Can you see everyone? With so many it was a really big challenge to get every face in the picture. It never ceases to amaze me that so many good young people keep coming. There are so many of them out there!
What a rainy, but beautiful day at the Portland Temple. To be surrounded by so many we have come to love in the temple is an amazing experience. We try not to think about tomorrow and the good byes.
Sister Harrington and her parents. All the missionaries were looking out the window watching with excitement. You would have thought it was Christmas morning. "It's a mom!"
A fierce and exciting game of Jenga the night before going home. What talent and nerves of steel!We had a fairly large number of missionaries coming and going this week. We welcomed in 18 new missionaries and sent home 17. With that many coming and going we had a large number of companionships affected by this transfer. We needed to rent a 15 person van, in addition to the 12 person van we own, to keep up with the number of people we needed to transport up and down the I-5. In addition to using these vans, we again received a lot of help from various members in transporting missionaries to and from transfer spots. We are always so grateful for the large number of people willing to help missionaries in anything and everything they need help with.
When we were at the airport seeing off this set of missionaries, one of the security people was watching us and walked up to Sister Macdonald and said, “Are you like the den mother for all of these missionaries?” She said that she was, and I am guessing that is a pretty good way to describe to someone unfamiliar with the church and its missionary program what it is she does here. And if that is a title the world can give to her that they will understand, I hope I could be called a coach, as that is what I am trying to do on my end. With the passing of the great coach John Wooden this week, I realize to try and give myself the title of coach is a bit of a stretch. I will try and live up to that.
These groups of outgoing and incoming missionaries were, and are, excellent. We love to welcome in new missionaries, but it is always hard to send any of them home. It was extra hard this time as it was such a large, strong group. Yet, it was obvious when we were visiting with this new group that they will become every bit as great!
This weekend we were invited by Elder Larry Gibbons to attend and speak at the Eugene Stake Conference. He was here on assignment accompanied by Elder Paul Christensen an area 70, to reorganized the Eugene Oregon Stake. The Medford Stake was also reorganized this weekend. We were grateful to have been invited to the local conference so we didn’t have to travel this week for speaking assignments. This is the first change in any of the 15 stakes in the mission since we arrived. We have really been blessed to get to know these good stake presidents and look forward to getting to know these two new presidents better. I have already spoken with both of them and exchanged e-mails. We have a dinner set up with them to get to know them and see what we can do to help them in their responsibilities. The process of changing authority/ leadership in the church is smooth and divine. It is another testament of the truthfulness of this gospel and that the priesthood is restored to the earth.
When we were at the airport seeing off this set of missionaries, one of the security people was watching us and walked up to Sister Macdonald and said, “Are you like the den mother for all of these missionaries?” She said that she was, and I am guessing that is a pretty good way to describe to someone unfamiliar with the church and its missionary program what it is she does here. And if that is a title the world can give to her that they will understand, I hope I could be called a coach, as that is what I am trying to do on my end. With the passing of the great coach John Wooden this week, I realize to try and give myself the title of coach is a bit of a stretch. I will try and live up to that.
These groups of outgoing and incoming missionaries were, and are, excellent. We love to welcome in new missionaries, but it is always hard to send any of them home. It was extra hard this time as it was such a large, strong group. Yet, it was obvious when we were visiting with this new group that they will become every bit as great!
This weekend we were invited by Elder Larry Gibbons to attend and speak at the Eugene Stake Conference. He was here on assignment accompanied by Elder Paul Christensen an area 70, to reorganized the Eugene Oregon Stake. The Medford Stake was also reorganized this weekend. We were grateful to have been invited to the local conference so we didn’t have to travel this week for speaking assignments. This is the first change in any of the 15 stakes in the mission since we arrived. We have really been blessed to get to know these good stake presidents and look forward to getting to know these two new presidents better. I have already spoken with both of them and exchanged e-mails. We have a dinner set up with them to get to know them and see what we can do to help them in their responsibilities. The process of changing authority/ leadership in the church is smooth and divine. It is another testament of the truthfulness of this gospel and that the priesthood is restored to the earth.
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