Transfer days are an amazing experience for a Mission President and his wife: to welcome new missionaries, fresh from the MTC, and see their excitement and eagerness to get going, brimming over with passion for the Work. A day later we see the fruits of two years or eighteen months of missionary service, as we gather outgoing missionaries in the Mission Home, thank them for their service, and witness what the Lord has made of them. Their youthful anxiousness has been replaced with confidence and strength. The mission has changed them into mighty men and women of God, who will bless the Church and the lives of many, especially their future families.
Our first group of new missionaries, consisting of nine Elders and four Sisters, arrived on July 11th. Since we had met with all of them before, individually or as a group at the MTC, we were almost giddy with anticipation. As we saw our group round the corner at the arrival area of the airport, we found ourselves reflecting the ear to ear smiles we saw on their faces. It was hard for me not to hug the Elders and President Woodbury not to hug the Sisters, we already love them so much, and seeing them again just reinforced the feeling. After retrieving all the suitcases, we loaded into our vehicles, the Sisters with me in my car, and the Elders with President Woodbury and the Assistants, Elder Norton and Elder Thompson, in the Mission van which was pulling the large GKLM trailer. After getting settled and having a little snack, the President began individual interviews while I held an orientation meeting and had everyone fill out forms and other paperwork.
During this time, the Assistants took arrival pictures to be used on the Assignment and Transfer Boards in the President's Offices at the Mission Office and the Mission Home.
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Elder Blake |
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Elder Olsen |
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Elder Haws |
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Elder Lipsh |
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Elder Clawson |
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Elder Gardner |
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Elder Estrada |
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Elder Brockbank |
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Elder Nielson |
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Sister Cross |
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Sister Noakes |
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Sister Ash |
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Sister Guerra |
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The Assistants, Elder Thompson and Elder Norton with Elder Blake in the background |
The couples from the Mission Office joined us and we all sat down to a dinner of chicken enchilada casserole, southwestern salad, Frog's Eye fruit salad, cheesy bread, and tres leche cake with strawberries. (I know it doesn't have anything to do with Kentucky, but the new missionaries still loved it. And naturally, because it was for missionaries, the cheesy bread didn't have any calories).
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Elder Lipsh, Elder Olsen, Sister Cross, Sister Noakes, Elder Estrada, Elder Clawson, and Elder Haws. |
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Elder Estrada, Elder Clawson, Elder Haws, Elder Nielson, Elder Blake, and Sister Ash. |
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Elder Blake, Sister Ash, Sister Guerra, Elder Gardner, Elder Brockbank |
The best part of the evening was about to occur: Testimony Meeting in the Training Room downstairs. After a song and opening prayer, the Assitants did a skit illustrating missionary life, particularly what they could expect their first day. Parts were hilarious, like trying to get the new Elder to wake up in the morning, but it all resolved with the idea that during log, hard days, miracles can happen.
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"The Trainer" and "new missionary" about to wake up in the morning. |
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Companion study time, with the new missionary starting to get the "hang" of it |
Then, it was time for the actual testimonies. One by one the new missionaries told of their faith and desire to do God's will. More than once the things said brought tears to our eyes. After closing it was off to bed, with chocolates on their pillows for sweet dreams.
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Sister Guerra |
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Sister Ash |
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Sister Noakes |
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Sister Cross |
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Elder Brockbank |
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Elder Blake |
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Elder Lipsh |
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Elder Estrada |
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Elder Neilsen |
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Elder Haws |
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Elder Olsen |
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Elder Clawson |
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Elder Gardner |
group pictures were taken in the living room,
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Elder Olsen, Elder Brockbank, Elder Gardner, Elder Neilsen, President Woodbury, Elder Clawson, Elder Haws, Elder Blake, Elder Lipsh, Elder Estrada Sister Guerra, Sister Noakes, Sister Woodbury, Sister Ash, Sister Cross |
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Ditto, but more cozy |
and we loaded up to go to the Transfer Meeting at the church adjacent to the Mission Office. The new missionaries sat together as the gathering began and they were introduced to the song "Called to Serve" - GKLM style which includes a rousing lift to the sky and shout of "Go Baptize!" The departing missionaries shared their "Words of Wisdom" then the announcement of assignments began. For me it felt a bit like the "Sorting Hat Ceremony" at Hogwarts. Where would each person be assigned? Slytherin? Huffenpuff? Griffindor? President Woodbury called the name of each new missionary and then the name of his or her Trainer and the area in which they would serve. As each Trainer was announced, they exclaimed, cheered and hurried and in some cases ran over to meet "their" new Trainee, hugging, in the cases of the Elders, slapping each other on the back, high-fiving, etc. before going to sit front and center as a new companionship. The rest of transfers were then called out with each companion standing and doing some sort of connection, a "go!" sign, war whoop, or whatever they felt.
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Hermana Kalman, Hermana Gardner, and Hermana Cross Sister Cross and Sister Kalkman had both lived in Spain and were great friends. Hermana Kalkman had trained Sister Gardner and was now departing. Sister Gardner was now training newly arrived Sister Cross. It all comes around! |
Following the Transfer Meeting the others missionaries lingered to greet each other and pick up their recent mail before taking off on their new assignments. The New Missionaries and Trainers met in a side room for a Training Meeting, introducing the Church's new 12- Week Training Program. The components of the program will entail an extra hour of Companionship Study time each day before going out to work and other speific assignments, lesson plans, and DVDs to watch. It is an inspired program that we feel will have a positive impact in our mission.
After lunch there at the church, everyone had their picture taken with their Trainer by the sign outside the Mission Office, (sorry, several companionships had to leave before the pictures)
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Sister Woodbury, President Woodbury, Elder Gardner, and Elder Day |
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Sister Woodbury, President Woodbury, Elder Lipsh, and Elder Clark |
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Sister and President Woodbury, Elder Brockbank, and Elder Morrison |
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President and Sister Woodbury, Sister Guerra, and Sister Chantry |
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President and Sister Woodbury, Sister Cross, and Sister Gardner |
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Sister and President Woodbury, Elder Estrada, and Elder Lund |
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Sister and President Woodbury, Elder Haws, and Elder Freestone |
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President and Sister Woodbury, Sister Noakes, and Sister Edgerton |
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President and Sister Woodbury, Sister Ash, and Sister Mikami |
then took off to begin their first day of real missionary work. We look forward to great things from our "Freshman Class!"
Next on the docket, the departing missionaries met together by the Mission Office sign for a group photo, then hopped in the van or car for a quick trip over to the Mission Home. The afternoon was spent in final interviews with the President, visiting, writing in journals, some parlor games, etc. Dinner was with just the out-going missoinaries and us, a "Sunday dinner" of ham, creamed, aka "funeral" potaotes, my spinach and mushroom salad, candied carrots, and Raspberry Delight for dessert. Like the night before, the most wonderful event of the day was the tender and touching Testimony Meeting. Time and time again, the missionaries expressed their appreciation for the time they had been given to serve the Lord full-time and that they were sorry to see it end. They had seen miracles, they said, and transformations in the lives of the people they had taught and seen baptized. Their testimonies were deep and cemented in their hearts, and several expressed that they would always be missionaries in their hearts. We, in turn, expressed our belief that the Lord accepted their service and sacrifice and had and would sanctify both to their eternal good and welfare.
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Back: President Woodbury, Elder Pistritto, Elder Platter, Elder Schaerrer, Elder Romrell, Elder Ritchey, Sister Kalkman, Sister Gastellum, and Sister Woodbury Front: Elder Kelley, Elder Eyres, and Elder Lundell |
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Elder Eyres |
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Elder Schaerrer |
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Elder Romrell |
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Elder Ritchey |
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Elder Lundell |
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Ssiter Kalkman |
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Sister Gastellum |
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Elder Kelley |
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Elder Pistritto |
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Elder Platter |
Morning came early for the outgoing missionaries as they left to catch their flights, leaving the mission field and returning to their homes and families. Amazing as it may seem, after knowing them such a short time, it hurt to see them go...
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