Arrived at the Battalion!

What a week this has been!  If we weren’t tired after a week at the MTC, we certainly are now.  On Monday, Tuesday and a few hours on Wednesday we had MTC Visitors’ Center/Historic Site training.  We went to the Visitor’s Center in Salt Lake and after a short class, took the tour.  We hadn’t taken it for years and it was nice.

The couple doing the training in Provo had been the Directors of the St George Visitors Center until Jan 2012. They were a lot of fun.  On our last day, we had our final costume fittings.

Thursday morning we got up bright and early for our trip to Los Angeles.  We were able to see Mom and LaMar, which was so nice. Too bad it was such a short visit.  Then we had a late dinner with Genna and Jeff.

Friday morning we drove to San Diego and our new apartment.  It is half way between the Battalion and the Temple.  We take shifts at the canopy in the temple parking lot that serves as a makeshift Visitors Center. The apartment is pretty nice.  Seven hundred square feet.  They did a good job of outfitting it.

Do you see all of the dishes stacked up in the sink?  They are clean.  That is the only way you get clean dishes since there is no dishwasher.  Surprise!  And the silverware tray is on the counter since it doesn’t fit in either of the two teensy drawers.  No silverware holder in Target will fit.  The right hand drawer can’t open unless the oven door is open.  We do have a table that will double as counter space.  I am sure the Kenningtons are not feeling sorry for us.  Our senior missionary neighbors are surprised that we have a matching couch and love seat.

Our costumes were supposed to come on Friday or Saturday at the latest.  Hopefully, they’ll be here on Monday.  We met with the Mission President and his wife on Saturday morning.  They are wonderful.  Then we met with the Battalion Director and his wife after that.  They took us to lunch at one of the many Mexican restaurants around Old Town.  That was fun.

The young sisters that usually run the tours are darling.  Every one of them gave me a hug.  They do a great job.  We got the scripts to learn and it is longer than I like to think about.  We’ll need to know it a week from Tuesday!  That is the sisters’ P day and so the seniors do the tours.  If anyone wants to come visit the Battalion, don’t come on a Tuesday!  You won’t get as good of a tour.  We are also learning how to open and close the Battalion and everything else we need to know.  I am kind of nervous about it, but think the young sisters can help me if I am at a loss running the tour and film times.  We are shadowing the departing couple until Tuesday.  That is their last day.

Lots of people have asked us what we did to get this assignment.  Evidently, San Diego is the second most requested mission.  Most people serving at the Battalion are here for 18 months.  One couple was told it is an 18 month mission and if they wanted it, they needed to change from 12 to 18 months.  But I know you are called to the mission you are supposed to go to, and we were called here for 12 months.

After our shift this morning, we went to the ward we live in.  It has a deaf branch attached to it.  The deaf members sit on the left side of the chapel and have interpreters.  There are two deaf and blind brothers.  They gave the prayers today and blessed the sacrament as well.  Missionaries who know sign language interpret what is being said, and the brothers put their hands over the hands of the missionaries so they know what is being said.  Today the speakers were from the deaf branch so they signed and someone interpreted for us.  Very interesting.  We stayed through Sunday School, then left for our shift at the temple Visitors Canopy.  Quite a few people came by, including 4 people from Chile, two were from Concepcion.  They are here touring California before going to Conference.  Craig and I are in charge of the Temple supplies and statistics.  We give everyone Battalion pass along cards, but not the ones that say “Pan for Gold!” right on the front.  The temple president doesn’t want those handed out at the temple.  Good call.

Wish us luck with learning our scripts!