To the Friends and Family of President and Sister Russell

To the Friends and Family of President and Sister Russell

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Thursday, June 29, 2017


Well, as they say: "It's crunch time"! 
The moving van came on Monday. We had accumulated many valuable 
treasures from Oregon and especially our missionaries.



Combine that with the things we brought from home and we had twenty plastic bins, plus boxes ready to go. 


The movers also brought large boxes for our clothes, portraits and pictures off the wall, and small appliances.
When all was moved out it didn't seem like a home, it was just a house.
We will miss Oregon so much it hurts.

 The last few days in the mission home were busy getting last minute things put together. Elder Hill is helping president Russell get his personal lap top updated and transferring all his personal things off the Church laptop. Notice, he's also working with an iPad. 
This is one talented missionary!


Meanwhile, Elder Cronin had not finished his scrapbook page for me and he's busily working on that. He kept saying that it wasn't very good, but I thought it was awesome!!


While we are working in the mission home Elder and Sister Danley are in Roseburg delivering some mattresses.
The Elders are so anxious to help that they don't even pause to take off their shoulder bags before unloading the mattresses.



The Danleys don't visit any missionaries without either bringing or buying food for these wonderful missionaries,
 this no exception. 

Left front: Sister Danley, Sister McClellan, Sister Morgan
Back row: Elder Gage, Elder Peterson, Elder Pierce and Elder Willlits.

We love our missionaries, young and not as young!



Saturday, June 24, 2017

Yesterday Rose Younger and Erda Johnson, two of my dearest friends, came to replace the shelf liners. Not knowing if this will be the last time we all get together at the mission home, we took some pictures.




Rose wanted this shot to show the new front door of the mission home. It needs to be painted, but it's still pretty nice.



In the upper left hand corner you can see one of the four hanging plants the Rose and Erda put up to more beautify the mission home.






On the patio in the back of he house there is also a hanging plant. I have struggle each summer to keep this one watered, I would forget. This summer I decided I would be better, although we were traveling much more, when we got back to the mission home I would go out and water it. 








I was feeling pretty good about the health of these flowers until the third time I watered it and I looked closer and noticed it's plastic. 
Yep, I can  keep a plastic hanging plant alive
They, knowing I didn't do well with that plant, decided to make it easier for me.
Yep, I can  keep a plastic hanging plant alive.






 Up close and personal: Erda Johnson, Sister Russell, and Rose Younger







One with cute president Russell, and of course, the new front door.

















President Russell and I will miss these two special ladies!















Wednesday, June 21, 2017


We took our twenty six July departing missionaries to the Portland temple today.  It was a wonderful session and afterward president Russell treated us all to lunch, then we took some pictures.










We only have three Sisters going home: Sister Mills, Sister Jones, and Sister Hepworth.

 President Russell gathered the missionaries all together to express our love to them, inasmuch as we will not be holding the traditional testimony meeting. More tears were shed.







We took some individual pictures as well with  
Elder Bushman







 Sister Hepworth





Elder Thibault





 Elder Holman
(A former Assistant to the president)






 Sister Mills




Elder Dopp
(A former Assistant to the president)





Elder Etherington






Elder Rawlings






Sister Jones






 Elder Gage





 Elder Finlinson
(A former Assistant to the president)







Elder Jensen







Elder Poston






 Elder Wardle





 Elder Morris





Elder Thurgood





Elder Halam





Elder Cluff





Elder Moser







Elder Flake






Elder Christiansen








On the way home we also got some good pictures
 Elder Briceno, Elder Cluff, and Elder Wardle


Then, we got a little crazy.
It was an awesome day!!

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Today was our last day for interviews. We were in Corvallis.
This is getting more and more difficult each day we say good bye to more missionaries.






Sister Stimpson and Sister Tofilau are just radiant here.





"Where there are two or three witnesses"...there are refreshments.
Elder Hansen, Elder Knell, and Elder Wardle.




Elder Hansen is looking at the phone and I'm not sure if he knows he took five pictures of himself. Well, he looks great!






 Must get ever last remnant of the donut,  we don't want to waste any. Elder Wardle is thrifty.







 "Is this thing on?" 
"I guess so."







 Before they left the church in Corvallis we needed a picture with Elder Wardle.






And of course, Elder Cluff! 








 Not to be out done, Elder Knell.







Elder Hansen is just happy to have another picture taken.




 While waiting to be interviewed we took some more shots. Here Sister Leavitt and Sister Datwyler are so cute together!




And the Elders all come into this little class room together. Elder Deppe (far left), Elder Larsen in the door with his companion Elder Pace. Elder Cluff is next with Elder Briceno looking to his left, and Elder Hansen trying to get out of the way.




These beautiful Sisters are such happy missionaries! Sister Leavitt, Sister Datwyler, and Sister Huang.





 "Okay, we eaten all the good donuts, maybe it's about time to get lunch."








A profile of Sister Leavitt, just as cute from the side!




Sister Chen, one of my lovely China dolls






 Good thing we caught Elder Hoskins, the zone leader, before he took off.




















And the other zone leader; Elder Henley was right behind him going to the car!











It was a wonderful day! Tomorrow we go to the Portland temple with the July departing missionaries.