Sunday, August 08, 2010

The second week of August already!

It is hard to believe that it’s been five weeks since I wrote here. It has been busy what with the FHC and all. I attended my first director’s meeting last Monday. I and Sister Harenberg, who is the secretary, were the only women there. There is also a Sister Price who couldn’t be there but is also an assistant director. Sister Hendricks will also be there until the end of September. I am the only Supervisor who is a woman. I had my début at supervising yesterday. Things went well. We had to be there by 8:00 am to open the building. The Butterworths were there shortly after to count the money and put it in the till. The others started coming about 8:30-8:35; prayer meeting starts at 8:45. The supervisor is the one who conducts prayer meeting and who is generally in charge and makes decisions if any decisions beyond the individual ones need to be made. As my sweetheart was telling his mother last night, “that things went well and Renée just took everything in stride” my tho’t was, “It wasn’t so different, responsibility-wise as being a charge nurse at the hospital.” And I did a pretty good job at that (even if I do say so myself). I started two weeks earlier than I tho’t I would because the Caseaus were gone to California to a niece’s wedding. I’m thankful that Elder Lyon called Elder Reed to be the supervisor for Friday. I’m afraid it would have been too much to do both Friday and Saturday and go to church on Sunday too. Then there is the director’s meeting at 9:00 am on Monday morning too. I think this will work out really well.

Today for church I was able to wear my sandals with 1 ¼ inch heels--The first time since I’ve had surgery. My foot didn’t even swell too much. I’m thankful that the swelling is decreasing. There for a while I wondered if it would. We had good meetings—all three of them.

In Relief Society we talked about how we are a covenant people. Erin Nelson, the teacher, told us she tho’t how neat it is that altho’ people may not be born into the lineage of Abraham, that they may be adopted in and share all of the blessings as if they were born in that lineage. I made the comment that when someone in this life is adopted that the adopted name becomes the legal name and with what we believe with the sealing, then everything is as if they were actually born to those parents. She tho’t that I was trying to take away the neatness of it. Afterwards, I went up and tried to explain it to her. I told her that it is another way that our Heavenly Father has planned so that all people can take advantage of His plan, if they so chose even if they were not born in it. Then I was inspired to say, “It is just like the way we do the temple ordinances for our dead; those who haven’t heard the Gospel in this life and still need the work done, we do it for them.” I felt the Spirit bear witness to me as I said that as to the truthfulness of what I said. I wished that I had been inspired to say that during class so everyone there could have heard it too. (Because it was a new tho’t to me; I hadn’t made that connection before.)

Oh, by the way, I have lost the three pounds I gained plus one. I should be able to do even better when I start exercising more and get back to Silver Sneakers. I am determined to do that. We got our reports last week of our blood work when we went to the doctor July 27. my A1c is the same as last time, 7.3. I want to get it back down in the 6 range. I know I will have to exercise regularly to do that. Even a couple times a week will be better than what I’m doing now.

We also went to the temple a week ago Friday. We have been averaging once a month. Hopefully we can increase it to twice a month. We’ll see.

Entry for August 1, 2010
My goodness, it does get hot in Russia as well as cold. 40 degrees Celsius is equal to 104 Fahrenheit. Did you know that? That is hot. The hottest it has been here so far this summer is 98 degrees F. That was last weekend. Today it is 89 degrees F. Our house stays fairly cool until it starts cooling off last night then we face the fan out the front door and open the back door and windows and blow the hot air out the front and let the cool air come in the back. That works out pretty well. If it were 104 tho’ I don’t think it would work as well.

My foot is healing very well. I even wore my sandals to church today for the first time since I had the surgery June 25. My foot did swell and I came home and put on my nursing shoes so the swelling would go down. That is what I have worn for almost two weeks to keep the swelling down. I’m in no pain, which is very nice.

Grandpa fell while riding his bike a week ago. He was trying to bring home about 8 feet of chain link fence on it and ran into the curb and fell. He broke a blood vessel on his right shin. So he has a very colorful leg, ankle and foot now. It is starting to turn yellow now tho’ which means it is healing (an excerpt from a letter to Bryce.)