WASHINGTON D.C. SOUTH MISSION: OUR BIGGEST GROUP TO ARRIVE YET!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

OUR BIGGEST GROUP TO ARRIVE YET!

The new group has arrived. All 21 of them. They look tired and excited and a little nervous. We had a nice dinner when we got them to the mission home from the airport. Our office staff is all there to welcome them. Pres. Albrights counselors: Pres. Ward and his wife and Pres. Burton and his wife are also with us. Also the Sinquefields and gramma Joyce who are here for Christmas were at dinner. The Assistants, the new exchange assistants, and the office elders are always helping us get everyone back and forth from the airport. So we had 42 for dinner. And 30 sleeping at the mission home. For the new parents just joining us, we have beds for 15 down stairs plus 6 mats. And beds for 6 sisters plus our room upstairs. So we have plenty of room and lots of fun. After dinner we have orientation meetings with lots of new info. and a testimony meeting. They learn all about the mission and the zones and landscapes. It is all a bit overwhelming and most of it will have to be heard again. They head to bed pretty early since they got up this morning at about 4:00 a.m. The next morning we feed them a big hearty breakfast and head to the church to meet their companions at the transfer meeting.

The new group posing by the Christmas tree.

Sis. Malmberg

Elder Shupe

Elder Hansen

Elder Stewart

Elder Taufoou

Elder Walls

Elder Espinoza

Elder Kelley

Elder Allen

Elder Gray

Elder Morrill

Elder Franzwa

Elder Barrett

Elder Keefer

Elder Ford

Elder Tamir

Elder Peterson

Elder Knowles

Elder Bolos

Elder Stoker

Elder Coleman

Elder Shattuck helping fix breakfast before heading off to the transfer meeting

Orientation meetings

Orientation

Orientation has moved downstairs

Lots and lots of information to take in and memorize and they are so tired.

Elder Knowles

Elder Ross gives instructions

The welcome dinner. Pres. Ward, Grama Joyce, and lots of new missionaries

More new missionaries with Pres. & Sis Burton

Table 2 with the Wards and the Albrights

Table 3 in the kitchen.

Grama Joyce meeting the new missionaries

Cannon with Elders Averett and Elder Scoble

Nicole and baby Romney.

Dec 23, 2009 our biggest group ever has arrived. 21 new missionaries came in today. 20 elders and 1 Sister. They include: Sister Malmberg, and Elders Barrett, Bolos, Coleman, Espinoza, Ford, Franzwa, Gray, Hansen, Keefer, Kelley, Knowles, Morrill, Stewart, Shupe, Stoker, Tamir, Taufoou, Walls, Allen, and Peterson. We are so excited to get to know them. They look wonderful.

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Stephanie Smith Fireside

Last Sunday evening we were privileged to attend a fireside in the mission. It was held at a beautiful old chapel in McLean. One of the pictures shows the inside of the chapel and the wood beams on the very steep-pitched ceiling of the room. The gym is under the chapel in the basement. I have never seen a floorplan like this one. Very unique. This fireside hosted Sister Stephanie Smith. Her story was in the Ensign sometime in the last year. She has a remarkable conversion story. She has held very high government positions and at one time was 5th in command at the CIA. She said something at the first of her talk that I wrote down: she said, "I've been on some remarkable adventures. But no adventure in my lifetime has been as extraordinary and life-changing as my path to conversion and baptism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. She then told about her introduction to the church. She was at a time in her life with tremendous worldly success achieved after clawing her way to the top without any regard for others, and she felt her life was shattering into a million pieces. At this time she turned to a colleague she admired who was a member of the church. He told her two things. That her Heavenly Father knew her by name and loved her and that Heavenly Father had a plan for her success. The next day he sent her a map to the temple visitor center. She told how when the missionary sisters came to her door, she didn't think she could relate to these young women. The first thing they did was ask if they could sing to her. They sang,"I am a Child of God." That was the beginning of her conversion, a long a beautiful story. You can read it on the web at Meridian Magazine. Her testimony was a real inspiration to me. There were over 350 people there and she does a great missionary work speaking to investigators. What a blessing to have heard her and felt her spirit.

Chelsea Our recent Convert

We have met the sweetest young sister. Chelsea is amazing. She joined the church during the last year and has an incredible testimony also. She never misses any missionary function and we were able to take her with us to the Stephanie Smith Fireside. She also came to the mission home a few weeks ago and we had family night. She gave the lesson and is was unbelievable. She is hoping to go on a mission next year. What a great young woman. This is a picture of her with Elders Ganaway and Gifford.