New Missionaries for a New Year

Happy New Year.  It is crazy to think it is 2018, a new year with so many new things to look forward to.  We rang in our new year by welcoming 14 new missionaries to the California Sacramento Mission.  

We actually got 15 in this transfer, but Elder Kemp came two weeks ago because he is Hmong Speaking and they only teach Hmong at the MTC 4 times a year so he was on a different MTC schedule.  

We had a few different pick ups, and thankfully, all of them went well and we got everyone here safe and accounted for.  

Elder Salavador is from Southern California and his parents drove him up to meet us at the mission office. We had him come before we went to the airport so he could come with us and meet his new group. He told us the most amazing story of opening a mission call we have ever heard.  His call came and his parents hid it from him.  He kept wondering when it was going to come.  The Sunday after it came he they had just finished the sacrament in Sacrament meeting and the bishop called him up to the stand.  He was worried he was going to have to speak, then his sister, who goes to BYU Idaho walked into the chapel and he wondered why she was there, and then she started waving his mission call in front of her, carrying it up to the stand, where he opened his call in front of the entire congregation.  Luckily he was happy about where he was going, and it all turned out well.  

As soon as Elder Salvador said his goodbye's to his family, we were off to the airport.  Next up  was Elder Steel.  He came in on a flight that arrived about 30 minutes before the other 12 arrived.  

I never get tired of finding these fun selfies on my camera after the elders have had it for a while.  
The rest of the group got here and we were now complete.

After we collected everyone and their luggage, we were off to our home for dinner, some training and Scott's interviews with each missionary.  We also take a picture and I text it to their parents to let them know they have arrived safe and sound.  

By the end of the night, we have some tired missionaries on our hands so it's off to have a good night sleep because we meet again bright and early the next morning. We had more training meetings on Tuesday morning and finally they were ready to meet their new trainers. That is one of my favorite things in the mission. Seeing the excitement on the trainer's faces as we walk in is priceless.  The trainers are lined up and singing Called To Serve, while the new missionaries walk into the cultural hall.  It is fun to see the new missionaries start feeling confident enough to join in by the second verse.  Then I call the new missionary's name, and President announces where they are going to be serving and with whom.  I love watching the trainers, because they know who they are training once the area is announced, and to see their eyes light up when the recognition sets in is one of my favorite things.  

Once they are matched up, we have lunch and then head to the temple to take pictures.

 Ready to meet their new trainers

This is a great new group. We love our new missionaries.  

Elder Babin training Elder Dusbabek, and Elder Pingle training Elder Naylor

Sister Leavitt training Sister Clifford, and Sister Gilbert training Sister Workman

Elder Brown trained by Elder Steglich and Elder Holdaway training Elder Lybbert

Elder Steel trained by Elder Yazzie and Elder Moeller being trained by Elder Ricedorff

            Elder Bennie being trained by Elder He, and  Elder Gove training Elder Salvador

Elder Thomas training Elder Kemp and Elder Schwensen training Elder Litster

Sister Schaff being trained by Sister Root and Sister Wallentine trained by Sister Roberts

Elder Dunyon being trained by Elder Pearson

It is always so nice to get the new missionaries here, and settled, and happily off to work.  We are so grateful to be able to work with these remarkable missionaries and can't wait to see all of the good they will do. 

Things kind of came full circle, when after we got home from our day of training and taking pictures with the new missionaries, we were blessed with a visit from one of our former missionaries, Elder Hoskin, and his parents.  He was called as a trainer in our very first transfer, just two weeks in and we didn't know anyone very well.  Scott felt very inspired to call Elder Hoskin as a trainer, even though he only had one transfer left.  I will always remember that experience, it was one of the first moments of revelation I saw Scott receive in relation to transfers and trainers.  It was wonderful to be able to spend some time with him and his lovely parents.  

Late Tuesday night we heard of the passing of our beloved Prophet, President Thomas S Monson.  How we all love him.  I took the title of my blog, Joy in the Journey, from a quote of his.  "Let us relish life as we live it, let us find joy in the journey, and share our love with family and friends."  It was tender to me that we had just sent these new missionaries out to begin their joyful journey in the California Sacramento Mission, the same day that President Monson ended his joyful earthly journey.  We are grateful to testify of living prophets and hope to live up to the legacy of love and joy that President Monson modeled for us every day.  His was a life well lived and he will be sorely missed.