A Busy Bee

Sorry for the laps in posts.  I determined a week or so ago that I was going to be busy at the office from now on.  That involved a letter to the area presidency with a request for more to do or permission to spend my time in an alternate department.  Elder Watson was quick to tell me that if I had extra time they preferred that I spend it working for them and not somone else.  So I have been inputting information on missionary recommendations.  It is not a hard process but it is involved is a good word to describe it.  The recommendation comes in and it needs for to be scanned.  While doing that all papers that a not normal size are taped onto normal sized paper.  These are usually medical results from Samoa.  You verify that the name on the recommendation matches the name on the passport and if possible that it all matches the membership record.  Those are also included with the calls from Samoa.   The photo of the missionary needs to be in missionary clothing.  If there are any tattoos there needs to be a photo of them included.  After all that is checked then it is scanned.  After it is scanned it appears on my computer.  And it doesn't matter if I scan them or not.  They appear on my computer.  Then the main information is input into the computer on this secure website.  The first thing done is to input the  membership number and the date.  If they match and all is well then you can proceed.  If not, then membership has to be involved and they sort it out.  They are very good and it usually only holds up the input by 10-15 minutes.  Then all the information is put in. Usually all is well when it comes time to pur in the recommendations by the bishop and stake president but sometimes they are in another language.  If the service center was on the ball then it has been translated and it is there waiting for you but if not then it needs to be sent to translation and you have to wait for that.  The jpeg of the missionary is uploaded and then the entire scanned file is uploaded.  Then it is put in a file that needs to be reveiwed by the area doctor before it is uploaded and sent to Elder Watson.  I have done I think 18 in the last week and there were 38 waiting for the doctor as of Thursday.  They are also uploaded from Australia service center.  It is a great experience to see what these young men and women have done to prepare for their missions and to read the letters they have written in English.  Some have great language skills while others really struggle to fulfill the assignment.  I am happy to be busy!