Transfers take days and in fact weeks of thought, prayer, and planning, but the formal beginning takes place at the Louisville airport.
President and Sister Woodbury along with the Assistants to the President were waiting anxiously to see their first sighting of the new GKLM missionaries...
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Elder Murphy, President Woodbury, Elder Warner, Elder Jolley
This was Elder Jolley's last Transfer and Elder Warner's first as
an Assistant to the President |
and finally they were spotted.
After all fifteen had been greeted, the group proceeded downstairs to Baggage Claim, claimed the bags, moved toward the parking lot, and loaded up the Mission trailer with the big GKLM on the side.
After a ten-minute drive the missionaries unloaded their overnight bags and settled in at the Mission Home, where President and Sister Woodbury live. Interviews with the President began while the Assistants took pictures and Sister Woodbury did the Welcome and Orientation.
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Elder Seal, Elder Jacobson, and Elder Murphy
enjoying an arrival snack and checking out the Welcome Folders |
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| Elder Flathers |
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| Elder Butterfield |
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| Elder Pritchett |
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| Elder Jacobsen |
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| Elder Leany |
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| Sister Logan |
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| Sister Heywood |
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| Sister Dickerson |
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| Elder Jacobson |
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| Elder Burdge |
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| Elder Gerard |
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| Elder Davis |
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| Elder LeFevre |
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| Elder Seal |
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| Elder Sutherland |
The Bolligers and Halvorsens from the Mission Office joined us for dinner which featured "Sunday chicken," Relief Society potatoes, Sarah salad, glazed carrots,
and pistachio cream sandie pie.
The missionaries moved downstairs to the Training Room where they viewed a skit by the Assistants about a missionary's first day in the GKLM and everyone bore their testimony.
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| Before the alarm rings |
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| Elder Murphy trying to wake up his companion, Elder Warner |
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Elder Murphy trying to keep his newbie companion awake
during morning prayer |
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At the end of long, tiring, and disappointing day,
they find a golden contact |
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The new Elder extends the invitation to prepare for baptism
and the man accepts |
After a much needed good night's sleep there was a hot breakfast waiting of egg and ham casserole, muffins, and fresh fruit. Companionship Study with the Assistants followed, a talk on finances by Elder Bolliger, photos with President and Sister Woodbury,
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| Elder Gerard with President and Sister Woodbury |
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| Elder Sutherland with President and Sister Woodbury |
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| Elder Davis with President and Sister Woodbury |
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| Sister Dickerson with President and Sister Woodbury |
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| Sister Heywood with President and Sister Woodbury |
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| Sister Logan with President and Sister Woodbury |
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| Elder Seal with President and Sister Woodbury |
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| Elder LeFevre with President and Sister Woodbury |
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| Elder Jacobson with President and Sister Woodbury |
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| Elder Leany with President and Sister Woodbury |
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| Elder Flathers with President and Sister Woodbury |
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| Elder Jacobsen with President and Sister Woodbury |
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| Elder Burdge with President and Sister Woodbury |
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| Elder Pritchett with President and Sister Woodbury |
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| Elder Butterfield with President and Sister Woodbury |
and a group shot on the front steps of the Mission Home.
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Top: Elder Butterfield, Elder Jacobsen, Elder Flatheres, Elder LeFevre
Second from top row: Elder Burdge, Elder Jacobson, Elder Seal
Middle row: Elder Sutherland, Elder Davis, Elder Pritchett
Second from front row: President Woodbury, Elder Gerard, Elder Leany
Front row: Sister Woodbury, Sister Logan, Sister Heywood, Sister Dickerson |
Loading up and driving over to the church next to the Mission Office about two miles away, the new arrivals were met by the following scene of soon-to-be fellow missionaries mingling and unloading their bags for the Transfer Meeting.
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| Featuring Elder Howard running and Elder T. Gardner standing |
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| Elder Magleby, Elder Gill, Elder Lowe, Elder Haws |
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Featuring Elder Butcher?, Elder Bolliger's back, Elder Murphy,
Elder Crook, Elder Loser, Elder Whitehead?, Elder Miller, Elder DeGraw,
Elder Rigby, Elder Behling |
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| Elder Gallagher and Elder Brook |
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Elder Kidd in foreground, Elder Berube, Elder Beale,
Elder Moorhouse, Elder Duran, Elder Ferguson, and ? |
Once inside the building the meeting began and soon everyone was hearing the Words of Wisdom from the departing Elders and Sisters. The new missionaries were introduced and their Trainers announced with enthusiastic response. "Called to Serve," GKLM-style, was sung, and then the rest of the very large Transfer was called out, all watched over by the Sorting Hat. (The latter became a tradition after the first Transfer when Sister Woodbury observed that the call-out of transfers felt like the Sorting Ceremony at Hogwarts...Would that it was that easy...)
After ending with "God Be With You Til We Meet Again," more mingling ensued then the Trainers and their Trainees met to have, you guessed it, a Training Meeting on the 12-Week Training Program.
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| Elder Jolley, Elder Day-Nuah, Elder Raney, Elder Broomhead |
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| Elder Rigby, Elder Whitehead, Elder Sutherland, Elder Tolman |
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Elder Gerard, Elder Davis, Elder Peterson, Elder Day-Nuah,
Elder Jolley, Elder Raney, Elder Potter |
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Elder Lipsh, Elder Belae, Elder LeFevre, Elder Berube, Elder Colling,
Elder Rollins, Elder Moorhouse, Elder Gardner |
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Top: Elder Castillo, Elder Wharton, Elder Ferguson-Villegas,
Elder Howard, Elder Duran, Elder Waddell, Elder Singleton, Elder Seal
Middle: Elder Draney, Elder Allen, Elder Leany, Elder Champion,
Elder Johnson, Elder Pritchett
Front: Elder Warner |
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Elder Haws, Elder Rigby Elder T. Gardner,
Elder Kidd, Elder Thomas, Elder Garrity |
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Elder Tolman, Elder Shutt, Elder Adams,
Elder Gaither, Elder Sutherland, Elder Whitehead |
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| Elder Murphy, Elder Hicken |
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| Elder Potter, Elder Behling, Elder Greenup |
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Elder haws, Elder Lowe, Elder Crichton, Elder Blake,
Elder Beale, Elder Magleby |
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New companion:red-heads:
Sister Roberts and Sister Goodrich |
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| Sister West, Sister Dickerson, Sister Hunt |
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| Sister Mickelsen, Sister Logan, Sister Heywood, Sister Egbert |
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| Elder Lowe, Elder Waddell, Elder Crichton |
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| Sister Davis, Sister Gomm, Sister Navarro, Sister Holt |
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Elder Murphy, Elder Duran, Elder Miller, Elder Thomas,
Elder Garrity, Elder Howard, Elder Blauer |
After lunch more pictures were taken next door at the Mission Office: the new missionaries and their Trainers...
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| Sister Woodbury, Sister Egbert, Sister Heywood, President Woodbury |
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| Sister Woodbury, Elder Allen, Elder Leany, President Woodbury |
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| Sister Woodbury, Elder Cox, Elder Davis, President Woodbury |
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| Sister Woodbury, Elder Loser, Elder Butterfield |
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| Sister Woodbury, Elder Fry, Elder Jacobsen, President Woodbury |
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| Sister Woodbury, Elder LeFevre, Elder Berube, President Woodbury |
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| Sister Woodbury, Sister West, Sister Dickerson, President Woodbury |
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| Sister Woodbury, Elder Johnson, Elder Seal, President Woodbury |
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| Sister Woodbury, Elder Stevenson, Elder Flathers, President Woodbury |
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| Sister Woodbury, Elder Day-Nuah, Elder Gerard, President Woodbury |
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| Sister Woodbury, Elder Howell, Elder Jacobson, President Woodbury |
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| Sister Woodbury Elder Tolman, ELder Sutherland, President Woodbury |
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| Sister Woodbury, Sister Mickelsen, Sister Logan, President Woodbury |
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| Sister Woodbury, Elder Champion, Elder Pritchett, President Woodbury |
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| Sister Woodbury, Elder Anderson, Elder Burdge, President Woodbury |
... and the departing Sisters and Elders.
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| Sister Woodbury, Elder Waddell, Sister Hunt, Elder Draney, President Woodbury, Elder Cox, Elder Peterson, Elder DeGraw, Elder Broomhead, Elder Raney, Elder Jolley, Sister Clemons, Elder Shutt, Elder Dimter |
The newly formed companionships left to their respective areas and the outgoing group moved over to the Mission Home.
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| Elder Jolley, Elder Borromhead, Elder Dimter, Elder Raney |
President and Sister Lunt at the Louisville Temple, are kind enough to have a special early session every six weeks just for us. As is customary, our group met in a Sealing Room beforehand for special talks from Sister then President Woodbury, followed by Sister Lunt and President Lunt. It may be noted that President Lunt was Mission President of the GKLM in 1990 so he and Sister Lunt have a deep affinity for the missionaries as well as a long-term friendship with the Woodburys.
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Fourth row: Elder Broomhead, Elder DeGraw
Top: Elder Halvorsen, Sister Halvorsen, Eler Bolliger, Sister Bolliger
Third row: Elder Dimter, Elder Waddell, Elder Raney
Second row: President Woodbury, Elder Cos, Elder Peterson, Elder Jolley, Sister Clemons
Front: Sister Woodbury, Elder Draney, Elder Shutt, Sister Hunt |
Back at the Mission Home bags the seasoned Elders and Sisters weighed and repacked their bags as needed, had dinner together, and a tender Testimony Meeting in the Training Room downstairs. President Woodbury continued Exit Interviews into the night with a few the next morning.
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| Suitcases in the front entry of the Mission Home |
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| Elder Raney |
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| Elder Shutt |
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| Sister Clemons |
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| Elder Draney |
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| Elder Broomhead |
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| Elder Waddell |
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| Sister Hunt |
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