March 31, 1985 Billings, Montana

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

This has really been a "worrisome" week and a hard one - especially for the Woolley family!!! As I told you in last week's letter, Johnny went to Ann & Rons' home to recuperate from his gunshot wound - the doctor had told him to not put any weight on his left leg for fear of breaking the injured bone so all he could do was lie down. Ann made a bed for him in their family room because he couldn't go up and down the stairs. Well - when we talked to Ann on Sunday she said she had stayed home from church because Russell wasn't feeling very good and she thought he might have the flu. We talked to them again on Monday and Tuesday & Russell still wasn't any better and Ann said she thought she would take him to the "night clinic" because his eye was swollen. I repeated my famous words that I have wished a thousand times all week that I had not said, "I always would wait for our children to get better or worse before I took them to the doctor because I didn't want them to have the high powered drugs so often". Ann decided to wait another day before taking him and she might not have taken him then except that Ron came home from his trip on Wednesday and felt like he needed to see a doctor (it's funny because Ron wasn't due home until the weekend). The doctor was quite alarmed about Russell's condition and gave him some medicine with the directions that if he weren't better by morning they would have to put him in the hospital. As it turned out he went into the hospital on Thursday morning and stayed until Saturday - what he has, has a name and it starts with a P and ends with it is but it's long and I had never hear of it before - it's dangerous because it can lead to meningitis and other serious conditions. He had to have antibiotics in his veins for three days and Ann & Ron took turns staying with him in the hospital. When we talked to them yesterday he as doing much better.

Johnny is also doing much better but he is still on crutches - this has been a hard time for him!! His friends and Ann & Ron have helped him so much - taking him to the hospital and getting his school work and visiting, etc. The young man whose gun shot him to the hospital several times to see Russell and take him gifts - I really feel bad for him. We received a note from his doctor with the description of the wound and all and will enclose a copy of it for Bob Roy to see. We feel so richly blessed to not have it any worse than it is. Pres. Burns (Institute Director here) asked us if you could come home to speak at the end of the year convention for the seminary students Johnny - he said, "all the kids here really related to Johnny and look up to him - but we told him about the accident and said you wouldn't be able to come. This morning we saw Sister Wells and she asked for your address so she could send you a card because Bro. Burns had told her about it - I didn't have your address with me and I can't remember it so I couldn't give it to her.

Roy - it was so good to talk to you on the phone and Johnny has told us you have called him several times - that really means a lot! You sound so good and we're thrilled about your plans to drive up into Nova Scotia when you have some time off in June - I'm selfish and would love to have you come to see us but as you say, you won't be in that part of the world forever and you need to see everything you can. I'll bet that will be a beautiful trip. June is still a long ways away; but we hope it works out for you.

Jeannie & Rick and Bob & Claire - we hope you are all doing good. We are so excited to think we'll see Jean & Rick before they get this letter - I have to pinch myself often to see if I'M dreaming!!! Bob & Claire - we're excited to hear about your trip to Mexico - we know you have had a wonderful and relaxing time!

We just came home from the Billings Stake Conference - we attended their meetings last night and again this morning. We have a new Regional Representative to replace Tyler Wooley it is Burns Sabey and he is in the Agronomy Department at Fort Collins and knows all our old friends so it was fun to visit with him. Daddy spoke and did a wonderful job, as usual!!! We have people call the Mission Home after these conferences to tell him so much they enjoy him. We have felt a little "rift" between us and Billings Stake because the Mission Home is in that Stake and we claim membership to the East Billings Stake because of our membership in the 4th Ward - we are going to try to orient the new Mission President to that problem so he can avoid it - we were never told what ward we belonged to - I guess it's a big thing here to have the Mission President go to your ward and stake!!!!

Mere I go again - starting another page when I don't have that much news!!!

Last Tuesday night Daddy & I drove to Cody to attend a special meeting with the leaders in that Stake concerning the Visitor's Center there. I have told you about Bro. Glenn Nielsen from Cody - he used to own Husky Oil and is a multi-multi millionaire. Well - he had set up a "trust fund" to be used for the Visitor's Center and what that means is that he pays for everything in the Center and that is really something - it has valuable paintings, gorgeous bronze pieces, a theater with all the latest equipment, etc. etc. The church won't allow anyone to "own" anything like that so he set up this trust fund to be used for that. He has been a Mission President and more recently a Regional Representative - he was just released from that and now he doesn't have a lot to do so he has asked for a calling connected with the Visitor's Center. He wants to be "Coordinator for Bus Tours" - which means he wants to see if the Greyhound Business and others will direct their tourists to the church Visitor's Center so it can be more of a missionary tool. The only way he could be called to this was for us to meet with all the leaders down there and get their approval and then have Daddy write a letter to our Area Presidency asking their approval. This is kinda' funny in a way but in another way it is a beautiful description of how the church works - it doesn't matter how much money you have, you still have to go through the line of authority!!! Bro. Nielsen is in his late seventies or early eighties and a real gentleman!

Daddy had a fun experience this week. Recently he made a change in the office staff and brought an Elder Smith form Tooele, Utah in to be the Historian-Recorder. Well, this Elder Smith received a letter from his grandmother and she said she knew Pres. Mellor. As it turns out - when Daddy first went to Fort Collins on an Assistantship with the University the Summer before we were married, he took board & Room with the "Boem" family. I remember how he used to tell me what a wonderful cook she was - Bro. Boem was in Veterinary School there and she took in boarders to help put him through school. I remember when we married and moved to Fort Collins and I met the Boem family I felt so bad for them because they had so many children and were poor - Well, the Boems are Elder Smith's grandparents and one of those little children was his mother - it really is a small world. Elder Smith said they only had four children but I guess in my youth, that seemed like a lot!!!

Also - Johnny said that the nurse at the hospital who helped him when he was hurt asked about Daddy. It seems that her brother was with Daddy in World War II and he was killed and Daddy went to visit their family after the war. I remember hearing Daddy talk about that - in fact, we have some pictures of him with Daddy in their flight group and also the clipping about his death. Daddy said that was pilot error and he witnessed it and it was really sad - I guess the plane flipped over in the ocean and this man was drowned. It's funny how your past catches up with you!!!

We went on a "Book of Mormon" tract out last week here in Billings with the Fourth Ward members and all the missionaries in this area. That is a real experience and gives you first hand knowledge of what the missionaries go through - most of the people are so rude and it's depressing to me. Our mission is just going great guns - you wouldn't believe it - we are way ahead of last year and there are very few problems. It is remarkable what that extra six months for missionaries has meant to us already - Daddy's two assistants are on the last lap of their six month extension and for the first time in two years Daddy can relax and know that things are being taken care of!

Daddy is packing the car so I had better stop & help him. We are going to take as many things with us as we can. We have decided to leave tomorrow afternoon and do some Mission business on our way to Utah - we'll stop in Livingston & Bozeman to see missionaries and then go to Sheridan, Montana where they have just completed a new beautiful building (would you believe they only have a small branch of the church there and have built a three-phase building?) We hope to get to Idaho Falls tomorrow night - then on to Utah on Tuesday!!!

I won't be able to write my letter next Sunday - we'll still be in Utah and from there to Missoula for a week's Mission Tour with Elder Lee - a really busy, busy time. I have really cleaned the Mission Home this week - waxed all the floors, etc. - hope it stays that way!!!

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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