Answering Some Questions

Frequently asked question: What will you be doing on your mission?

Frequently given response: We don’t know

Today’s response: We know! Here is our “job description”

We are officially named Seminary and Institute Coordinators, and most of our work is in the Bismarck North Dakota Stake. This Stake covers 2/3 of North Dakota, and is comprised of 4 wards and 6 branches. There is one ward in Bismarck, two in Minot, and one in Williston (by the Montana border.) Each of those cities is about 2 hours apart. There is a seminary class in each of those cities, and in one of the branches. In addition, there are parents or teachers holding home study or daily classes in smaller areas scattered throughout our stake. An institute class meets Wednesday in Minot and Thursday in Bismarck. We are the link to the CES system. We will be involved with everything that makes these classes happen – selection of teachers, registering students, tracking attendance, teacher inservice, reimbursement, ordering supplies, certificates and graduation. We are supervised by the area office in Minneapolis. Much of this is “office work” A big part of our responsibilities will be visiting these classes, getting to know the teachers and students.

Part of our activities here in Bismarck involved the Young Single Adults and their activities. They have their own SS class that we attend, and when in town we attend all their activities and their institute.

In addition, we are missionaries, and work with the Elders and Sisters in these areas. We will let them know when we are coming to their areas, and offer to join with them in their missionary work while we are there.

We are just picking up speed, but this week is kind of an example of our work here “at home”. Monday night we had FHE with the YS Adults, this morning there was a conference call with our Mission President, tonight the missionaries are teaching a discussion to a young women who will be baptized this weekend here at our home. Tomorrow morning we will attend the Bismarck Seminary, and then later in the morning the missionaries are coming to our apt for their District meeting, and we will feed them lunch afterwards. We are working on our schedule for the rest of the week, but we know we will attend Institute here on Thursday night. Saturday morning there will be a baptism, and another one Sunday night, so our Mission President is coming from South Dakota for those, and we will have a chance to meet him. Next week we hope to be on the road to Williston and Minot to visit the groups there. The former couple said that when we visit, we give awards for consecutive scripture reading, take treats, and do whatever else the teacher would like.

In between these activities we are working in the office, getting settled in our apartment, and trying to work out the schedule for our new life.

WEATHER
Since everyone’s response to our North Dakota mission call has been “you’re going to be cold,” I’d like to mention the weather. They’ve certainly had some tough weather up here this winter, but since we’ve arrived it has just been normal winter weather. No one “plugs in” their cars in Bismarck, and many people leave their cars outside all night. We’re lucky enough to have a garage, but even some of the people in our apartment park on the street. We’ve noticed that even when the temperature isn’t above freezing, the snow is still melting in the streets during the day, so the sun does shine here, and eventually all the snow will melt.

WARD
Ward is great ward here in Bismarck. People come from all around the city and outside areas. We have been warmly welcomed. Most of the Stake organization and Temple Presidency comes from this ward, so many good people. And always the connections – The Stake President comes from Arvada; we were at a home last night where the woman’s mother was raised in Tremonton; the Elders Quorum President is the son of Lynn Southam, a former Denver Stake President and friend of Steve's through wood badge.

SHOPPING
There is everything here we are used to, in stores and franchised eating places. There’s a big grocery store just 2 blocks away (open 24 hrs) and several shopping malls. We went to the big one this morning to walk indoors, and there is every store that would ever be needed . There are the stores that remind me of shopping with my some of you (Zumies, the Buckle, Aeropostal, Maurice’s - you shopped, I paid), Target, Wal Mart, K Mart, and at the mall I found the store I was hoping to see – Christopher and Banks. Now I can settle down in Bismarck.They open the mall at 7:30 for walkers, and there were 30 cars when we got there this morning. The mall is in a big Y shape, and it takes about 15 minutes for us to walk around it once. Most of the other people there were MUCH older than we were – grey hair and everything. :p But since the streets and sidewalks are still snowbound, it’s nice to have an indoor place to walk.

APARTMENT
We are on the end of the 1st floor, and the building is very quiet. We have heard some footsteps upstairs, but never voices, music or bathrooms. There have only been occasional and accidental sightings anyone else who lives here. Our apartment is warm and comfortable and we have plenty of space. It was left well furnished by the previous missionaries.

That’s probably more than you wanted to know about Bismarck, but the bottom line is that we are alive and well here.