We arrived in the Alabama, Birmingham mission on Saturday, the 23rd of February. We were picked up at the airport by our branch president, Rob Boot. 

We attended our very first meetings the next morning, including correlation. We had arrived on the weekend of branch conference. The stake president showed us a video on improving reverence in Sacrament meeting. It was suggested that we rejoice in the foyer.  When we walked into the chapel, I expected the normal hum of conversations of members rejoicing in fellowship and just catching up. I was pleasantly surprised to find people talking only in hushed tones. It was quite lovely. It reminded me of other churches that I have attended where people quietly await services to begin. Is the branch that much more reverent than others I have attended, or was the Spirit of the Lord at work here?

 We have learned that the branch covers a very large area. It is more than 2 hours' travel from north to south and about an hour's travel from east to west. I guess we can plan on wearing out our car in the service of the Lord!

After meetings, we hung out at the building so that we could join the young missionaries at a teaching appointment. It was with a lovely young mother who expressed her gratitude for the things she was learning. 

Yesterday was our first preparation day. I was able to do a bit of cleaning and some laundry, including a couple of rugs from the garage entry. We decided that they were a bit heavy for the home washer, and so sought out a laundromat to accomplish that goal. We also ran a few errands, and tried to get a feel for the area.

We were able to visit an older sister in the branch in the evening. Her husband is hospitalized about an hour away, and she was feeling overwhelmed with the experience. He has a long standing illness, and she is weary. 

I am grateful to be here and look forward to finding people to serve.