Harmers

Below are a couple of emails we received at the office from Elder Harmer. I just copied them, as I think they are pretty good. Remember, he and Sister Harmer are Leadership and Member Support missionaries in Bakersfield.  They do apartment inspections for us in the Bakersfield zones, and we have enjoyed visiting with them at zone conferences and transfer meetings.  They are wonderful! We shall miss them when they go home in June.  Of course, shortly after that, Bakersfield will no longer be in our mission . . .

"In most of the homes where we go to teach inactive members, bugs are prevalent (on the walls, furniture, floors). If the home we visit is particularly bad we come home and put our clothes right in the washing machine.

"Each time we visit one of these homes our hearts go out to the people living in those conditions. Most of them are slaves to alcohol, the dole system, drugs and cigarettes. We can leave the home and go to our nice, clean, fancy apartment. They never escape that situation. It's so sad because if they would embrace gospel principles those problems would go away.

"We suppose that over time we have given bed bugs a ride home with us. This week our bed became overrun with bed bugs!  We investigated because Sister Harmer has gotten several "mosquito bites" that really itched.  This morning we threw out the box springs (bed bugs nesting all through it).  The mattress had some bugs but no nests. After we bombed the room, live bugs were still on it. We are now bombing the room again. If bugs are still alive, we will throw the mattress out this afternoon.

"It makes no sense for the mission to buy new box springs and mattress when the apartment will most likely be vacated. Plus, we may bring some more bugs home with us. Unless you direct otherwise, we're going to buy 2 air mattresses and use them in a different bedroom until we go home. We need air mattresses at home anyway. Good idea? "

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From: Elder Harmer

Sent: Monday, April 15, 2013 12:43 PM
To: Idaho Boise Mission
Subject: Cleaning supplies

Apt on Half Moon dr has no. Cleaning supplies. They need mop, brushes,  etc. Who pays for that. Est $30.

On Mon, Apr 15, 2013 at 1:33 PM, Idaho Boise Mission wrote:
 

Bro. Harmer,

Typically the mission pays for cleaning supplies such as you have described. 

Refresh me.  I don’t show an apartment on Half Moon Drive.  Is that the actual address?  Which missionaries are in that unit?

Elder Olson

On 4/16/2013 Elder Harmer wrote:

Elder Olsen

A funny thing happened.

My wife and I served a service mission for the Boise Mission 18 months ago.

We are now serving in the Ventura, California mission.

Yesterday, while inspecting Elders' Apartments we came across the above situation in Bakersfield, CA.

I sent a quick email from my phone to the mission office in Oxnard, California requesting the above information.

To my (and your) surprise when we got home last evening your return email  message was on the computer!

The email address I have in my phone is to our old mission in Boise!

I can imagine you were trying to figure out where in the Boise mission is Half Moon Drive!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry about that. It made us laugh and probably added to your frustration!

It's a pleasure serving with you.

Elder and Sister Harmer