Another transfer complete!

Last week was our transfer week, and as always it was busy, fun, and exciting! We took all of the departing missionaries to the temple on Tuesday evening and then came back for our usual yummy dinner and testimony meeting at the mission home. This was a hard group to lose! They have been just wonderful missionaries, and we will miss them! But as always, as soon as we send them on their way--which was Wednesday morning-- we receive another great group of missionaries! So Wednesday we said good-by to 12 and hello to 10! We love getting our new missionaries at the airport and seeing their excitement to be here. We had to wait quite awhile though for this group to get through customs! We didn't even get back to the mission home until almost 5:00, and usually we get back about 3:00. So we had to change up our schedule and training with them, but it all worked out. That night the sisters stayed here at the mission home and the elders went to a hotel for the night. Then on Thursday morning we began training at 8:00 a.m. with the new missionaries and then at 8:45 their new companions came to meet them and go to their areas. That is always so fun! I think the trainers are just as nervous as the new missionaries! Then we met at the Willow Park church to begin the regular transfer, with everyone going north, south and every which way. Our new couple, the McNary's were there to witness their first transfer and it was a little overwhelming for them I think, mostly because they know they will be so heavily involved on the next one and the Thorley's won't be here to help. But, they will catch on and it will be great. It's really quite a remarkable thing when it's all said and done! We are always grateful when transfer day is over and no one has lost luggage, or no accidents, etc. Especially when missionaries are going to areas to 'purge in' where they have never been before. And there are always some tears, as missionaries say good-by to companions they have loved.
Friday we were able to meet with our Mandarin speaking missionaries to discuss the work and help them, and that was a good meeting. And then later that afternoon we were able to take a little p-day for a few hours and we went to Glenmoor Park. It is right by Glenmoor Reservoir in Calgary, and the Thorleys had told us it had great trails to walk on, so we went to check it out. Once we got there and got walking on the trails, we wished we had our bikes! Because it had great paved trails for biking all the way around the reservoir--it was beautiful, and relaxing. We enjoyed a long walk outside--we love getting outside because we feel like we are inside 95% of the time! And then we went to catch a bite to eat before going home. We are trying to be better at taking a p-day or afternoon. We have figured that once a transfer we can get one in, and it is the day after transfers are over. So, we are aiming for that! We don't know how any mission president gets a p-day once a week.
We have loved getting pictures of our new little grandson Jake--it has helped with the little bit of heartache I've had in not being able to be there to snuggle him.
Saturday and Sunday we participated in the Fish Creek Stake Conference which was really good and Sunday afternoon we began planning for our upcoming MLC on Wednesday and our Zone Conferences coming up the middle of July. There's always something to plan for!
Today we were able to attend district meetings in the Calgary West zone, Steve went to one and I went to another. In these meetings we had all read a talk on the atonement by President Faust and came prepared to discuss it. As always, I love to hear the insights of the missionaries as they learn more about the Savior and His atonement. We love being in meetings with them--they are so inspiring. They truly are disciples of Christ and we are so grateful for their decision to serve missions.