These missionaries are really cooking now!

One of the ways to show love to the other missionaries or to the members of the Branch is to feed them. They need it and they love it.

Monday was a zone activity for about 30 of our missionaries. The Monday before was a regular Pday with basketball at the church and Glen picked up some Costco pizzas for them.  But this Pday was more elaborate with fun activities planned so we volunteered to do a Bar-B-Q for them after at the pavilion behind the church house.  We had hamburgers and hot dogs and beans and potato salad and chips and watermelon and cookies etc. We have another Senior Missionary couple, the Malhums, serving in our zone and they helped us so we had a lot of fun ourselves.

Then on Wednesday we fixed our regular weekly dinner for the missionaries.  They go to a member's home for dinner each day and leave a prayer and scripture with the family. They talk with them about the family mission plan and hopefully get a referral of a friend or family member prepared to hear the missionary lessons. Since I am the Relief Society Pres. it is my job to fill their dinner calendar and my privelege to invite them to my home when an appointment falls through. Our four Branch missionaries have a dinner invitation every single night with the members.

On Friday night our Branch had a Mother's Day dinner/dance  for 80 people. That meant taking around invitations,  planning for the meal, buying the food and decorations, decorating the hall, cooking and serving the meal, arranging the entertainment  and of course clean up. However, this time we had help because we had an Activities Chairman! For the first time ever in this Branch. And she did a great job!  She assigned people to cook things, shopped and decorated with me, had a man read a mother's day poem and two men went around with a guitar and sang Spanish songs at the tables.  And then we had a dance with a regular MC! That still left me with the kitchen clean up because everyone else had brought investigators or less active family members with them for the young missionaries to visit with.  But that's a great trade off!  And Glen spent hours on soaking and cleaning the tablecloths. He really does so much for so many. The activity was a HUGE success.

Now Sunday is Mother's Day and the young missionaries get to Skype their mothers!  Of course none of them have computers or smart phones to do that.  So Glen has rounded up six laptops and they are coming over here for dinner and to call their mothers.  Some will eat while others talk and then trade.

Right now I'm thinking that maybe we should take a while off from cooking next week.  But Pres. Eyring says when you are exhausted you push through it and the Lord will help you.  And He always has.