GLENDALE NORTH INTERVIEWS Jan 2014

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

Interview day means a lot of things...
it means CAR INSPECTIONS by Elder Rodgers...and sometimes it means a PERFECT SCORE as the Assistants achieved today.

 It means vehicle safety instruction and CLEAN CAR AWARDS to those with cars and treats to all bikers and drivers!
The Rodgers spoil them with lots of love!
It means a day when President gets to talk to each missionary privately, and I get to teach with the Zone Leaders for about 5 hours.
I did an initial instruction on the power of the BOOK OF MORMON and of the DOCTRINE OF CHRIST:  I know that as I study FAITH
REPENTANCE
BAPTISM/COVENANTS/the GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST/ENDURING TO THE END and the ATONEMENT, I will have everything I need to navigate this life successfully.
We are underlining all the above points of the Doctrine of Christ in the Book of Mormon over the next 3 months.  If you want to join us in this, please do!
The adversities that come to us in this life can be answered by truths in the Book of Mormon.  I LOVE that book!!  I know that I am blessed as I am obedient to the counsel and commandments in the Book of Mormon and through living prophets today!

Interview day also means "Game Time With Sister Taylor."
My health lesson today was about EXERCISE...perfect for those New Year Resolutions, yes?  We love our morning exercise in this mission!
So...I decided to hold the first ever MISSION OLYMPICS in honor of the Winter Olympics in Russia this year.  (minus any snow here)

We had three countries/teams:

 Above, the great "CHRISTIAN KINGDOM"




To the side, the GLENDALE NORTH, NORTH DISTRICT

And, last, but not least to be sure, the great country of BRISKLAND!






LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!

 President Taylor demonstrates for them how to do the GADIANTON KNOCK-DOWN EVENT...yes, it involves womens pantyhose on the head, with a tennis ball inside, knocking down as many water bottles as you can in 1 minute!

 the WINDS OF ADVERSITY event is blowing up a balloon and using that air to blow cups with adversities labeled, onto the floor...as many as you can in one minute.

The throwing events were the BARGE BLAST, paper jaredite barges like discus...





...and a shotput type event with styrofoam for the
LIAHONA LAUNCH

We had the HOLD TO THE ROD where you try to balance on the back of your hand chopsticks and toss them and catch as many as you can.
Elder Brown got it down!

We had the FIERY DARTS (of the adversary)
with a velcro ball toss...

 We had some creative attempts at the knock-down...Elder Buechter entertained me so much!!

 We had the ETERNAL PROGRESSION where you step in one hoop at a time as you move one to the side and continue as far as you can go in one minute.


It was A LOT OF FUN!  And we really do love that down time together!!

 TEAM GNND: Elder Leonhardt, Sisters Summerhays and DeMille, Elders A SMith, Skalka, Ogden and Wardle.

TEAM CHRISTIAN KINGDOM:
Elders Pratt and Stulen, Elders Brown, Wainwright, Buechter, Nielsen and N Christensen.





And the GOLD MEDAL WINNERS:
Team BRISKLAND: Sisters McCoard,Barlow, Elders Nield & Fackrell, Elders H Peterson and Knobbe.

 We had our own Olympic TITLE OF LIBERTY...For our Physical Health, For our Future Spouses and families, For our Emotional Health, For our Mental Focus, For our Obedience!!!

We finished the day with great instruction on ACCOUNTABILITY from the Zone Leaders and then I ended with a short activity about GATHERING INFORMATION with a skills training to pretend to talk with people in a variety of situations to think about how we find out all we need to know to be the most effective missionaries.

The Doctrine of Christ blesses individuals and families.  It is what we are trying to share with everyone.  We work hard to learn how we can do this the most efficiently we can.  And as we put effort into learning it...we live it.  As we live it, we recognize that we love it.  As we love it, we want to share it!
We invite you to do the same!  NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS...lets exercise...lets read the Book of Mormon more...lets share the joy the Gospel brings to us!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

DEER VALLEY INTERVIEWS Jan 2014

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

The Deer Valley Zone was our first Zone to do INTERVIEWS with this January...thus, they were our GUINEA PIGS...in other words, we tried out everything on them to see what worked and what did not!
Interview Days is mainly when President Taylor meets with each missionary to check in and visit.  They love it and it is such a good accountability for them.

For me, it is a day full of instruction and games and being with people I love!  A lot of work, but oh, so worth it!

I started the day with a doctrinal discussion about the DOCTRINE OF CHRIST and the BOOK OF MORMON.  Two of my favorite things!
We are reading the Book of Mormon as a mission in 3 months.  We are underlining all the points of the Doctrine of Christ:
FAITH
REPENTANCE
BAPTISM/COVENANTS
GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST
ENDURING TO THE END
ATONEMENT.
If you want to join us, please do!  We are excited for what we are finding!
I also did a skills training on GATHERING INFORMATION...hence the missionaries pretending to be on the phone.  We really get into our role plays here!!!  But we do learn a lot!

 Each interview day, Elder Rodgers and Sister Rodgers join us at the start for CAR INPECTIONS and some instruction on bike and car safety.
The beloved CLEAN CAR AWARDS are handed out...

 ...along with CHOCOLATE from the Rodgers as a reward for the hard work that these missionaries put into their vehicles of any sort!

We love the Rodgers and they love the missionaries!!!

 My next lesson was our health presentation on EXERCISE...it is a New Year, and we want to be as fit as we can, right?
So...for my GAME TIME, I created the
MISSIONARY OLYMPICS!!!
We had three countries represented...

the TRUE NORTH ( yes, they are all from north of AZ)

 TIE-LAND  (very creative, I thought)

 and the beloved KINGDOM OF HEAVEN!


They marched into the stadium ready to compete!
Citius, Altius, Fortius (Latin for "Faster, Higher, Stronger")

We had seven events:

WINDS OF ADVERSITY was blowing up a balloon and using the air inside to blow labeled cups off the table...as many as you could in one minute.

  HOLD TO THE ROD was balancing chopsticks on the back of your hand and tossing them into the air and grabbing them with the same hand...trying to see how many you could successfully catch at one time!  They were amazing!

FIERY DARTS was throwing velcro balls at little targets on the board of Satans darts.

 ETERNAL PROGRESSION was stepping from one hoop to the next as quickly as you could move the hoop to the side and keep them going...as far as you could in one minute.

 The most funny to watch was the GADIANTON KNOCK-DOWN which involved, yes, womens pantyhose on the head with a tennis ball inside which was swung to knock over as many water bottles as you could in one minute...lets just say I wish I had videoed this, there were so many funny ways of trying to do it!  See the photos in the link above for a few more!

 We had two throwing events...


the BARGE BLAST (like a discus, but using paper Jaredite barges)



and the LIAHONA LAUNCH much like a shotput, but with a foam liahona.


GOOD TIMES!  We need to relax and have fun together!

 TEAM TRUE NORTH:
Sister Jones, Elder Silcock, Sister C Turner, Elders T Anderson, J Cook and Searle.

 TEAM TIE-LAND
Elders Boyce and Elliott
Sisters Wade, Hixson, Elders Ure and Weiler.

 TEAM KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
Elders Bryson and Farnsworth
Elders Parkinson, Jeong, Severe, Sisters Barton and Brewer

We finished the day with a great teaching on ACCOUNTABILITY by the Zone Leaders, then with a lesson about how we use the Book of Mormon to arm us with the armor we need to get through adversity in our lives and the lives of those we teach.  The obedience is like the glue that plugs up any chinks in the armor...so there are no weak spots for Satan to get through.

I love the Book of Mormon.  I challenge you to read with purpose, to set goals for this New Year on how you can make it more a part of your life and your study.
As Elder Nelson taught...we must hold aloft hte shield of faith with one hand and hold to the rod with the other..."IT TAKES BOTH HANDS."  Love, Sister Cheryl Taylor

MISSION LEADERSHIP COUNCIL Jan 1, 2014

 We know how to start off the year right...
MISSION LEADERSHIP COUNCIL!!
We are still able to fit into our family room here and love it!  We have all our Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders in attendance and they all participate and we learn together...COUNSEL together!

 President Taylor started off the day talking about the BOOK OF MORMON.  Truly, this book contains the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He used the analogy of two pieces of wood.  With one nail in them (the Bible) the two pieces can be twisted all directions...

 ...as a second nail is hammered in on the other side ( of the world) the two pieces stay firm.

This is how it is with the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  We need both of them, the two witnesses from both sides of the world, to testify and teach of Christ and of his doctrine.

We know that some of the pure and simple truths of the Gospel were removed from the Bible.  We know that we need the Book Of Mormon to clarify and present those truths that are necessary for us to have all of God;s counsel and commandments for us to be truly happy and ABLE to return to his presence.

We are reading the Book of Mormon over the next 3 months underlining the Doctrine of Christ:

FAITH
REPENTANCE
BAPTISM
GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST
ENDURE TO THE END
ATONEMENT

If you would like to join us in this, please do!

One of my assignments was to teach ACCOUNTABILITY/STEWARDSHIP

This was done using the analogy of "getting the water to the end of the row"...and then back!
This means that we understand what we have stewardship over, the assignments we have, and we actually follow through on them completely and REPORT BACK!

It was a fun lesson to teach.

I had the missionaries actually talk through a bunch of different stewardship assignments to see what they could come up with in what kinds of questions to ask to do the best job they could.

We learn so much from "Hands-On" practice!

The Assistants led a training as well about our STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE.
They look pretty serious about it here, and yes, it is a serious topic.  We discussed the goals that we have and decided that it is good to have a high standard to reach towards so we can always be reaching up...and not become complacent with lower than possible goals.

Tradition has it that we celebrate the upcoming birthdays for the month.
HAPPY JANUARY BIRTHDAYS TO:

Sister Dayton
Elder Knobbe
Elder Knabe
Elder Cardoso

Sister Dayton waited a long time thinking of the wish she had for this year as she blew out her candle...LOVED THIS PICTURE!
I hope she wished that she never has to go home!  That is MY WISH!!!

Front:  Sisters Dayton, Carter, E Walker, A Walker, Jackson, Neary, Vallejo, Probeyahn and Taylor.
Second row: Elders W Larsen, Wade, Livingston, Barley, Ure, Bryant, Wrigley, Leonhardt, Zayas, Nield, Wardle, Parsons and President Taylor.  Row #3: Elders Knobbe, Cardoso, O'Neal, Weiler, Pres. Juchau, Elders Lower, Q Wilson, Hughes, Andrus, E. Jones, Baker and Barlow

NEW TO THE COUNCIL:
Sister Training Leaders Jackson, Carter and Probeyahn and Zone Leaders W Larsen and Barlow.

THEY ARE AWESOME!!!

It was SO NICE OUT...that President moved the meeting outside for the afternoon...mix it up a bit!

We discussed how we can TIGHTEN UP in our ONLINE PROSELYTING.

Parents, we certainly appreciate how you try to never be a distraction to your missionary as their only purpose online is to teach the Gospel.
It is hard when friends try to be casual in messages or have posts that distract or ask them to do anything but their missionary purpose of inviting others to come unto Christ.

We love the Doctrine of Christ, which is also our Missionary Purpose:
"Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end."

No matter how we share it...in person, through email or facebook, the message is the same.  By following the example of Jesus Christ, and trying our best to live the commandments of God, we will be blessed with everything that we need to successfully and happily navigate this life and have eternal happiness in the life to come.
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE APM!!!

DECEMBER VISITORS 2013

 December has been so busy I did not post a couple of our visits from Missionaries and their families.

Early December we met the Lane Family at the Mission Home!  We love meeting family while their child is serving...so fun to get to know them and be able to report on how their missionary is doing!

The Lane family is GREAT!  The nicest people, and so fun to visit with!  We thank them for taking the time to meet us!

 OK...this is sort of a visitor to the Mission Home...our cat Addie moved in this summer with our daughter and then our daughter moved out and the cat stayed...it was just cute where she decided to curl up for a nap!

And this past week we had a visit for the second time from the Brown family!  They came once in our first year when Curtis was serving, and now returned with him for a visit!  It was SO GOOD to see him again and with his great family!

The end of the month we had a few more visitors to the area...
Tony Pollmeier stopped in for a couple of days so we made sure that the Kings got to come see him...

...and the Williams too!
We love our friends in the mission and that they love our returned missionaries so much as well!  Eternal relationships!

Tony is doing great...following the Spirit up to BYU Idaho for school and having a great road trip along the way!
We love this guy!  We thank his Mom for sharing him as a son!




We had one more special visit in December...one that just went home a couple weeks ago, but who was moving to Utah for school as well.
It was great to meet the Bruegger family as they drove Ethan from Florida out to Utah...brave souls that they are!  Wonderful to meet the parents of our incredible returned missionaries!



We finished the month with a visit from the CABRAL FAMILY!

They were over from Hawaii for a wedding and drove over to AZ to see the mission.
We invited them to join us for lunch in the Mission  Home.

Lance has not been home very long, but it was so good to see him again and to meet his great family!  They were so supportive to him as he served and we know why he is one of the nicest people you would ever meet!  His family is just like him!





THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO COME SEE US!  It means a lot!  WE LOVE YOU!