Our First Week

Well, we finished our first week in Oklahoma, and it was a busy one!  On Monday we had our orientation to our responsibilities, toured the institute, and moved into our office.

Outside our Institute Building

Some of the institute students had this greeting (made from Kleenex) waiting for us on our desk:

Our first greeting

In addition to pictures of the Savior, this is hanging on our institute office wall:

On Monday evening we attended the class we'll be teaching (the person who substituted between the last missionary couple's departure and our arrival taught) and it was wonderful to listen to our class members' thoughtful discussion and see their desire to learn.  We went straight from institute class to Family Home Evening at the church building, where they had a short lesson then played chair soccer.

We had the weekly Soup Tuesday the next day.  We made 6 loaves of bread and heated some frozen soup that the previous couple had made.  Soup Tuesday goes from 11:30 am to 1 pm and the students and their friends, all the missionaries in the area, and the YSA bishop come to socialize and have soup and bread.

Wednesday was fairly quiet and we just put the finishing touches on our lesson for Thursday morning's class.  We're studying the Old Testament--right now in Numbers and Deuteronomy.  On Thursday afternoon we had a ward temple trip to do baptisms for the dead in Oklahoma City.  When we bought our new Highlander, one of our purposes was to be able to take at least four people with us on ward temple trips or other activities, and it worked perfectly--two in the far back and two in the back seat.  It was so fun to interact with them on the trip--just over an hour each way.

Outside the Oklahoma City Temple with the YSA Ward

Two coincidences at the temple.  We knew a lot of the kids' first names but none of their last names.  When one of the young ladies I had met Monday at home evening was being baptized, I heard her last name and thought she had to be the daughter of a dear friend from Kansas City.  When I handed her her towel I asked her, and sure enough, she is my friend's daughter!  When one of the young men was being baptized, I heard his last name and it was the same as one of the elders in my mission in Taiwan.  It wasn't his father, but when he named his uncles, one was familiar, so he texted his dad to find out, and it was, indeed, his uncle who had served there.

Friday we attended our district meeting in the morning--there are 6 sisters and 4 elders plus us in the district.  Later that day we met our mission president for the first time; he was in Stillwater interviewing the missionaries.  

On Saturday (our P-day) there was a CES in-service meeting in Edmonds (about 50 minutes away) in the morning.  We met the other CES missionary couple (stationed in Edmonds) and the early morning and distance seminary teachers in the area.  After that we went to Oklahoma City and attended the temple.  When we got back to Stillwater we did a more extensive driving tour of the city and discovered the more "happening" side of town.  On the way back to the apartment we were treated to a spectacular prairie sunset.

We participated in Ward Council this morning, then attended the regular Sunday meetings.  Later the sister missionaries came to dinner, then we went to ward prayer.  We are so impressed with the wonderful members of the YSA ward--they are just super and have been so welcoming to us.