Multi-zone Conferences and a new missionary--all in the same week!

New Missionary

Please welcome Sister Taramon from Kiribati via Fiji. Sister Taramon has been in the New Zealand Missionary Training Center, waiting for her visa to come to our mission. Unfortunately, she did not receive it, so they sent her to Fiji for a week or so. We picked her up on Thursday night. She stayed at the Mission Home and then went to Friday’s multi-zone conference in Menifee. The sister training leaders took her to Lake Elsinore where she met her new companions, Sister Anderson and Sister Bowlden.

Sister Taramon and President and Sister Hammon

Sisters Bowlden, Anderson, and Taramon

Multi-zone conferences

We recently had multi-zone conferences with all ten of our zones. We divided our mission into four groups and held multi-zone conferences in 1) Murrieta with the Murrieta, Temecula, and Lake Elsinore zones; 2) Jurupa with the Corona, Jurupa, and Ontario zones; 3) Moreno Valley with the Moreno Valley and Riverside zones; and 4) Menifee with the Menifee and Hemet zones.

We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly! Topics included: Becoming Disciples of Christ, “Skill Training: Learning  and Teaching by the Spirit,” “Planning by the Spirit, “Finding by the Spirit,” “Working with leaders and members by the Spirit,” and “Light the World 2019.” 

President Norman and President Hansen taught us how “we gain spiritual self-reliance as we center our lives on Jesus Christ and understand it must be an eternal focus.” They taught they we must focus on “pure truth, the doctrine of Jesus Christ, rely on the Savior in all things, and keep ourselves centered on Jesus Christ.” 

The zone and sister training leaders did a fabulous job, and we hope all of the missionaries took copious notes and have begun reviewing them and implementing the various teaching, finding, learning techniques they learned. As part of the conferences, the missionaries received many invitations to "go and do and implement." Here are all of the invitations:

1. How are you gaining spiritual self-reliance as you center our lives on Jesus Christ and understand it must be an eternal focus?
2. Will you seek to become a disciple of Jesus Christ as you strive with all diligence, persistence, and resilience down the covenant path?
3. What will you change to become a disciple of Jesus Christ?
4. Will you plan, for 30 minutes each day, according to Preach My Gospel?
5. Will you study for at least one specific person in your personal and companionship study each day?
6. Will you ask your companion daily who they studied for in their personal studies?
7. Will you, like Alma,  “enter in by another way”  and try three new finding techniques in the next two weeks?
8. Zone Leaders: Will you put a poll into your Zone Chats with the different finding techniques (others not discussed here can be added) to see how your Zone is doing with our invitation?
9. Will you prayerfully create a plan to elevate your member missionary work by the Spirit?
10. Will the District Leaders follow up with their district members about their plans in the next District Council?
11. Will you invite everyone you meet, including the members, to join with us as we follow the example of Jesus Christ by ministering to others one by one—just like He did—through the Light the World Christmas Initiative?

Murrieta, Temecula, and Lake Elsinore zones

Murrieta Zone

Lake Elsinore Zone

Temecula Zone

Corona, Jurupa, and Ontario zones

Corona Zone

Jurupa Zone

Ontario Zone

 Moreno Valley and Riverside zones

Moreno Valley Zone

Riverside Zone

Menifee and Hemet zones

Hemet Zone

Menifee Zone

Relief Society and delicious lunches!

Murrieta Stake Relief Society

Jurupa Stake Relief Society

Moreno Valley Stake Relief Society

Hemet Stake Relief Society

Lasagna and homemade bread served by the Hemet Stake Relief Society

Golden Plunger Awards

In Menifee, the Sun City Sisters are the winners, Elder and Sister Powell, Sisters Kapeta and Freeman 

Riverside Zone winners, Sister Troxel, Sisters Goss, Thompson, Weston, Preator, Elder Troxel

Moreno Valley Zone winners, Elders Newey and Webb with Elder and Sister Hunt

Ontario Zone Winners, Hermana Rane and Butikofer with Elder and Sister Hunt

Jurupa Zone winners, Sister and Elder Hunt, Elders Talatinia, Harp, Schultz, and Thomas

Temecula Zone winners! Sisters Ellsworth and Jarman with Elder and Sister Powell 

Murrieta Zone winners, Sisters Jeppsen and Weston with Elder and Sister Powell

Lake Elsinore Zone winners! Elders Ottman and Bannink with Elder Mascio

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to you all!

What an incredible week of multi-zone conferences. At the end of each conference, we ask the missionaries what they have learned and have the outgoing missionaries share their testimonies. Perhaps, the most important and invigorating moments were when they stood and bore testimony, expressed your comments about what you learn, shared your personal spiritual experiences and revelation you received during your multi-zone conferences. 

Lunch in Murrieta, delicious!!

Elders Liddell and Lambert found the rolls.

We loved these moments with  the missionaries and being with them and seeing their smiling and happy faces.

Lunch in Jurupa!!

We love our missionaries. May the Lord continue to bless them always!

Sisters Reynolds, Clyde, Freeman, Kapeta, Taramon, Taylor, Hindman, Longshore and Salmon

Sisters Kartchner, Sands, Schmutz, Jackson, Durham, Johnson, Moore, and White

Elders Jacobs, Vaenuku, Wise, Crichfield, Messenger, Abraham, Howard, Wilcock

Also, during this Thanksgiving time, may we express to the missionaries' families the gratitude we have for you and what you have done for your missionaries. Your support and prayers for your missionaries is greatly appreciated. 

And thus we carry on in the work of salvation and the gathering of Israel! Hurrah!

President and Sister Hammon

Temple Trip to the Redlands Temple with Outgoing Missionaries: Truly a Blessing and a Privilege!

California Redlands Temple

Once every six weeks, we have the marvelous privilege of attending the Redlands Temple with our outgoing missionaries. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving was that day, and marvelous it was! It was truly a "thankful" day!

Front row- Hermanas Schmutz, Lindstrom, Sister Hammon, Hermanas Brown, Christensen, Weston;
Sisters Johnson, and Preator; and Hermanas Grant and Rane. Back row- Elders Evans, Royce,
 Liddell, Sato, President Hammon, Elders Jensen, Victorino, and Randall

It was a rainy day Wednesday, something we truly have not seen since maybe June of this year. How apropos it was to attend the Temple, the House of the Lord, He who is the Living Water on a rainy day that brought so much needed moisture to southern California and so much spiritual rejuvenation for all of us. 

Left to right- Hermanas Schmutz, Christensen, Lindstrom, Brown, Hammon, Weston, Grant;
Sister Preator, Hermana Rane and Sister Johnson

Truly the temple is a place where we feel peace, a place where we can quietly worship, a place where we can and shall receive personal revelation, a place where our vision is open and we see things as we have not seen them before, a place where we can feel safe and secure from the evil elements of the earth, a place where the spirit of the Lord whispers to us, a place where renewal of our spirit and soul culminates and we become one with our Father in Heaven.

Elders Sato, Liddell, Evans, President Hammon, Elders Victorino, Royce and Jensen

Wednesday was all that, a time and place where renewal of our spirit and soul culminates, and we become one with our Father in Heaven.

Beautiful Redlands Temple

We love these missionaries are who are going home. As they entered the Celestial Room, Sister Hammon and I greeted each one, a hug from Sister Hammon for the sisters and a hug for elders from me. The power of those moments in the Celestial Room was almost overwhelming. 

It was a rainy day, but our spirits were high.

Hermanas Grant, Weston, Sisters Preator and Hammon

These missionaries have honorably served for 18 months or 24 months. They are finishing their missions, more spiritually prepared than they ever would have been without serving a mission. We know they will do well. They may not be able to wear their missionary name tags anymore, but they will always be able to wear their "discipleship" names tags, now and forever! 

May the Lord bless them as they go home and continue their missions as disciples of Christ.

We love them very much! 

President and Sister Hammon

Sister and President Hammon. It was a bit windy at the time of this photo, but the sun was still shining.

New Missionaries Arrive in the California Riverside Mission to await to go their missions in Hong Kong!!

Often some missions receive missionaries whose visas do not arrive on time or because there are some challenges in their originally assigned mission. Consequently, we receive them in the California Riverside Mission while they wait.

At the Ontario Airport! 

Recently, we were blessed to receive four missionaries who had been assigned to Hong Kong. We were excited to see them at airport. Fortunately, we were able to share a delicious meal with them at the Mission Home that evening, and the next morning they received some training before they met their new trainers. They each were assigned fantastic trainers to help them have a great beginning to the mission.

Dinner at the Mission Home

Sister Tanner and Sister Blair

Sister Tanner and Sister Blair (waiting to go to Hong Kong)

Elder Stewart and Elder Van Wagenen

Elder Van Wagenen (waiting to go to Hong Kong) and Elder Stewart

Elder Bytendorp and Elder Barnes with Elder Williams

Elder Bydendorp, Elder Williams (Hong Kong) Elder Barnes

Elder Ottman and Elder Bannink

Elder Ottman  and Elder Bannink (Hong Kong)

One of our goals is to train these missionaries so well that their mission president in their mission where they are going will say, "Wow! These missionaries were trained so well we are going to have all of our missionaries "red shirt" in the California Riverside Mission before they come to our mission!"

We love having these missionaries serve with us! They are incredible young men and young women and fit nicely into our mission. In fact, we consider them a part of our mission, no matter how long they stay.

Mission Leadership Council: Where Leaders Emerge and Flourish!

At the beginning of each month, we meet with the Mission Leadership Council, our mission leaders: zone and sister training leaders, some of the finest missionaries and leaders in the entire world! We wish you could all join us to feel of their spirit and their power. 

November 6, 2019 Mission Leadership Council

Our Vision is to "Be Disciples and Bearers of Light unto the World"

Our Missionary Purpose is to “Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.”

Sister Training Leaders: Front row left to right:
 Sisters Foster, Corder, Killian, Johnson, Durham, White, Weston-
 back row Sisters Briggs, Hammon Moore, Thompson 

Pizza, Salad, and Texas Sheet Cake and Ice Cream on the menu. Always a favorite at MLC.

We asked four questions: 1) What is a disciple of Jesus Christ? 2) How do we become disciples of Jesus Christ? 3) What are we doing to become and be a disciple of Christ? and 4) Am I living the gospel of Jesus Christ as His disciple?

Left to right around the table: Elders Evans, Hull, Barnes, Sister and President Hammon, 
Elders Abraham, Bytendorp and Mackay

Elder Uchtdorf teaches us: “The gospel is the way of discipleship…. As we walk in that way, we can experience confidence and joy—even during times of peril, sorrow, and uncertainty….When we hear the transcendent truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, hope and faith begin to blossom inside of us. The more we fill our hearts and minds with the message of the risen Christ, the greater our desire is to follow Him and live His teachings. This, in turn, causes our faith to grow and allows the light of Christ to illuminate our hearts. As it does, we recognize the imperfections in our lives, and we desire to be cleansed of the depressing burdens of sin. We yearn for freedom from guilt, and this inspires us to repent” (Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Ensign, May 2009, pp. 75, 76, 77).

Often exaltation can be seen through a small lense, one that is hard to keep in focus as the myriad of challenges cloud the small aperture. Yet, once you see beyond the minuteness of the world and its plethora of distractions, climbing over them and then squeezing through the keyhole of what we sometimes see as our myopic life, you discover the larger and much more important view: eternity and your own exaltation!

Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world!

“Behold, [we are disciples] of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. [We] have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life” (3 Nephi 5:13).

Our two Assistants: Elder McLaughlin and Elder Abraham

Elders McLaughlin and Abraham taught this principle from Chapter 8 in Preach My Gospel: “Do all you can to leave your area [area of exchange] stronger than you found it. Meaningful goals and careful planning will help you accomplish what the Lord requires of you.” 

Sister Hammon spoke about the importance of temple and family history and will talk about it in multi-zone conferences. Stay tuned!

The Idaho Falls Temple (photo courtesy of Dennis D. Hammon, my photographer brother)

We had such a great time with these great leaders. It is no wonder we are continually blessed by serving here in the California Riverside Mission with these wonderful young people, truly servants and disciples of Christ.

Sunset on the Columbia River

Elder Neil L. Andersen comes to visit the California Riverside Mission!

California Riverside Mission

We had the wonderful blessing of having an All-Mission Conference with Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; his wife Sister Kathy Andersen; Elder Jörg Klebingat of the Seventy; and Elder Kevin K. Miskin, Area Authority Seventy; and his wife Sister Robin Miskin.

What was amazing is that we had missionaries from the California Riverside Mission, including senior couples; service missionaries from the California Riverside Service Mission; and service missionaries from the California San Bernardino Service Mission for a total of 226 missionaries. It was a packed chapel at the Riverside Stake Center.

Honestly, it was just an impressive, spiritual event. What started out as a few missionaries who were going to sing “There is Peace in Christ,” turned out to be a whole choir that was absolutely stunning and phenomenal and highly spiritual simultaneously. Elder Andersen leaned over and said to me, “You have some talented missionaries.” I replied, “Yes, we do!” Thank you so much! I do wish we could have recorded it.

 

Elder Klebingat, President and Sister Hammon, Elder and Sister Andersen

While were enlightened by those who were there and received incredible counsel, here are just a few of the things we learned from them:

 

Elder Klebingat

Elder Jörg Klebingat

• “The Book of Mormon has spiritual firepower.”
• While there is peace in Christ, there are conditions.”
• “Your highlight of the day should be your personal studies, so my invitation is to have you anty up [enhance] your personal studies.”
• “We should be privileged to pay the price to close the gap between us and the Father and Jesus Christ.”
• “You will know you are acceptable to God.”
• “Talk about that which makes us unique.”
• “Assuming you have a personality, use it to connect with people. Use your skills, your personality, your whole package.”

 Sister Kathy Andersen, Elder Andersen’s Wife

• “It is impressive that you are taking notes. When you are writing down things you hear and feel, the Lord can bless you.”
• “When the prophets speak, We must immediately act upon these things. If not, we deny the blessings that might come to us.”
• She asked the question: “What is it worth to you to have the words of the prophets, seers and revelators.”

Elder Miskin

Elder Kevin K. Miskin

• “Accept people where they are and work from there.”
• “Repentance is returning to Christ.”
• “The straight and narrow path is called repentance.”
• “The Lord is guiding this Church.” 

Elder Andersen

Elder Neil L. Andersen, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

• “You want to put powerfully into your bones that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.”
• “Pick five scriptures in the Standard Works that you really believe and memorize them.”
•  “Life is not only determined by your mission. It’s so much more.”
• “Don’t judge yourself against anyone else.”
• “We each have a role, and we each should do our best—the very best we can.”
• “Try to always speak of Christ and teach faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
• Always speak of Christ. When we find people who believe in Christ, rejoice with them.”
• “We need to follow Christ, to be His disciples."
• “The day will come when He comes again. He will need a righteous people on every continent, speaking every language.”
• “This knowledge of the Savior we are developing throughout our life has to continue to enlarge and grow.”
• “I am sure and certain that Jesus Christ lives. I give you my solemn, honest, without reason to exaggerate, that He is divine. I am His witness.”

Oh, what a glorious week we had, seeing outgoing missionaries leave, incoming missionaries arrive, experiencing having an Apostle of the Lord, Elder Neil L. Andersen, and his wife Kathy speak to us; listening to Elder Jörg Klebingat and Elder Kevin K. Miskin; and enjoying an incredible musical number from many of our missionaries who sang like angels!

Truly this week has been one of enlightenment and personal spiritual experiences! We know our missionaries experienced a similar spiritually uplifting week, and their journals are full of spiritual experiences and answers to their questions they brought to the conference.