New Callings....

       This is a new beginning for us. I have not blogged in a long time but hope to do so at least monthly and perhaps more often. We have been called and set apart as Church Service Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Our assignment is the Home Storage Center at the Bishop's Storehouse in Bridgeton. We are excited about this opportunity and have already spent our first week of running things alone. The Soles have been incredible to train us and hold our hands through these first weeks. We are catching on!
     Many of you know that I love big box hardware stores. Working in a warehouse is fun.....and dirty! Dust is everywhere. We will soon be learning how to drive a forklift which might seem easy compared to learning the computer/cash register system.
    Our first week:  We had several customers come on Monday. That is the day we are open for anyone to drop in and buy bulk food storage items. We often have non-members come as well, and they are welcome. We managed to take payment, enter it into the register and tote 25 lb. bags out to cars. We also have taken time to look in files and on shelves to see what is there so we will know where it is when we need it. You know my first thoughts were of decorating- new bulletin board decor? New pretty file colors? I am trying to restrain those impulses! Brother Soles did go and buy new plastic tubs that are used in the canning process and he came back with, wait for it...PINK!!  That made my heart sing.
    On Wednesday we headed up there to pull a big order for Nauvoo. We hauled those 25 lb. bags and boxes of wheat and milk, rice and oats and you name it. We loaded it all onto pallets and used a pallet jack to move it around. It took a couple of hours to finish the job but we did it and it ended up being accurate. Clyde greased the can sealing machine. And we made a bank deposit and ended up having a very long day. Thursday night we went up to watch a canning session run by a Stake supervisor. That was a new experience and we were glad we did not have to stay to clean up! On Friday the men from Nauvoo came to pick up their order. We enjoyed meeting them and helping them pack and load it all up. That is one of the nice parts of the service....meeting lots of nice new people from all over. In taking payments that day we made some mistakes. So we read the handbook and figured out a way to fix the mistake. Oops. That was not the right way. We ended up calling our Supervisor in Indianapolis and he very patiently helped us through it. By this time it was 5:30 and we still had to go make the bank deposit. We were so tired!!! But we completed our first full week.
   Yesterday I changed hats and spent the day at training and a Young Woman fireside. I am the second counselor. General President Elaine Dalton came and spoke. It was truly wonderful! What an incredible woman she is. It was a fabulous day.
   Many aspects of our calling are somewhat temporal, but we have been promised many spiritual experiences. We have also been promised that our children and grandchildren will be blessed in very specific ways because of our service. We are so very thankful for that. It makes it easier to serve and makes it a mission for our whole family in a sense. We are very grateful for the expressions of love and report we have received from so many friends and family. Now I am off to bed as I am shifting my night owl tendencies to missionary schedule tendencies!