Thanksgiving, family, baptisms--A week full of gratitude and love!

Hibiscus in the front of the Mission Home

What a generous week this has been! When Elder Keetch asked us about some of things that we love about being here as Mission President and spouse is “We love being with the missionaries.” This week has been no exception. We have been privileged to visit with the Menifee, Riverside, Jurupa, San Jacinto, and Hemet zones. There is something about sitting down with each of the missionaries, praying with and for them, hearing their stories, listening to their challenges, and sharing their joy and your turmoils, and most importantly feeling of their spirits. If I could say, “Poof! Let there be joy in every missionary’s heart (in everyone's heart), I would.” But, alas, it cannot be done. What I can do, though, is pray with you, share our faith with each other, encourage each other to do better, and ultimately come to know whose we are—for we are Heavenly Father’s children. He loves us immensely and intensely.  I have no doubt of that.

California Riverside Missionaries 

Thanksgiving was a very special time for us. Some of our family came. My brother came from Idaho Falls; Sister Hammon’s sister and her husband and her brother, his wife, and their 15-year-old daughter came and spent a couple of days with us. What a wonderful time we had with our family. We had breakfast a couple of mornings outside on the patio. 

Breakfast on the patio at Thanksgiving

We were going to have Thanksgiving dinner on the patio, but it was too hot. Too hot? Can you believe it was 95 degrees on Thanksgiving? We had the opportunity to Skype with Hailey, Joseph, and Family and Anna Rose, Christiaan, Emiline, and William. William made sure to tell us that he was coming to our house for Christmas. We are looking forward to that. We hope all of you had a delightful Thanksgiving.

Artwork by Elder Frazier

We also toured the California Citrus State Historic Park. It was quite good. There is just something about orange groves and the beauty that takes place here. We loved it.

Grapefruit

Palm trees mixed with the oranges 

Avocados

Budda's hand (citron)

We also had a chance to go to Idyllwild, a part of our mission, which is in the mountains, so we could find some giant pine cones. We have a couple of the large ones at the mission home, and Sister Hammon's sister and brother-in-law wanted to find some so they could take them home. After visiting the Citrus State Park, we drove up to Idyllwild. Along the way to the branch building, we saw a few along the road and decided to stop and hike up into the forest a bit, not too far from the road. The big ones were everywhere. I stacked up a few and then hauled them to the van. We were totally amazed at the largess of the cones. 

A comparison--large vs. regular pine cones

We had a special visitor in the Mission Home on Saturday after Thanksgiving. Elder Murphy (a.k.a. “McKay”), his parents, and his sister stopped by to say hello. He misses his mission, and he misses all of you. We stared at the missionary board in the office. He talked so lovingly of all of his companions and other missionaries. Reminiscing or “bringing to remembrance” as the scriptures call it is a wonderful thing to help us remember the incredible spiritual times we have had.

President and Sister Hammon and Elder Murphy (McKay).

Sister Hammon and I went to a baptism on Saturday of Bryson and Blake Buckwalter, two young men whose father is a member and whose mother is taking the lessons. Their Grandfather Buckwalter baptized them; their Grandmother Buckwalter gave the baptismal talk; their father gave the Holy Ghost talk; and their mother gave the closing prayer, just like someone who had been a member of the church for some time. They had many family members there. Sisters Marks and Fortin did the restoration presentation. Well done!

Sister Marks, Bryson, Blake, and Sister Fortin

Hermanas Buitrago, Diana, Daniel, Hermanas Tonini and Sorensen, and the parents of Diana and Daniel

Chinese Elders Crowther and Nelson, Diana and her daughter, and Elder Willes. Diana is from mainland China

Elders Jackson and Dunn (returned to be here); Joan, Amber, their brother, Elders Whiteside and Herald

Sister Hammon and I had a training meeting in Lake Elsinore on Sunday morning early. After the meeting, Brother Steve Demke of the Stake High Council approached us and gave us a carving that he had done. The carving read: “President & Sister Hammon: Our mission is to bless.” How cool is that? We were impressed and honored to receive something that personal and precious. Thanks, Brother Demke!

Sister and President Hammon and Brother Demke

What a glorious time of the year we are in—Thanksgiving, Christmas, time with family and friends, and feeling the wonderful spirit of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in our lives. As we begin this Christmas season, we hope you enjoy the blessings of remembering whose you are and coming unto Christ. The Church is Celebrating “Light the World.” Please go to lds.org and click on “Light the World” and participate in sharing.  

Light the World @ lds.org

We love you all! May you all feel Heavenly Father’s love for you as His children.

President and Sister Hammon

Mission tour with Elder Von G. and Sister Bernice Keetch

We had our first mission tour with Elder Von G. Keetch of the Seventy and his wife Sister Bernice Keetch! What a treat it was for us to be with them for two days! They were so kind and personable. We appreciated their approach to our mission. 

Elder Von G. and Sister Keetch (of the Seventy); President and Sister Hammon

On Sunday, November 12, 2017, Elder Keetch presided over the Moreno Valley Stake Conference and then came to our home. Once they arrived, we ate a delicious dinner of chili verde and all of the trimmings and had tres leches cake. Divine! We had a wonderful discussion!

One Monday morning, we had a delicious breakfast and then headed to the Grand Building where Elder and Sister Keetch greeted the missionaries from the Riverside, Mt. Rubidoux, La Sierra, Moreno Valley, and Jurupa zones and learned their names and where they were from. It was wonderful to watch the interaction. We followed, and gave each of missionaries a hug, and chatted a bit. 

Elder and Sister Keetch greeting the missionaries.

Once we were finished, we began the Monday session of the Mission Tour.

Riverside, Mt Rubidoux, La Sierra, Moreno Valley, and Jurupa zones

Sister Fortin and Elders Patterson, Dew, Balls, Rodriquez, Dundon with Sister Marks as the accompanist sang “Gethesemane.” It was beautiful and touching. 

Sister Hammon and I trained on "Mission Elevated: Spiritual Self-Reliance." Our six principles of spiritual self-reliance included:

Principle #1: We gain spiritual self-reliance as we ultimately understand and come to know and feel we are sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father.

Principle #2: We gain spiritual self-reliance when we come to realize that the Lord will require hard things of us.

Principle #3: We gain spiritual self-reliance as we come to know, understand, and incorporate the Doctrine of Christ into our lives.

Principle #4: We gain spiritual self-reliance as we become worthy and stay worthy

Principle #5: We gain spiritual self-reliance when we read, feast upon, and ponder the scriptures daily, particularly the Book of Mormon.

Principle #6: We gain spiritual self-reliance as we come to recognize, know, and understand how the spirit works through us.

Once we finished, then Sister Keetch spoke about President Hinckley’s ten gifts missionaries need to bring home. She was delightful. Then, we had a musical number from the Mt. Rubidoux Zone. They sang “Lord, I Would Follow Thee.” Elder Treviño accompanied them. He is one of our new missionaries from Mexico. He is a concert pianist, and it definitely showed.

Elder Keetch took the rest of the morning and expanded on what we taught in the morning. After he finished, it was time for lunch.

The Relief Society sisters from the Menifee, Riverside, and Jurupa stakes provided incredible meals for both days--yummy enchiladas, chips, an incredible baked potato bar with all of the trimmings, desserts of all kinds.

Relief Society sisters and brother who prepared lunch for us

Sister Hammon and Sister and Elder McCracken

Sisters Loranger, Reagen, Hammon, Caldes, Fountaine, and many others enjoying lunch

Elders Mounts, Briggs, Casper, Thacker, Ostler, and others

Elders patiently waiting their turn.

Elder and Sister Keetch with Elder and Sister Thorne, Elder and Sister Power, and Sister Fuller

That afternoon, the American Sign Language (ASL) Elders Match, de Mare, Shurtleff, and Gallacher; Sisters Barschi and Winters with Elder Steed as the accompanist provided a musical number using sign to begin the afternoon session. It was wonderful. 

Elder Keetch then asked for questions from the missionaries. They had already sent to me 30+ questions. He added a few of them to the list. Then, he and I took turns answering them. What an experience that was!

              

Once we finished the question portion, we had a closing hymn and prayer. Elder Keetch began interviewing a few missionaries while we readied for Mission Leadership Council (MLC) and had pizza. During MLC, Joanne and I trained on gifts of the spirit. Elder Keetch discussed why we obey, some leadership principles, rescuing, extremes, weaknesses/challenges, and many, many other topics. 

Elder Keetch's theme was this: "Heavenly Father wants His children home.. You and I have the opportunity to do that. What an honor! We get to bring His children back home!"

Mission Leadership Council (MLC) with Elder and Sister Keetch

On Tuesday morning, we were back at it early after a delicious meal of baked French toast topped with apples and carmel sauce, juice, and fruit. We headed to Sun City to be with the Menifee, Lake Elsinore, Hemet, San Jacinto, and Corona zones. We repeated yesterday’s trainings, and the spirit was strong once again. The musical numbers were a musical number with Sister Van Quakebeke’s arrangement of “Meditations of Oh My Father,” with Elders Beal and Ly singing; Sister Bryant’s piano solo “Nearer My God to Thee”; and the Menifee Zone sing a hymn with Elder Esobar at the piano. 

Menifee, Lake Elsinore, Hemet, San Jacinto, Corona zones

Another delicious meal!

Elders Heward, Baum, Saxton; Sisters Fountaine and Price; Elders Laws, Perata, Hansen, and Morris.

After the meeting, Elder Keetch interviewed six more missionaries. Then, they and we sat down and had a wonderful conversation. They said such nice things about us, our training, and being mission president and spouse. It was nice to hear. I asked him what we need to do, and he said that it seemed like we had been out for 18 months. We just hope we can continue as strong.

             

November's Beginnings: Outgoing, Incoming, Training, Interviewing!

Another sunset from our backyard

Sister Hammon and I have had an incredible week or two. We have not been able to blog about every single detail, unfortunately, but we wanted to share a few highlights. As you can guess, the life of a mission president and his wonderful wife--in my case, Joanne--is filled with incredible opportunities to serve, observe, speak, train, travel around the mission, and just be with missionaries. We have been blessed this week with lots of events: baptisms, incoming and outgoing missionaries, district leader and sister training leader training, and other wonderfully-spiritual events.

Hermanas Roque and Alvey; Rosaana and Jesus

Elders Briggs, Simpson; Karolyn and her children; Elders Avei and Yang

Sister Davies, Suzanne, and Sister Harris

Also, what a special week this has been with transfer week conversations. So many things go into determining who goes where. We have to look at: thinking last transfer and the next several transfers at the number of missionaries going home; the number of missionaries arriving; and the potential leaders, including sister training leaders. Then, you throw in the number of visa waiters who might be coming, the number of potential new areas needing to open, the different housing situations, the number of trainers you will need, who can drive and who cannot, those who cannot ride bikes, mileage. We methodically look at every single companionship and area, the leaders needed, and any other special circumstances. The Assistants bring their thoughts and suggestions. We have three formal meetings for a total of 12 hours and that doesn’t count the various phone calls and texts before and after the meetings or any of the ponderings at home. Plus, we do a lot of praying to make sure we know exactly where the Lord wants you all placed. Once we finish, then there is the part where the Assistants input all this data into the computer. Then, they make the call list.

I love Saturday transfer mornings because I have the privilege of making transfer calls and discussing the missionaries’ new assignments. I had 45 calls to make on Saturday morning. Some of you were ecstatic; others say, “Really, Me?” Most of them just said, “President, I will do it.” The spirit that comes with the calling is almost overwhelming because of your willingness to do the Lord’s will. It is truly a miracle to me. Thank you, parents, for raising incredible missionaries, for just wanting to do the Lord’s work because you love Him and Our Father in Heaven.

With transfers come incoming and outgoing missionaries. And Monday meant missionaries going home. Around 1:30 p.m., the missionaries began arriving: Sister Diamond; Elders Pennington, Anderson, Olsen, Dunn, Langley, and Walker. I visited with each of them about their “My Plan” and then just a wonderful visit about their missions and future goals. These are incredible young men and young woman. They have made their families proud of them.

Elders Walker, Olsen, Langley; Sister Diamond; President and Sister Hammon; Elders Pennington, Dunn, and Anderson

Dinner traditional: street tacos and all the fixings and horchata, one of the traditional Mexican drinks. Once dinner was done, we then shared testimonies. It was wonderful to hear their testimonies and feel their spirits. They have grown so much over the past two years and 18 months. They came on the mission as great young people who had the desire to serve; they are leaving even greater young men and young woman with a desire to serve the Lord, no matter where they go or what they do.

Tuesday morning dawned way too early. The leaving began with breakfast of egg bake, French toast sticks, yogurt, fruit, and orange juice. After eating, we began loading the vans. Just as we loaded everything, Elder Walker’s mother and brother came to pick him up. What a heart-warming event, the same event the rest of them received later in the day.

Traffic was thick, but we arrived at the airport in pretty good time. We unloaded the vans, got them all check in, and then we watched them climb the escalator and beyond security. The lump continues to rise in our throats as we watch these missionaries—our missionaries—leave the California Riverside Mission. What a life they have to lead!

And away they go! Tears flowed freely!

Later that afternoon, we retraced our steps and headed back to the airport to pick up the incoming missionaries. We hadn’t been their three minutes when they began descending: Sisters Peterson and Sister Fortin; Elders Ballard, Egbert, Heilbut, Lance, Morris, Santos. Elder Treviño arrived on Monday evening and spent Tuesday with the Spanish elders. It was definitely a sight to see: eager missionaries ready to do the Lord’s work.

Elders Treviño (new) and Moloney

Elders Heilbut (new) and Watson

Elders Castro (new, came mid-transfer) and Eldridge

Elders Gibbons and Santos (New)

They all came to the Mission Home for dinner. After dinner, some went to the zone leaders’ apartments; the sisters went to the McCracken’s home; and five of the elders stayed at the mission home.

Sisters Fortin (new) and Marks

Elders Ostler (new) and Mounts

Elders Morris (new) and Simpson

Sisters Palmer and Peterson (new)

Wednesday dawned bright and early. The missionaries arose, readied themselves for the day, helped set the table, then ate breakfast, and off we went to the Mission Office where we spent the next four or so hours in trainings, interviews, lunch, assignments to new areas, and testimonies. 

Elders Herald and Whitesides (new)

Elders Egbert (new) and Cousineau

Elders Day and Ballard (new)

Elders Rollins and Lance (new)

Elders Lewis and Dunham (new)

What a whirlwind of a day. Before too long, they had loaded up all their things—and they had a lot of things—and headed out to their areas.

Christmas comes early to the incoming missionaries. Bikes, package, and the luggage they came with.

Close up of the piles. Elder Egbert with his pile

We had District Leader and Sister Training Leader Training on Friday. We trained them on being new leaders, emerging leaders, and seasoned leaders. We also discussed becoming disciples of Christ as it relates to our new theme “Mission Elevated.” 

All district and sister training leaders

The Assistants spent time of the purpose of district leaders and how they should plan, develop, and execute district meetings. Sister Hammon spent time with the sister training leaders, discussing their responsibilities. We have such incredible district leader and sister training leaders.

New sister training leaders and district leaders

We love interviews, and we started this transfer’s interviews this week as well, between incoming and outgoing and leadership training. There is something about one-on-one conversations with our missionaries. I learn so much from them.

One of the best parts of the week was being able to visit with our family: Anna Rose and her family and Hailey and her family. There is nothing better to hear those sweet little voices, telling us about school, counting to twenty in Spanish, giving his first oral report on trees, talking about coming in second in the “planking” contest in her class, and just hearing the goings and comings of these two busy little families. We love them!

Our time continues to fly by. We personally do not understand it, but it happens, and we will do the best we can.

We love our missionaries!

President and Sister Hammon