Sunday, July 21, 2013
Slideshow
San Fernando 2.0
People, you know how I feel about upgrades, don't you? I love upgrades. Except iTunes upgrades, those are mainly useless and annoying. I love Photoshop upgrades, though--they are consistently wowie. But enough free advertising, let's talk missionary work.
The Great California San Fernando Mission is now upgraded to The Great California San Fernando 2.0.
Look out San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita Valley--The Wave is coming. Surf's up!
The Great California San Fernando Mission is now upgraded to The Great California San Fernando 2.0.
Look out San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita Valley--The Wave is coming. Surf's up!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Splitting the Baby Or in Other Words: Carry On!
 |
| Carrying On in the Desert |
I'm kind of thinking that King Solomon was a bit of a slacker. He's famous for suggesting that two women split a baby since they couldn't agree on who the mother was. Of course, the real mother objected and it has a happy ending (for the mother anyway).
In October, all the mission presidents were asked to submit how they would split or combine their missions with the surrounding missions. President Castro of Ventura and President Hall of San Fernando, along with our wonderful area authority, Elder Garns, submitted a plan to create a new California Bakersfield mission. Not because we wanted a new mission, but because everyone had been asked to do so. They weren't actually supposed to split the baby!
The plan was submitted and we didn't hear anything. We knew that when the newly called mission presidents were announced, that would be a great time to announce new missions. We hadn't heard anything the day before the announcement so we figured we were safe. Baby split: avoided.
Nobody tells us anything.
We had just completed transfers and I remember looking out at all the new missionaries and all the missionaries who were being transferred. I was so relieved that they weren't splitting the mission, because I knew it would just kill Ken.
Ken and I were in the car when I received at text from my brother, Stan. It asked if any of the new California missions affected us. WHAT new California missions???? Stan said it was all over ksl.com and ldsnewsroom. He said there were missions in Rancho Cucamonga (best name ever), Irvine and Bakersfield. Crud.
I asked Ken if he knew anything about this--he didn't. As soon as we got home he was on the phone to Salt Lake. Each mission president has an "In-field Rep" that they can call for the random weird things that pop-up in a mission. Ken asked Brother IFR if the mission split was the same as they had submitted. Brother IFR said, "nothing will be announced until tomorrow."
We said, "it's on the website."
He said, "let me call you back." They don't tell him anything, either.
(For the record, this is also how we found out about Sister Training Leaders--then church sends the email after the announcement but the press releases must go out early.) Too funny.
You can see the split in all it's technicolor glory here.
So for the last few months we have been preparing to split. On June 28th, when President Wilson's plane touches down in Bakersfield, the 75* missionaries in our four desert zones will be a part of the Bakersfield mission.
Transfer meeting was last week and it was a little bit tough, but for the most part, missionaries suspected where they would be. There were a couple of surprises but most missionaries love the people and love the area and were worried more about the people than about what mission they would come home from.
Thursday we held a Desert Zone conference where we were able to meet with all of the Bakersfield Pioneers. It was a very tender meeting.
I told the missionaries that I knew their only real question was, "what crazy primary song will Sister Hall make us sing today." We sang I Hope They Call Me on a Mission, of course.
I said I felt that my children had been called on a mission. They have been called on a mission, away from us to the great people of Bakersfield. Like any parent sending a child off, I worried.
I worried if I had taught them enough. Yes, I had taught them enough. They may not know everything, but they know enough.
I worried if they would forget themselves and go to work. Their day-to-day mission was not really changing. They will continue on as they had before the split.
I worried if they would behave themselves. Finger wagging and the raised eyebrow may or may not have been used. But in fact, here is a chance to start again, to be a better missionary. To not be hindered by the past. To leave whatever reputation behind. Everyone needs a do-over, even if you are an exceptional missionary, it is time to kick it up a notch.
I probably worried about something else, too, but that was 3 days ago which is really a long time ago in mission days.
I did share with them a scripture in 2 Nephi 10: 19
19 Wherefore, I will consecrate this land unto thy seed, and them who shall be numbered among thy seed, forever, for the land of their inheritance; for it is a choice land, saith God unto me, above all other lands, wherefore I will have all men that dwell thereon that they shall worship me, saith God.
20 And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off; nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a better land (emphasis mine).
I am so excited for them. It is such a blessing to serve under two mission presidents--and some of them were here when we came so it is really three. Plus, they will have companions who served under President Castro in Ventura so they can learn from him--so four. What an amazing blessing to see how the gospel works and the Lord inspires different men in different ways to accomplish His purpose.
We will miss our desert missionaries, but we know that even though we didn't know, and they didn't know the mission would be split, the Lord knew. He called them to San Fernando so they would be in position to save souls in Bakersfield. We are just so grateful we had the privilege of serving with them first.
Some people (who shall remain nameless) suggested we sing God Be With You Til We Meet Again as a closing song. No Way was I going to sing that funeral song in that meeting. (I have issues, I know). We sang Carry On.
Some people (who shall remain nameless) suggested we sing God Be With You Til We Meet Again as a closing song. No Way was I going to sing that funeral song in that meeting. (I have issues, I know). We sang Carry On.
And we hear the desert singing:
Carry on, carry on, carry on!
Hills and vales and mountains ringing:
Carry on, carry on, carry on!
Holding aloft our colors,
We march in the glorious dawn.
O youth of the noble birthright,
Carry on, carry on, carry on!
Farewell Desert Zones--and Carry On!
*Yes, 75 is an odd number. Glad you noticed. 37 companionships plus one Assisstant makes 75. We took Elder A up to Ventura to meet his new companion. He has the assignment of getting President Wilson up to speed on the San Fernando side and his companion Elder S on the Ventura side. Like the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, we will miss him most of all.
Monday, May 13, 2013
When Missionaries Go Home Early
I've been trying to clean out my draft folder and the next up is a post on the new Sister Training Leaders and the first ever California San Fernando Mission Leadership Council (which was awesome btw). But I feel the need to jump the queue as it were, and talk a bit about missionaries that go home early.
First, the decision to send a missionary home is not made by the Mission President. It is made the Missionary Department after recommendation from the Mission President, the home Stake President and a General Authority. The General Authority ultimately makes the call. More about that later on.
So why do some missionaries go home early?
1: Health
This one is pretty self-explanatory and easy to understand. You break your leg and need surgery? Off you go, and depending on how long you have left will determine if you are coming back or released. Going home is still a bit of a shock and surprise, but everyone understands why. Most people accept health problems as a valid reason and move on to more interesting gossip. Even if you broke it doing something stupid/against the rules, everyone at home has done something stupid and will generally give you a pass.
2: Mental Health
This one is tougher than plain physical health. It is tougher on the missionary in the mission and tougher facing everyone at home. Because mental health is not something we can see on an X-ray, we are more likely to dismiss it as not real. Just pick up your bed and walk and quit complaining. I have been surprised how many people still think anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications are an indication of lack of faith. Just have faith and you'll be fine. Did you tell the broken leg example to have faith instead of surgery? Why not? Leaving aside the chicken and egg debate, the fact is that for whatever reason, something needs to change. It may mean medication in-field, going home to get stable, or a release.
Parents, bishops and stake presidents, if your missionary has had issues before the mission, the mission will make them worse. Being a missionary is a stressful thing. Add to that the fact that we also take away all your stress-relief coping mechanisms. No favorite music, books, movies, websites, facebook, texting, chatting or hanging-out. We require you to be with someone you don't know and may not even like 24/7, except for the bathroom. If you are struggling before the mission, get help before you go. I don't know why some feel that getting help is a sign of weakness or worthiness. It is neither. It is a sign of pride to insist on doing everything yourself. If you can get coping skills and if necessary, medication, before you go, it will be a much easier transition.
Sometimes even with these resources before and during the mission, it is not enough and they go home early. And it is hard to go home early. It is hard to go to church and have people ask what you are doing here (because they don't see any crutches like broken-leg Elder). Please read Elder Alexander Morrison's (of the Seventy) article or visit lds.org (topic mental health). (Is it obvious those are hyperlinks? Just click on them and you'll open a new tab.)
Let's support each other, try and remember that just because you can't see it, it is still real. Be grateful it is not the trial you are called to bear.
3: In-field Transgression/Severe Disobedience
Of all the missionaries I have seen go home early, this is the most rare. Occasionally there will be a missionary who ditches his/her companion and gets into moral trouble. These situations do occur and if the companion is aware and does nothing, the companion can also be sent home. It is that serious.
The first question the general authorities always ask in in-field cases is, "where was the companion."
From there it depends on the seriousness of the problem and may require an in-field disciplinary council. The mission president will co-ordinate with the home stake president for going forward at home. Again, the decision of stay/go is not up to the mission president.
4: Pre-field Transgression/Belated Confession
This is hard. This is when a missionary goes home to take care of an issue that should have been taken care of with his/her bishop before coming on a mission.
For whatever reason, the missionary did not disclose certain things and now he/she knows it needs to be. Sometimes they feel that they can just work it out by working hard and "being good." Sometimes they did not understand the seriousness of the sin until they started studying and teaching the commandments to others.
Funny thing about being a missionary. If you work hard to do what you are supposed to be doing, you will feel the Spirit. If there is something you need to take care of, the Spirit will pierce your soul and you will, like Alma, be racked, even with the pains of a damned soul. Damned is Alma's description and it is a good description. You can't go on how you are and you are stuck in the hell of knowing you need to do something but that something is so awful to contemplate, that like Alma, you want to "become extinct both body and soul." (see Alma 36:15-18)
At the beginning they think they can handle it. The closer they get to the Spirit, the more they know they can't. And again, like Alma, it doesn't stop until they cry out "O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me."
And then, in one of the supreme acts of courage a young man or woman can do, they pick up the phone and say, "President, can I meet with you?"
I cannot stress enough what an act of courage this is. Because they know it will change everything. Something that pre-mission would have been noticed by very few, now feels like it is being shouted from the rooftops. Not only does your mission president know, your stake president knows, and "Salt Lake" knows, and your companion/zone/mission may not know the details but they know you are leaving.
Even worse, you now come home and now your whole home ward "knows."
I think this category is the main reason that the decision of stay or go is not left to the mission president. Because the mission president would keep them here. But often when it is serious enough to go home for a season, other people were involved and they also know that the missionary needs to repent. If they think that it must not have been a "big deal" then their understanding of repentance is jeopardized--and could have eternal consequences.
The mission president knows that going home will take tremendous strength and courage. He knows that repentance is real. That the atonement is real. That this is a GOOD THING. That Jesus, the Son of God died for this son or daughter and He will have mercy. The mission president also knows that some families are just beginning to learn this, and this is a hard lesson to learn when it is your child, instead of Mosiah's. Christ cannot help us until we take that first step and call out to him.
So if you know someone who came home for health help them get healthy, whether physical or mental. Rejoice with them for the service that they gave and the lessons that they learned.
If you know someone who came home for other reasons, rejoice with them. Because they are living the gospel at the most basic and divine level. They have bared their souls before the Lord and have declared a willingness to do anything to know God. This refiner's fire is white hot and public. It's heat is enough to burn away the dross of the missionary and his/her family if they have the courage. But it will take courage. The courage to not be ashamed of the past, to not be ashamed of the present, the courage to say through action and words, "we believe that through the Atonement of Christ we may be saved." I find it discouraging (interesting word, dis-courage-ing) that life-long members have more trouble with this than new members. Perhaps, because new members know how the atonement has changed them forever while life-long members have this mistaken idea that repentance is only for when you are "bad" and if you have to repent you are doing it wrong. Repentance means you are doing it right. That you are doing whatever it takes. No matter what.
Please rejoice with your early missionaries. Show them that you understand that the atonement is real, no one is perfect and with Christ, all things are possible and all pains (even the pains of going home early) are swallowed up in him.
After a season, send them back to us. We love them. We need them. The people of this mission need them. Their companions need them. The Lord needs them.
And a courageous, repentant missionary is powerful. Just ask Alma and the Sons of Mosiah.
First, the decision to send a missionary home is not made by the Mission President. It is made the Missionary Department after recommendation from the Mission President, the home Stake President and a General Authority. The General Authority ultimately makes the call. More about that later on.
So why do some missionaries go home early?
1: Health
This one is pretty self-explanatory and easy to understand. You break your leg and need surgery? Off you go, and depending on how long you have left will determine if you are coming back or released. Going home is still a bit of a shock and surprise, but everyone understands why. Most people accept health problems as a valid reason and move on to more interesting gossip. Even if you broke it doing something stupid/against the rules, everyone at home has done something stupid and will generally give you a pass.
2: Mental Health
This one is tougher than plain physical health. It is tougher on the missionary in the mission and tougher facing everyone at home. Because mental health is not something we can see on an X-ray, we are more likely to dismiss it as not real. Just pick up your bed and walk and quit complaining. I have been surprised how many people still think anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications are an indication of lack of faith. Just have faith and you'll be fine. Did you tell the broken leg example to have faith instead of surgery? Why not? Leaving aside the chicken and egg debate, the fact is that for whatever reason, something needs to change. It may mean medication in-field, going home to get stable, or a release.
Parents, bishops and stake presidents, if your missionary has had issues before the mission, the mission will make them worse. Being a missionary is a stressful thing. Add to that the fact that we also take away all your stress-relief coping mechanisms. No favorite music, books, movies, websites, facebook, texting, chatting or hanging-out. We require you to be with someone you don't know and may not even like 24/7, except for the bathroom. If you are struggling before the mission, get help before you go. I don't know why some feel that getting help is a sign of weakness or worthiness. It is neither. It is a sign of pride to insist on doing everything yourself. If you can get coping skills and if necessary, medication, before you go, it will be a much easier transition.
Sometimes even with these resources before and during the mission, it is not enough and they go home early. And it is hard to go home early. It is hard to go to church and have people ask what you are doing here (because they don't see any crutches like broken-leg Elder). Please read Elder Alexander Morrison's (of the Seventy) article or visit lds.org (topic mental health). (Is it obvious those are hyperlinks? Just click on them and you'll open a new tab.)
Let's support each other, try and remember that just because you can't see it, it is still real. Be grateful it is not the trial you are called to bear.
3: In-field Transgression/Severe Disobedience
Of all the missionaries I have seen go home early, this is the most rare. Occasionally there will be a missionary who ditches his/her companion and gets into moral trouble. These situations do occur and if the companion is aware and does nothing, the companion can also be sent home. It is that serious.
The first question the general authorities always ask in in-field cases is, "where was the companion."
From there it depends on the seriousness of the problem and may require an in-field disciplinary council. The mission president will co-ordinate with the home stake president for going forward at home. Again, the decision of stay/go is not up to the mission president.
4: Pre-field Transgression/Belated Confession
This is hard. This is when a missionary goes home to take care of an issue that should have been taken care of with his/her bishop before coming on a mission.
For whatever reason, the missionary did not disclose certain things and now he/she knows it needs to be. Sometimes they feel that they can just work it out by working hard and "being good." Sometimes they did not understand the seriousness of the sin until they started studying and teaching the commandments to others.
Funny thing about being a missionary. If you work hard to do what you are supposed to be doing, you will feel the Spirit. If there is something you need to take care of, the Spirit will pierce your soul and you will, like Alma, be racked, even with the pains of a damned soul. Damned is Alma's description and it is a good description. You can't go on how you are and you are stuck in the hell of knowing you need to do something but that something is so awful to contemplate, that like Alma, you want to "become extinct both body and soul." (see Alma 36:15-18)
At the beginning they think they can handle it. The closer they get to the Spirit, the more they know they can't. And again, like Alma, it doesn't stop until they cry out "O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me."
And then, in one of the supreme acts of courage a young man or woman can do, they pick up the phone and say, "President, can I meet with you?"
I cannot stress enough what an act of courage this is. Because they know it will change everything. Something that pre-mission would have been noticed by very few, now feels like it is being shouted from the rooftops. Not only does your mission president know, your stake president knows, and "Salt Lake" knows, and your companion/zone/mission may not know the details but they know you are leaving.
Even worse, you now come home and now your whole home ward "knows."
I think this category is the main reason that the decision of stay or go is not left to the mission president. Because the mission president would keep them here. But often when it is serious enough to go home for a season, other people were involved and they also know that the missionary needs to repent. If they think that it must not have been a "big deal" then their understanding of repentance is jeopardized--and could have eternal consequences.
The mission president knows that going home will take tremendous strength and courage. He knows that repentance is real. That the atonement is real. That this is a GOOD THING. That Jesus, the Son of God died for this son or daughter and He will have mercy. The mission president also knows that some families are just beginning to learn this, and this is a hard lesson to learn when it is your child, instead of Mosiah's. Christ cannot help us until we take that first step and call out to him.
So if you know someone who came home for health help them get healthy, whether physical or mental. Rejoice with them for the service that they gave and the lessons that they learned.
If you know someone who came home for other reasons, rejoice with them. Because they are living the gospel at the most basic and divine level. They have bared their souls before the Lord and have declared a willingness to do anything to know God. This refiner's fire is white hot and public. It's heat is enough to burn away the dross of the missionary and his/her family if they have the courage. But it will take courage. The courage to not be ashamed of the past, to not be ashamed of the present, the courage to say through action and words, "we believe that through the Atonement of Christ we may be saved." I find it discouraging (interesting word, dis-courage-ing) that life-long members have more trouble with this than new members. Perhaps, because new members know how the atonement has changed them forever while life-long members have this mistaken idea that repentance is only for when you are "bad" and if you have to repent you are doing it wrong. Repentance means you are doing it right. That you are doing whatever it takes. No matter what.
Please rejoice with your early missionaries. Show them that you understand that the atonement is real, no one is perfect and with Christ, all things are possible and all pains (even the pains of going home early) are swallowed up in him.
After a season, send them back to us. We love them. We need them. The people of this mission need them. Their companions need them. The Lord needs them.
And a courageous, repentant missionary is powerful. Just ask Alma and the Sons of Mosiah.
Time for a Zone Conference Sing-a-Long
Last time it was Popcorn Popping but this time it is Book of Mormon Stories. Frankly, after sitting so long, I need a wiggle song and I figure they do to. Plus, there is just something irresistible about dignified missionaries "looking out the window" or sailing "far across the sea."
Why Book of Mormon Stories? Besides the obvious, I mean. Well to begin with, that song always bugged me as a small child. Back in the olden days, when snow was deep and hills only went up, there were only two verses and neither qualified in my mind as a story. OK, they came across the sea and then something about a land of liberty that frankly is more postscript than script. I am very happy to report that more verses have been added since I was a wee lass and they actually are stories. Yet, as usual, I digress.
In Zone Conference we practiced introducing The Book of Mormon to someone. Most went like this: The Book of Mormon is an ancient book of scripture that is comparable to blah blah blah snoozeville. I mean who talks like that? I mean besides my relatives. What normal person talks like that?
I want you to read The Book of Mormon because it will change your life and will let you hear the voice of God talking to you personally. So when introducing it to someone why wouldn't you get straight to that point? Nobody cares about ancient records or reformed Egyptian. It's 2013, I want to know precisely what this book has to do with ME and MY life. And I want to know in about 30 seconds because I have Things To Do.
Each of the missionaries then had to find a Book of Mormon scripture that personally meant something to them. Then they introduced it again, using that scripture. What a difference. It went from "It can change your life" to "It changed MY life and can change yours, too."
It was very interesting to eavesdrop as they practiced, and very touching. These young missionaries were sharing every part of the doctrine of Christ in the scriptures they chose. Some shared scriptures of faith, some of repentance, some of the power of the Holy Ghost, etc.
So when you talk to your friends and neighbors about this strange "golden bible," make it personal. Tell why it has changed you and how you know it can change them.
Make your own verse to the song. And don't forget the actions :)
Incomings
Actually it is not transfer week, it is Zone Conference week(s). However, it is early days yet on the conferences and so I'll report on that later. Instead, I want to comment on the incoming missionaries. [Ha! Actually it is now a week after transfer week--this post has been half-written for weeks and weeks]
Some friends have just sent off their first missionary and were commenting on how Monday was their new favorite day because that is the day they usually get email from said missionary.
****We interupt this post for a missionary email announcement! I don't know if you have heard, but missionaries are now authorized to email friends as well as family. Hooray! Anyone they could snail mail before, they can email now. (Keep in mind that sometimes a real letter can be a treasure on a discouraging day, especially if printing out email is not feasible). Someday I should post on what to write your missionary (hint: not I miss you and life stinks without you)****
Anyhoo, back to Incoming Missionaries.
I have never sent a missionary, so I cannot speak to that. I have received many missionaries and will receive many, many more. This is what I see that you as parents/friends cannot.
Day 1, Part 1: Bob Hope Burbank Airport
The Delta flight from Salt Lake City arrives around 12:15 p.m. El Presidente and the Assistants and I are there waiting. Burbank is a small airport, which we are very grateful for, and we stand out from the regular flying public. Ken gets asked a lot of questions about the airport since he looks so official. We spend the wait time reviewing the hows and wheres and whats of the logistics of getting 25 people and luggage sorted and picked up. We wish that Burbank would consider installing chairs to wait in (it is a small airport).
Finally the plane lands and people begin to come out through security. The missionaries will be last--they always are last. Partly because they are polite and let the others off first, partly because someone will need to use the bathroom so they will all wait, but mainly because they are terrified and once they walk through that gate they are really here. Often other passengers will let us know they are coming. "There's a whole bunch of people in nametags on their way." If there are members on the flight they always let us know that the new group looks good.
We greet them, shake hands/hug as appropriate and begin to gather the luggage. Since they have stalled as long as possible getting out, the luggage comes quite quickly. Elder C, half of the amazing Elder and Sister C team, meets us at the curb with the king-cab pickup and a trailer for the luggage. Other senior missionaries (as necessary) are there for transport and we get everyone in a seatbelt and head off to the North Hollywood Stake Center.
At this point the new missionaries are still nervously chattering with each other, some trying to ask questions, some in awe of the weather and palm trees and some are really, really quiet. I think I would be one of the quiet ones. (Rita, stop laughing)
Part 2: North Hollywood Stake Center
The stake center is only about 10 minutes from the airport. Waiting for us there are the awesome Elder and Sister J and awesome Sister C. They have come with food. Pizza and pudding cups! There are some administrative things that simply must be done on day one, and so while eating their pizza they watch a safety video, turn in/fill out/lose paperwork all while looking like deer in the headlights. I always feel so nervous for them because no matter who you are or how prepared you start, this is nerve-wracking.
After lunch? Miracles. Seriously. It's on the schedule. We schedule miracles and the Lord, in His infinite mercy, blesses those new missionaries with miracles. Meeting us at the stake center are some of our very best Elders and Sisters and for an hour and a half, our brand new missionaries will have a temporary companion and they go out into North Hollywood and find people to teach. And they do! They are scared and don't know what to say and don't really speak Spanish yet, but they find people to teach!
And that changes everything.
The hardest part of missionary work is starting. It is opening your mouth that first time and asking a complete stranger if they would like to learn of Jesus Christ. It is learning that you can do this.
Part 3: Mission Home
Between finding and paperwork/training, President is interviewing each new missionary. He needs to briefly get to know them and receive inspriration on who their training companion should be. This is getting trickier since the groups are getting larger. Sometimes the interviews go through and after dinner. He has already reviewed their application and knows a bit about them, but it is nice to meet them in person.
I leave North Hollywood before any of the real action takes place--I have to get kids from school and make sure I haven't burned down the mission home cooking dinner for a billion people. One nice thing about cooking for new missionaries is that they have just come from the MTC and so they think I'm an amazing cook. I'm really not. It's just Mexican pulled pork and Suzanne's super salsa. But it is food and there are actual couches to sit on and so life is good.
There is a difference in their faces from lunch to dinner. There didn't used to be. We just started the proselyting in the first hours of landing a few transfers ago. Before it was all administrative and there was only tiredness. Now, they are missionaries--still nervous but not terrified. It is a miracle.
We send them off to their temporary beds (no one stays here--we have a teenage boy so no sisters can stay and a teenage girl so no elders). They are exhausted. Utah to California isn't a long flight, but emotionally it is a long day.
Day 2: Transfer Day
This is the great a dreadful day. Great because you finally meet your companion. That's why it is dreadful, too. It is a scary thing to be assigned to some stranger to live with 24/7. You don't even live with your family 24/7. Now you will always be within sight and hearing of this person. You will be a part of every conversation, every phone call, every text message. There is no escape except the bathroom. It is a hard adjustment.
President Hall meets with the trainers for 90 minutes before the Transfer Meeting. The Assistants and I meet with the New Missionaries. By the way, they are New Missionaries, not Greenies. President Eyring personally instructed us when he extended the call that we were never to call a new missionary a greenie (also it is in the handbook under not using slang). So we don't. In fact, when you come to visit us we will ask you not to do it either. I think one reason Presdient Eyring mentioned that to us is because these new missionaries have the same power and authority to teach--they just are new, and we need to respect that.
I have no idea what the trainers learn besides Follow the 12 Week Program. The Assistants teach about companionship study and I teach about being Anxiously Engaged (anxiety).
Finally, finally! It is time for the Transfer Meeting.
Transfer Meeting
Everyone who is getting a new companion comes to the transfer meeting. Some will be training, but most are part of a companionship where one, or both, are being transferred (no, we don't say whitewashed, either). It is often over half of the mission. As the new missionaries come in, everyone is standing and singing Called to Serve. It is really a good welcome to the mission. The new missionaries briefly introduce themselves (I'm Sister Smith from Palmyra, New York) (No, we don't have a Sister Smith from Palmyra, but wouldn't that be awesome?!)
President Hall then starts in with the actual business of transferring. "In the Canoga Park Zone, Elder A will be transferring out and Elder B will be transferring in, etc." It takes a while to go through it all but it is fascinating to watch. Hope, joy, sadness and terror--all in one meeting!
The unspoken odd thing is the names that don't get called, but rather get said good-bye to. Those who have finished their missions are now sitting, companionless but together. It always makes me sad and happy to see them as they say goodbye to not only their companions, but to the mission. They will have going-home-training, dinner and testimony meeting with us later in the day, but for now they have the bittersweet task of helping others on their way.
After the meeting everyone heads out. Well, the new missionaries and their trainers have to get yet another picture taken to mark the historic day. But then they all grab their two suitcases and one side bag and off they go with a new companion and/or a new area to good deeds (note to mothers everywhere, your missionary really is limited in what they can haul around--keep that in mind before sending the giant packages).
We'll see the new missionaries and their trainers in a week for some training they might actually remember and to see how they are doing. By that time they will look even more different. And by the six-week follow-up they will be indistinguishable from the trainers--they all will look like what they are: Missionaries.
Some friends have just sent off their first missionary and were commenting on how Monday was their new favorite day because that is the day they usually get email from said missionary.
****We interupt this post for a missionary email announcement! I don't know if you have heard, but missionaries are now authorized to email friends as well as family. Hooray! Anyone they could snail mail before, they can email now. (Keep in mind that sometimes a real letter can be a treasure on a discouraging day, especially if printing out email is not feasible). Someday I should post on what to write your missionary (hint: not I miss you and life stinks without you)****
Anyhoo, back to Incoming Missionaries.
I have never sent a missionary, so I cannot speak to that. I have received many missionaries and will receive many, many more. This is what I see that you as parents/friends cannot.
Day 1, Part 1: Bob Hope Burbank Airport
The Delta flight from Salt Lake City arrives around 12:15 p.m. El Presidente and the Assistants and I are there waiting. Burbank is a small airport, which we are very grateful for, and we stand out from the regular flying public. Ken gets asked a lot of questions about the airport since he looks so official. We spend the wait time reviewing the hows and wheres and whats of the logistics of getting 25 people and luggage sorted and picked up. We wish that Burbank would consider installing chairs to wait in (it is a small airport).
Finally the plane lands and people begin to come out through security. The missionaries will be last--they always are last. Partly because they are polite and let the others off first, partly because someone will need to use the bathroom so they will all wait, but mainly because they are terrified and once they walk through that gate they are really here. Often other passengers will let us know they are coming. "There's a whole bunch of people in nametags on their way." If there are members on the flight they always let us know that the new group looks good.
We greet them, shake hands/hug as appropriate and begin to gather the luggage. Since they have stalled as long as possible getting out, the luggage comes quite quickly. Elder C, half of the amazing Elder and Sister C team, meets us at the curb with the king-cab pickup and a trailer for the luggage. Other senior missionaries (as necessary) are there for transport and we get everyone in a seatbelt and head off to the North Hollywood Stake Center.
At this point the new missionaries are still nervously chattering with each other, some trying to ask questions, some in awe of the weather and palm trees and some are really, really quiet. I think I would be one of the quiet ones. (Rita, stop laughing)
Part 2: North Hollywood Stake Center
The stake center is only about 10 minutes from the airport. Waiting for us there are the awesome Elder and Sister J and awesome Sister C. They have come with food. Pizza and pudding cups! There are some administrative things that simply must be done on day one, and so while eating their pizza they watch a safety video, turn in/fill out/lose paperwork all while looking like deer in the headlights. I always feel so nervous for them because no matter who you are or how prepared you start, this is nerve-wracking.
After lunch? Miracles. Seriously. It's on the schedule. We schedule miracles and the Lord, in His infinite mercy, blesses those new missionaries with miracles. Meeting us at the stake center are some of our very best Elders and Sisters and for an hour and a half, our brand new missionaries will have a temporary companion and they go out into North Hollywood and find people to teach. And they do! They are scared and don't know what to say and don't really speak Spanish yet, but they find people to teach!
And that changes everything.
The hardest part of missionary work is starting. It is opening your mouth that first time and asking a complete stranger if they would like to learn of Jesus Christ. It is learning that you can do this.
Part 3: Mission Home
Between finding and paperwork/training, President is interviewing each new missionary. He needs to briefly get to know them and receive inspriration on who their training companion should be. This is getting trickier since the groups are getting larger. Sometimes the interviews go through and after dinner. He has already reviewed their application and knows a bit about them, but it is nice to meet them in person.
I leave North Hollywood before any of the real action takes place--I have to get kids from school and make sure I haven't burned down the mission home cooking dinner for a billion people. One nice thing about cooking for new missionaries is that they have just come from the MTC and so they think I'm an amazing cook. I'm really not. It's just Mexican pulled pork and Suzanne's super salsa. But it is food and there are actual couches to sit on and so life is good.
There is a difference in their faces from lunch to dinner. There didn't used to be. We just started the proselyting in the first hours of landing a few transfers ago. Before it was all administrative and there was only tiredness. Now, they are missionaries--still nervous but not terrified. It is a miracle.
We send them off to their temporary beds (no one stays here--we have a teenage boy so no sisters can stay and a teenage girl so no elders). They are exhausted. Utah to California isn't a long flight, but emotionally it is a long day.
Day 2: Transfer Day
This is the great a dreadful day. Great because you finally meet your companion. That's why it is dreadful, too. It is a scary thing to be assigned to some stranger to live with 24/7. You don't even live with your family 24/7. Now you will always be within sight and hearing of this person. You will be a part of every conversation, every phone call, every text message. There is no escape except the bathroom. It is a hard adjustment.
President Hall meets with the trainers for 90 minutes before the Transfer Meeting. The Assistants and I meet with the New Missionaries. By the way, they are New Missionaries, not Greenies. President Eyring personally instructed us when he extended the call that we were never to call a new missionary a greenie (also it is in the handbook under not using slang). So we don't. In fact, when you come to visit us we will ask you not to do it either. I think one reason Presdient Eyring mentioned that to us is because these new missionaries have the same power and authority to teach--they just are new, and we need to respect that.
I have no idea what the trainers learn besides Follow the 12 Week Program. The Assistants teach about companionship study and I teach about being Anxiously Engaged (anxiety).
Finally, finally! It is time for the Transfer Meeting.
Transfer Meeting
Everyone who is getting a new companion comes to the transfer meeting. Some will be training, but most are part of a companionship where one, or both, are being transferred (no, we don't say whitewashed, either). It is often over half of the mission. As the new missionaries come in, everyone is standing and singing Called to Serve. It is really a good welcome to the mission. The new missionaries briefly introduce themselves (I'm Sister Smith from Palmyra, New York) (No, we don't have a Sister Smith from Palmyra, but wouldn't that be awesome?!)
President Hall then starts in with the actual business of transferring. "In the Canoga Park Zone, Elder A will be transferring out and Elder B will be transferring in, etc." It takes a while to go through it all but it is fascinating to watch. Hope, joy, sadness and terror--all in one meeting!
The unspoken odd thing is the names that don't get called, but rather get said good-bye to. Those who have finished their missions are now sitting, companionless but together. It always makes me sad and happy to see them as they say goodbye to not only their companions, but to the mission. They will have going-home-training, dinner and testimony meeting with us later in the day, but for now they have the bittersweet task of helping others on their way.
After the meeting everyone heads out. Well, the new missionaries and their trainers have to get yet another picture taken to mark the historic day. But then they all grab their two suitcases and one side bag and off they go with a new companion and/or a new area to good deeds (note to mothers everywhere, your missionary really is limited in what they can haul around--keep that in mind before sending the giant packages).
We'll see the new missionaries and their trainers in a week for some training they might actually remember and to see how they are doing. By that time they will look even more different. And by the six-week follow-up they will be indistinguishable from the trainers--they all will look like what they are: Missionaries.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
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 1st
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)