SAN ANTONIO MISSION PRESIDENT SEMINAR September 2013

Each September and April the North America Southwest area of the Church holds training for the Mission Presidents and Wives in that area.  It is a highlight of our year!

This September we flew to San Antonio to meet our group.

The first day, we traditionally go to the temple, and it was just a beautiful experience!
For one thing, we treasure each trip we get to make to a temple...but to be there with missionaries of any sort, is really special!

Once inside, we have no tags to say who we are, we are all servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, helping others to come unto Christ as we serve in the temple.  But is is always great to remember those covenants that we made to obey commandments, and even greater to reflect on how much we continue to be blessed as we try to follow Him.

 That evening, we had a nice introductory dinner where we all got to introduce ourselves to new Mission Presidents and Wives, and got to mingle with our presiding authorities from Salt Lake.

This year, our authorities included, Elder and Sister Andersen from the Quorum of The Twelve, Elder & Sister Callister, Elder and Sister Foster and Elder and Sister Teh.

 That night, we had time for a walk around the area.  We had explored it the day before, so we knew how to quickly get over to the Alamo area.

It was rather charming at night, and not so hot as in the day.

 We walked over with some old friends, I say old, because they came out to serve the same year we did!

Presidents Pingree, Taylor, Killpack and Durrant!

And Sisters Taylor, Pingree, Killpack and Durrant.

 The next day we spent in training meetings all morning, started off with doctrinal training, which sets the stage for everything we learned the rest of the Seminar!  What could be better than things like
FAITH
OBEDIENCE

 We had dinner in a private room at Casa Ria near the Riverwalk area.  Perfect in every way!
And I loved speaking Spanish with the Maluenda's!  They are great!

 After dinner, we were taken on guided river tours by riverboat.  Two great LDS members were our tour guides and did such a good job!


We were staying in Marriott tower to the far right in this photo...there are two right by each other here.

 The whole Riverwalk area is really taken care of beautifully, and we really loved this little trip.

There was interesting architecture, and up close, really old and charming!

 This little river changes elevation, so in order to make it function, they have a lock and dam partway up to get you up to the next level.

You can see the other boat going in, the doors closing...

 ...and the same when we got in.  Then up the water level goes til you can continue on your way!

 At the end of the line, President Taylor tried his hand at steering the boat...good thing we were stopped at that point.  But he is hoping for a tip!

 We got a photo with the Callisters at one of the stops...they are delightful people!

 There was great artwork all along the river at different crossings.  This one had large fish that lit up at night.

This bridge was also famous for having bats that fly out at night in a swarm.  We waited a long time that night with no luck...

 So, we walked a couple miles back up there the next night just to try our luck and got to see them.
They did not come out all at once, but in a small stream, but it was still cool!

OK, this really did not turn out as a video...but it flips through shots as I filmed...

By the way, I learned how to say BAT in Spanish from the Maluenda's...
MURCIELAGOS!

The Gospel is true.  Serving a mission is the most rewarding thing we have ever done.  We admire those that come to teach and train us so much!  We get a strong witness each time we are with them of the truth of their message as well as the power of their callings!
Can't wait to hear them again at GENERAL CONFERENCE IN OCTOBER!!!

GRAND CANYON BRANCH/ FLAGSTAFF YSA'S 9/13

This month we had our first chance to get up to GRAND CANYON VILLAGE for Church!

We had hoped to get up there and when we saw that we would be in Flagstaff on Sunday, we worked it out to come up the day before, go out with missionaries at night and then spend the night so we could head on up to Grand Canyon Village to meet with the branch up there.

 The Branch meets in the building in the park called "Shrine of the Ages."  It is an interesting stone building that houses any denomination that can come up with a congregation.
In the past, they have had larger groups, but they have a small branch that is thriving!

It was Branch Conference so there were Stake visitors as well, so that was really a treat!

 We were delighted to see our missionaries, Elder and Sister McDaniel, serving in their Branch and doing a GREAT JOB!  They are so loved up there and are the perfect fit for the job!  It was a rainy day, but had absolutely POURED the evening before at a Branch activity!
 We came down from the Park and went through Williams, AZ, and drove on historic ROUTE 66 for a while.

We took some photos, mostly for our 4 year old grandson, but it was a picturesque little town with charm!
We also stopped to see Elders Davis and Lovstedt while we were there and it was fun to see where they lived.

Here we are with the famous Route 66 sign.
And we knew our grandsons would like this boxcar!  Grand Canyon Railway!  We would love to get up and do the winter trip to the canyon!

 That night in Flagstaff we did a fireside about sharing the Gospel with the two Young Single Adult Wards up there.  They had a full house...amazing things are happening in this area!

 We have two amazing sets of Sister missionaries up there who really know how to work with members and have great support from those members!

We got everyone practicing inviting someone to an activity...they did a great job!

We are grateful to have this area in our mission now!  It has brought an added dimension to our mission and great ideas on how to do things.  Great area, great missionaries!

Idea for the week...IF YOU LOVE WHAT YOU KNOW...SHARE IT!!

SUIT SHOPPING

 Who ever says that shopping is not fun...has not gone with Elders to look for new suits.
Talk about exciting!  When they were home with parents, probably not so exciting.  On a mission, REALLY EXCITING!

Don't they look like a MILLION BUCKS?  Well, let's just say that Penneys never looked so good!
I had a coupon for an extra discount, and with that and some great sale prices, these elders all walked out with some incredible bargains.

Elder E Jones got the same suit our son got for his mission...good taste Elder Jones!, and Elder P Wilson chose a nice slim cut as well, that was just perfect for him!  Both got suits and shoes and ties for under $150 total!

 Then there was Elder Yoxtheimer...not into his mission too long, but already with worn out shoes.  We thought new shoes were a good idea for him!

 And what was even more funny was that he found the exact tie he was wearing that day!










President Taylor really won the bargain hunting for the day though...he walked off with not one, but two new suits, two pairs of shoes and two ties all for under $250  NOT BAD!

President Taylor, Elder Yoxtheimer, Elder E Jones, J Wade and P Wilson all with bargains galore!!!

LEADERSHIP SEPTEMBER 2013

 PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINE FOR ALL PHOTOS OF THIS EVENT!


The day after Mission Leadership Council, we held our quarterly Leadership meeting.
This involves the Sister Training Leaders, the Zone Leaders and District Leaders.

We met in the Goodyear Stake center and had a full day of great trainings.

 President Taylor started off the day with a discussion about repentance.  We like to start off with doctrine as a foundation for the day.  He also told them the story of Liz Howell, an incredible young widow that he met while in Haiti after the earthquake there.  We gained strength from seeing the choices that one person made while recovering from terrible loss, that make a difference for good wherever she goes.
We want to be like her.

 During part of the day there were breakout sessions for ZLs, DLs and STLs...
Just to give you a clue, the STLs are the Sister Training Leaders, and I got to take them and discuss the needs of our 51 young Sister Missionaries.
Our Sister Training Leaders are wonderful...are they perfect?  Nope.  But they are recognizing needs and helping to meet them as we are ALL learning and growing to reach our potential.

 Lunch was, as usual, a highlight of the day.  We got President Morris at a table with other mission leaders and had a wonderful lunch provided by the wards in that building.  We appreciate them SO MUCH.  I used to do all the leadership luncheons and it was so much work I could not really enjoy the day and get the information I need as I serve with these missionaries.

 We had a very unified district who all had matching ties...they love it and it is fun for us to see as well.

 Our Mission Fight Song is so exciting to sing, we just love the unity and excitement it brings!

Oh Boy...lets see how I do on names: Front: Sisters Hansen, Pickett, Baumgartner, Dayton, Follett and Larson.  Row #2: Elders Wilson, H Peterson, Leonhardt, Cardoso, Wade, Zayas & Parsons.  Row #3: Elders Wrigley, Bryant, VanKampen, A Jensen, Belnap, Bryson, Knobbe and Bartelson.  Row #4: Elders W Larsen, Andrus, Wainwright, Clay, Bangerter, Cordero, Dobson, Soper, Cabral, Weiler and Brothers.  Row #5: Elders Arave, Judkins, Mason, Scott, Wardle, Bradfield, E Jones, J Miller, Hughes, Barlow and Gerritsen.  Row #6: Elders Westlund, Blake, Nield, Gorham, Finklea, O'Neal, B Jones, Knabbe, Graybill, Livingston & Barlow.  Back row: Elders Sutcliffe, Shute, Lower, Baker, Mullinex & Davies.  Whew!

Elder Gerritsen graced us with a beautiful hymn arrangement for our musical number today.  We appreciate his great talent and the spirit he brings!

 Later in the day I got to teach on...
well, "practice teaching."
You know the saying "practice makes perfect?"
Well, it is no different with missionary teaching.  We are asked to use role playing and practice teaching as tools to sharpen us and help us receive revelation for those we will teach by spiritually creating those interactions.  Hence, the arrows were different tools we use in our teaching and our target was the outcomes we hope for, with the potential to help people have what they NEED to successfully return to Heavenly Father.

I guess it would be no surprise then, that we did several practice teaching sessions as a part of our training.



Here is how practice teaching goes:
First the idea of the lesson or concept to be taught is EXPLAINED for understanding.
Next we DEMONSTRATE how to do the role play.

  My Sister Training Leaders all helped me with the 3 demonstrations and did great!
Then we have everyone pair up and PRACTICE.
Sometimes there are 2 in a group, sometimes 3 and sometimes 4.  Each type would have different roles depending on the number of participants.
After a few minutes practice of a simple concept, we EVALUATE.  Then we take the ideas from the evaluation and REPRACTICE by either trying again in the same role or switching positions so both get a chance to teach or be taught.  Extra members "facilitate" and add comments and help evaluate after.  It is called the TEACHING MODEL and is from the Missionary Department.  Try it sometime.  It really works in any class setting including Family Home Evening!
This Gospel is true.  It is simple and should be taught that way.  Your children are learning the Gospel more deeply each time they share what they know.  I encourage you to go teach with the missionaries in your area.  You will have a greater appreciation for what missionaries do, and your own conversion will deepen!

SEPTEMBER MISSION LEADERSHIP COUNCIL 2013

 PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINE TO GO TO WEB ALBUM OF ALL PHOTOS OF THIS EVENT


September started out in the very best way...
with our MISSION LEADERSHIP COUNCIL held at the Mission Home.

Front: Sisters Baumgartnwe, Hansen, Dayton, Sister and President Taylor, Sisters Pickett, Follett and Larson.  Middle: Elders Parsons, Wardle, Wilson, Weiler, Wade, Bangerter, B Jones, Gerritsen, Bartleson, Knobbe, Baker and Nield.  Back: President Juchau, Elders O'Neal, Cardoso, Hughes, Davies, Lower, Gorham, Knabbe, Bradfield, Brothers and H Peterson.

We were blessed with 5 new leaders in this council: Elders Weiler, Parsons, Wade, Hughes and Knabbe.
They are all prepared and ready to serve in this capacity.

 As usual, lunch break is a highlight where they all enjoy just visiting and relaxing a bit.
We love having them in our home and feeding them...makes us feel more like parents now that we are empty nesters!

 We were blessed to be taught by President Taylor, President Juchau and the Assistants today.  The Spirit was our constant companion throughout the day.  With all the meetings we have, I am always amazed at how much more I can be taught and I recognize that it is because of the Spirit.  I am so grateful for that and to know that our potential is limitless.

I also love that we have Sister Training Leaders that I get to break off with and do some training and consulting with.
Today they helped me plan some things for Sister Specialized Training that is in 2 weeks, and we planned some skills training to do the following day at Leadership Training.
They are GREAT!  So down to earth and ready to serve!  They are truly our daughters!

Today I served a couple of Chinese salads and eggrolls for lunch...hence we had fortune cookies with our dessert.
I had to laugh when I saw my fortune...

How did they know???  Truly, this is my life on a mission!
Every day brings unexpected and thrilling surprises.  Some are challenging and others are pure joy.  All of them help me to progress and grow and feel fulfilled.
We LOVE our mission assignment here with your sons and daughters.  They are beautiful people learning Gospel principles by practicing them in faith.  It is the hardest thing we have ever done in our lives, yet truly rewarding...so close to having children of our own!  Thank you for raising these wonderful spirits!  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is perfecting them as they serve!

Out With Sisters August 2013

August has been so busy with getting Braden off on his mission, and transfers...excuses, excuses!  OK, so I have really missed going out with my Sisters!

I was really excited to go out with Sisters Wade and Barnett this time!  We have 50 Sisters in our mission now and I am hard pressed to keep up with going out with all of them, but I have vision and I have my goals to get it done!

We visited someone I had been just waiting to meet.  This incredible woman has been through a trial of her faith to say the least, and has found peace in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We look forward to the baptism of Brittany next month.  She has waited a long time for this ordinance in her life.

I know that I learned more about faith from her than she did from me!  We discussed the principle of Tithing and how that allows us to receive blessings from the Lord as we help build His kingdom here on earth.  I am grateful for all that the Lord has blessed me with and how little I am asked to give in return.  The blessings always outweigh any perceived hardship we are asked to endure.  This is Christ's Church complete with all ordinances that we need to return safely to His presence!  

IT WAS SO GOOD TO GET TO KNOW YOU BRITTANY!  

It was delightful to go out with Sister Gacutan at the end of August!
I had been so excited to teach with her and the great thing was, I GOT TO BE HER COMPANION and not just a Member Present.
Sister Gactutan comes to us from the Phillipines and is learning English...and doing GREAT!

Since she is in a Tri-panionship, her two companions did something else and I got to teach with her.
Let's just say that SHE IS THE MASTER TEACHER and I was the student.
We had a wonderful lesson on honesty and obedience with a sweet family.  We taught them to sing "The Wise Man & The Foolish Man" and had just a great time.  The Spirit was our Member Present!

We are so blessed to have these incredible women of faith in our mission!