February 10, 1985 Billings, Montana

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

We just came home from Cody where we attended their Stake Conference. Elder George P. Lee (the Lamanite) was their General Authority and he had called a special missionary meeting for 8 o'clock this morning and he wanted Daddy there so we went down last night. It's only a little over two hours from here and normally we would have left early this morning to drive down but it is so bitter cold and we would have had to leave before 6 o'clock so we went down and had a good night's rest (unusual for us). Daddy spoke at both the missionary meeting and stake conference and as usual he did a super job. Elder Lee is really a nice man and has qui a childhood experience to tell about - he is one of 15 children and he grew up in a house wit a dirt floor and said they ate prairie dog three times a day and when they didn't have that they ate rattlesnakes. He said he is the only one in his family to rise above the reservation life but he doesn't want people to feel sorry for "his people" - he says they have to want the better life and then be able to live it themselves. We usually have to bring the General Authorities back with us to Billings from Cody because they take the plane out of here so we had told the house elders we would probably bring him to the mission home. Well - you should see this house - I had cleaned "my" part good yesterday and they really have their dorm and the offices just spotless - and then, we didn't have to bring him with us - he had rented a car yesterday and drove to Cody and so he just drove back himself and he stayed there to have some interviews instead of leaving the same time we did. The elders were so disappointed. They said they had a phone call in the middle of his night alerting them to the possibility that they would have to go to the airport to pick up a General Authority who had missed his connections somewhere - they called later this morning and said he was able to get a direct flight into Salt Lake. Anyway - the elders were prepared!!! I had made a big cake (actually two) yesterday to have on had for his visit so we have extra cake too!!!

We were so thrilled to hear from each on of you this week - that makes us so happy when we know first had you're all doing good. I say "doing good" even though Jeannie has been in the hospital and Annie is going in the hospital this week. Annie is going to have her surgery Wednesday morning - the doctor has really encouraged her to have the cyst removed and I know she will feel much better without all the worry that is involved. I'm so grateful that Ron's Mom will be able to be with their family - Annie says the children are really excited to have his folks and Mimi come and that takes such a load off her. We just know everything is going to be okay! Jeannie has to go in periodically so they can feed her intravenously and let her system have a rest - she is home now and feeling better - we'll all be so grateful when that little baby is born!!!

Johnny is doing good and likes school - he didn't say anything about the weather but from what we have seen on the television I'll bet he is a little tired of so much Winter - maybe not!!! Claire - you are great to write so faithfully and we love your letters. It is so fun to hear about Michael & Laura and sounds like Laura is doing a lot of talking. I used to love it when our children would play by themselves - some did quite often and some never did - Johnny never was one to play by himself! It will be wonderful when Laura is just a little older and she and Michael can do more things together. I wish Bob wouldn't have to work so hard - hopefully it will get easier and he will be able to spend more time at home - residencies are really hard on families and it takes a really strong Mother to hold the fort down - it will all be worth it - promise!!! I don't blame you for getting someone to help you play the piano for church - that has always been a real labor of love but when it makes it hard for your children surely they will understand (I mean the people at church).

I had a wonderful visit with Roy and Patrice and it was so good to hear a little about the things they're doing. Patrice says her job is really busy at this time of year - she says it's because schools are preparing their text books and that involves a lot of photo research she loves it and it really must be interesting to learn about so many different things. Roy has been doing some specialty anesthesiology training with people with back problems and also with burn patients - I hope I have that right - he says he really enjoys what he is doing too It's hard to find a good time to call Boston because of the tow hour difference in time and it's hard for Roy to find us home too - I scolded the missionaries for not giving us your message Roy - their minds are a million miles away and I can understand that, I guess!

I shouldn't start another page because I don't have that much news. I always start out planning to just use one page and then I get carried away!!!

Daddy went to Denver last Thursday for a special Mission President's Seminar - he stayed in the beautiful Marriott Hotel there and really enjoyed it. It was cold and Wintry when he left but it was really bad when he came home on Friday night. I got already to drive to the airport to pick him up and the house elders wouldn't let me go alone so I just told them go get him - there was a real blizzard and it was about 15 below zero. He was really surprised because it had been 470 in Denver and beautiful sunny skies. He said the seminar was just wonderful and Elder Dunn intimated to him that the Montana Billings Mission would have its boundaries changed - he said, "Pres. Mellor, you just have too much geography to cover" and Pres. Mellor agreed. It's funny because not long ago we were talking to someone and I said they should give all of Wyoming to its own mission and put the Montana Mission Home in Helena and have it just cover Montana - maybe they heard me! They main reason I said that is because the people in Wyoming are not very missionary minded - they are the reason we didn't reach our goal this year - Montana had an increase of about 20%. The Mission is going great guns right now - we are 65% ahead of the last two years during the month of January and February looks that good too - we really think it's because we have stronger leaders!

Last week I took all the drapes down in the Elder's dorm and also in the cook's room and mended them. The hem catches on different things (bed rails and heater vents) and they kept tearing and I have mended them before by hand. This time, I took them down and hemmed them all on the machine so they should stay that way. Each day I try to do something like that that needs doing before we leave - that way, I hope we won't have too much last minute repair to do. Sister Milne who was before I was, used a very strong disinfectant to clean the bathrooms - in fact, she left a full case for me. Well - I have spent all this time fussing with this disinfectant - even with the cap screwed on tightly, it causes all kind of tarnish in the cabinets where I have had it stored. Finally, I went through the house and took it all out of the cabinets and replaced it with a Lysol disinfectant that isn't nearly as strong but strong enough.

Last Monday morning a Lamanite woman called the mission home early and asked for the missionaries to go pick her up at the airport and bring her to the home because she didn't have any place to go. They called me up in the apartment and said this woman and her little girl were downstairs so I went down and there they were - she was about six months pregnant and completely worn out. I said the airport - I meant the bus station. She wanted to get to Lame Deer - they had been in Page since before Christmas and her husband was in Lame Deer - we still haven't figured out why she didn't call her husband. I brought her up to the apartment and fixed them breakfast and then tended the little girl while she took a nap. We had a million things to do so finally Daddy told her to call her husband and tell him to meet us in Dunmore and we would take her that far - that's about half way. She did call him so we put her things in our car and took her there - when her husband came we were really impressed with him - he was so happy to see them and is really a nice guy. The Lamanite people are just like little children. While we were in Dunmore we picked up the kitchen chairs for the trailer out there and brought them in to Billings to be reupholstered - the Wrights have moved and we have a new couple in that trailer. We'll really miss the Wrights.

Friday we had two of our Lady Missionaries come in on their way to Wolfpoint - that's about five hours from here. The weather was too bad for them to travel in so they spent the night here and left early Saturday morning. They hadn't had their gamma globulin shots so one of Daddy's Assistants gave them to them - he had never done it before but he read some instructions Bob had sent to us and he didn't have any problems - I was scared. Sister Wright used to give all the shots so now I guess the assistants will - I know I won't!!!

The Lamanite Generation from BYU came here to put on a program last Friday - we went and it was really good. They put it on at the Lincoln Jr. High, Johnny, and it was full.

You can tell I'm hard up for news. We love each one of you so very much - PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO - Let us know how we can help you!!!
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