn't anything you can do - he is such a sweet young man and we just loved him but he just didn't want to stay - said it was just like it was in Germany so it wasn't the language - we're going to be very suspicious of any more transfers from other missions. One thing for sure - the young people who stay on their missions are certainly prepared for life!

The funniest thing happened last Monday. We have an Elder in the home whose parents run a catering service in Kaysville - Earl Hess and his wife. Elder Hess used to be a chef and is really an excellent cook. He is also an outstanding elder so Daddy has put him in charge of the operation of the house among other things - he is the one who put the mirror tiles on the wall and did such a good job. Well, I asked him to be in charge of the kitchen on P-day because that is Brenda's day off. I thought I had made it clear to him that I just wanted him to oversee them making sandwiches or something like that because we don/'t serve an evening meal on Monday night. They went into the kitchen early last Monday morning and started cooking - when they finally got around to eating about 4 that afternoon they had steak, lobster, twice baked potatoes, corn and baked Alaska. This house smelled like the best restaurant in New Orleans and they had invited other Billings Elders to come too and the dining room was filled. The final blow was when I went to the laundry room that evening I found they had melted butter all over the nicest lace cloth we have plus about a dozen dirty place mats. Needless to say I was upset and told Johnny how I felt. He thought he was doing them a favor and went and told them how upset I was - I didn't know he had done this and I couldn't figure out why they were so subdued until he told me what he had told them. Friday we wrote out some rules and handed them to the Elders - I should have done that long ago but we have talked to them and I thought they understood. Another problem was that they hadn't done any of their laundry or other personal chores - they had had a ball!!!! I guess this is all in getting used to the things we have to do - the house has probably been the biggest problem an I'm sure that's why they are getting rid of the big Mission homes where the elders live. I have to keep reminding myself that they are 19 years old boys and not as mature as they look - they have the greatest desire in the world to please if they just know what is expected of them. They have been too noisy at night too and Johnny gets upset at that because he has to get up do early - we all have to learn and it will be a lot easier now that it is out in the open - he really did me a favor by telling them. I have told them they could make pizza tomorrow and they must have the kitchen cleaned up by 2. I do all their beds laundry on Monday and when I have extra kitchen laundry to do too it gets a bit much!!!!

We took three pictures at the Crow Fair and I'm just getting around to sending them to you. We haven't been to the reservations for several weeks but we have an outstanding missionary couple who volunteered to serve in one of the hardest areas so we feel they are in good hands. Conference was so wonderful this weekend - the first time in my life that I have heard all the speakers. When Elder lee (the Indian) from the First Quorum of Seventies spoke we all sat in "awe" because he was so good and it's hard to realize their potential when you work with them on the reservations. I'll bet Pres. Kimball and Pres. Tanner won't be with us another conference on Elder LeGrande Richards. Daddy and John went to the Priesthood session last night and they said they thought they saw Bart Forest in the crowd on the television. Johnny is a little tired of church speakers after two days of it.

I am taking an Institute class every Tuesday night - we're studying the Book of Mormon. The Institute Teacher here is Jerry Burns from Ogden and he is just fabulous - if he can help me understand the Book of Mormon it will be the most meaningful part of my whole mission. I understand it while I am reading it discussing it with daddy then the next day everything I have learned is forgotten - it's so frustrating. I have the hardest time with the sequence of things and I embarrass Daddy - in fact, they had us introduce ourselves at the first class and I said I was a missionary serving in the mission home so they wouldn't know I was the Mission President's wife. They have a lot of Church members who attend East Montana College and Rocky Mountain College here and they attend the institute - Brenda and I go together. I'm sure there will be many times I won't be able to go bit I'll learn something, I hope!!!!

Roy - how's your car running? You'll hear in October about your internship in San Antonio won't you - that is exciting. Chris Jordin wrote and told me that Garic had had another wreck in his Dad's "Z" car - can you even imagine how upset Garry would be? She said it wasn't Garic's fault but there was quite a bit of damage.

Jeannie - we surely hope you're feeling good. Annie said you were home because the baby was "out of stress" - I don't understand all that but isn't it wonderful the things they know and can do nowadays???? We hope Rick's family is all settled in and things are working out good - when will they be able to start on your home?

Bob - we will keep our fingers crosses about your applications for internships - this is such an exciting year for you and Roy and we're so proud of you both. Claire - I have written to everyone who had a section in our printer's tray bit I don't have the Hendersons address or the Kellar's so I'm sending them to you - will you see they get them? I don't even know Bro. Kellar's first name. How is "A Day With Daryl Hoole" coming - Cissy wrote and said the Stake is really going all out for it - I'll bet it's really nice and could be a great missionary tool.

Annie - we had your spaghetti sauce recipe for dinner tonight and we all loved it. We never did get enough ri0e tomatoes to make enough to freeze so we just used it with the canned tomatoes. I'm going to try your cucumber salad recipe too - sounds wonderful. We hope you'll be able to really use the boat now.

That's all the news - we love you all so very much and wish we could help you when you need us. PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO!!!!!
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