News from Michigan

After finishing up at the MTC on Aug. 8th, we decided to leave for Michigan on Monday so that we wouldn't have to travel on Sunday. We attended the Orem 6th Ward on Sunday & everyone thought we had left so they were surprised to see us. It was good to say good- bye again. Monday morning after packing the cars, we drove to Ryan & Angela's home & said goodbye to that sweet family. Noah & Teej agreed to let us take Oscar & Lois with us. We promised to mail them back in a few months. It was fun to give everyone a big hug & as we drove off we gave each other a Gramps wave (thumbs in ears and fingers waving). We drove through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana & finally made it to Michigan. It took us 3 days and everything went smoothly. We felt blessed that the cars operated great & that we were able to stay together & alert.
Thursday morning we checked into our apartment. The apartment manager opened our apartment & it was evident that the apartment had not been cleaned. The manager was very apologetic and said that she would get someone over to paint and clean the carpets. We needed to move in the next day because the Elders were bringing our furniture. She assured us they could get it done in one day. We starting unloading the car and bout an hour and a half later she came back & asked us if we wanted to move into a clean apartment. We decided to look at it. It was really nice with a fireplace and because it was positioned at the end of the building, it had more windows and more light. We decided to take it but we were worried about our mail getting lost in the shuffle. They decided to give us the nicer, more expensive apartment for the same price. Our new address is: 302 Candlewyck Dr. Apt. 1315 Kalamazoo, MI 49001.
Thursday afternoon we drove to the mission home in East Lansing. Sister Edwards had prepared a delicious dinner for us. They had also invited another senior couple and a single sister. They all work in the mission office. We spent an enjoyable evening getting acquainted. President Edwards showed us around the mission home. The church purchased it 20 years ago. It can sleep up to 20 missionaries. We slept in the room where the General Authorities stay. Friday morning some Lansing Elders loaded our furniture for our apartment onto the trailer. President & Sister Edwards drove the van carrying the furniture to our apartment. President Edwards had arranged for four Elders in the area to unload the furniture. I took photos & will post them when our computer is connected. President Edwards was working right alongside the young Elders hauling the things up the steep stairs. We had Subway sandwiches for lunch and sat under a tree in the yard outside our apartment. On Sunday it was great to go to the University Branch. The meeting started at 1pm & there were about 35-40 members in attendance. The building was bought by the church about 2 years ago. It is white & the inside reminds me a lot of the Kirkland Temple. It has large windows, a balcony & a neat pipe organ. Several different churches had owned it before our church bought it. The members are very friendly and seem to have strong testimonies. They participate in good discussions in gospel doctrine. We were asked to come up and tell a little bit about ourselves and bear our testimonies. We felt very welcomed. One student showed us around the building. They have a nice area in the basement with a fully stocked kitchen, game room, even a pool table. IT has a large room with a newly finished floor.
Monday we attended the branched Family Home Evening. A returned missionary gave a nice lesson on the Plan of Salvation. The group went to a Lazer tag place, but they didn't have enough vests for us so Dad & I didn't play. (We probably wouldn't have played anyway.)
Last night I went to a Relief Society Enrichment Activity. The Elders Quorum barbecued some chicken for the sisters. We had a delicious dinner of chicken, vegetable shiska bobs, tossed salad topped off with strawberry shortcake. I noticed that the strawberries came from Watsonville, CA near Monterey. After dinner some sisters gave talks on managing our time, relaxing techniques & overcoming feelings of inadequacy. Dad & I celebrated our anniversary by going to the Olive Garden. 45 years!!!!
President Johnson returns from his vacation today so we will soon know what he would like us to do here. Things are good. We will let you know when we get our assignment. Love to all.