REPORT 12-21-2009

REPORT 12-21-2009

I love Christmas time because my kids come home for Christmas. Everyone will be here, but not all at the same time. Kenny, Jo and children came home on Friday, December 18th. Mya woke up at four in the morning so Jo suggested, because they were already packed, that they load up the kids and get started. They were in Las Vegas by nine in the morning and arrived here in the early evening. The boys immediately were looking for deer. They are very comfortable at our home-they know where they will sleep, where the toys are and what good things their grandmother will have for them to eat.

Getting Kim here was another matter-it was just another chapter in Kim’s story of all the things that can go wrong when she flies between Washington D.C. and Denver. This time she was scheduled to leave Washington at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, fly to Atlanta and then to Denver. This flight was delayed two hours so she couldn’t take it to Atlanta because she would have missed her connection to Denver. She rebooked to fly through Milwaukee – she had to get out that night before the 1.5 to 2 feet of snow arrived the next morning and shut down the airport and the city. The plane coming to D. C. to take her to Milwaukee had mechanical problems and return to its base and another plane was sent to D. C. She finally boarded the plane to Milwaukee at 9:00 p.m. but then had to deplane to reboot the aircraft computer to fix mechanical problems. They finally reboarded at 11:00 p.m. and went to the de-icing area but had to go back to the terminal since the co-pilot had no flying hours left. The plane then had to de-ice again and she finally left at 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning on the last flight out of the airport and probably after the curfew was normally in effect. The passengers were ready to lynch the flight crew and the terminal employees. Big bonus though-she was in the first seat in business class. She arrived in Milwaukee at 3:00 a.m. and was offered a flight leaving in two hours back to Atlanta and then to Denver but she knew better than to return to the east when she wanted to go west. The airline put her up for the night in a hotel, gave her a free voucher for a round trip ticket anywhere in the country to be used within a year and she finally left Milwaukee at 1:30 in the afternoon and arrived in Denver at three where Carol and Connie (who had flown in from Austin) picked her up and brought her home to G.J. The important thing was she got out of D.C. before the airport was closed because of the snow and she arrived safely at our home. Gabi and Catherine arrived earlier in the day much to the delight of the three Summers boys.

Historical events of the week:

1. This fall we have observed three bucks in our pasture which I wrote about last week. Kenny, his boys, Gabi and I went for a walk in the trees and found the largest buck dead, lying on its side under a tree in the leaves where the snow hadn’t covered the ground. Kenny couldn’t find any marks on the body and decided it died of old age or poison. He lifted up the head and very large antlers (six points on one side and four on the other) and took a picture with his cell phone with Drew and Ian each holding an antler. He then sent his friends and family a text with the picture informing everyone that Ian and Drew had bagged their first deer. Tyler, from Oklahoma, Jo’s brother texted back that he wanted to mount the alters-he is an amateur taxidermist. Sunday morning, before church, Kenny and Gabi, using the tools available at my house, (cross-cut saw, machete, wood saw and shovel) removed the head and Kenny took it in the minivan to Russell, Kansas to deliver it to Tyler who will be there for Christmas. I will miss watching this magnificent creature in my pasture-already the four point has taken over control of the deer herd and is now the ruler.
2. Monday evening was spent at the Clevelands home. They invited us over for supper and to view the Guatemala pictures from our trip on their big screen TV. It was a very enjoyable evening. I am going to write up my experiences this winter of this trip.
3. I released Elder Crosby Rock from the Las Vegas Nevada West Mission on Tuesday. He came home after a year in the field to have his ACL repaired. After about 6 months, he returned to complete his mission. His father, Bishop Rock, told me that when I set him apart the second times and gave him a blessing, I promised him that he would know why he returned to the field after his surgery. Elder Crosby was assigned to open Truckee, California which had not had missionaries there for eight years. It was Elder Crosby’s favorite assignment and he was very successful. The bishop cried when he said goodbye to Elder Crosby and said Elder Crosby returned to the mission field so he could be assigned to Truckee and bless the members and non-member of that area
4. Wednesday I attended the funeral of our receptionist husband who died at the age of 55 of a heart attack. He was too young to die. Glenda, his wife, is a very spiritual woman that I could trust when she typed up my life history including many spiritual experiences. I called her and also gave her a hug at the funeral. She told me she knew I would be at the funeral to support her.
5. I also attended the missionary “transfer meeting” this past week. Things have sure changed since I served a mission. We were never told when there would be transfers-they could come anytime. Normally, we receive a letter on a Monday or Tuesday informing us of the transfers that would take place Friday. We were informed of our new assignment and had to arrange for and pay our own transportation to the new area. We traveled alone to our new location and called up our new companion at the bus or train station to come and get us.
6. Every six weeks, (transfer week) the Denver South Mission calls on Tuesday the missionaries that will be transferred but doesn’t tell them where they are going. The metropolitan missionaries gather early in the morning in Denver on Thursday and those who are coming to the western slope pack their bikes and belonging in the mission trailer and drive in cars to G.J. arriving at noon where all the transferred missionaries are waiting at the stake center. The assistant to the president, a missionary, then reads the list of who has been assigned to a new companion and the elders load up their belongings to go to their new assignments on the western slope or to return to Denver for a new assignment. Car keys are exchanged as vehicles also are transferred to new locations. Surprising it works out very smoothly and with no discussion, just obedience. I was in awe when I watched this all done with missionaries being in charge-the president was in Denver. Only in the church could this happen with 19 and 20 year old missionaries in charge and everyone willingly accepting new assignments.
7. I finished up all bishop’s interviews this week-all ten of them. One new bishop told me he felt intimidated by me, but after our personal priesthood interviews, he really looks forward to them and wouldn’t want to miss one. I try to be supportive of the bishops and advise them to listen to the spirit—I don’t want to micromanage them or for them to be afraid to try something different when the spirit inspires them. I have very loving and supportive bishops.
8. I attended the Christmas programs at G.J. 4th and 8th wards-both excellent. One ward had three people take the parts of Joseph, Mary and a Wiseman and talk in the first person about their feelings and experiences. Each wrote their own-it was excellent-I am going to get copies for my records.
9. I finished reading the Book of Mormon for Christmas with the mission. It was a very good experience. I decided to concentrate on the last words, the final blessing, the final advice the prophets left in the Book of Mormon. I loved Nephi, Lehi, Jacob, Alma, Mormon and Moroni”s last words. I believe their last advice and counsel is the most important- where they get down to basics and tell us what is of the most worth.
I love having my family around me. I am blessed beyond measure and certainly more than I deserve. God is good to me. I love that my kids love each other and those who have married into the family fit right in.

Merry Christmas,

K. K. Summers