RAMPING UP!

 Despite the weather, missionary work still goes on.  August 16 was the day set for the opening of the Church History Library completely.  Each department had been slowly returning to the Library in a step by step fashion including the missionaries.  August 9--the public tours were started again on the first floor.  But the 16th was the day set for everyone to start back to work in whatever new schedule they had set with their managers---

Sister Jena Hall with help from Elder Hall became the Church History Library mailpersons.

                                                  

Jena is learning where many of the employees are and can deliver some of the mail by herself.  Otherwise, she and Gary wander the halls on all five floors each morning with their deliveries.  She has certain employees who expect her to stop in their office to say hi whether they have mail or not!  She is a favorite missionary for sure.

We were also preparing to greet our missionaries when they returned completely back to the Library.  Jena worked all of July and part of August to prepare handwritten cards for our 68 missionaries to greet them back.

Here is one of her cards:

We had to add about 8 more names since we added them during July and August.  That is a lot of cards to write!  You can see them posted in cubicles throughout the 2nd and 3rd floors where our missionaries serve.  Those who work remotely got theirs in the mail.

We also had to make name plates for all of the missionaries in our zone to mark their cubicles so that we can find each other.  (Although this week about 40 of our missionaries are being moved due to a reorganization of the Archive and Area Support Division where we serve.  That includes us--at least at the last draft of the plan that we saw.

This is what we left at each desk--a welcome from us, a postcard with an inspiration scripture, and the card from Jena.

In addition, Gary was busy with last minute updates of all of the computers, making sure everyone's access badges were authorized, and getting parking passes for everyone.  Needless to say, it was a busy time the first few weeks of August.  Most of August was spent with zone leader stuff rather than our mission assignment for the Church History Library.  I think we only did one oral history in August.

But being a zone leader IS part of our mission assignment at this time and it is all good.