TRANSFERS FEB 2013

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Wednesday morning we took our 26 new sons and daughters over to the transfer building for TRANSFER MEETING AND TRAINER/TRAINEE MEETING!!

We had to pair up our new missionaries with their new trainers.  President decides who trains who after meeting all of them and letting inspiration guide him.  It is so exciting!

 We had Trainers on one side of the room and Trainees on the other.

 Assignments were made and they got to know each other!  Oh was it chatty!!!

 After some training on the 12 week training program we were ready to introduce them to the Mission.  They filed in with their trainers to the singing of "Called To Serve" and it is always thrilling!

 We filled the choir seats and had to resort to using the rest of the front row to fit in all of these 26 trainers and trainees.  What a beautiful sight!

 Transfer meeting is very special.  The Lord guides President Taylor in all changes and positions of leadership and it is evident in what takes place...not always from apparent reasons, but always in the end.


I am always in awe of the spirit there is in just having a group of missionaries together.  They are directed in their work as well!

 After the meeting is always organized chaos.

I managed to get the two Bolingers together to meet and get a picture...

 ...and after LOTS of organizing, managed to get all four Jensen/sons together!!!  How much fun is that.  I still need to get Elders Weeks for a shot!

The lot is full of bikes and trucks and cars and luggage and happy missionaries trying to get on their way.

 This is the business we are in.  Bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the message of how to be eternally happy, to the world.

 Can you think of anyone more qualified to carry this message than this crew??

We are not afraid to put our shoulder to the wheels to get it done either!


HAPPY TRANSFER DAY!
This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We carry the message that God loves us, that His son Jesus Christ lives and guides this Church and that we can be HAPPY as we follow the commandments in obedience.
Have a great week!

ARRIVING MISSIONARIES Feb 2013

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OUR MISSION FAMILY IS GROWING BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS...or at least by Jensens, Bolingers and Weeks.  (We have duplicates of all these names in our mission now)

We met this amazing group on Tuesday after we dropped off our departing missionaries.  They came excited and ready to learn and work.

 It was so fun to see all of them coming down the escalators!

 We also made quite a line-up outside as we waited for the transfer van and several of our office couples to help drive them back to the Mission Office.


We took them to the Mission Office to meet all our office couples and get paperwork done, and then drove them to the site for the AZ Phoenix Temple under construction.  All of these missionaries will be here for the completion of this temple!!

 Sisters L to R: Sisters Dayton, Mejia, Jensen, Neary, Flint, Turner, Jenson,  Elders L to R:  Parry, Munoz, Homer, Burgoyne, Gapinski, Forson, Longhurst, Nielsen, Wrigley, Elliott, Watchman, J. Miller, Empey, Ja.Weeks, Nelson, Handy,  T. Bolinger, Linkogle and Smith.

Back at the Mission Home we had them pose with the Mission Flag which is getting very full of signatures!

 After a brief orientation by the Assistants, we had lunch and then NAPTIME!  We had missionaries all over the floors and even outside on the lawn!

Back in the swing of things, we had stations to get safety certified, to write home and sign the flag and quilt and to cook with Sister Taylor in the kitchen.  We made our breakfast casseroles for the following morning and all hands were busy!

 After a wonderful FHE on Tuesday night and hopefully some good sleep, we were all up on mission time at 6:30 AM to go out and exercise.  We all walk or run for our morning exercise 6 days a week!

We had breakfast and loaded up to go to transfers...but not before President had elders out picking grapefruit to share with the mission.  Pretty fun for Elders Watchman and Wrigley!


WELCOME TO THE #1 MISSION IN THE WORLD...FOR THEM!!!

We love your sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends...thank you for preparing them and letting the Lord borrow them this special time!

Departing Missionaries Feb 2013

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We said Good-Bye to four wonderful friends this week...Elders Bartlett, Lancaster, Walpole and Killian.

It was really great having such a small group to interact with, and very personal.

We went over to the Phoenix Temple site for one last look as missionaries...next time they see it, it may be completed!

Then we went over to the "Transfer Building" the nearby church we use for our transfer meetings, and to park unused vehicles...for one last look at "LAZARUS" the aptly named truck that was resurrected from the dead and is special to this group of missionaries who had interactions with him :)

 Back at the Mission Home we posed for a departing "casual" shot with this handsome group!

 We had a lovely dinner and testimony and advice time with the Mission Presidency and wives, and then it was our time for FHE with song, lesson and game.  There was a ceremonial sharing of one last "TWINKIE"  News to me that Hostess no longer existed.  You miss a few things when you serve as missionaries.

I love this shot of the men together before bedtime.  This is how we see our returned missionaries...as sons for life!
We wish them well in their "Happily Ever Afters" and know they will be happy as they live the Gospel of Jesus Christ that they have taught to bless the lives of others.

WE LOVE YOU DEAR SONS!

FEBRUARY/MARCH VISITORS

Just realized I did not do a post for February visitors this month...so we will add March to it.

We were so happy to have Cameron Colovich come see us on his visit to Phoenix to baptize a friend down here, Adriane.  It was great to meet her, his folks and his friend from back home who recently was called to Japan Tokyo mission.

Cameron and family, THANKS FOR THE VISIT!  It meant a lot to us that you would take the time!

Also got to see Peter Gillen, Cameron Colovish, Josh Ware and Travis Smith over at Peter's wedding at the Mesa Temple.  Don't they look GREAT?!!


And so wonderful to meet up with Nicole Okeson over at the temple as well.  My first Spanish Session...and I loved it!

TRIPLE TEMPLE DAYS!!!

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I had three days in a row at the Mesa Temple.

It was really wonderful to go first with our Assistants, Elders Griffin and Pollmeier, to take the thoughts on upcoming transfers to the Temple and mentally present them to the Lord.  This has been a great help in knowing that the Lord's hand is in each transfer.  Missionaries are placed in particular spots with particular companions etc. for reasons not known to us, but to the Lord.

 The next day we got to go share in the joy of a temple sealing for a returned missionary Peter Gillen.  He married a sweet young woman and they will make their home in Colorado.

We were so glad to get to be there for their special day and know that the temple is there to bless them in their marriage forever.

 What we did not know was that three other of our returned missionaries would be there...
C. Colovich, T. Smith and J. Ware.
Funny thing was...none of this threesome knew each other on the mission...they all just knew Peter.    Great common denominator!

It was great to catch up with them and to not just hear, but SEE how great they are doing!  When you are going to the temple with your returned missionaries, you are grateful!!!

They had the most fun boutonnieres  we had seen.  Each had chosen a favorite super hero and the figure was attached to their rose!


They are ALL HEROS to us!

Today I went back to the temple for day #3.

This time to meet returned missionary Nicole Okeson and to go through the temple with two recent converts that I had gone with her to teach WAY BACK WHEN we first came to the mission in 2011.  Maria was a recent convert at that point, and Leonila was baptized months after our arrival and we got to attend her baptism.

How beautiful it is to go to the temple with those that you helped to teach.  Sister Okeson just told me over and over how WORTH IT it is to serve a mission.  Even just for this one moment...ALL of the hard stuff was worth it, she told me.

Out with Sisters February 2013

 After all our Zone Conferences I was finally able to get back out teaching with Sisters.  It is one of the highlights of what I do, and really helps me understand up close and personal what missionary work is all about!

This night we went to visit Ralph and Theo and were joined with a neighbor, Rachel.  It was a GREAT lesson by Sisters Hawkins and Vallejo.

The reason they are so effective is because they genuinely LOVE those that they teach and they prepare and pray with them in mind all the time.  They came with the perfect scriptures that this couple needed.

This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ restored in its fullness.  We embrace the truth that other religions hold and ADD TO IT the FULLNESS.

True and Complete.

CLEAN UP CREW!

 We are gearing up for a bunch of new missionary apartments with all the new missionaries coming here this Spring.

Hence we needed to clean out our storage units to make way for more beds, furniture and kitchen items.

These 5 Elders: Burden, Beck, Arave, C. Anderson and Nield were our victims.

They cheerfully loaded up things that needed to go to charity and organized the rest into something that we really can work with!

THANK YOU FOR RAISING SUCH GREAT KIDS!
They are SO HAPPY to serve!
Being around them is just delightful even while sweeping or hauling away junk!

26 new missionaries coming on Feb 26 and many more on the way!!!

Deer Valley-Glendale N/Phoenix N Zone Conference 2/14/13

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We know how to celebrate
VALENTINE'S DAY...
By getting together to learn how to share the LOVE that the Savior taught us to share!

We had the great Deer Valley-Glendale North and Phoenix North Zones together today for a wonderful ZONE CONFERENCE.

It was a day of instruction and sharing.
We learned about the allegory of the Olive Tree from Jacob chapter 5 and our responsibility to work in the vineyard WITH the Savior.
We learned how to use visuals effectively as we teach.
We learned the Doctrine of Christ.

 We learned how important it is to have members come to our lessons with us.
Parents, we hope you make yourselves available to your local missionaries to go out with them or host lessons at your home.  If you are not yet a member of Christ's Church, allow the local missionaries to come teach with YOU!!






We had a lot of red and white and pink today.  We love holidays on the mission and any excuse to dress alike works for us :)



AND WE LOVE EACH OTHER!!!

 Our mealtime is always a highlight to visit and eat home-cooked meals!


And as we sing our thanks to the hosts, we love to sing our thank you song and our MISSION FIGHT SONG!  They did a great job with lots of enthusiasm!

 We have so many talented missionaries!  This group had a particularly large number of singers!







We had beautiful music from both zones!  It really brings the Spirit into our meetings!

 Even our newest missionaries join in and sing!

 President Taylor took us all outside for a "Field Trip" so we told them to fold their arms like nursery children as we walked down the hallway...pretty cute!

 Once outside, President taught his object lesson of a tree being supported by three wooden poles and the difference that it makes in how the tree grows straight and tall.

We learned that those learning about the Church and new members need those supports as well and we had a good discussion about what those supports are.

After our meeting there was lots of food to share with the missionaries thanks to the donations that we have arranged to be delivered weekly through local Church Service Missionaries.



HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO YOU ALL!
(And sorry this post was so late...I thought I did it last week)