Mission Presidents Seminar - April 2014

        All of the Mission Presidents from around the world who are going out out each year, one-third of the total number (a three-year call), go the MTC in Provo at the same time. It is a remarkable experience (see first posts in this blog from 2011) that we will never forget. In addition to the original send-off, the Mission Presidents and their wives have two Interim Mission Presidents Seminars each year, about six months apart in the fall and the spring, with their associates in their Mission area, ours being the North America Southeast which contains eighteen missions. This time the Seminar was held April 24th through 26th in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. 
As is usual, we had our Area Presidency in attendance, including Elder Soares of the Presidency of the Seventy, and several others from the First Quorum of the Seventy and seven Area Seventies and members of the Missionary Committee of the Church. We also had the amazing blessing of having Elder Jeffrey R. Holland with us the whole time, a remarkable experience in and of itself. He, Elder Holland, addressed us for an hour or more in both the morning and afternoon sessions each day, plus conducted a question and answer time as part of the wrap up at the end.  

Elder Holland, Sister Woodbury, President Woodbury

        It would be too lengthy to be contained in this post, if we put all our notes, information, and insight we gained during the packed days of the Seminar. Let is suffice to say we were fed, enlightened, and inspired. What a gift to be instructed and counseled by these great men of God. It is also a privilege to attend with the other Mission Presidents and their wives in our area who have provided much support, advice, ideas, and comraderie. 
At this and each of the past gatherings we have been able to attend a special Temple session together, this being the exception in that it wasn't a session, but rather a special tour of the new Ft. Lauderdale Temple which was dedicated just a week a half later. We haven't yet received the digital copy of the formal photo taken with the whole group, but the one below is at least representative of the our fellow members of "The Class of 2014", the seven couples who came out together in 2011. There was another couple but unfortunately they had to go home for health issues a year ago. 

President and Sister Wall, President and Sister Irion, President and Sister Wohlfert, President and Sister Peterson, President and Sister Woodbury, President and Sister Holm, President and Sister Anderson

President and Sister Woodbury in front of the Ft. Lauderdale Temple