MISSION LEADERSHIP MEETING

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Today we had a wonderful leadership meeting with our Zone and District Leaders. It was an honor to be with them for the day. We welcomed Elder Buttars (third from left) as a new zone leader who stepped in to train with Elder Birch while Elder Mouritsen was out with his surgery.I missed this picture from yesterday of the clever Farnsworth "BYU" sign.
Here Elders Falconer and Perkins help me out with an object lesson about teaching with the Spirit.
We discussed how a glass can be only filled halfway with our own experience, talents and even desires.
But when we add the Holy Ghost through actions that invite his presence such as prayer, scripture study, meditation, testifying, adding personal experiences, hymns, and loving those that we teach, we fill the glass to the top.
Elders Perkins and Falconer led several discussions and practice sessions during the day. They are WONDERFUL ASSISTANTS to President Taylor and I!

The Arizona Phoenix Mission is doing wonderful work thanks to YOUR MISSIONARIES! They are obedient and faithful and we love them so much!

Zone Leader Council for Sept. 2011

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We look forward so much to Zone Leader Council at the Mission Home. It is a chance to train and teach and associate with mission leadership. Notice that Elder Mouritsen had his personal miracle and was able to come to this meeting one week after his surgery! He is doing amazing!Front row: Elders Bird, Mendenhall, Freeman, Turner, Falconer, Perkins, Mouritsen, Henrie, Grady, Geren, Halligan, Farnsworth, Sieverts, S. Johnson

Back row: President Morris, Elders Barrett, Allred, T. Anderson, Birch, Juchau, Buttars, Wilson, Cheadle, D. Johnston, Chipman, Miles, President Taylor

We had Hawaiian Haystacks for lunch...new to some of these elders. We told them how fun it is to try to explain Hawaiian haystacks in Spanish to people who do not know what a haystack is...I tried it last week and it was really entertaining! We ended up calling it "un monton de alfalfa" a mountain of alfalfa. That was as close as we could get.

We celebrated upcoming birthdays among zone leaders...5 in September! What a month!

Elders Barrett and Geren pose with one of the killer owls that inhabit the porch to keep away messy birds.

We have a plethora of shoes in the entryway. The baskets are full and this is the leftovers! I think I need more baskets!

We had another huge Farmers Market with donated breads and produce to send home for the zones. Good stuff! It was a wonderful council. We are looking forward to another great month in the BEST MISSION IN THE WORLD!

Peoria/N. Peoria Zone Activity

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As we have mentioned before, we try to get Braden to at least a zone activity each Monday...so of course it is easy for him to get to ones that are closer to the mission home. We hope to get to some of the further away zones when they have activities later in the afternoon after he is home from school. Basketball is always a big hit with Braden and many of the missionaries. They also played a fun "CHAIR SOCCER" before I had my camera to take pictures. It is a very clever indoor soccer!
Now, this is what happens when you have someone bring you your camera...they take obnoxious pictures of their face...thanks Elder Falconer!

More BASKETBALL...

Elder Schafer playing CATCH with Elder Hubbard...

And even some indoor RUGBY.

Here is the Peoria/ Peoria North Zone after their activity! We love any excuse for being with the missionaries!

Salsa Festival

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Last Saturday as part of our "Family P-day" we had Hermana Yolanda Calderon over to the mission home for some serious salsa lessons!

She was a master teacher and it was delightful to try to speak Spanish with her for a couple of hours while we worked. Cooking terms were not a big part of my Spanish tutoring, so this was really interesting.
You can see what we enjoyed the most...Braden is modeling EATING the delicious salsas.
We had Hermana Alvarez chopping her little heart out. Hermana Okeson was scribe, writing down all the ingredients we used for each recipe so we can try to type them up to share with each other. Go to the link at the top of this post to see video of how to remove an avocado pit!
It is therapeutic to cook...and after a long week, this was just what I personally needed.
Here are the salsas that we made: Blended red salsa/ salsa verde(green)/ Salsa con aguacate(avocado)/salsa rostada (roasted)/ and pico de gallo. They were all exelente! My favorite was the roasted red salsa, President liked the avocado or the roasted, and Braden loved the green muy picosa (very hot) salsa.

!Gracias Hermana Calderon por una noche de aprender, probar, y compartir!

Back to School Departures

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We had a couple of our elders that needed to get back home to start school before the normal transfer date so we got to host a small departure dinner and evening with Elders Robert White and Matthew Carroll. They were both nervous and excited to be going home. It seems rather unreal after two years of service.

They loved the Phoenix Temple Groundbreaking shovel that hangs in the Mission Home entryway. We hope they both come back down for the Open House when it is completed sometime in the next two years.
It was a beautiful and very bright, very hot day to try to pose for pictures the morning they left for the airport and their pockets were bulging with carry-on items!
Do you think they are excited to go home? You better believe it!
Well done thou good and faithful servants! On with life, you have had life prep 101, now LIVE IT!!

BRAVE ELDER MOURITSEN

Our Elder Mouritsen took a pretty good tumble off of his bike the end of May and has been "Bucking Up" ever since and living with the pain. We were finally able to get things worked out to actually do the surgery here in Phoenix so he did not have to go home on a medical leave...that was not an option he would accept.So, brave Elder Mouritsen went in for shoulder surgery. His doctor, Dr. Maddox, was super nice and even posed for a "cutting" picture with Elder Mouritsen.
He looked handsome in his blue hat...and was a real trooper the entire time...smiling all the way to surgery!
And here he is afterwards, still smiling...and wearing a huge white shirt that Elder Birch had brought on his mission and was perfect for this occasion! He wanted his tag right back on after surgery...and yes, he told two nurses that they needed to be baptized!

He will recuperate with one of his convert families, the James, who recently went through the temple! They are a blessing in his life now and so happy to be of service to him.

Best wishes Elder Colton Mouritsen on a speedy recovery! He plans on attending zone leader council next Tuesday...we will see. Where there is great desire, and where the Lord is involved, great miracles happen! I don't think a day will go by of his recovery that he does not do missionary work. This is the type of missionaries that we have in the great PHOENIX ARIZONA MISSION!

BOWLING WITH PHOENIX NORTH

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Mondays after school, we try to get Braden out to whatever zone activity we are invited to that works with his school schedule. Today it was PHOENIX NORTH and BOWLING! Above is Elder Hamblin bowling with a boot on...Sister Burton, and in the distance, Braden.

Elder B. Johnson played pool and was a true sharp shooter!

Hangin' out with President Taylor...Elders Hamblin and Whitlock. It was fun to see so many of the elders wearing their Marathon Tees!

Here is the crazy crew of the Phoenix Zone! Thank you for inviting us to come

participate with you! It was a lot of fun!

Class at Dr. Cathcarts

Every couple of months, President Cathcart, a local stake presidency member and Chiropractor, holds a nutrition or health related class for a couple of zones of our nearby missionaries at his business...he teaches them, gives some free adjustments, and feeds them pizza...does this sound like a good deal to you? The missionaries love it!This is our own Elder Rivas looking in through the mail slot...

Elder Buttars getting a quick back adjustment ...

...and most of the rest of the happy crew. The sisters had left before we got there to say hello.

Front: Elders Griffin, Pryor, Rivas, P. Johnston and Lynn

Middle: Elders M.Young, Blackhurst, Mouritsen, S. Johnson, Birch, Griessman and Buttars.

Back: Elders Weston, S. Johnson, Smith, Hastings, Holden, Hochstein and President Cathcart.

ZONE CONFERENCE: Buckeye, Goodyear/ Surprise, Surprise N./ Peoria, Peoria N.

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We completed our final day of Zone Conferences this week. We have the most beautiful ...

...and handsome missionaries in the world!

And, we all love these great luncheons sponsored by the stakes in the area.

Some zones like to color coordinate necktie colors and pink was the color of the day for Buckeye/Goodyear.
After lunch we thanked our hosting stake with the traditional songs including the Mission Fight Song which I just love! The enthusiasm of these missionaries is contagious.

We celebrated July and August birthdays.

We celebrated Study Guide Awards.

And we celebrated our new Farmers Market with plenty of fresh produce and bread for the missionaries to enjoy and to eat more healthy.

Thank you Elder Cherry and Braden for hauling over fresh goods today!

ZONE CONFERENCE: Deer Valley, Glendale N./ Phoenix N./ Prescott,Prescott Valley/ Cottonwood

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August 17, 2011 we held Zone Conference for Deer Valley, Glendale North/ Phoenix North/ Prescott and Prescott Valley/ and Cottonwood zones. It was another wonderful day feasting on the doctrines of Christ.
The Deer Valley Stake provided a meal fit for kings and queens! It was beautiful as well as delicious!
The spirit of fellowship is so strong at these conferences!
The Mission Fight Song helps us to increase that strong loyalty to the BEST MISSION ON EARTH!
There was great enthusiasm for singing, and for July and August BIRTHDAYS...
...and for the hard work of STUDY GUIDE AWARDS!
Once again, there were FREE TEES compliments of the Deseret News as part of our new and improved commitment to exercise each day!
One of the things the missionaries look forward to is the APM Spirit Newsletter!
And they were pretty excited about the NEW APM Farmers Market with free breads and produce donated by several businesses in the area. Thanks to our office Elder Cherry for arranging for this!

We love zone conferences!