WELL DONE- Departing Late January 2012

Occasionally we have missionaries who have health issues that require them to leave fulltime missionary service a little early.  We want to honor a couple of our faithful missionaries who returned home this week.   

 Our awesome Sister Burton went home to Sacramento and was welcomed home in style!

 We will miss her wonderful "rap" poems and her bold teaching.  She invited the man sitting next to her on the flight to Mormon.org and taught from the heart...he ended up confessing to being a member baptized at age 10 but never active!  The reminder has been given!

 Dear Elder Vaughan went home to Utah after faithfully serving in the APM with enthusiasm for many months!


Oh how he will be missed!  He knew how to have fun while serving a mission and had true creativity...notice his thumb splint for his latest injury, a jammed thumb :)

 Elder Vaughan reported that he also taught on his flight home...about three lessons worth, and placed a Book of Mormon with the woman next to him!



May our returned missionaries always be Member Missionaries in true APM style!


We love you, appreciate your service and pray for your health and happiness as you continue to serve the Lord!

OUR OFFICE

We had a request this week from a 4th grader to learn about our Mission Office...this prompted some pictures so we can show her what it looks like...and we thought parents may want to see it as well.

Our office is in a large business park.  From the outside, it looks very plain and simple.  But once you enter, you feel warm and welcome.

This is the reception area that we use for our orientations for new missionaries or visitors to the office.

This is the front desk where Sister Kiggins sits and answers the phone and handles the mail and a million other questions.

 Here is how it looks when we have a new group of missionaries.

Each couple introduces themselves and tells what how they serve in the Arizona Phoenix Mission.  They share their testimonies and conversion stories.

We currently have the Skonnards, Kiggins, Lyons and Williams serving with us.

 Our office is home to a family of missionary couples who Love and Live the Book of Mormon and help the missionaries fulfill their purpose!  THANK YOU ARIZONA PHOENIX OFFICE COUPLES!

INTERVIEWS ROUND 10- W. Maricopa

Welcome to the interview day at W. Maricopa Zone!

We were greeted with smiles all around...Elder Skonnard was hard at work along with most of the car missionaries.

 Elder Mendenhall tries to smile...but was feeling pretty sick today :(
Elders Colovich and Choules had on matching ties.  OK, they wear these only to meetings, not when they go our proselyting.  I always get a kick out of it though.

 Great to see the Hermanas there with even bigger smiles!
But they are in big competition with the Elders!

Elder Romrell was playing the piano in this picture...hence the focused look.

and Zone Leaders Harris and Condie did a great job leading this meeting!

We had our clean car awards and instruction.

We had our popcorn during the movie portion.

We had wonderful instruction time and discussion time.

And about 4  hours later we had bags of food for each companionship and we were rock and rolling on our way!

We love seeing our newest missionaries in action!  Elder Wood was awesome!


Great job West Maricopa Zone!!

INTERVIEWS ROUND 9- Buckeye/Goodyear Zone

Down to the southwest part of the mission today!

Beautiful vehicles, great smiles and strong testimonies!

I love seeing the Sisters working on cars...makes my day!

Check out the reflection in this wheel...yes, they got the highest score of the day.

 I think I got pictures of all the missionaries at some point...Either in candid shots or clean car awards or finally in a group shot of the zone.







We do not always have time to get the group together afterward for a picture...they have appointments to get to that preclude the need for a group picture many times.  Today we were lucky.

We loved the spirit and testimony of the great Buckeye/Goodyear Zone!

INTERVIEWS ROUND 8- Peoria/Peoria North Zone

 Day 8 kept us pretty close to home...here in Peoria where the Mission Home is located.

Our missionaries were prepared and reverent as we arrived and got started.

Elder Skonnard
was prepared with his clean car awards and hugs/handshakes or "Thumbs up"

Zone members shared talks about how obedience to Gospel principles has blessed their lives.

 It was a powerful meeting including the discussion on where we are as a mission and what we are doing well, along with what we can work to improve on.  As we set individual and companionship goals, the entire feel of the mission improves and we "take things up a notch."

Zone leaders Freeman and Cannon modeled the practice teaching with Elder Falconer as the "investigator."

I love facilitating these practice teaching sessions. I am always so glad to hear the missionaries teach!

 They drew a slip of paper with a commandment written on it and had to teach whatever commandment it was.

Great day with the Peoria/Peoria North Zone!