One Year & - One Week — Mark & Elaine Quinn

*President and Sister Quinn 2024 in front of mission home.*

June 26th marked our one-year date for being on our mission. A few of the missionaries asked me if it felt like a year or did it seem to go by faster than that. As I look back it does feel like a full year with all that has happened: two mission tours, one big temple trip celebration, a sister’s conference, and we have gone through nine transfer cycles, welcoming over 154 new missionaries to our 135 missionaries we began with. There have been some days that I have thought, “wow, three years is a long time.” Most days, I thank my Heavenly Father for the privilege of working with these young missionaries.

Here we are above in front of the mission home and below a year ago on the plane coming into Santa Rosa

*June 26, 2023 Flying into Santa Rosa, California to begin our mission.*

We celebrated our one-year mark with interview week! We love being with our missionaries on a one to one basis. It is fun to get to know each one. They’re all pretty awesome!!

Sister Smart, Hermana Miles, and Sister Breshears

*President and Sister Quinn have lunch with Elders Smith, Fano, Martin, and Metcalf*

We also celebrated by meeting up one evening with Mark’s brother Jeff and his daughter Grace to attend a Cubs vs Giants baseball game at Oracle Park in San Fransico. The Cubbies lost - so sad! It was fun though just being outside watching the Cubs play. Jeff treated us to a Ghirardelli sundae. Ghirardelli chocolate company started up in 1849 in San Fransico

*Mark and Elaine Quinn with Jeff and Gracie Jane Quinn - Oracle Park San Fransico*

*Best treat at the game!* *Ghirardelli Sundae*

Another fun thing happened this week. The Facilities Representatives, for the church, those in charge of the upkeep of the mission home, gave us the okay to open up a wall in the mission home. We have been wanting to do this for a long time now. The living room is cut off from the rest of the home and by opening the wall between the living room and the family room we will be able to entertain large groups of missionaries without some of them feeling isolated. They are also refreshing the home with painting walls, refinishing floors, and adding some new furniture. Photos on this later. We’re in a mess right now. Having this work done this week was a good way to celebrate our one year mark.

One more exciting event took place this week. All of our children got together in Texas and had a Quinn Family reunion, without us! Ha ha! We are just happy they all enjoy being together! We were sorry to not be able to join them in person but we were able to join through zoom a couple of times. We ate out at the Texas Road House in honor of the reunion.

It has been a busy and good week. I am grateful for some time to look back through some notes and journal entries and reflect on this past year. I have learned a ton and am geared up and excited for the next two years. I continue to rely on the Lord’s guiding hand in the many responsibilities I have as a mission leader. I love all of our missionaries and I very much want to help them become all that they can be as life long disciples of the Savior Jesus Christ. It is the Savior that is our focus and strength.

Have a happy 4th of July holiday! Elaine

One Year & - One Week

Signs of Obedience - Yay!

Urgency - Coming Closer to Christ