Saturday - January 28, 1984 Billings, Montana

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

I'm going to write most of my letter tonight because tomorrow is going to be a busy day and we wont get home until late !!!!!!

This has been a "banner" week - we have received the most beautiful pictures from the Bob Mellows and Weinerts and a little note from Annie - you just will never know how much this helps us and we appreciate it so much!!! That Little Laura Mellor looks exactly like a little Claire and were so happy about that Michael is growing so fast and still so good looking. Bob Claire look simply wonderful - so happy and contended. We were really thrilled to get the pictures in time to send to Utah with Johnny - he will be able to show them to the girls' families and also to Grandmother and Grandpa Forrest. We couldn't believe how much little Mary Ann has grown - just since October and what a doll!!! Barji and Ricky are such happy children and we love the little pictures they sent - Ricky, we're so proud that you can write your name now. We love looking at the pictures and trying to figure out where they were taken because we haven't seen either of your homes - the one you sent Jeannie with all six of the children eating shows the bar in your kitchen and it is beautiful. We noticed the pillow on your sofa Claire, matches the cloth on one of your tables and I know your home is decorated so tastefully too. I'm thrilled to have that - Daddy says I also need four little children to look after too! By the way - Roy told us he has gained ten pounds - we'll have to see it to believe it but we hope it's true!!!

Johnny left this morning about 7 to drive to Utah - he called about 5:30 and he was at Jeannie and Rick's home - he had stopped in Brigham City to see that Forrests. We were so thrilled that he made it without any problems and to make it that fast makes Utah seem really close. He left with a bad cold and we feel sorry about that because of the little children he will be around and also because he didn't feel very good - he has been playing intramural basket ball games and gets hot and sweaty and then gets out in the cold and I'll bet he doesn't put on his coat like he should - anyway, we surely hope he gets well to enjoy his trip and also that none else gets it from his. This is a big responsibility for him to take the church car in and get the new one - we're proud that he is capable of doing it!!!

This has been the busiest week - one day last week when I went into the Elders dormitory it was really a mess and I was so upset so I made a big note that said, "Your Room Is A Mess"!!! They avoided me several days and then we had to leave town. Well - this past Monday and Tuesday we had our zone leader's conference here and we had fourteen extra Elders come into the home. When I went to inspect the dormitory again while they were all in meetings it was in an bigger mess - the vacuum is the middle of the, the mop in a bucket of water in the middle of the bathroom, two beds not made and the floor not vacuumed. There wasn't time to wait until they came from the meetings to clean it so I did it and that made me all the crosser! I did all their bed linen Monday morning and helped Brenda get dinner for twenty-five that night and then did all the sheets and towels from fourteen extra beds on Tuesday and helped her fix lunch for twenty-five that noon. All during this time the house Elders have known that I was upset with them. Daddy and I left early Wednesday morning to drive to Butte and from there we went to Helena and then on to Missoula - we had district meetings in all there places and by the time night came we were exhausted. Thursday we had more meetings in all Missoula and then drove to Kalispell where we spent the night. Friday we drove to Cut Bank where the wind was blowing at least 80 miles an hour for a meeting and then to Great Falls for another meeting. We left there last night about 7:30 and we had hoped to leave 5:30 - we knew we had to get back to Billings so Elder Hansen could get the car ready to trade in and also help Johnny - as it was we got here about 11 p.m. and Johnny had done all his own laundry and was all packed so that helped. The Elders are having a hart time keeping things the way we want them - I don't know if there are getting worse or if we're getting more fussy. We have seven Elders in here now and whenever we have extra like for the zone leader's conference they have the extra burden of helping and it makes it hard - we expect a lot but they really get a lot living here in the home. Jeannie - your neighbor's grandson is going to come into the home to-replace Elder Pace - we think Elder Cardinet will really be good - he is fine young man. Daddy is going to make Elder Madsen and Elder Klem traveling assistants - Elder Madsen only has two more months left in this mission and he has truly been an outstanding missionary. Daddy wants to use his talent as much as possible so he is going to let him travel throughout the mission with Elder Klem and work with each missionary companionship as well as work with local leaders in all the states and districts. It will be a wonderful opportunity for him and Daddy thinks it will really help the mission. He's going to bring an Elder Lawrence who is from Tooele in for the other assistant to be trained by Elder Tisdel - Elder Tisdel goes home in two months too!!! We will be having 8 in the home for weekends and that is going to be a challenge.


I must tell you something funny that happened during our zone leader's conference. We have definite rules for them to live by and for the guest Elders we ask them to change their bed linen and put the two sheets inside the pillowcase so it is easier for me to carry them to the laundry room. Well - when I went to inspect the rooms I noticed that one of the beds had a pillow on the outside of the bed and yet the bed was made up as if it had a pillow - so I checked and for the pillow there was the pillowcase with the soiled sheets inside just as I has asked them to do. I laughed until I cried - this matter of communication is really very important.

Daddy just came and told me he had checked the Elder's dorm and it isn't very clean. I am going to go clean it ONE more time. Is it the time of year???? I'll finish this tomorrow!

Sunday - 7:30 p.m. - we left at 7 this morning and have been in meeting all day - we had to speak in Colstrip and it was so funny - when we got there they were having the worst blizzard and we could hardly get out of the car and then after three hours of meetings the sun had come up and it was pretty. That is a funny town - it is practically all owned by Bechtel for a power plant but the church has a gorgeous big chapel there - there are about 400 members. We met with our Elders there and then we drove to LameDeer for a meeting with the Elders there - I get depressed every time I go there - the trailer is always dirty and the town itself is dirty. After we left LameDeer we drove to Dunmore for a meeting with our two missionary couple Elder and Sister Wright always keep their trailer so neat and clean and we loved visiting with them and Elder & Sister Cook had driven in from Lodgegrass - they are kinda' grumpy people but they're much better than they were when they first come out. Then we drove to Hardin where we met with our Elders there - they live in a really "dumpy" basement apartment but they are so sweet and have such a desire to serve.

We were just exhausted when we drove in to the Mission Home and the first thing we saw was all the Elders and Sisters Lowe in the kitchen doing the dishes and just laughing and having a "ball" and it was 6:30 - the Elders are supposed to be out proselyting by 6:30. We have dinner on Sundays at 5 and this tells us they have had an hour and a half social time. You just can't imagine the turmoil we feel about the Mission Home right now - Brenda is so hard to control - she is so hungry for male attention she will do anything to get it if it means standing on her head. She completely ignores anything we tell her and does exactly what she wants. The Elders in the home love it and the Elders out in the field resent it and we don't blame them. I wish one of the General Authorities would come and tell us what to do - they leave it completely up to us and I get sick everytime I think about firing Brenda because we brought her with us and she had rented her home in Arkansas until July '85 and I'm afraid it would really hurt her. I keep telling myself that it isn't Brenda, but it is the situation but Daddy seems to think we could get someone to replace her and we wouldn't have half the problems we have now. Yesterday she boiled two chickens so she could take the meat from the bones and says them until today to make chicken noodles over mashed potatoes (the Elders love that) - well, she put the chickens outside so they could cool and a dog came and took them to eat them. She just laughed and laughed and thought that was so funny - I have warned her about that a million times!!!!

We really miss Johnny already - I think we will probably die when he leaves for college in June. We're anxious for him to call tonight - he said he would call from Ann and Ron's. He has a rough schedule this semester and it will be hard for him to catch up from missing.

That's all the news. We love each one of you so very much - PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO. Let us know how we can help you!!!!

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