May 12, 1997

Dearest John & Julianna; Roy, Patrice, Emily, Timothy & Jesse; Bob, Claire, Michael, Laura, Brett & Katie; Rick, Jean, Ricky, Barbara Jean, Mary Ann & Sarah; Ron, Ann, Susanna, Jessie, Russell, Lee Anna & Jimmy:

THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH FOR A WONDERFUL MOTHER'S DAY!!! I hope each one of the fabulous mothers and future mothers in our family had as happy a day as I did. I have told you many, many times how very grateful I am to be the mother of such outstanding children in every way. MY FAMILY IS THE VERY MOST IMPORTANT THING IN MY LIFE AND I AM SO VERY PROUD OF EACH ONE OF YOU!!!

I have told all of you about my mission call but I will write about it for posterity!!! Last Monday night our Stake President, President Hawkins, called and said he wanted to come over to see me. I had been outside working all day but he wanted to come in fifteen minutes so I knew there wasn't time to get bathed and change clothes so I stayed in my dirty blue jeans. He sat down and looked at me and said, "Sister Mellor, I am going to blow you away"!!! Then he said he had received a call from the missionary department in Salt Lake saying they wanted me to serve a humanitarian mission in Bangkok, Thailand. I have a friend who received a call like this about two months ago and she asked me if I would go if I received a call and I told her that I was too old and then I forgot about it. I guess they waited until they could get a companion for me and they just got one.

They wanted me to go in three weeks and I said, "I won't go until after my Little Rock family comes to visit in June". Pres. Hawkins said he would call them back and then if they could wait that long they would call me back. I didn't hear from them again until Thursday and I kinda' thought they would ask someone else.

There is so much to do there is no way I could possibly be ready by May 27th when the rest of the group is going. I have to have a series of shots that can only be given every three weeks besides a lot of other things. They assigned me a companion from Salt Lake - Virginia Taylor. I went to the MTC today for training sessions and Virginia was there also. She is absolutely perfect for me and I am SO thrilled. She is in her sixties and a very attractive woman and she has taught 2nd grade for thirty years - I don't believe she has ever married. She is going to stay with me for the rest of the week so she won't have to travel back and forth from Salt Lake. She is way ahead of me in the teaching field so I will learn from her. Do you remember the Alpha Chi reunion I went to in Salt Lake about two months ago? The lady who organized it lives in those high rise condominiums close to Temple Square and we had it in their hospitality room. Her name is Rosie Brienholt and she and her husband were in Montana for 13 years but had left just before we got there. Rosie and I were in college together and her husband was a good friend and fraternity brother of Daddys. ANYWAY - Virginia lives in those same condos and is a good friend of Rosie's - what a wonderful surprise.

I can't believe the training sessions I have been in today - my head is still swimming!!! I am in a group of other older couples who are going on similar missions. Two couples are going to Saigon, Vietnam, two are going to Mongolia and two are going to Hong Kong. There are two physicians in the group and four nurses - they are going to teach health things like resuscitation This is the first time they have requested teachers to go into Thailand and the church is SO excited - I just hope I can do it. You wouldn't believe the shots I have to have!!!

I will be disappointed if I don't pass the physical. I have to have the doctor and dentist fill out certain forms and for the first time in my life I don't have a perfect bill of health. I don't have anything serious but they may think the melanoma is too risky for a foreign mission. I am also on medication for cholesterol leveling and that fosamax for bone building. I will know this week and I am keeping my fingers crossed. It will be a very choice experience and it will give me things to think about for the rest of my life.

I was THRILLED to have John call me this morning and say he and Julianna would move into my home and take care of it and also my dogs. That has been my biggest worry!!! John knows my home as well as I do and it will be such a relief to have them here. They are going to rent their home - I hope they will be able to get some really good renters and I hope they will check on them regularly so they won't do anything bad to their home.

I had a phone call from Chris and Wayne this week - they were on their way to Arkansas and then they will go to Dallas for their granddaughter's wedding. Their son, Ricky, is going to move from Conway to Miami, Florida - that REALLY surprised me. I guess he got a business offer that was too good to turn down. They are coming to Utah probably in July. I feel bad that I will miss them but they will love being with Byrd at the cabin. I will arrange for them to get a key so they can get through the gate. They will enjoy being with Byrd and hopefully they will get to see some of you. I LOVED the picture Roy & Patrice sent to me that was taken in Gulf Shores - the children had built a big sand thing - I guess the sand on that beach is spectacular.

There are SO many things I will miss. I can't believe Ricky will be leaving on his mission before I get back and that makes me sad - wouldn't it be neat if he could be sent to Thailand? I will miss going to Europe with Ann and Lee Anna and I was REALLY looking forward to that. I will also miss my college 50th reunion this July and that was going to be SO much fun!!! I told my friend Anne Smith about it this morning - I really haven't told anyone else - and she said "Oh Barbara, you will go out in a blaze of glory" - meaning of course, that this would be my last opportunity to do anything big - Ha!!!

I have spent SO much time on the internet looking up things about Thailand. I can't believe the internet - it is like having a library in my home. I spend too much time and then I get behind in my housework. We went through Ron's building yesterday and it is so beautiful and SO BIG!!! He has most of the parts he won't need rented out. I am SO proud of you Ron - that has been a "gutsy move"!!! WEINERTS - I appreciated SO much having you come down yesterday. I feel bad that I didn't have any good cookies out at my home - I know you had already eaten but I always feel bad when I don't have anything fun to eat. I have found that if I keep cookies around then I EAT THEM!!!

Jessie, Susanna and Lee Anna (and Ryan) cooked a Mother's Day dinner and invited me to come eat with them. They had made "shish kabobs" and they were delicious. Ryan, his mother and little brother are going to be baptized this week - that is SO NEAT!!!

I was SO happy to have Bob and John spend the day with me on Friday. We went to the attorney who prepared Daddys and my trust. It needed to be revised and we learned a lot of helpful things to prevent a lot of taxes on the estate when I pass on. He is going to make it so it is all equal. The Lehi property has gone up in value so that needed to be accounted for. I didn't understand much of what he explained to us but I know Bob and John did and that was VERY important to me.

I had better close and get to bed. It is almost 11 p.m. and I have another big day ahead of me!!

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