Much of our work is at the Area Office on the third floor (4th floor in the US) where the Europe Area Welfare Department is located. We climb the stairs multiple times everyday.
This is my favorite person in the whole department or anywhere else in the world. It is so wonderful to work together everyday to accomplish the work we have been called to do.
Recently we reconfigured our desks so that we are able to roll next to each other to counsel together, see each other's computer screens or tell each other a joke. On the wall is the map of the Europe Area with our couples marked in each of their countries and their pictures. We love these senior couples and are so grateful for the work they do.
We gather in this area each morning for a devotional with our fellow senior missionaries (there are nine of us) and Jenny, the administrative assistant and the fount of all office knowledge. It has brought a great missionary spirit of love to where we work.
This is our Area Welfare manager Gilles Francois in his new glasses. He looks very serious here, but usually he is smiling when I stand in his doorway and saying "Sister Lindsay, how can I help you?". He lets us interrupt him for any need, brings us treats and cares so much about all 36 senior missionaries who serve under him. He speaks many languages, has a creative way of solving problems and makes us smile.
This is Elder and Sister Garrett. You can tell by just looking at them that they are fun and easy to love. They are over Family Services for the Area and have responsibility for overseeing family services in 39 countries. They also serve as the Zone leaders for our senior missionary zone which includes about fifty missionaries. It is not an easy job! We all have personalities and we have had them for a long time!
This is Jenny who can do anything, speaks fluent German and has a musical laugh which she shares with us frequently. She is willing to help us in any way, from talking on the phone to tell us what the operator is saying in German to stopping her work to help us with ours.
This is Daniel Kopischke who works with finances part time. He also is working full time on getting his master's degree and does an internship AND he is the wonderful father of two little daughters who are 2 years old and soon to be 1 year old. This summer they will welcome a baby brother. Daniel is one of the kindest people we know and is a life saver for Elder Lindsay.
This is Sister Steineckert (back) and Sister Dewey (front). Sister Steineckert works in the Frankfurt mission office and also spends time in the Area Office where she develops and publishes a weekly newsletter (the Wegweiser) for the senior missionary zone. Sister Dewey writes stories of welfare projects and posts them to the Church's country websites and Facebook pages. The husbands of each of these women are Area mental health advisers and work with young missionaries whom they come to deeply love and respect. The Steineckert's are in our stake at home and I served in a Relief Society presidency with Sister Steineckert. Each member of that Relief Society presidency has now served a full time senior mission with her husband.
This is Elder and Sister Carroll and us. They supervise the Self-Reliance missionaries in the Europe Area. They're from Australia and I love to hear them talk. She operated a catering service before her mission so we always love it when she brings a treat to share at work.
We love our fellow missionaries and it is a joy to be with them everyday. We even do a little weekend traveling with them too. We are so grateful to be able to serve the Lord in this small and simple way and to have the opportunity to share our faith and testimonies with one another. Come on and be a missionary and share in the work, the friendships, and the blessings!
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