20 Things I can't live without on my mission

The other day, I was thinking about some of the wonderful things that have made a difference in my life as a missionary. Some of these things are mundane, but mandatory to make my life easier on this adventure of the Czech Prague Mission. I started out with a list of 10, but it quickly grew to the top 20. Here they are in no particular order:

1. My back knit dress. It doesn’t wrinkle when I travel. It rolls up into a ball. I can dress it up with a jacket for a conference, or dress it down with a cardigan for the office. It matches everything!
2. My pearl necklace and earrings. Very classic, and dresses up an outfit in an instant.
3. My combination hairdryer/curling iron. Travels well and gives me instant body and curl wherever I may be, and I don’t need to pack a hairdryer. It does it all!
4. My Danskos. Oh my goodness! These shoes have saved my life! I have worn them nearly every day for almost 3 years. They fairly skip over cobblestones and even through mud. I could walk in them for miles. (I change into dressier heels when I am speaking, but my Danskos are the workhorse of my shoe wardrobe.
5. My scriptures, duh!
6. My laptop. It keeps me connected with the family and the world when I am on the road, which is nearly always.
7. My office. There are talks to write and trainings to create, and basically a lot of things to organize. I love my office and all of its equipment. It’s my quiet place amidst the flurry of activity that takes place in the mission home.
8. My husband who gives me all the love and support I need, and often a helping hand in taking the trash down 3 flights of stairs, and hanging curtains on exceedingly high windows.
9. My family and friends at home and here in the mission. They are the cheerleaders in my life and keep me going when I get tired or feel overwhelmed.
10. I know my daughters will laugh at this—but I LOVE my scrunchie! I pull my hair up into it at night, and in the morning, I have instant body when I take it down. Sometimes it only takes a minute to do my hair for the day, because my dear scrunchie has been working all night.
11. My knitted slippers. Sister Buncikova from Ostrava made these for me. Because my feet get cold easily, I wear them to bed nearly every night. God bless Sister Buncikova!
12. LDS.org. Between speeches.byu.edu and lds.org, I have all reference materials at my finger tips. I love it!
13. Google. It is the source of almost all knowledge. Often I need to know how to cure a missionary’s migraine headache or an ingrown toenail, or find the nearest hospital to the missionaries in Jicin. Google nearly always comes through.
14. My camera. It captures the moments I will want to remember forever.
15. My black patent leather, peep toe, sling back pumps from Ecco; so cute and comfortable, yet dressy. Perfect for conferences and walking short distances.
16. My alligator briefcase. It holds a lot of zone conference stuff like markers, a dinger bell, my laptop, cell phone, and candy bars for hungry missionaries.
17. My hot pot. Boils water in a jiffy. Perfect for fruit teas, instant oatmeal, and hot soups on a cold day. We take one on the road with us for a quick meal in a hotel room on those busy, busy days.
18. Dr. and Sister Maddock. When Google fails, Dr. Maddock and his wife always come through.
19. My remarkable goose down feather pillow. It’s like resting your head on a fluffy cloud every night.
20. My testimony that this is the Lord’s work. Without it, I wouldn’t be here, doing what I am doing.

Another Transfer has come and gone!

Above: The new group




The Departing group

This transfer was huge! So many missionaries coming and going, it was hard to keep up with all of them. And it was bitter sweet. We are so grateful for the new energy that is being pumped into the mission with this new group, but so sad to see our senior-most, well seasoned missionaries go; and yet we are so grateful for their diligent service; so yes, it was hard on us emotionally, as it always is, every 9 weeks. But one thing is consistent: we love our missionaries, whether they are coming or going.