Thu 1/17/08 9:35 AM

Dear Family,
We completed another mission tour with Elder Robert C. Oaks and his wife and he presided at Croatia District Conference. It was a week long with Zone Conferences in Slovenia and Serbia and Croatia. They arrived late because of fog at the Ljubljana Airport. They had to land in Maribor and be bussed here. I tought the missionaries for two hours while we waited and sent two Elders to the airport to get them while I taught. Just before we left on the week long trip the washing machine burnt up. It is an American one and can not be fixed or replaced so here we go on another adventure. I guess we have been spoiled long enough. JR we even sent the Hensleys into Italy to get one from the PX but they are out of them until fall. We went with a new couple to Rijeka on monday after the conference to move them there. I had the office couple meet them at the airport and bring them to the conference in Zagreb. Then we took them on monday to Rijeka where I did interviews with the missionaries. And we then drove home. It was good to sleep in our own bed on monday evening. Then on tuesday the new CES mission couple (Elder and Sister Stirling)arrived and we met them at the airport that afternoon. Roylene fixed a great dinner for them and the office missionaries and the current CES couple(Elder and Sister Lunt). I knew him (Elder Stirling) as he was in the Stake Presidency with President Lynn Jarvis of the Timpanogos Stake. President Jarvis's mother in law (Sister Petersen) lived next to us at the old home in Pleasant Grove on 1055 East 500 South. It is indeed a small world. They also know the new Family History Couple that is coming on the 29 Jan 2008. We will also receive the couple for Maribor on that same day. Elder and Sister Eves is their name and they are from Washington State. It is amazing to finally be getting the couples. We will be at 118 missionaries when they all get here. We send missionaries home next week and get six new ones. We finally received Sister Klyuba from the Ukrane last week while we were gone. It took six months to get her here counting her two months in the MTC. So she will only get to serve for 12 months in Slovenia, but she is so good that she will do alot in that time. At Croatia District Conference I had a feeling that I needed the General Handbook of instructions so on friday I ask Elder Lunt to bring a copy for me. Sure enough Elder Oaks leans over to me at the Priesthood Leadership Meeting and said: "I want you to teach about the General Handbook and also teach Welfare Principles from it and then teach about Missionary Work and take 30 minutes." What a blessing to have the help of the spirit. I could not have done this very well without the prompting. I had prepare remarks that I never used. He did it to me again in the evening session but he said to just include teaching about tithing to the remarks that I was prompted in the morning to write down. Yes, I had it given to me just as I awoke what needed to be taught at the adult meeting. It was easy to include remarks about tithing to what the spirit prompted me to say. Then on sunday he again told me what he wanted me to teach. It is quite an experience to do that, but it is only possible with the mantle and the spirit that Heavenly Father gives us. In and of ourselves we can not do it. It makes me think of King Benjamins talk and how we in and of ourselves are less the the dust of the earth. We have a busy week again with me presiding at Slovene District Conference this week end. I will let you know how it turns out. Roylene and I met this morning with Thomas Lex about things in the Mission Home that need to be fixed before the new mission president comes in July. We also reviewed all buildings in the mission and the plans for this year to do repairs. We have accomplished alot in this area during our time. The Physical Facilities are much better than they were. And the organization to do things is much improved. Mike Ferre, Thomas Lex said to say hello. He sure enjoyed working with you. I pointed out to him things that you fixed around the mission home as we did the tour today. Well I must go. Love all of you. Keep praying for baptismal success in this mission and the investigators to be protected from the Adversary. Ole scratch as I call him.
Love Dad (Doug)