Changes, Changes, Always Changes: New Missionaries and District Leader Training

New Missionaries

Welcome to the California Riverside Mission!

Not only did missionaries go home this past week, but we also had missionaries arrive from both the Mexico and Provo missionary training centers (MTC). They came, vigorous and ready to do the Lord’s work. We are excited to have them come.

Hermana Thompson 

Hermana Thompson (new) and Hermana Schmutz (trainer)

Hermana Ledford

Hermana Ledford (new) and Hermana Rane (trainer)

Sister Ellsworth

Sister Fortin (trainer) and Sister Ellsworth (new)

Sister Griffith

Sister Foster (trainer) and Sister Griffith (new)

Sister Killian

Sister Killian (new) and Sister Preator (trainer)

Sister Sands

Sister Peterson (trainer) and Sister Sands (new)

Elder Abraham

Elder McInnes (trainer) and Elder Abraham (new)

Elder Chapman

Elder Carlisle (trainer) and Elder Chapman (new)

Elder McIntire

Elder Porrazzo (trainer) and Elder McIntire (new)

Elder Tellez

Elder (trainer) and Elder Tellez (new)

Elder Wilcock

Elder Jackson (trainer) and Elder Wilcock (new)

Elder Yeh

Elder Bailey (trainer), Elder Yeh (new), and Elder Stewart (companion and part of the trio)

Plus, we received Elder Larsen back!

Elder Lawlor (trainer) and Elder Larsen (newish)

After gathering up their luggage at the airport, we trundled back to the Mission Home where we had a delicious meal and had a get-to-know-you-activity. Then, the elders went off to where they were going to stay, and the sisters stayed at the Mission Home. 

Singing and reciting during lunch

The next day, we all met at the Mission Office and did some training with them, finished the interviews with the elders, had lunch, extended the assignments for the trainers, and had a wonderful testimony meeting. The new missionaries are impressive. They are ready to work hard, and I suspect they have miracle stories to tell in their letters this week. 

Sister Sands adding her picture to the transfer board

Elders McIntire, Wilcock, and Yeh adding their picture to the transfer board with Sister Griffith looking on

Elder Elder Chapman and Sister Griffith adding their picture to the transfer board

Sister Ledford adding her picture to the transfer board with Sister Sands watching

Here are snippets from their testimonies:

S. Ellsworth—“I want to be here. I want to teach.”

E. McIntire—“I know the blessings of genuinely following Jesus Christ. It gave me a new outlook.”

E. Wilcock—“I testify that the Church is true. We are all children of Heavenly Father.”

E. Chapman—“I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon. Heavenly Father has blessed me and kept me calm—kept the out the nervous jitters.”

S. Sands—“Everything we teach is true. There are people who don’t have this knowledge. I am ready to get to work.”

E. Yeh—“I testify that Heavenly Father loves all of His children.”

S. Griffith—“Heavenly Father blesses us with families because He loves us.”

S. Killian—“Psalms 23: The Lord is my Shepherd. I know that Jesus Christ is my Shepherd. I am going to give it my all.”

Hna. Thompson—“I testify with everything that I have that the Church is true. The Book of Mormon changes lives through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”

Hna. Ledford—“I wouldn’t be here today without the Book of Mormon. A book (the Bible) changed Joseph Smith’s life.

E. Larsen—“I know that God lives. I know the Lord humbles those who think they are great and guides them to Him who is Great.”

E. Abraham—“How real and true is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I want to put my shoulder to the wheel.”

E. Tellez—“I want to make a name from the name I now have on my chest. We have an example to follow—Jesus Christ.”

Sisters Sands and Griffith

 

Sister Killian adding her picture to the transfer board

Sister Ellsworth adding her picture to the transfer board

Hermana Thompson adding her picture to the transfer board

Elder Abraham adding his picture to the transfer board

District Leader Training

We also had a great District Leader Training this past week after transfers. We have 11 incredible new district leaders.

 

New and returning district leaders

My topic focused on “The Doctrine of Establishing the Lord’s Culture”: Culture of  Obedience, Culture of Leadership, Culture of Teaching by the Spirit, Culture of Hard Work, Culture of Diligence, Culture of Love and Kindness, and a Culture of Doing Good.

 

Singing

Then, the Assistants presented on “District Leader Responsibilities.” Then, for the next 80 minutes, we simulated a District Council Meeting. I thought it went well. Sister Miskin spoke on the “Fundamentals of Baptismal Whites.”  Sister Hammon spoke on “Emergency Preparedness.” Stay tuned!

District leaders thanking Elder and Sister Shirley and Elder and Sister Miskin

 After a delicious lunch, the rest of the afternoon was mostly “a plethora of things, both Ministrative and administrative.” Topics included: “Journal signing activities, Mission Training Plan, importance of district leader assignments, working with sisters, transference of information, baptismal white review, baptismal interviews, organization of baptisms, new member lessons, conference inspiration, and questions and answers. We spent a bit of time on these topics.

My closing remarks included this scripture: “And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you” (Mosiah 2:22).

We definitely experienced a very busy week with outgoing missionaries (see previous blog), outgoing missionaries, and district leader training. It is exciting to see new emerging leaders in the mission.

Going, Going, Gone! Outgoing missionaries go home! Tear flow!

Front, l-r: Elder Hite, Sisters Caldes, Van Quakebeke, Fountaine, Winters, and Begay
Back, L-R: Sisters Gray, Davies, Moffit, Gray, Whitaker, Loranger, Sorensen, and Elder Williams

Every six weeks, tears begin to flow once again. It's time for outgoing missionaries to go home. I interview them at the beginning of their last six weeks to talked about their "My Plan." And then the last week, I do the second interview--the last one-- to review with them their finished "My Plan." Yes, we share tears and laughter and joyous and miraculous moments. They give me a copy of their "miracle story." I don't read them at that moment, mainly because of the tears that would come if I did. 

Around 2:00 p.m., the missionaries began to arrive. I had interviews with the last five who are going home. Again, another teary time for them and for me. They are exceptional young people.

Soon they had all arrived, so, we took a few pictures outside. Thankfully, it had quit raining for a bit for them to arrive and not be soaked while they unloaded all of their stuff. We had dinner at 5:00 p.m. Street tacos and all of the trimmings. They didn’t eat as much as missionaries have in the past, but that’s okay. Afterwards, we had an incredible testimony meeting. Sister Shirley said it was on the most spiritual testimony meetings she had ever been to.

After testimonies we had Tres Leches cake, the best in California, we had a wonderful companion study time and talked about light. Then, the elders went to where they were going to stay the night, and the sisters readied for bed at the mission home.

 

Elder Hite with Elder and Sister Miskin--Tres Leches cake. Yum!

Tuesday morning dawned early, and we all rose, readied ourselves for a glorious day of saying goodbye midst tears of both sadness and joy. Joanne had baked an egg bake with lots of sausage and cheese. She had also created blueberry muffins with both blueberries and craisins. They were a hit—at least to me. I Love craisins.

A few from the second floor of the Mission Home

Soon we were off and to the airport. We all went in to Terminal 4 where we dropped off everyone who were going east as their final destination. After handshakes and hugs from Sister Hammon, off they went. Up, up and away and through security. Sadness overwhelmed us. When the last one eked through, we then rushed over to Terminal 2 and did a repeat. 

Sister Gray said, "I am staying right here in your garage." She didn't want to go home.

Getting ready to board the van: Sisters Moffit, Loranger, Gray, and Begay.
Elders Wilson and Rich, the Office elders in the background.

This one was hard, too. Lots of goodbye, tears, hugs, handshakes, And then they were off, just like they came. Sister Hammon and I remembered that this group was in our first group of missionaries, and now they are gone.  

And off they go

We drove home almost in silence. Every single six weeks, this happens to us. They become an integral part of our lives, yes, even becoming part of our family. We do hope they do well. We do have faith and confidence in them. We hope they continue to have confidence in themselves. Each of them has grown and developed immensely. It was truly a miracle to watch them overcome challenges in their lives and their missions. But they did it. They overcame and continue forward, ever forward.

Tenuously, Sister Gray waves goodbye!

The last picture at Terminal 4

A selfie of those going from Terminal 2

Sister Grillone on her way!

Elder Simpson to Utah!

Elder Quinton on his way to Canada (-30 degrees! Brrrrrr!

We also had two visa waiters go to Portugal, their original mission. We will miss them, too, because they quickly became part of the California Riverside Mission. We wish them well.

Sister George with President and Sister Hammon

Elder Voellger with President and Sister Hammon

And so it goes....missionaries always coming and going, but what an impact they have on the mission and on us.

Learning and Growing Together in Multi-Zone Conferences!

Multi-zone Conferences

Recently, we had multi-zone conferences. We have divided the mission into three parts, and the missionaries gathered together in three different groups on three different days. While the messages that Sister Hammon and I shared were the same, the zone and sister training leaders from their respective zones trained on similar topics but presented according to their inspiration on those topics.

Corona Zone

Jurupa Zone

Riverside Zone

Overall, Sister Hammon and I thoroughly enjoyed multi-zone conferences with the missionaries! The musical numbers were sensation. Sister Hammon had asked each zone to sing “Consider the Lilies” as one of the special musical numbers. Wow! Impressive and incredible! 

Moreno Valley Zone

Here are some of the topics we discussed:

New Beginnings—I spoke about three major changes in our mission: 1) the new 2019 Mission Plan, 2) Missionary Community Service Test, and 3) mission boundary changes (more below). We now have four new mission priorities: To become disciples and bearers of light unto the world, we will:  

1.      Fulfill our missionary purpose

2.      Be exactly obedient

3.      Become spiritually self-reliant

4.      Encourage members to be active participants in missionary work

Each missionary received a copy of the Mission Plan 2019. All district, zone, and mission goals will adhere to these four mission priorities. Many of your personal goals will also.

Hemet Zone

Menifee Zone

 Disciples of Christ and Being a True Light— President Norman and President Hansen addressed this topic. President Norman said “We all carry light. If our light is dull, what image are we showing?” He also taught: “Disciples serve and love others, no matter what. President Hansen approached it from outward thinking vs. inward thinking. In order to be a light unto the world, he taught that we need to 1) liken the scriptures unto ourselves, 2) strive to look at our outward thoughts and 3) consider what our inward thoughts really are. He spent a great deal of time in Mosiah 27 and Alma, discussing the importance of repenting of our sins, seeing joy in the work, laboring much in spirit, blessing people with our light and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and doing things a prophet 
does—by and by.

Lake Elsinore Zone

Faith to Reap—Sister Hammon discussed the important of “faith to reap.” She taught that we must have “faith enough to know to put our trust in/on Him to know and do. We need to rely on Christ and turn to Him to help us solve our problems and challenges eventually comfort us.” She also taught that “the Lord refines you, tries you, helps you grow and develop, helps you find out who you really are.”

Relief Society Sisters in the Menifee Stake who prepared a delicious meal!

Relief Society Sisters in the Riverside Stake who prepared a delicious meal!

Obedience—Elders Loveridge and Moloney spent a great deal of time of teaching us the importance of obedience. They asked questions about being obedient and what we must do. Sister Tanner answered with this: “We cannot expect to become like our Heavenly Father or Jesus Christ if we don’t live a life like they did. They live disciplined lives.” They also taught, “The biggest reason we are obedient is because we love the Lord. We are just happier when we are obedient.” Plus, when we are exactly obedient, we are constantly repenting.

Corona Relief Society and Priesthood who prepared a delicious meal!

Diligence—We learned much from Hermanas Chase and Peters, Whitaker and Kaiser, and Sorensen and Maxfield about diligence. We will be successful if we couple persistence with diligence, obedience, and patience. Sisters Maxfield and Sorensen taught that “All of our heroes and those we look up to are diligent and energetic.” Their counsel was: “Don’t wait to do what you are Asked to do! Just do it! Be anticipatory!”

L-R: Sisters Anderson, Sorensen, Longshore, Esplin, Ruben; Elder Schaeffer; Sister

Communicating to Unify—Sisters Moffit, Loranger, and Gray discussed communicating with our Heavenly Father and having Christlike communications. They taught that we must all help to develop “a culture of unity, obedience, compassion, caring, vigilance, and accountability, and the ability to work in unity.” Sister Loranger said, “We look to this mission as our unified family.” Elder Tippetts chimed in: “When you let your light shine, you liberate yourself and others.”

Golden Plunger Wards: Elder and Sister Dickinson; Hermanas Grant and Hernandez

Golden Plunger Awards: Elder and Sister Troxel; Elders Escobar and Wise

Fulfilling our Missionary Purpose—Elders Santos and Castro, Moon and Davis, and Carlisle and Lance discussed the blessings of dedicating and setting apart the hours of 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. as prime-finding and teaching time.

Birthdays: Sisters Stettler, Van Quakebeke, and Gray; Elders Escobar and Wilson

Golden Plunger Ward: Elder Troxel (Sister Troxel in the back); Elders Hite and Wilson

Fulfilling our Missionary Purpose—Elders Parata and Royce, Su’a and Heilbut, and Beddes and Tippetts enlightened us on how we can fulfill our missionary purpose. One of the invitations for us was this: “Will YOU more fully ‘come unto Christ’ so YOU can more powerfully invite others to do the same?” Additionally, Elders Tippetts and Beddes asked us this question: “Why is it important to have a spiritual testimony of your missionary purpose? How can we best gain a spiritual testimony of our missionary purpose?” I will use these as our questions to contemplate.

L-R: Elders Akana, Webb, Nelson, Greathouse, Ngatuvai, Komers, and Treviño

L-R: Sister Peterson; Elders Campbell, Lowry, Casper, Barnes, McConahay, Egbert, and Hunt

L-R: Sisters Winters, Bascom, Neerings, Preator, and Fountaine; Elders Carlisle, Moloney, and Loveridge

Mission Boundary Changes

There will be mission boundary changes on July 1, 2019. We will be gaining three new stakes. From the Rancho Cucamonga Mission, we will receive the Chino Stake that currently has 20 missionaries: two sisters and 18 elders; four Spanish (two sisters; two elders). From the Carlsbad Mission, two stakes—Murrieta and Temecula—will be coming to our mission. These two stakes currently have 40 missionaries: 12 sisters and 28 elders (two Chinese elders and four Spanish—two sisters and two elders). The changes will occur on July 1, 2019 although the June 18, 2019 transfer in both the Rancho Cucamonga and Carlsbad missions will place the missionaries in those stakes who will eventually become a part of our mission on July 1, 2019.

L-R: Sisters Foster, Hackley, Durham, Begay, Brown, Cardiel, and White

L-R: Sisters Gaughan, Whitaker, Kaiser, Andersen, George and Davies

Mission Leadership Council (MLC)

The same week we were able to meet with the zone and sister training leaders in the MLC. We were wonderfully taught by President Hansen, 2nd Counselor in the Mission Presidency, about repentance. His main message was that “We need to get the people we are teaching into the scriptures. Help people recognize the change they need to change. Don’t skim over the principle of repentance. We do know we need to repent.”

 

The Mission Leadership Council (MLC) on February 1, 2019. Transfers are February 11, 2019

Sister Hammon discussed unity and being an “extraordinary force for good.” She asked the question: “What are you doing in your zones and districts to build unity?” Sometimes, in order to be unified, we must change ourselves.

Elders Loveridge and Moloney, Assistants,  taught us about “Be Thou an Example.” They discussed five important traits of a leader: 1) A leader recognizes and relies upon the Holy Ghost. 2) A leader utilizes the strengths/spiritual gifts of those they serve to bless them. 3) A leader speaks by the power of the Holy Ghost to inspire and lift those they serve. 4) A leader radiates light. And 5) A leader is a spiritual rock (like the Savior, Peter...)

My comments hinged on this topic: “Leadership Principles: Fear of Being Exceptional vs. Being Aspiring—Alma to Shiblon.” Please read Alma 38, all 15 verses, paying particularly attention to the qualities/Christlike characteristics that Shiblon’s father talked to him about. I also visited with the MLC about the “Doctrine of Working with Leaders and Members.” 

We had a panel of the outgoing sister training leaders—Sisters Moffit, Loranger, Gray, Sorensen, and Whitaker. Their insights about missionary work were wonderful they each answered this question: “What carried you through the mission?” Their answers: “My love for the gospel of Jesus Christ (H. Sorensen). My love for Jesus Christ and my willingness to put Christ first” (S. Loranger). “It’s the happiest I have ever been. It’s been the little victories. I wanted to see people grow” (S. Gray). “My relationship with God. I have never been happier” (Sister Moffit). “The nitty-gritty of seeking with faith. It rejuvenates me! Just doing things that brought me joy” (H. Whitaker).

We also made some incredible goals and heard about numerous miracles.

We love being with the missionaries!

Sister Hammon sharing her lasagna with Elder Voellger!