Mission tour with Elder Brent H. Nielson and his wife Marcia!

After the outgoing and incoming missionaries, the California Riverside Mission received an incredible treat: Elder Brent H. Nielson of the Seventy and his wonderful wife Sister Marcia Nielson came to tour our mission. For two full days, we had the honor and privilege to host them and listen to their counsel to our missionaries.

President and Sister Hammon and Elder and Sister Nielson

They arrived on Wednesday night and spent the night at the Mission Home. We had a delightful, quiet dinner comprised of soup, and salad—all thanks to Sister Hammon. I retrieved the ice cream from the freezer, scooped it into little dishes, along with a slice of cake and placed the bowls on the table. We had a great get-to-know-you conversation at the dinner table and then in the family room. They are a delightful couple from Twin Falls, Idaho, who love the Lord and have been serving him their entire lives, the last ten years as a General Authority Seventy. They have served in New Zealand and the Philippines. Currently, he serves as the Executive Director of the Missionary Department.

Each morning for 45 minutes, we divided into two groups. Sister Nielson and Sister Hammon went with sisters and had a rousing conversation. From Sister Hammon and one of the sisters came these bullet points:

• Understand what it is that you are a part of.
• We need you sisters.
• Open your eyes to see what a good Priesthood man is.”
• Qualify for, receive, act upon personal revelation.
• You are a creator in the name of and in league with Heavenly Father. See things like Heaven sees them.
• Do the best we can. Let the Lord fill in the rest.
• Heavenly Father is proud of you.
• You go home and it's like two chairs and a table. The only thing to do is listen to the Spirit."
• There is Holiness in everyday Life.
• Do your best. That's it. Put a period at the end of it.
• I hope you know what it is you're a part of.
• You have been in a few different wards over the course of your mission. You know the couples who hold the church together - the bookends of the ward. Now listen closely when I tell you this: DON'T MARRY A PROJECT. Marry someone who's testimony matches your own. Marry the way Heavenly Father wants you to marry and be that couple that you saw on the mission field that holds the ward together."
• Blessings come in the form of companions. Embrace who they are, stop criticizing them, and learn all you can from them.
• God, Jesus Christ, + the Holy Ghost are one in purpose, but they are not the same people. (you can get along with your companion and work toward the same cause, even if you aren't the same)
• One day after another: choose Him.

Elder Nielson and I were with the zone and sister training leaders. We discussed what the mission is doing well and what are some of the challenges. We are a mission that sets goals, loves the people we teach, loves the Book of Mormon, performs service, believes in unity, focus on helping others, seriously seek to be exactly obedient, willing to change and accept counsel, and experience joy and happiness. We still need to work on obedience, consistency, focusing on Christ, gaining a greater sense of urgency, and a few more. We all promised we would work on these.

After the leadership and the sister meetings, Elder and Sister Nielson greeted each missionary, asking their names and where they were from. It was wonderful to see how attentive both Elder and Sister Nielson were to each and every missionary. Sister Hammon and I were also able to greet them. 

Here are some things we learned from both Elder and Sister Nielson that we need to contemplate as a mission and then determine how we incorporate these into our mission culture:

• Go to Heaven together and receive revelation.
• Do we act or are we acted upon? Invitations cause people to act.
• Our goal for you is to become agents unto yourselves.
• Listen to what the spirit teaches you.
• We need to be seeking creative ways to do things as missionaries to bring out our missionary purpose.
• Good….better….best….Saints!
• We need to set goals that push and stretch us.
• We should focus on helping and lifting people.
• It’s important how we treat people.
• Your missionary companion has something to offer. We need to look at the whole package because they come to us as a package.
• The Lord needs all of your skills.
• Are you going to freak out every time a trial comes? Remember, that is why we are here.
• Pray for the strength to overcome the trials. When the trials come, the Lord strengthens us to become equal to the task.
• Everyone has to change. It’s why we came because it is a process of becoming.
• Teach the doctrine of Christ.
• The Lord may let you see the fruits of your labors, and sometimes you have to wait for 40 years.
• Which direction do you face?
• We invite people to be baptize when the spirit directs.
• We are covenant people, and we take our covenants seriously.
• Today we actually did amazing things.
• Everyone. All inclusive. Everyone has to change. (See Mosiah 27:25)
• YOU ARE INVITERS. Every day you ask, "Will you?
• God doesn't force revelation on anyone. They have to open the Book of Mormon, they have to walk into church, they have to pray, they have to act.
• We might not have baptized this month, but the other people on our team baptized 20,000."
• Always look to the Prophet and the Quorum of the 12 Apostles and what they are saying.
• Be devoted, dedicated, and converted when you come home. Don't ever quit. Don't say, 'I'm too busy to do that.' ... Know Christ because you're like Him." (Sister Nielson)
• Love the Lord, know your calling, and desire to be obedient. (Elder Nielson)
• We are disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's who we are. That is our true character.
• Write in your journals today: "We felt the Spirit at Zone Conference today. It was real. I know. I felt it. I was there."

And many, many more.

And, of course, we had lots to eat. Many thanks to the Relief Sisters from the Menifee and Riverside stakes.

On Thursday we trundled to the south half of the mission in Menifee with the Hemet, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, and Moreno Valley zones. 

Menifee with the Hemet, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, and Moreno Valley Zones

Elders Ngatuvai, Chapman, Barnes, Evans, Jackson, Rollins, Beddes, and Mackay

Sisters Durham, Begay, and Adams; Elder and Sister Nielson; Sisters Loranger and Gray 

L-R: Sisters Bascom, Rossignoli, Moffit, Tanner, Rhoton, White, and Butler.

Sisters VanQuakebeke, Parker, Caldes, and Esplin; Elders McLaughlin, Gregson, and Stark

Elders Komers, Dundon, Nelson, Davis, Loveridge, Dalmas, and Steiner

Sister Troncoso, Rane, Ruben, and Stettler; Elders Treviño, Castro, and Rowe.

Sisters Kaiser, Hammon; Elders Simpson and Patching; Sisters Peters, Weston, Gray, and Maxfield

Elders Davis, Elder and Sister Powell; Elders Larsen and Jacobs 

Elders Mohlman, Tippetts, Rich, McInnes, Campbell, McConahay, Svenson, Furgeson, and Rodriguez.

Elders Wilson, and Hunt; Sisters Lobb and Price; Elders Porrazzo, Akana, and Victorino.

Sister Preator; Elders Hanson, Edwards, and Schaeffer; Sisters Fountaine, Peterson, Fortin, and Winters

Friday morning, we drove to the Mission Office and greeted the Riverside, Corona, Mt. Rubidoux, and Jurupa zones.   

Riverside, Corona, Mt. Rubidoux, and Jurupa zones

Elders Gallacher, Larsen, Pells, Ogan, Nielson, (photo bomb, Saxton), Newey, and Sato.

Sisters Hammon, Sorensen, Grant, Grillone, and Corder.

Elders Egbert, Emery, and Jackson; Elder and Sister Nielson; Elders Lai, Maxwell, and Johnson, 

Elders Escobar, and Moon; Sisters Bryant and Neerings; Elders Moloney, Davis, Loveridge, and Staley.

Elder and Sister Powell, Elder and Sister McCracken; Sisters Bartschi and Davies.

Elders Larsen, Lawlor, Broadhead, Huckstep, Quinton, Parata, Santos, and Sanchez.

We have a mission tour once per year. Last year, Elder and Sister Keetch came. This year, we had two delightful and highly-revelatory sessions with Elder and Sister Nielson. Our missionaries were attentive and took good notes. We are hoping they shared many of their feelings and comments with their family and friends.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Elder and Sister Nielson. We know he was called of God, and we know he came to our mission for a specific purpose. Our missionaries enjoyed having them come.

We love being with our missionaries, and we loved being with them and watching them listen and respond to Elder and Sister Nielson. The spirit filled the two days we were with them. 

President and Sister Hammon

The new missionaries have arrived plus District Leader Training!

Incoming missionaries

With outgoing missionaries leaving in the morning, new missionaries arrive later in the afternoon on the same day. Fifteen new missionaries arrived recently: Sisters Corder, Durham, and Rhoton; Elders Barnes, Campbell, Clifford, Edwards, Emry, Jackson, Jacobs, Larsen, Newey,  Ogan, Schaeffer, and Patching.

What a wonderful group of missionaries! We gathered their luggage and headed for the Mission Home where Sister Hammon had a delicious meal of Chile verde and all the trimmings plus tres leches cake waiting for us.

The next day I finished interviewing each of them, and they attended an orientation that taught them about bicycles, cars, health, finances, housing, technology, doing missionary work, mission rules, and expectations. Then, we ate a delicious and nutritional lunch, made companionship assignments, participated in a delightful testimony meeting, took pictures with them and us and them and their new companions--and off they went with all their luggage, boxes their parents sent them prior to arriving, and their shiny new bicycles. Now, they are scattered throughout the mission.

Sister Corder

Sisters Grillone and Corder (new)

Sister Durham

Sisters Durham (new) and Gray

Sister Rhoton

Sisters Rhoton (new) and Sisters Moffit

Elder Barnes

Elders Barnes (new) and Evans

Elder Campbell

Elders Campbell (new) and Wilson

Elder Clifford

Elders Clifford (new) and Casper

Elder Edwards

Elders Hansen and Edwards (new)

Elder Emry

Elders Egbert and Emry (new)

Elder Jackson

Elders Jackson (new) and Rollins

Elder Jacobs

Elders Jacobs (new) and Larsen

Elder Larsen

Elders Gallacher and Elder Larsen (new)

Elder Newey

Elders Newey (new) and Roper

Elder Ogan

Elders Ogan (new) and Nielsen

Elder Patching

Elders Patching and Simpson

Elder Schaeffer

Elders Schaeffer (new) and Hunt

We love these new missionaries already!

In the midst of all this, we also had District Leader Training. Ten district leaders are new to this assignment. We had an illustrative and revelatory training with them. Our training topics included: “Becoming Leaders: Persistence, Consistency, and Diligence by Following Ten Straight Forward Principles of Leadership and Living,” "Becoming Exceptional District Leaders," "Emergency Preparedness," and "A Plethora of Things, Both Administrative and Ministrative." We had lots of discussion regarding these and other topics. 

Top row: Elders Casper, Nelson, McLaughlin, Nielsen, Lawlor, Lowry, Dalmas, Gallacher,
Castro, Davis (Assistant), Loveridge (Assistant); Front row: Elders Larsen, Ballard, Wilson,
Hunt, Mohlman, Tippetts, President and Sister Hammon, Lance, Quinton, Beddes, Egbert, and Nelson.

When missionaries finish their missions, we sometimes wonder who will be filling their shoes and assignments. Once we met the new missionaries and the new district leaders, our worries quickly fade. The new missionaries are incredible young men and women with vigor, drive, and testimonies. The new districts leaders have slipped right into the leadership groove and already are providing great examples and exhibiting and showing wonderful examples to their districts. We know the Lord provides these young men and women exactly when we need them and where we need them. The California Riverside Mission is in good hands!

President and Sister Hammon

Returned with honor from the California Riverside Mission!

Serving as a mission president and spouse is a marvelous blessing for Sister Hammon and me. We enjoy being with missionaries in interviews, trainings, discussions, dinners (outgoing and incoming), conversations, and baptisms. There is an incredible spirit that engulfs them, and we are able to bask in that spirit every single day.  

 

Redlands Temple

Outgoing missionaries:

Recently, we had missionaries returning home to their families and friends. For us, outgoing missionaries bring great joy and teary sadness to us. One privilege we have is to attend the Redlands Temple with the outgoing missionaries prior to their returning home and the visa waiters who are leaving for their respective countries. Missionaries attending: Elders Briggs, Frazier, Gregory, Guymon,  Marrow, Lawes, Shurtleff, and Rivas; and Sister Ashby. We served as the witness couple.

Front: Elder Rivas, Marrow, President and Sister Hammon, and Sister Ashby;
Rear: Elder Shurtleff, Lawes, Briggs, Gregory, Guymon, and Fraizer.

Wonderful experience! The Celestial Room was beautiful as it always is. We spent a bit of time there. We then dressed and moved outside to take pictures.

Once they attend the temple, then the next event was their going home interview, dinner, testimony meeting, and companionship study with me. A few days following the temple trip, with much sadness and a few tears—okay, a lot of tears!—we said good bye to just six missionaries this transfer going home: Elders Guymon, Shurtleff, Gregory, Frazier, Rivas, and Briggs. 

Elders Gregory, Briggs, Guymon, Frazier, Shurtleff, and Rivas

They first came to the Mission Home for last interviews with me regarding their “My Plan” and going home. Then, a delicious meal comprised of street tacos and the works. Perhaps, the highlight—excluding Sister Hammon’s Tres Leches cake—was the testimony meeting. What strong testimonies these young men bore of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the importance of the Book of Mormon. Here are snippets of their testimonies:

Elder Briggs—"Revelation does come in the modern day and brings promised blessings. I promise you that these things will happen. We will receive a confirmation of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon through reading and studying each day.”

Elder Briggs and President and Sister Hammon at the Redlands Temple

Elder Frazier—“God is real, and He loves us so much. We all go through lots of changes and challenges because He knew we could get through them.”

Elder Frazier and President and Sister Hammon at the Redlands Temple

Elder Gregory—“I have developed the desire to live with Heavenly Father and to please Him. As soon as I saw President Nelson in General Conference, all my anxiety went away. Fear was gone. Peace came over me. President Nelson is a prophet.”

Elder Gregory and President and Sister Hammon at the Redlands Temple

Elder Guymon—“Being on a mission, I have been able to grow. As long as Priesthood holders stay faithful, we can work mighty miracles.”

Elder Guymon and President and Sister Hammon at the Redlands Temple

Elder Rivas—“Reading the Book of Mormon is really worth the effort. God really does talk to us. Biggest miracle is we have missionaries who love to work in the California Riverside Mission."

Elder Rivas and President and Sister Hammon at the Redlands Temple

Elder Shurtleff—“Our testimonies are our best gift. The best way to nourish our testimonies is by doing the things we learn. Nothing is more important than working hard. God has trusted us and gifted us with so much growth. The mission is the greatest challenge because you grow so much.”

Elder Shurtleff and President and Sister Hammon at the Redlands Temple

Then, on Tuesday morning early, we rose early, fixed a quick breakfast, and headed to the airport. After checking them in and walking down to security, we said our goodbyes and off they went. Traditionally, they all turn and wave at us. That’s when the lump rises in the throat, tears trickle down your checks, and you wave back, knowing that their families and friends at other airports are waiting patiently to shed tears of joy to welcome them home! These are wonderful leaders who returned home with honor and journals full of incredible missionary experiences and miracles.

And away they go!

We also said good bye to Sister Ashby and Elder Patrick who received their visas. They left on Monday morning: Sister Ashby to Taiwan... 

Sister Ashby, Sister and President Hammon

and Elder Patrick to France. 

Sister and President Hammon and Elder Patrick

We enjoyed both of them while they were here, and we will definitely miss them. They will always be, however, a part of our mission.

Missionary work is grand and filled with joy and happiness. Watching missionaries come and go, progress and develop, and experience a host of challenges and changes creates such nurturing and spiritual environment. There is nothing like it and difficult to explain. The easiest way to explain is being spiritually-enhanced and fed every single day. We love it.

President and Sister Hammon