The Nitty-Gritty of a Transfer

          This is a post about the nitty-gritties of this most recent (June) Transfer, if you're interested:

           It may be noted that at the time it was the largest arrival group ever, thirty to be exact, and with twenty-two of them being Sisters, we had to get creative as far as sleeping and showering accommodations were concerned. The eight Elders fit nicely in the two smaller bedrooms downstairs, each having two bunk beds, on the right side in the basement that prior to March of this year was used for Sisters. Twelve Sisters were bedded down in the big bunk room with six bunk beds on the left side, previously used by Elders, along with five on single air mattress beds in the middle Training room where we had the Testimony Meeting. Five more Sisters came up to the main floor to use the small rooms next to the where President and Sister Woodbury sleep, using the twin beds, a queen, and two air mattresses. They had a small bathroom to share, the Elders had a bathroom, and the rest of the Sisters used the bathroom that has two showers next to the big bunk room. Somehow thirty-two showers got taken, and sixty-two sheets, thirty pillowcases, thirty-two towels, a dozen kitchen towels and four tablecloths got washed and dried, thanks to the washer and dryer at the Mission Home that miraculously didn't shut down from being over-worked, and the help of the office couples taking multiple loads to do over in the Mission Office washer and dryer. Having just fourteen people to bed down, feed, and clean-up after Tuesday night seemed like nothing!

          Adding it up, 56 dinners, 49 breakfasts, and 110 lunches were served between Monday night and Wednesday morning. The two dinner meals consisted of chicken and stuffing, potato casseroles, salad, and frozen fruit sherbet dessert with cookies. Breakfast was ham and egg casseroles, muffins, yogurt, chocolate and plain milk and orange juice. Lunch was subway sandwiches, grapes, chips, cookies , and drinks.
        So who does what? I do all the shopping and prepare the main courses, desserts, and usually the baked side dishes, though this time the Office Couple Sisters cooked them for me. Two ladies come in Monday and Tuesday evening to help with the last minute food prep, getting it all on the table and the clean-up. Another lady comes in mid-morning Tuesday to clean all the bathrooms and vacuum while we are at Transfer Meeting so everything is ready for the departing missionaries when they arrive for the night. She also comes Wednesday morning to help me clean-up and recover.
        I'm known for my lists and in this case I had quite a few.  I'm glad I didn't lose them along the way or we would have had to cancel the whole Transfer! :)
        So..., we checked off that Transfer, then geared up for two and half weeks of Interviews around the mission followed by the prep days for the next Transfer, this time with 31 new missionaries coming in. Never a dull moment!