Greg and Penny: trip to three missions

Hello to all, from the Chicagoians, (I don’t think that’s how you spell it, oh well!!!) October 13, 2011

Mission life has become routine. That is not to say boring; we have found things to do. Maybe we should say the “squeaky hinge gets the oil”. Somehow this phrase does not really capture how things have worked out. Taking care of the Mission’s storage units and their contents has grown into picking up all donations from around the greater Chicago area. It also includes, making sure the missionary apartments are furnished with all needed furniture, desks, and kitchen utensils and pots and pans etc. This is to be supplied with little or no expense. In other words, we need to be, as much as possible, reliant on the generosity of members. Our mission has some wards that can help, but many more that are living in worse conditions and with less than the missionaries. Still we manage to get what we need. In the next few weeks we will be setting up two young missionary apartments and two senior missionary apartments. I know the Lord will provide. FAITH is the answer. We have received a new assignment to attend one of the “kind of” inner city wards. What we have found out is, the Church is true no matter where you take the sacrament. One of the other things we have found out the inner city buildings are not your Utah cookie cutter buildings. Land is so expensive the buildings have to be designed to fit the available space. This makes for interesting designs. All of them have locked gates when they are not in use. “We’re not in Kansas (Utah) anymore Toto.” It is wonderful to see a beautiful will cared for building in an otherwise older, inner city neighborhood. However the saints are the same no matter where you go.

As For Chicago, we are enjoying everything it has to offer, which is an amazing number of places, things and foods, to see and eat. (We’ll attach some photos at the end of this letter) Because we are delivering and picking up all over the greater Chicago area, we are seeing the sites. As for beauty this city is one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen. If it had some hills higher than 150 feet it would be a nice place to live. The fall colors alone are worth living here. There are so many things to see and do that a year and half may not be long enough. But we can come back and visit.

It’s been a while since our last posting and we have been many places, met many people and seen the curvature of the Earth someplace besides the Salt flats. When we drove thru Iowa and Nebraska and Illinois on our way to Chicago we were amazed how flat the plains states were. However, they are downright mountainous compared to the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. If I didn’t know the Earth was round and if it were possible to see around a ball, I could almost believe that I could see Dad at the stirring wheel when I looked out my right side window. However, this trip was amazing; we were gone for eight days and traveled 3000 miles. We put the Banners on the plain around noon on the 13^th of October, 2011 and headed north. The first stop was in Minneapolis for a 75% mission conference. I say 75% because that is the percentage of the Minneapolis, Minnesota Mission missionaries that were in attendance. Needless to say it was the largest group of missionaries we’ve seen in one place. Why this large group, you ask? Will Elder Quinton L. Cook of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles came to reorganize a stake in Minneapolis, and he happens to be a former law partner and close friend of the mission President. As a favor to the mission president he spoke to the missionaries that distance was not a factor. It so happened, that Dad was scheduled to speak to that mission at that same time, so they invited us to stay and listen to Elder Cook. (Dad spoke before Elder Cook came) Elder Cook was a delight. He was relaxed, humorous, kind and his speech was delightful, as was his wife’s.

While there, Dad was setting up the screen and computer for his presentation (in the chapel) when out of nowhere a louder than a chapel voice should be, shouted PENNY CRANER!!!! Turning around to see who was speaking (or more yelling), a young sister missionary from the back of the chapel, came running up and about knocked me over in a bear hug. She was from our stake and had been one of my favorites from a neighboring ward. At that point we both realized what a spectacle we were making and took our reunion out to the foyer. It was fun to see her and hear her experiences in the mission field. She is just one of the thousands of wonderfully outstanding young people in the Lords missionary army. To all my Grandchildren, keep yourselves worthy and ready to serve the Lord. Then someday you can listen to an apostle of the Lord and experience a happy reunion with a friend, as two worthy missionaries.

After leaving Minneapolis, we headed north to Canada, Winnipeg to be precise. This city is in the top 10 cities I never want to live in, or visit, or see pictures of or think about. We did have a great time with the mission president and his wife. The President and Dad knew each other. The president was an administrator for IHC. We had a great time with the President and his wife. This was mainly because there wasn’t anything else to do. But if we thought Winnipeg was bad it was only topped by the next day when we went to Regina Manitoba. This city is the city that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was organized. I don’t remember the year. They don’t wear the nice red uniforms, except when they ride in parades. We left Regina and headed south for the good old USofA. Happy! Happy! We tried to make reservation in Minot, North Dakota (6 hours from Regina) for that evening to no avail. We ended up in Fargo ND (10 hour trip from Regina having left at noon), another big city (NOT!!!) The next day we drove to Winter Quarters/Omaha. We had a delightful time with the Nebraska, Omaha Mission President and his Wife and we will be going back in December for Zone Conferences.

Dad’s presentation was and is really good (DUH!!!) He will be giving it 4 more times and then he will have to prepare a new one and then the rotation will start again. At least we get to travel, all be it, it isn’t the most beautiful terrain, but at least we get to travel.All is well with us and we keep going and finding things to do. We are looking forward to anyone who wants to come and visit the Windy City.