Managing the Aftermath

Maybe aftermath is a bit overstated, but there's sure a lot to be done the day following transfers.  And it still isn't finished.

The first thing I needed to do was to take 8 messages that were left yesterday while we were at transfers. Nothing too serious and no emergencies!  That's good.  One that we all had a good laugh over was from our wonderful travel lady.  She'd received a phone call from a mom whose daughter who'd completed her mission and was flying home today.  Mom was unhappy that she was coming into a different terminal than the one she'd planned on and was coming through a hallway instead of down the escalator.  Travel lady tried to explain to her that we have contracts with certain airlines and really have no control over where they come in, but before she finished the explanation mom hung up on her.  She wanted to warn us that we may get a call and didn't want us to be blind-sided.  She's the best.  We never received a message from mom.  I have 2 questions: 1) How in the world did mom get through the massive numbers in the Church offices to find our travel lady? and 2) Does mom know that travel lady manages all incoming and outgoing missionaries for 65 missions?  If every mission has an average of 10 incoming and outgoing missionaries every transfer, and there are 8 2/3 transfers per year (there's one every 6 weeks) That's about 173 per mission plus and arm and leg or two.  Which makes somewhere around 11,167 flights she's booking every year.  I dare you to check my math on this one. I'm probably wrong somewhere in the calculations, but I don't care.  You get the idea.

Next order of business was getting out letters to parents from President Wall, a map of the mission marking the first areas where they're serving and a letter from the missionaries that they write to their parents soon after their arrival at the mission home. Usually we include a picture, but this time pictures didn't happen at the airport because of the whirlwind circumstances accompanying their arrival. That little project was completed sometime this afternoon--well past time to get into today's outgoing mail.

The Olsen's have unofficially left the office but will be at their apartment tomorrow--packing and cleaning, then we'll move to their place on Saturday.  Two bedrooms and two baths--I've died and gone to heaven.  It's amazing to realize how much space you don't need.

There is still one task that needs to be accomplished, and both Sister O and I were hoping to work on it today, but it all depends on Pres Wall.  He has to finalize the transfers on the computer and until he pushes the button our hands are tied.  The new rosters for all the zones and the alphabetical one need to be printed.  Then the letters to parents of new trainers, district leaders, zone leaders, and sister training leaders will be sent out.