Out with the Old: In with the New

        Out with the old: in with the new. It sounds unfeeling, but that is exactly what happened in the GKLM as the new year began. 

        Normally with Transfers, the new missionaries come in on Monday and go off with their Trainers on Tuesday. The departing missionaries come in to the Mission Home that afternoon and leave for home on Wednesday. This time, however, the order was reversed so that among other things, the retiring Elders and Sisters could get back for the start of the semester at college. They left Saturday, January 4th and the new arrivals came in on Monday, the 6th. 

        First things first, we'll talk about those amazing missionaries who created such a hole in the GKLM when they left. Every one of them were stalwart and had served well, and all had been leaders and/or Trainers. 

       They all arrived at the Mission Home in the early afternoon and travelled soon thereafter to the Louisville Temple for the special session the Temple Presidency arranges for us. 

Back: Elder St. Martin, Elder Howard, Elder Moulton, Sister Moulton, Elder Fry, Sister Halverson, Elder Halverson, Elder Dansie, President Woodbury, Sister Woodbury
Front: Sister Jensen, Hermana Davis, Hermana Meek, Hermana Navarro, Elder Thomas, Sister Roberts, Sister Mickelsen, Elder Potter

        Back at the Mission Home, we sat down together for a tasty meal of "Sunday chicken", au gratin potatoes, Sarah salad, hot rolls, and Skor bar cake with ice-cream. Going downstairs to the Training Room (family room) we had a tender and moving Testimony Meeting, with remembrances expressed from the Testimony Meeting 18  or 24 months ago when we they were brand new in the mission. President Woodbury had Exit Interviews with each person, going late into the evening, with a couple in the morning. 

Elder Dansie contemplating the sorry state of his shoes

        While the interviews were going on the rest of us played Apples to Apples and a few other group parlor games, got bags weighed and some cases repacked, and tried to get some sleep. 

Hermana Meek

Sister Roberts

Sister Mickelsen

Elder Howard

Elder St. Martin

Elder Fry 

Elder Dansie

Elder Potter 

Elder Thomas

Hermana Navarro 

Sister Jensen

Hermana Davis

        In the morning it was time for fond and grateful farewells as these valiant servants of the Lord embarked on, as President Woodbury says, their next "Transfer."  They will be sorely missed in this one.

Standing: Sister Woodbury, Sister Mickelsen, Sister Roberts, Hermana Navarro, Hermana Meeks,
Hermana Davis, Sister Jensen
Kneeling: Elder Fry, Elder St. Martin, Elder Thomas, President Woodbury, Elder Howard,
Elder St. Martin, Elder Potter

       Happily, two days later, a wonderful new batch of missionaries arrived fresh from the Provo and Mexico City MTCs.  

Above: Elder Henderson, Elder Allen, Elder Hicken, Elder Forrest, Elder Evans
Below: Sister Ward, Hermana Jensen, Sister Dunn, President Woodbury, Elder Avile, Elder Foote, Elder Langford, Elder Pennington, Elder Fleener

       President Woodbury began Arrival Interviews almost immediately after we got to the Mission Home from the airport, while Sister Woodbury began the Welcome Orientation and did some training. 

Elder Pennington

Elder Langford

Hermana Jensen

Elder Henderson 

Elder Forrest

Elder Allen

Elder Foote 

Elder Fleener

Sister Dunn

Elder Aviles

Sister Ward

        At dinner time we were joined by Elder and Sister Moulton, and Elder and Sister Halvorsen, from the Mission Office, so they could meet and visit with the Elders and Sisters/Hermanas. The menu was pretty much as it was the Friday previous, freshly made, of course (!)
        Not unlike what had happened the Friday before, we moved downstairs for our special Testimony Meeting, which, as is tradition, began with a skit about a missionary's first day in the GKLM, presented by the Assistants to the President, Elder Hicken and Elder Evans. Normally there would have been three Assistants present because of the transition,  

Transition of the Assistants to the President
Elder Thomas and Elder Hicken
to Elder Hicken and Elder Evans
taken Friday, January 3rd:
Elder Thomas, Elder Evans, President Woodbury, Elder Hicken

but since Elder Thomas was already home in Colorado, Elder Moulton filled in.

Time to wake up

The new Elder falling asleep in morning study

At the end of a long and discouraging day, the Elders find a man
who was praying for help at the same time they had been

       The meeting was inspiring, to hear the faith and excitement of these fresh, new missionaries, and we who had been around for awhile, imagining what they would be like 18-24 months from now. Afterward, the exhausted Sisters and Elders who had had their interviews charged for their beds, and the others followed suit soon as possible thereafter.

        Bright and early the next morning, the showers started going and all were ready for a hot breakfast by 7:30. At 8:00 the Assistants conducted Companionship Study and Training, and Elder Moulton came in to talk to everyone about their mission finances. After pictures 

Sister Woodbury, Hermana Jensen, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Sister Dunn, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Elder Langford, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Sister Ward, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Elder Forrest, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Elder Foote, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Elder Aviles, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Elder Allen, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Elder Pennington, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Elder Fleener, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury Elder Henderson, President Woodbury

it was time to load up and travel to the church adjacent to the Mission Office. 

        At the Transfer Meeting "Words of Wisdom" had already been given by the previously departed missionaries at the Christmas Conference, so without delaythe newly arrived missionaries were introduced to the assembly of missionaries by the President and their Trainers introduced to them.  "Called to Serve" was sung, the rest of the Transfer was called out, President Woodbury spoke, and the meeting ended. 

Elder T. Evans, Elder Bt Allen, Elder C. Anderson, Elder J. Allen,
Elder Whitehead, Elder Skousen, Elder Blauer, Elder J. Johnson,
Elder Loser (Elder Beecroft in the background)

Elder Pradera, Elder Henderson, Elder Arnold, Elder Huff, Elder Pritchett

Two redhead Allens:
Elder Bt. Allen and Elder J. Allen 

Elder Whitehead and Elder Loser

Elder Beecroft, Elder Dahle, Elder Kaegi, Elder Adams,
Elder Crichton, Elder Clarke, Elder Bt Allen, Elder Denton

Elder Adams, Elder Black, Elder Magleby, Elder Cs Crook. Elder Clark

Elder Engstrom, Elder Faudree, Elder R. Evans, Elder Lynch

Elder Carter, Elder Pradera

Elder Tuttle, Elder Hicken, Elder J. Larson

Sister Davidson, Sister Heiner, Sister Airmet, Sister Logan, Sister Atkin

Hermana WIlkinson, Hermana Mason, Hermana Marsden, Hermana Hansen,
Hermana Binks, Hermana Luke, Hermana Jensen, Hermana Adams

Elder Foote, Elder T. Johnson, Elder Kaegi, Elder Forrest,
Elder C. Anderson, Elder Moon, Elder Cd Johnson,
Elder Pennington, Elder J. Larson

        A half hour later another meeting was held for the new arrivals and companions, this time regarding the 12-Week Training Program.
       Lunch was enjoyed then as fast as we could, pictures outside the Mission Office, the rush necessitated by the bitter cold polar freeze passing through Kentucky at the time. Stops were made into the Mission Office for mail and packages, then everyone was off to their new area and adventures.

Mingling, or rather freezing outside the Mission Office
while waiting for their picture to be taken 

Sister Woodbury, Elder Moon, Elder Forrest, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Elder Champion, Elder Aviles, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Elder T. Johnson, Elder Foote, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Sister Williams, Sister Dunn, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Hermana Evans, Hermana Jensen, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Elder Skousen, Elder Allen, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Elder Rasmuseen, Elder Langford, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Sister Kankamp, Sister Ward, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Elder Van Beekum, Elder Fleener, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Elder Torrico, Elder Henderson, President Woodbury

Sister Woodbury, Elder Cd Johnson, Elder Pennington,
President Woodbury

       Old, new, gone, here, we love them all!

Standing: Elder Pennington, Elder Fleener, Elder Aviles, Elder Foote, Elder Forrest, Elder Allen,
Elder Langford, Elder Henderson
Sitting: Sister Ward, Sister Dunn, President Woodbury, Sister Woodbury Hermana Jensen