Channel Islands

Dear Family,  Another very busy week.  `i've been trying to interview all the Elders and Sisters prior to the next transfer, which is next week, Aug 8th.  We have 10 Elders going home and another new 10 arriving. This will make 27 companionships with new elders or sisters invalid in the twelve week training routine.  To put that in perspective , we have about 148 missionaries. Take out three for the office, 18 for ~one leaders and 2 for Assistants to the president.  That leaves about 60 companionships, so we have nearly one out two companionships are training new arrivals..  ````This makes a young mission.  They are fantastic young people.  We interviewed four zones this week.  One of them included the channel island so we traveled to `poole on Thursday, interview the missionaries on the mainland, stayed overnight then sailed on The Condor Ferry to  Jersey, gave a fireside that night (both Sister Millar and I spoke)  Val is doing very well.  Saturday we sailed from ```Jersey to Geurnsey.  Checked into the hotel, found a family for the elders to teach,  then went on three teaching appointments with the elders.. We then took them to dinner at nice restaurant  at about nine o'clock.  `in the midst of all this,  one Elder who has had severe depression and some self harm issues needed to be sent home emergently, and a Sister's father had a heart attack with cardiac arrest.  Cpr was done quickly but currently he is in an induced coma with mild hypothermia.  `it will be another day before we know the outcome.  Since being here `i've called Germany more than a dozen times, Russia, India, Denmark, as well as the USA.  Thank goodness for good cell phones and email.
     We have now driven over 3000 miles.  The distances are amazing, lot of it in traffic or on British motorways and round  abouts.  Today `i've been taking a break reading the weekly letters `(148) plus reports for all the zone leader, district leaders and trainers.   Both Sister `Millar and I  look at each other and smile realising that we are happy and surprised that we can really keep up the pace. And enjoy it.
     B.J.  thank you for your email , it is great to here from home.  All missionaries love mail``````````!
 Cherio for now.