June 12, 1983 Billings, Montana

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

It seems so funny to include Johnny in this letter and it makes me realize how grateful I am that it will be at least another year before I have to do that al the time - Daddy and I just said how lonely it seems without him and w have been home about half an hour and there are 14 Elders in the home - I guess we don't know what lonely is but we miss you already John.

We were so thrilled to get home tonight and find your note Johnny and learn that you had a wonderful Temple trip and that you got off for Little Rock okay. I can't tell you how much we worried about you last night but I know it wasn't your fault - we started calling about 5 p.m. as soon as we got in Glasgow but we had to go to a fireside so we were gone from 5:30 'til 10:00 - when you didn't answer your phone we called the Elders and they said you weren't home from Idaho Falls yet so we asked them to have you call us as soon as you got in. Finally when you hadn't called by 3:30 this morning we deiced you had come home between 5"30 - 10:00 and packed your things and were spending the night with Jason. We called the Elders about 7 this morning and they checked in your room and said your suitcases were gone so we knew you had gone. The Ereksons came to Glascow and they told us you didn't get home from the Temple until about midnight - we have decided that when you tried to call the motel it was after midnight and they don't answer the phone that late. I have never thought you would be able to get your things all together all by yourself but it looks like you did a wonderful job - I forgot to give you forks for your potato salad but I guess that's a minor thing. We are excited for you to check in with us tomorrow and let us know where you are and how things going. WE'RE SO PROUD OF YOUR GREAT THIS SEMESTER!!!

Bob and Claire, we hope you survive your two guests - we appreciate you so much because we could have never have let Johnny go back to Little Rock if you hadn't been there and he really deserved to go back. Bob, we hope you have had a fun time at youth conference this weekend - it was so good to talk to you when you called for Johnny's birthday. Johnny was so excited about being with you and I know he'll be a great help if you'll let him and Jason is such a neat young man we know you'll enjoy him too.

Roy - you're all graduated - I could really feel for you when we talked and you were getting ready to leave your Providence home for seven years. We didn't realize you would be moving right on graduation day - we thought you would be back and forth from Boston until the end of June. We're thrilled that Patrice's Mom and Patrice were able to be with you for all the festivities and we know they enjoyed it. Brenda said she saw on television where John Kennedy graduated from Brown and that his mother (Jackie Onassis) was there - did you get to see her? I know he doesn't impress you but we think that's kinda' neat.

Jeannie - we loved talking to you too and it sounds like things have settled down in Farmington. Elder Watts is in the home tonight - that group of Elders leaves tomorrow to go to Chile - and I asked him home were flooded and he said no but that it got really close and his family was really worried. We met a dietitian (Jean Ahmann) in Glascow today who had graduated from BYU - she said she thins she knows you.

Annie - we surely hope you're feeling better. Thank you so much for sending us the Orem paper with the news of the flooding in Lehi - Mamie had sent us the front page of the Lehi Free Press but it didn't have near the news coverage the Orem paper did. I think I would have heart attack if it got close to our home there - our picture albums are the first things I would want saved and I believe they are upstairs in that new room.

Johnny didn't have much of a birthday celebration last Monday but we really enjoyed spending the day with him - he took the day off and we just did fun thins like shopping, looking at fancy cars and going out to eat. When we got home about 6 the Elders were really in a tizzy - Johnny's friend girl had ordered a dozen balloons to be sent to him and they are delivered by a girl in a tuxedo who sings a little song - since Johnny wasn't here they sang to one of the Elders. Later in the evening that friend girl came over and had ice cream cake with us. Next year I am going to have a party for him regardless!!!

Daddy has had some more problems with some of the Elders and it has really had him upset - I keep thinking he will be able to just shrug these off but I don't believe he will ever learn how to do that. When you are dealing with 130 missionaries there is a crises almost every single day. One of these Elders will have to go home and he has been such a good missionary except for this almost innocent mistake - Daddy defends them with everything he has but some things just can't be overlooked!!!

We have 8 Elders here waiting for their visas for Mexico - Elder Asay told us about two weeks ago to just consider them as permanent missionaries in our Mission because maybe they would just stay here for the full time. Daddy gave them positions of leadership and opened up new areas for them and then they called and said to have them ready to leave by this Monday - sometimes the church is hard to understand!!! They all came into the Mission Home tonight and one of them had mud on his shirt and asked me to wash it so I did - I just now took it out of the dryer and handed it to him and told him he knew where the iron was! They are excited about going to Chile and are really important - kinda' hard on our Home Staff.

We have been in Glascow this weekend for their District Conference - Daddy was in charge of all their meetings today. We have two new Elders up there and they are doing a marvelous job - they had the youth thing all organized last night and it was the first time something like that has been done there. This is clear up in the Eastern part of the State - about 300 miles from Billings. Miller Warner's sister and her husband are missionaries up there and their daughter flew in from Tulsa to surprise them yesterday with her boyfriend - he wanted to ask her father for permission to become engaged. Sister Moon was absolutely thrilled to pieces - this daughter is about 30 and she was worried that she might not marry - her boyfriend works for an oil company in Tulsa and is a returned missionary who has his master's degree from BYU. Sister Moon gave me the most beautiful wall embroidered hangings - I believe she had some of her nieces make them - they are very "crafty"!!! Our other couple missionaries up there, Bro. And Sister Turner, are going home next week and they are really excited - their home is in Bluffdale, Utah - they have been out for 18 months and it's been hard for them.

It's 10:30 and Daddy just called to the Elders and told them to get to bed so I had better stop typing - I'll finish this in the morning.

Daddy just came upstairs and we sat down and half giggled and half cried - they had just called him from Salt Lake concerning one of his missionaries who has been home from his mission for about four months and now is being accused of a moral transgression involving someone here in Montana. These things come in bunches - maybe it's the Spring of the year!!! Our Elders who are going to Chile are still in the home and one of them thinks he can play the piano and he has been playing it constantly last night and again this morning - this big grand piano is so much fun to play and we love to have it played but this Elder only knows one song and he doesn't know that very well - Ha! Daddy is back on Maalox!!! There are so many wonderful things that happen and they far overshadow the bad things but sometimes life here is just hysterical. Right now I'm waiting for Brenda (we call her The Princess) to finish in the laundry room so I can do the laundry for 14 beds and the towels for 4 bathrooms. I write these things so that in a few years when I am really homesick for our Mission I can read my letters and remember the hard part too. When we came home last night we had a package from the Jarvis Family - a gorgeous vase they had made in their shop and lovely thank you letters and during the week we received a beautiful window hanging from the Jensen family up in Glen-drive because we had sent them a picture of their family. We also received a beautiful tray of fresh fruit from someone attending our party last Sunday - everyone is so nice and thoughtful to us and I absolutely have no reason to complain so forgive me!!!

I wish you could see our garden - it is by far the most beautiful and advanced garden in all of Billings - people can't believe it. We already have little tomatoes and little broccoli and squash - Daddy loves to tend to it so he gets up early before the phone starts ringing. Our flower garden is also doing really good - we have petunias in bloom and our peonies and roses are just gorgeous - it is plain to see the Lord's hand in this Mission Home.

We surely do love each one of you - we rejoice with you in all the good things that have come into your lives but we are also aware of the challenges and hard times and if we can help you in anyway please let us know. PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO!!!!!!
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