The Growth of the Church--58 New Missions!

In hastening the work news...


 The Church has announced 58 new missions, effective July 1, 2013.  It is definitely an exciting time to be a missionary!

However, with all growing comes growing pains and with the announcement also comes the news that the Great California San Fernando Mission is being split.  San Fernando and Ventura will be re-drawn to become San Fernando, Ventura and Bakersfield.  Which doesn't sound too traumatic until you realize that not only are we losing stakes (zones) but also the missionaries serving there. 

But the caravan moves on and we are so excited to see the evidence that the Lord wants more missionaries in this area of California to invite His children to come unto Christ.

The following is the letter Ken sent to all of the missionaries on Monday. 

Dear Sisters and Elders of the Great California San Fernando Mission,

 

In late December 1832 and early January 1833, a revelation was given through the Prophet Joseph Smith at Kirtland, Ohio.  This revelation was given after high priests at a conference prayed “separately and vocally to the Lord to reveal his will unto us concerning the upbuilding of Zion.”  We have that revelation recorded today in D&C 88.  Two verses of this great revelation, which Joseph Smith called the “‘olive leaf’ … plucked from the Tree of Paradise, the Lord’s message of peace to us,” have great meaning to me today.  You have heard me speak of this great prophesy being fulfilled today throughout the world, and specifically, in our Great California San Fernando mission:

 

“Behold, and lo, I will take care of your flocks, and will raise up elders and send unto them.  Behold, I will hasten my work in its time.” (D&C 88:72-73)

 

Last week, the Church announced that some of the 347 existing missions will be divided to form an additional 58 missions, bringing total number of missions throughout the world to 405.  What a great hastening of the work this will be, especially in the areas where the new missions have been created.

 

Among the 58 new missions, three were announced in California – Bakersfield, Irvine, and Rancho Cucamonga.  The creation of the Bakersfield mission is evidence of the great hastening of the work that the Lord is preparing for our mission. 

 

The new California Bakersfield mission will be created from the California Ventura and the Great California San Fernando missions.  Specifically, the three Bakersfield stakes (Bakersfield, Bakersfield East and Bakersfield South) will be combined with the four northern stakes from our mission (Palmdale, Lancaster, Lancaster East and Ridgecrest) to form the new Bakersfield mission. 

 

The Great California San Fernando Mission will reorganized to include the six remaining stakes – Canoga Park, Granada Hills, North Hollywood, San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Valencia.  I will send out an e-mail to your myldsmail accounts with a map of the current and new mission boundaries.

 

I have felt a great hastening of the work in this area with President Monson’s announcement of the lower age for missionary service.  However, now with the creation of a new mission, even more missionaries will be sent to this area!  The hastening will be accelerating at an even greater pace!  The Lord is certainly raising up elders and sending them to us!

 

For some of you, this may be the first that you have heard of our mission being divided and a new mission being created and I am sure you have some questions about what will happen.  Let me address the highlights.

 

The new Bakersfield mission will go into effect July 1, 2013.  All the missionaries that will be serving in the Palmdale, Lancaster, East Lancaster and Ridgecrest zones on July 1^st will be reassigned to serve in the new Bakersfield mission at that time.

 

I know that this may cause a bit of anxiety for some of you, especially around transfer times, but I want you to know that I will continue to seek inspiration and revelation from the Lord regarding transfers.  Just as we Find by the Spirit in this great mission, I assure you that transfers are also done by the Spirit of revelation and prophesy.  I will continue to fast and go to the temple as I finalize the transfers every six weeks.  I commit to you that I will be obedient and will follow the Lord’s will as I make changes to assignments so you can know with certainty that they are the Lord’s will for you.

 

This is the Lord’s work and he is involved in the very details.  I have witnessed too many miracles in my life to believe otherwise.  We may not have known that a new mission would be created in Bakersfield when we received our calls, but the Lord did.  He knew that some of you would serve in both the San Fernando and the Bakersfield missions.  As a matter of fact, the Lord specifically called some of you to San Fernando so you would be able to serve in both missions.

 

How humbling it is to me to see such a prophesy fulfilled so completely in our day.  The Lord is truly hastening his work in a marvelous manner.  I want you to know that I know that this is the Lord’s work.  He is in the very details.  This is His Church and Kingdom on the Earth and nothing will stop this work from progressing.  I know this Church is true.  I really do.

 

With much love and the tender feelings of a parent,

 

President and Sister Hall