Opening a Mission Call, Vista Zone Specialized Training, Mormon Battalion

Monday is preparation day for the missionaries. We rarely are around the missionaries on their p-day because Glen is usually holed up for the day down the hall in his office at our home. That's how he gets his hours and hours and hours' worth of missionaries' letters read and answered.

This particular Monday was an exception to our usual rule. We joined in with the Vista zone during their p-day activity. Maybe the word should be interrupted the Vista zone during their p-day activity.

We had an exciting event that was scheduled to happen at 4 p.m. and we included the whole zone in on it. The event was the opening of a mission call. We have a 2-transfer missionary in our midst. He has high-functioning autism and was sent to our mission for a short time to see how well he could cope with being a missionary.

After all the assessment requirements were completed, the Missionary Department deemed him fit to serve a full-time mission. We were informed his mission call would arrive Monday. Glen notified his parents so his family could be there for the opening of his mission call. They live in one of the surrounding missions not too far away from here.

The elder was definitely surprised to see his family walk in. He was anxious to open the envelope and read the news of where he would be serving the remainder of his 2 years.

His mother told us he has enjoyed serving here and feels like he's made a lot of friends in this mission. She said he really has been hoping he will be called to this mission.

He said basically the same thing in his weekly letter to Glen. But, he also said he would be willing to serve wherever he is called.

Time for the big announcement. He announced he has been "called to serve HERE!" Those were his exact words. He didn't waste any effort saying the mission name. It was just "HERE!" He was very pleased. 

His family was so happy to hear the news. He leaves soon to go to the MTC to receive his official missionary training. He went on to read the instructions of arriving back in our mission on November 22nd and said matter-of-factly, "That's my birthday."

That little added tidbit of information just added to the whole experience and touched me deeply. This elder has all the heart, desire, testimony and gospel knowledge anyone would ever want to see in a missionary. He has really impressed us. What a wonderful birthday gift for him!

We were hoping he would get called to our mission. As he was flipping through his information booklet, he found our picture and showed it to us. It is picture proof he is one of ours!

I have been so proud of the beautiful orchid I have kept growing for quite a few months now. There have been numerous flowers blossoming all along the upper parts of the two stems...

...until a few weeks ago when they all started dying and falling off. One by one. By one. Until there was only one left. And then there was none. Sad!!

We had another specialized training session, this time with the Vista zone.

These new missionaries and their trainers have just had their first follow-up training meeting after being here 4 weeks.

At the end of their "First 12 Weeks" of training, we take the missionaries and their trainers to Tequila Factory for a Mexican buffet lunch. We usually get these prime tables overlooking all of Old Town San Diego.

When we have gotten our fill of food, we walk down the hill to the Mormon Battalion to take a tour.

After the tour, Elder and Sister Hemingway (the director of the historic site), join us and talk to us about how the missionaries can use the facility in their missionary efforts.

We also liken what the Mormon Battalion went through to what the missionaries are experiencing at this time in their lives and how faith in their Savior can help them in their struggles.

The group photos at the end are always fun to get as a souvenir of the visit. 

Mission Leadership Council, General Conference Weekend

We have Mission Leadership Council once a month. It was a big group this time. When MLC falls twice in a transfer (happens once every 3 months), we invite the district leaders to join in with the zone leaders and sister training leaders.

In the morning we had training and instruction from Glen and the assistants. The whole meeting was geared toward the role and responsibilities of a district leader.

The Radfords provide the lunch for us. She usually orders the main part of it from a restaurant, he goes to pick it up, and then she supplies the rest. Like gigantic homemade cookies or yummy Magnum ice cream bars for dessert. Something like that.

They definitely like to spoil the missionaries.

Elder Radford is announcing there is lots of food left for seconds.

In the afternoon we had rotating classes where the zone leaders and sister training leaders were teaching. This class was about how to have an effective district meeting.

These sister training leaders were teaching about the importance of following up and how to do it. They brought props to spruce up their training session.

These sisters taught about going on exchanges.

These elders were teaching about creating missionary-minded wards and the role of a district leader to accomplish that.

These elders taught from a wonderful talk given by Elder Sterling W. Sill entitled "The Problem is Always the Same" and that is lack of leadership. Thus, leadership was the topic in this class.

An elder was having a birthday that very day, so he stood there looking very embarrassed as we sang "Happy Birthday" to him.

Last fall I was wondering if the leaves would turn colors and fall off the trees. The answer is yes, some of the trees do follow the same pattern we have seen back home in Utah.

The missionaries (including us) always look forward to general conference weekend.

Since Saturdays are our usual planning meeting day with the assistants, Glen invited them to our home between sessions of conference to have our meeting. The other missionary entered the mission mid-transfer and was with the assistants until transfers when he got assigned to train a new missionary.

We fed them a wings lunch before they left to go back to the church to join the other missionaries in their zone watching the afternoon session of general conference.

I enjoyed watching the priesthood session from home while Glen was watching it at the church. I loved listening to the fathers and sons singing. I especially enjoyed "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel." 

It inspired me in my writing of my latest "Wave" article. We publish a mission newsletter once a transfer and it is always very nice when something I hear or read triggers an idea for me to write about.

I love hearing the divinely inspired messages our leaders deliver at general conference. There is so much good stuff in them. Glen and I both love to listen to them over and over again until the next general conference.

During the Sunday morning session, Elder Zwick told about 16-year-old Beau Richey who was killed in a rollover ATV accident.

At the hospital, when the police officer handed Beau's cell phone to his mother, an alarm sounded. Beau had set his phone to ring every day. His mom read the message "Remember to put Jesus Christ at the center of your life today."

Elder Zwick pointed out that "Beau's focus on the Savior gives great hope and meaning to Beau's life and life choices. It allows his family and friends to look beyond only the grief of his early death to the joyful realities of the next life. What a tender mercy for Beau's parents to see through their son's eyes the thing he most prized."

Beau's sister is serving in our mission (the missionary in the middle). It made her so happy to hear Elder Zwick sharing that story about her brother.

We were able to spend the whole Sabbath Day at home listening to conference. 

Glen ate some Starburst (Thomas family Sunday tradition) to make his Sunday complete.

Quotes of the Week

Filled with His love, we can endure pain, quell fear, forgive freely, avoid contention, ...and bless and help others.
--John H. Groberg

I encourge our Saints all over the world, wherever possible, to strive to stand more often in holy places.
--James E. Faust

Remember that faith and obedience are still the answers--even when things go wrong, perhaps especially when things go wrong.
--David Sorensen

There is no choice, sin, or mistake that you or anyone else can make that will change His love for you or for them.
--Ronald A. Rasband

Refugee Missionaries From Puerto Rico

We found ourselves at the airport on an off-transfer day. As we were waiting, Elder Hopkins (one of our assistants) wanted to get a picture with us since he will be ending his mission next week.

In the aftermath and destruction of hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, the Church decided to evacuate all of the missionaries and send them to various other missions indefinitely while clean up efforts are going on there.

We were notified we would be receiving four missionaries and to be prepared for them to arrive with possibly only the clothes they were wearing.

Each one of them had a shoulder bag and a small suitcase. They had been instructed to buy certain food items and 3 gallons of water each before the hurricane hit.

They had originally been told to stay in their apartments, but then the mission president pulled them all together. The elders gathered at the mission office with a senior couple and the sisters had gathered at the mission president's home to wait out the storm.

They are all very new missionaries not having been out very long. They had a recent memory in their minds of flying into Puerto Rico and how green it was and compared that with the contrast of their departure flying out when everything was brown.

They had been instructed to wear church clothes and pack work clothes in their suitcases to be prepared to help with clean up efforts. That's what they had with them when they arrived here.

We got the missionaries' garment sizes and called the Distribution Center located next to the San Diego Temple to see if the woman there could pull their sizes and be willing to stay open a little late so we could stop by on our way home from the airport.

They were in awe of the majestic temple and asked if they could take a picture.

The lady was so happy to stay 10 minutes after closing time. She had their individual bags of garments all ready for us. She commented on how they usually don't have that much inventory in stock for each size, and this was amazing.

We were very thankful to her for her help and were giving thanks for the blessing of how everything had worked out perfectly for getting that part of their clothing replenished.

They were starving, so we found a restaurant close by the temple--California Pizza Kitchen--which made them very happy.

Something they were really looking forward to was having a shower, washing their clothes and getting a good night's sleep.

All seven of the missionaries were looking forward to Glen's French toast breakfast in the morning.

Because they were still doing laundry in the morning, Glen decided to go ahead and do interviews with them at home. He also had them read Elder Bednar's talk about how missionaries are called to serve and assigned a field of labor--two different things.

Elder Bednar emphasized "an assignment to labor in a specific place is essential and important but secondary to a call to the work." Through those words of an Apostle, Glen welcomed the new missionaries into our mission for as long as they are assigned to labor here. He encouraged them to work hard while they are here. Glen will treat them like all the other missionaries and will expect them to give their all.

The other elder who was with us (not one of the assistants) is also a new elder (of a couple of weeks) to the mission. They are all Spanish-speaking elders. I feel like it was a real blessing for him to help these new missionaries get acclimated their first couple of days here.

The assistants had taken the elders to Walmart on their way into the office so they could buy toiletries and luggage. Upon arriving at the mission office, some of the sisters had made a sign for them and had put together a few supplies for them.

The mission office couples took turns rotating through doing their training and instructing with them.

Sister Radford had brought in lunch for all of us and then it was time to go SHOPPING!!!

I had asked Sister Radford the day before if she and her husband could possibly take the elders to buy new clothes. I offered to man the phone for her while they were gone. I looked into Elder Radford's office to see what his reaction was to the request for him to join in the shopping excursion. He was all scrunched down behind some files trying to hide.

He had me laughing as he told me he'd rather have cut glass in his eyes than go shopping for clothes, but he would do it. I LOVE our senior couples!!!! They are willing to do ANYTHING for us!!

Sister Radford told me her husband hadn't slept well that night in anticipation of the shopping. He finally got up super early and started making a list of everything the elders would need to be fully outfitted once again for missionary service.

When it was time to shop, Elder Radford handed each missionary his own personal list and asked them to check off what of those things they have and then they would know what they needed to get. Very efficient!!

Glen was spending the afternoon with the assistants working on transfers. As they were finishing up with that for the day, the shoppers were finishing up. We all met at Panera for dinner.

Back at the mission office, a few missionaries had arrived to pick up the new elders. Glen announced the new companionships and off they went with their new companions.

We were so impressed with how often a couple of the new missionaries expressed their gratitude for each and every thing we did for them or gave to them or fed them. So sweet. So sincerely thankful.

I was impressed with how they had folded up their sheets before taking them down to the laundry room and had made the beds so the rooms would look neat despite the lack of sheets.

Glen said their letters to him were full of gratitude as well. They are a wonderful addition to our mission.