Transfer Week Again (#3), Priesthood Session

Time must be flying because it was hard for us to believe another 6-week transfer cycle had come around again--the third one for us. Our wonderful assistants, Elders Ruhl and Phillips, went to the airport with us to help get the missionaries and their luggage to the mission office church building.

Six missionaries flew in from the Provo MTC, three missionaries flew in several hours later from the Mexico MTC and one 6-week mini missionary joined us when we got to the church.

Glen had previously interviewed the trainers. He began interviewing the new missionaries as soon as we got to the church. I talked to each of them about any medical issues they might have and any medications they are taking. We fed them, paired them up and sent them off on their way to get settled in the mission.

Elder Castillo loves to take group selfies whenever a bunch of missionaries are gathered. I enjoy watching them huddle up together and smile into the camera. Elder Castillo always makes me join in with the group. Love that guy!

As soon as the new missionaries got taken care of, Glen and I hurried home to begin cooking dinner for the outgoing missionaries. This time we were very organized when the missionaries arrived for dinner. Perhaps practice is making perfect...? Or maybe it's just the fact we know where most things are located in this kitchen now.

We have a new assistant, Elder Miles, joining us as Elder Phillips is leaving us. I found some lovely aprons in the closet here for the assistants to wear. For some reason Elder Phillips loved wearing my apron at the last dinner and at this dinner.

We had testimony meeting after dinner with this group of missionaries while the assistants cleaned up the kitchen and did all the dishes. The two steps from the entryway into the living room make for a great place to take a group photo.

MP, Elder Leal, Elder Willes, Elder Phillips, Elder Woolsey

MPW, Sister Zimmerman, Sister Dickenson, Sister Sweeney, Hermana Young

I quite enjoyed myself hanging out with the missionaries the rest of the evening. I am getting more familiar with the missionaries and this group I did know all of them, but still not all of them very well. It was a great way to get a feel for their personalities a little bit more before trying to get some sleep--elders on the main floor (literally on the floor) and sisters upstairs in the bedrooms. 

Glen and I left early the next morning to get a sister to the airport for her flight back east. We met up with the group at the Mormon Battalion History Site and went on the tour with them. We had such great tour guides who related so well the experiences of the Mormon Battalion to the experiences the missionaries have just had the last 1 1/2 or 2 years on their missions. 

We felt the Spirit so strongly and felt so blessed the missionaries had such a spiritual experience when this group was unable to attend the temple on the day they left the mission. They were blessed with this memorable experience enhancing the temple experience they had a couple of weeks earlier.

Usually we have been in such a hurry to get out of there to make sure the missionaries don't miss their flights that we have not had the time to pan for gold.

Elder Phillips noticed he was in the brown theme of the day. Photo op for sure! We love this missionary. He has served faithfully assisting us since we arrived in the mission. We feel so indebted to him for helping us so much.

It is fire season in California. I spotted a fire off in the distance. We are also now in the middle of an earthquake warning. This all freaks me out knowing we are in charge of 170 missionaries' health and well being.

Our yard people this week were busy cutting off the dead fronds from the palm trees using a saw at the end of a very long pole. It doesn't take many fronds to fill up a trash can.

Two days after the new missionaries arrive we bring them back to the mission office church where we take care of paperwork, do some training with them and their trainers, feed them lunch and then send them back out to do missionary work.

This is the day they get their picture taken with MP and MPW which we send in a letter to their parents. I wanted to hold up a sign in this picture saying hi to this sister's mom and sister who worked at the chiropractor's office I went to a million times back home.

After feeling so sad and discouraged about several missionaries going home early in the past couple of weeks, we received this photo from Elder Woolsey letting us know he had arrived home safely. It brought a smile to our lips!

We were looking forward to spending Saturday at home watching general conference on television. Thank goodness this house has the channel we needed to watch from home. (I guess there's always the computer, but the television is a much better picture.)

Glen ended up going to the mission office building to meet with a missionary, so he watched the priesthood session at that building with all these fine missionaries. He said he asked them for a picture because he was missing his own sons.

These were his stand-in sons attending the priesthood session with him this session.