February 27, 1983 Billings, Montana

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

We're in Billings again this weekend and we have really enjoyed going to church with Johnny and then we went to "Wong's Village" for lunch - we had their number one combination plate for three today and it was delicious - sweet and sour pork, shrimp, egg rolls, chop suey and chow mein. We go to the fourth ward now and have had Johnny's membership moved over to that ward (ours is in Lehi) - for some reason the firth ward is just different and since we're all happier in the fourth ward that's where we'll stay. Don't take for granted the joy that comes from going to church together and to a ward where you feel at home - our calling has really made us appreciate that - where we visit a different ward each week we almost get the feeling we don't belong anyplace!!!!

Daddy just came in and asked me if I wanted to go to the river with John and Suzy (the dog) so I'll write more later.

We went to Yellowstone River but Suzy wouldn't retrieve anything and I didn't blame her - the water is too cold!!!! Daddy has built her a little "pen" out by the shed in back - it doesn't look very big to me but he had cement laid and is putting a fence around it and he says it will be big enough. He had built her doghouse some time ago and has it lined with carpet and filled with straw so she's happy even if it gets really cold. The Elders all play with her so she gets a lot of attention even though she has to stay tied up all day.

We have loved talking to each one of you this week. Roy - we hope you are back in the swing of things in Providence by now and everything is going good. I hope getting the Lehi house put back into storage wasn't too big of a deal - we're proud of you for being able to get everything working and we're glad to have a new water heater that is rewired right and big enough to take more than one bath at a time - it makes us feel good to know we "all" have a home in Utah. We're also glad you could get your mini-bike working - that hasn't been used for a long, long time!

Bob - we are really anxious for you and Michael and Ann her little children to come stay awhile with us. (Bob and Michael are coming on March 10th and Ann, Susanna, Jessie and Russell with come on March 11th. Elder Dunn will be here Mar. 8, 9, 10 and 11 but he will stay in the General Authorities' room and will leave on the 11th - Bob, you and Michael can have that room when he leaves and Ann and her children will have the yellow room because it's bigger.) Actually, Daddy and I and the assistants are going to take the van to Missoula for the 8th and meet Elder Dunn there for meetings and then go to Great Falls where we will have a fireside and then we'll fly back to Billings - the assistants will bring the van back. There are all kinds of thins planned and it will be a nice relief after he leaves to have you all here for a visit - we hope the weather will be as good as it has been for the last little while. Johnny is really excited about having you come too and even if the weather isn't good we'll make our own fun. Ron and Claire - we wish you could come too!!! We feel bad that it's going to cost $500 to just come from Salt Lake - I don't blame you for routing your trip through Denver so you will have a longer ride - the girls will never forget it.

Jean - I was so thrilled to talk to you last night and learn that you had gone to Brigham City for Jaylene's wedding reception. You said that was such a busy night for you and we can just imagine how hard it is with Rick's Mom in the hospital and all - we really appreciate your representing our family in the north end of the state and Ann representing us in the south end. You said that Jaylene looked beautiful and her dress was just gorgeous - I wish we could have been there too. I wish you could have seen Grandmother and Grandpa Forrest but since it was almost nine I guess they had gone home. We had gone home. We had a short note from Grandpa saying she was having some tests made at St. Benedict's hospital in Ogden - she still doesn't feel good and that makes me sad!!! We hope so much that Rick's mom will get feeling better really soon and will be able to go home - I'm sure she will recuperate much faster at home.

Ann - please don't let my clothes be a lot of trouble to you - that has been such a nuisance and now I wish I hadn't even asked for them. I keep thinking of these things I used to wear that I didn't bring with me but I don't think of all the problems of getting them to Billings. Thanks Roy - for helping find them.

Last week was really a busy one - we have two super busy days each month - one day is then we receive new missionaries from Salt Lake and then very next day is transfer day. We have had a lot of problems with transfer day because of the kitchen - it is a natural thing for missionaries to head for the kitchen in the Mission Home and Brenda loves to feed them. This time we decided to put signs on the kitchen doors saying, "Kitchen Closed" and have cookies for them to eat in the entrance room of the mission home - it's kinda' like the foyer of a chapel. I decided to make the cookies on Tuesday while Brenda prepared the food for both days when we would have extra for dinner. I made thirty-five dozen cookies - oatmeal and peanut butter and most or them were eaten. There is a "Church's Fried Chicken" place in Billings that saves all their left-over chicken and freezes it and then brings it to the Mission Home for the missionaries to take with them on transfer day so they will have food to eat while getting settled in. We had sixteen big boxes of chicken and we put them on a card table outside so they could pick them up as they left - it really worked wonderful usually they would come through the kitchen and out to the pantry to get the chicken and on their way through the kitchen would get a glass of milk or punch. By the time we have been here three we will learn the ropes and this will be easy. We had six new elders come in on Wednesday so we had eighteen for dinner and then on Thursday we had 13 elders go home so we had twenty-four for dinner. I won't tell you how many sheets, towels and pillow cases I had to launder or how many rooms I had to clean but it took me all day Friday and most of Saturday!!!!. We have really learned a lot with that too - we have them all take their bed linen off their beds and dry out their showers and tubs and pile the soiled laundry in a pile. Daddy's assistants make sure they do this and that really helps. One of his assistants went home to St. George after serving twenty-five months - he has been in the Mission Home with us all the time we have been here and it was really hard to see him leave - Elder Stucki. I went in check the Elders dormitory yesterday and there were feathers all over the room - they had had a pillow fight and the pillow had broken - they cleaned it up but I went to buy some ticking to make a new pillow.

We had a nice letter from Sandy Jones - they had a little baby boy - not a girl like I had told you. That is so neat for them - they have five girls and two little boys now. I sent them a cute little pink outfit because we had heard it was a girl. Jeannie told us last night that Ellen Mae's daughter, Susan is going to have twins and that will make their sixth and seventh children - that's great but don't try to compete - Ha!

Our baptisms are going to be really good this month but we're supposed to get 115 in March and right now that seems like an impossible task. I wouldn't dare even mention and doubt because the missionaries are all fired up. Elder Dunn's visit here will help but sill that would be more than this mission has ever done and we have at lease twenty-five fewer missionaries than before. We have some great new elders - Daddy says he can see a lot of leaders in this last group - it's so funny - you can spot the leaders almost from the time they get off the plane. That isn't always true - the elder who came out with us last July who couldn't read and really was a different young man has grown into one of the finest missionaries we have - he will have six baptisms this month. Daddy has to talk him into staying on his mission at least once a week ever since he has been here.

I can't think of any more news. We love each one of you so very much and really miss you - let us know how we can help you and PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO!!!

P.S. We received the nicest letter from Bishop Shelton - he was Aunt Marvel's Bishop out how he is Daddy's High Priest Group Leader in the Lehi Ward where our membership records are so he wrote to us - it gave us a good feeling to know they remember us - they have a son who is Johnny's age and they're good friends.
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