Our FINAL Apartment Inspections

As we have done every time, Jena made a sign/note or poster for each missionary apartment.  Above was the note this time--and how true it is:  We do like clean apartments...but we LOVE missionaries!

We also include a "treat" of some kind.  This time we gave each apartment a framed picture of the scripture in Doctrine & Covenants 123:17.  It is the scripture on our mission plaque for this mission and also the one that President and Sister Hathaway used as well.  A daughter (Niccol Hahn) of a friend of mine sent me 8 designs of the scripture and wouldn't let me pay for them "because it is always good to do good things for missionaries." So we printed a 8 by 10 for each apartments and gave the missionaries 4 by 6s to take to always remember this place and time in their missions.  They loved them.  (Don't worry--we also brought back Inspection Yahtzee so they could "earn" a treat if they had cleaned the item they rolled.  Everyone did a great job cleaning their apartments.)

And this time, we took photos at each apartment by the iconic spot of that apartment....

Clarksville--

in front of their huge map of

Jerusalem which is on their wall.

No one knows how long, but missionaries

have been in this apartment at least 10 years.

Elder Larson and Elder Hallows

The map.....they also have a very weird and wavy floor but it wasn't great to take a picture with.

Ft. Smith Sisters' Apartment

This banner is from a local fish place down the street.

Lost in history, some sisters were able to get it

and it has hung in this apartment since then.

And it is signed by the sisters and visitors

ever since.

We added our names.....

So many names who bring back some great memories.

We love these missionaries who have been in Ft. Smith.

Despite not being a fan of heights or ladders,

Jena wanted to add her name as well.

Ft. Smith YSA/1st Ward Sisters by their sign

(Missing the Spanish-speaking sisters who were off

doing some service during this early morning inspection.)

Sister Cherrington and Sister Rigby

Almost all missionary apartments have their wall

of Jesus pieces...

Ft. Smith YSA Elders (and Zone Leaders) by their

table top ping pong table

(Missing were the Spanish-speaking elders who were at

the same service project.)

Elder Miller and Elder Whetton

Van Buren/Alma Sisters

(who just shotgunned into this new apartment

that the prior elders had lived just 1 week.)

The sisters added the Family Tree photos from

the old apartment all around the top of the

room.

Sister Larsen and Sister Davis

Greenwood
This had to be the place--this 'window' between the
living room and kitchen.

Gary was there so we tried to get him in the pictures from time to time.

Elder Hoffman and Elder Egan

We were talking to the elders about the apartments and the history in them since many of them had been used by missionaries for years. 

Then Elder Egan showed us .....that on the back of this 'signature' board where missionaries sign their names and leave art and notes to future missionaries....... 

was THIS---- our mission was known as the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission ()TM) until 2018 when the mission home was moved to Bentonville.  Elder Egan said that one of their ward members was a former missionary in the OTM and had served in Greenwood (where he would later come back and marry someone from here.) had told them to check the back of the ABM and that is how they knew about it.

What made that more meaningful for us was that our nephew, Eric McKinney, served in the OTM.  So I took a picture and sent it to him.  He loved it and recognized a few names on it.  He had never served in Arkansas but he had been a district leader who covered some areas in Arkansas and had done splits here.  He had never been in Greenwood though.  History is found in unexpected places.

Mena

In front of their very orange door!

Elder Farris and Elder Keyes

Six apartments this time--the fewest we have ever had to do.  Our first group included four apartments in Oklahoma which were removed when a new stake was created in Gore, OK and the area was moved to the Oklahoma OK City Mission. Then over time, we have covered some to the north when there were not couples there to do it.  We kept Prairie Grove for several transfers, but this time they were moved to another couple.

We have been very blessed that the missionaries have usually done a great job getting their apartments cleaned before inspections.  These are amazing young men and women and we loved spending time with them each transfer in their apartments.