Sunflowers from California taken when Steve came home from his mission 

Sunday Evening

Today is Sunday and I am in the computer room while Pamela is in the living room being visit taught. Nursury was crazy today. The kids had so much energy. We always have fun with them though. Also during sacrament meeting the fire alarm went off during someones talk. I guess it is a new alarm and goes off at odd times. Nobody had the key and it took a little while for them to get it turned off. Maybe the whole fire alarm experience made the kids have tons of energy. This is our first week with our new bishop and he got up and told us to tell everyone that his first sunday as bishop was alarming. It was kind of funny. Well we are doing good. I am still attending UVSC and Pamela is working and teaching. Well that is all for now because Pamela is done being visit taught.
Rich

Hello from the Eskimo

Dear Family of Bloggers

 

     Things have be going good here.  Life has been really busy this past few weeks.  We had transfers on Tuesday and we had to do all the preparations for it.  On saturday and sunday I put together all the transfer plans for where every missionary was getting transfered too.  It took a long time figuring it all out.  President Gardner then on Monday morning made all the calls and we gave the missionaries their travel plans and then headed on our way to pick them up that Evening.  We have 3 meeting points where everyone gets together.  On Monday we went from Lansing to Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids and then back to Lansing.  On tuesday we then took all the missionaries going up north to Midland then drove back to Lansing then to Grand Rapids then to Kalamazoo then back to Lansing.  It was a long 2 days of driving.  That evening we went back to the mission home and served dinner to the departing missionaries.  That was fun.  Elder Anderson went home.  He is one of the missionaries I served around when I was up in Traverse City.  He was pretty excited to see his family.  Actually only two missionaries went home and both of their names were Elder Anderson.  One of them was from Georgetown and was friends with Matt Self.  Amy might actually know him.  When I met him he looked kind of familiar and I think I had seen him at stake activities or dances or something.  I think he is Amys age so he's a little older in the mission.  The one I am friends with is actually from Utah though.  On Wednesday afternoon we were supposed to pick up nine new missionaries but the flight was dalayed till 12:30am thursday morning because of the conditions.  By the way we just got over a foot of snow this morning.  So Wednesday and Thursday were both long days.  Thursday we did oriantation with all the new missionaries then President introduced them to their trainers.  ITs always fun introducing them because they never know what to think.  They are always so terrified that its funny.  The funnyest part is that I was actually in their shoes at one point.  On friday we had a planning meeting with President Gardner for most of the day then he took us out to dinner and got us a hamburger.  By the way, he said thank you for all the dried fruit.  He said he has never seen so much dried fruit in his life.  They bagged it up and take it with them when they do a lot of driving to do.  They thought it was a funny present and I said that that was my family for you.  Were just a bunch of fruitcakes.  He laughed.  I like being an assistant but I really miss being out in the field. Its fun working with president Gardner though.  When ever we are here in Lansing we go to the church and play b-ball at 6am for our exercise.  By the way I am dunking two handed two footed know.  I can also dunk one handed jumping off of two feet.  All I need is a good ball with some grip on it.   Its fun.  There are 6 of us that go so we get some good 3 on 3 games.  These next couple days will be fun.  We Have Zone Leadership Conferance on Monday and Tuesday and to begin all the zone leaders get to play basketball.  Its the same thing as we did last transfer when we played football in the snow except its a little to cold know for that so... basketball it is.  Well I better get going but thanks for getting my high school transcript for me.  Tell Grandad and Grandma hello for me.  By the way, I met Adam Brubakers MTC companion.  Some of the missionaries in his mtc district came to michigan.  I also met a girl when I was serving in Mt. Pleasant who had come to visit from BYU-I and was good friends with Ben and Sam.  Its definately a small world.  I love you all.  Thanks for the letters and everything.  

                                   Love, Elder Brubaker

     PS.  we are supposed to get a total of 16inches today and the wind gust is at 30-40 miles per hour.  Its nice that I dont have to be knocking all day in it.  

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Hey Family,

It was good talking with you on Christmas.  Sorry I had to cut off the phone call a little short.  We had to drive down to Grand Rapids which is about 1 1/2 hour drive from lansing to pick up President Gardners daughter and Son in laws Luggage.  There plane was schedruled to fly in on Chistmas eve at about 2:00 but there was a major delay and they had to fly into the Detroit airport. they ended up getting back here to lansing at about 11:00pm.  Anyway,  Christmas was fun.  After driving to Grand Rapids we headed over to the mission home and ate some dinner with the Gardners.  This last week has flown by pretty quick. We took preparation day on monday and went back up to Grand Rapids and played basketball with the entire GR Zone.  That is where the best basketball is in the mission right know.  It was really fun and we got a little exercise in.  We then went over to the bowling alley and went bowling with the zone.  THere were 24 of us missionaries there so we took up 4 lanes and had unlimited bowling for 2 hours for only $7.00.  The highest I scored was a 127.  That was our fun for the week.  On Tuesday we went over Portland which is right outside of Kalamazoo.  We spent the night with the elders there and went to district meeting with them on wednesday morning.  It was good.  Its funny how as an assisant a lot of missionaries are kind of scared of you.  Like they want to do everything perfect around you because they think that what ever goes on it will go back to the mission president.  Anyway, it was fun.  Later that afternoon we went to the airport to pick up a new missionary.  He was serving in a foreign mission, broke his leg, went home for four months and got called to finish his mission in Michigan.  He's a good missionary and will help the work alot.  We definately can use him. When I came out there were about 184 missionaries and know we only have 133.  The funny thing is that we are baptising more know then last year at this time.  We had 31 baptisms in the month of december.  Anyway, back to Elder Dew,  he was supposed to get here at 3:30 but his flight was delayed and he didn't get here till 7:45pm.  The following day we ended up spending the whole day in the car.  We were supposed to take Elder Dew to his area in Big Rapids but instead we ended up driving from Lansing to Kalamazoo to Saginaw to Kalamazoo back to Lansing.  It was about a 10 hour trip.  There is a new missionary who came out this last transfur and has been having problems with his ancle from a past football injury and there is a member in Saginaw who is a surgeon so we took him to see the surgeon. It was a long day.  On friday we had our first Transfur meeting which lasted about 4 hours.  Its fun doing transfurs.  Its funny because you get to hear what President really thinks about all the missionaries individually.  Its kinda fun knowing everything about everyone.  Tons of missionaries are always asking me for scoop or for an update on where they are going next.  It was cool.  This next week we have individual zone conferances so we will be doing a lot of driving around the state.  Hopefully I will get to go up to Traverse City.  We will be doing that all week.  Life is good.  I bought a big Book of Mormon that has 8 1/2- 11 paper and have been marking it all up starting fresh.  Its neat how everything links together so well.  I hope you are feeling gradually better mom, and if not just think about Eating rice.....  :-)   And Amy, Congrats on Getting engaged you frootcake.  You better wait till I get home.  Anywho,  I love you all.  Thanks for all the packages and letters. 

  Love, Elder Brubaker

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