August 17, 2014

 This was another transfer week and they are always the best.  They are the busiest, but the best. 
   On Monday we had the new missionaries arrive about 4:30pm.  We go to the Mission Presidents home to have dinner with them and give them some training and get some needed information from them.  It is always so neat.
   On Monday afternoon, I go to Sams Club and Hanafords to get all the food for Tuesdays lunch.  We usually have 120 lunches to prepare every transfer.
   On Tuesday, we deliver all the food to the kitchen on the Manchester Ward building and with the help of the Manchester missionaries, lunches are prepared.  At 9am we, the office staff start new missionary training, while President Stoker has a meeting with all the new trainers. 

   The new missionaries shown above are, Sisters Crook, Dastrup, Davis, Eddingtin, Erickson, Harper, Olsen Tucker and Elders Pemberton, King and Johnson.  We sure love them and welcome them to the very best mission in the church.
   Then at 10am we all meet in the chapel for transfer meeting.  The going home missionaries always get a few minutes each to give their Golden Truth.  It always starts with, "On my mission I have learned this golden truth that will change my life forever ......."  I love each one and try to write down each one. 
   Then President Stoker introduces our new missionaries and assigns them to their trainer. Then the AP's announce all the transfers or

changes of assignments to new area's.  It is always so exciting for all the missionaries to see who their new companion will be and where they will be serving.  They then get with their new companion, grab a lunch and off they go to their new assignments.  It's not quite that fast as they love to mingle and talk with one another before they go.  But it is all good.
   The missionaries who went home are Elders Brown, Christensen, Lozano, Smith, Terry, Thomas, Wilson and Sisters Fratcher, Cowley, Keigley and Berg.  As you can see from the pictures to the left, they are our friends and we love them so much.  We will miss them but know they need to go home and get on with the rest of their lives.
   The high light of the day is our trip to the Boston Temple with these missionaries.  We always try to go to the 4pm session and then we have dinner in the Temple cafeteria afterwards.  It is so special!!
   Miriam and I are loving our mission and know that it will be missed this winter as we finish.  But we love being here and we are really loving this summer in New England.  Working in the office allows us to get so close to the missionaries and to be able to work with them.
   To day was a special day at church.  Sister Smedley gave one of the best talks I have ever heard on the Atonement.  She is such an awesome missionary.  The Bishop had the new missionaries in our area introduce themselves and give a brief testimony.  It was wonderful. 
   Sister Hout, who was baptized last Sunday was confirmed a member of the Church by Bishop Dickson.  She asked that I stand in the circle and assist of which I was honored. 
   We were asked on Saturday to get the moose(the mission van) and pick up two families for church that the missionaries were teaching.  We did, but none of the families came.  That's ok, we will just try again next Sunday.