Halloween Cookies

Unlike the buiness world which runs on a monthly calendar, LDS missions are run on a six week calendar. This is because a new batch of missionaires arrives every six weeks and another batch of missionaries goes home, having completed their two year assignment. This big event is called the "Transfer". In between each Transfer we have a number of regularly scheduled meetings, interviews and activities, especially during weeks 3 and 5.

Our mission of 120 missionaries is divided geographically into six Zones. Each Zone has about 20 missionaries. During week number 3 of each six week transfer cycle we hold Zone Conferences. This week was Zone Conference week. The Philadelphia North Zone, Valley Forge Zone and Wilmington Zone met together on Thursday for a full day of training and inspirational uplift. The Reading Zone, Philadelphia South Zone and Chestnut Zone met together on Friday for a similar event. Joyce and I are very involved in structuring these conferences, providing instruction and assisting the missionaries who have been assigned to be Zone Leaders. We typically purchase low cost hogie sandwiches and provide chips, fruit and store bought cookies for these events. But one of our missionaries asked Sister Murray (as Joyce is known to the missionaries) to make some halloween cookies. What mother can turn down such a request from one of her missionary boys? On Wednesday morning the kitchen in the mission home was ablaze with action -- and some six hours later you see the delicious result. What took six hours to make and bake, took only six seconds to devour during lunch at our Zone Conferences!