The Life of an Assistant Working on Transfers

From 7/11/16 email:

This is transfer week again. Transfers are on Wednesday. I can't believe that it's transfers already...I feel like we just had them!!! This is my final transfer...6 more weeks! Transfer week is always a fun one! Staying up late doing transfer information, making sure people fit with certain people and in certain areas, making sure cars get where they need to go, and making sure phones make it to the new areas. It's a lot of fun...! Then on transfer day getting up at a ridiculous hour in the morning to drop the missionaries going home off at the airport, and then picking up the new missionaries from the airport! Then taking missionaries to their new areas...it's a lot of sitting on our butts and driving all over the mission! It's a LONG day! But it's still fun! :)

From 7/18/16 email:

Well this week was a really fast one! We had a bunch of meetings and things to do before transfers and then we had transfer day which was Wednesday! Transfer day is always a long one for us as assistants! We were up by 2:15am so we could work out, then we got ready and had to pick up the missionaries going home and take them to the airport by 5:45! The earliest flight was at 6:30am!! Luckily President took him to the airport so we didn't have to, but the next earliest flight was at 7:30am so we still had to be there at some ridiculous hour! We are supposed to get them there at least an hour and a half before their flights. It was really sad to say goodbye to this group that went home...We had some pretty good friendships there! One of them was Elder Brinkerhoff! It was sad to see him go...but it had to happen.

Then our next task was to get back to the mission office and help set up for the new missionaries coming in. The first day they arrive there is an orientation meeting they go through and then they meet their trainers. When we got back to the office, Elder Sekona and I were pooped so we went into the mother's room (haha, I know, weird, but it was the only place to find silence and have a nice soft chair) and took a 30-minute nap. After that we helped set up tables and chairs. Then we had to head back to the airport and meet President Mendenhall and Sister Mendenahall and all the new missionaries! They all of course were exhausted since they had to be up at some stupid hour in the morning as well so they could catch their flights to Denver. We drove them home in the transfer van (I'll send a picture) and dropped them off at the mission office. Then we were supposed to stay at the mission office all day during orientation to help everything flow. Orientation started at like 12pm and didn't end till like 5-5:30pm! Then all the new missionaries and trainers without cars needed a way to get back to their areas so we drove them all to their areas in the transfer van. Needless to say we didn't get back until like 7:30-8pm, I can't quite remember but it was a LOOOOOOONG day!! Elder Sekona and I were exhausted! But we can say MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! :)

Saying goodbye to Elder Trevor Williams

Saying goodbye to Elder Kevin Williams

Saying goodbye to Elder Brinkerhoff

Saying goodbye to Elder McGauley