California Riverside Mission 2017-2020: Leadership, Tears, New Year, Visitors, and Revelation!

Happy New Year to Everyone!

What a start to 2018! Part of our New Year’s Day was visiting missionary apartments. In the California Riverside Mission, New Year’s Day is “deep cleaning” day, meaning missionaries receive a list from Elder and Sister Davis, our housing coordinators, on what they should be cleaning. Elder and Sister Davis had assigned us certain apartments in Jurupa, Riverside, and Moreno Valley to visit and told the missionaries that the Mission President and his wife would be doing surprise visits to some of the apartments. So, there was some trepidation throughout the mission as to whose apartment we would be visiting.

Cool Cactus in front of Mission Home

It was fun to knock on the door and hear from the inside as they began to scurry about: “It’s President and Sister Hammon.” Let’s just say all apartments and their cleanliness are not created equal. Some had been cleaned well; others needed serious attention to them; some missionaries had been working diligently; and others were still—emphasizing the “still”— working on it. We didn’t take any pictures of the apartments so as not to discriminate….or share any secrets. Parents, your missionaries know how to clean and were diligently trying to work on their apartments. Those parents of missionaries yet to come to our mission or any mission, please help them understand that “deep cleaning” does not mean just washing the dishes and putting them away.

We also had interviews this week with a couple of zones: Moreno Valley and Menifee. Next week, we have Hemet, San Jacinto, Corona, and Lake Elsinore zones. Interviews are some of the best moments spent with our missionaries. I love one-on-one interviews. I learn so much in 15 minutes. We share stories, miracles, testimonies, tears, and laughter. They are doing well and striving to do everything they can to be the best missionaries possible.

One of my good friends from Menan, Idaho, visited today with her husband, son, and daughter-in-law. Renae and I have been friends since we were six-years-old. When she turned six, I had just moved to Menan, and she invited me to her birthday party. She brought pictures to show us. There I was at the far-left end, not really paying attention with my birthday hat on. We tried to name everyone in the picture, but we couldn’t. Odd. We thought we knew everyone. We had such a nice visit at the Angel Thai restaurant on Brockton. We had a nice reminiscing chat and catching up. They had lots of questions about the mission and being a mission president. The surprise of the lunch was she did not know that I hadn’t been a resident of Menan since birth after all these years. I told her I had moved in when I was six. That blew her away. When I told her that, she just looked at me with this shocked look on her face. She said, “What? You moved to Menan?” It was good to see them.

President and Sister Hammon with Elder LoganWood

Also, Elder Logan Wood came back to visit this week! He is doing great, working on his grandfather's farm, completing courses online, and doing other incredible things with his family and friends.

Missionary Leadership Council (MLC

This week we had Missionary Leadership Council (MLC), comprised of zone leaders and sister training leaders. They are such an incredible group of missionaries.

Elders Steed and Cousineau

Elders Osberg and Beal (Spanish)

President Hansen spoke on administering vs. ministering and how they are on parallel tracks. He quoted President Monson: “Never let the problem to be solved be more important than the person to be loved.”

Elders Bailey and Rodriguez (Spanish)

Elders Hallows and Sanchez (Spanish)

Sister Hammon shared “Overcoming and Working Through Fear.” She shared Alma 17:10: “…The Lord did visit them with his Spirit and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted.”

Sisters Marks and DiPietro

Sisters Harris and Brereton

Hermanas Coffeen and Grover (Spanish)

Hermana Schooff (Spanish), Sisters Mackely and Ruggles

Elders Dew and Balls, the Assistants, discussed the hows of “Contacting and Navigating with the Book of Mormon,” How to teach the Sabbath Day,” and “Having Great Faith.” These topics and Sister Hammon’s will be those taught by the Zone and Sister Training Leaders during Multi-zones in a couple of weeks.

Elders Ly and Gregory

Elders Briggs and Heward

My topic was “Focusing on Christ Through a Change of Heart,” utilizing the story of the People of Ammon.

Elders Guymon and Jensen

Elders Willes and Nelson (Chinese)

Elders Phister and Maughan

Probably the biggest revelation to all of us was this: Every leader in MLC will be going home this year, most of them within the next six months. See. Big. Crocodile. Tears!