#5  Transfer Time

‘Tis the week before Christmas, and all through the mission

This holiday gives the work a profound new definition.

Rather than hanging stockings by the chimney with care

Missionaries are feeling The Spirit of Giving in the air.

They spend less time nestled all snug in their beds

And more time contemplating the message in their heads--

Their desire is to give this great gift they have to share:

A testimony of our Savior, the answer to all prayer;

A simple understanding of the plan of salvation

Knowing families are forever brings peace and elation.

This gospel of Christ can give all whom they meet such a lift

They pray to share the knowledge that Christ is the Gift

It has been wonderful to watch how these sweet Elders and Sisters have put their childhood dreams of sugar plums and gifts from Santa aside to concentrate on what matters most.  We’ve had hundreds of packages and letters to missionaries pour through the mission office, but that doesn’t slow down the work.  What a joy!

It has also been transfer time (a fun and crazy few days), and we have participated in the busy activities of transporting new missionaries from the airport, sharing an afternoon of orientations (although they even begin teaching their first afternoon), changing many of the companionships, and transporting the out-going missionaries to the airport.  It is a three-day process and much is going on.

Mike and I spent the next several days making sure missionaries have the things they need in their apartments.  We move furniture and beds around as the areas change.  We certainly aren’t bored.  No two days are the same.

The Transfer Days reminded me a bit of the oil well process that we have noticed is continually working to keep the oil wells producing.  The oil is underground, and the pump jacks pull the oil out of the ground.  Some times steam lines are created around the well, and injected into a well with heavy-oil, to produce recovery during the primary production phase. It assists the natural reservoir energy so it will move more easily through the production wells.  It seems that the opportunity to transfer to a new companion or a new area injects a new energy in the missionary to help him/her produce more.  Transfers are about every six weeks and an exciting and productive time.

One highlight of the month was when Ryan came, Dec. 13-15, to visit us for the weekend.  After working in L.A., he drove up to see us before flying back home.  He certainly brought new energy and Christmas spirit to me and our little home here. We are living a simpler life here, so we decided not to decorate the little lighted tree we bought.  Ryan went shopping with me to make sure I picked up tree decorations – they certainly make the room more “merry and bright”.  

We went to the Kerns County Museum (the number one attraction in Bakersfield) and spent some serious time learning about oil wells and the community in which we live.  Our other claim to fame here is the Crystal Palace which is a museum/restaurant that celebrates Buck Owens;  but it was closed both nights to the public for private parties.  I guess Ry will just have to come back.

I’m always delighted how easy it is to love people wherever we are.  What a wonderful country we live in.  We have met so many kind, righteous, and loving people.  Many of the church members are committed to taking care of the missionaries (which, I believe, must be a relief to many parents.)  

Saturday we had a Christmas Morningside for the missionaries.  Four zones were going on at once in this mission.  It is fun to see these young missionaries join together to celebrate for two hours.  We have much diversity in personalities in these missionaries, as we have diversity of people the people who live in this community.  It is a lot of fun.

We feel blessed to be here doing the Lord’s work.  And we are grateful for you, our family and friends.  Thanks for your love and your support.  And many you feel the Savior’s love this day and always. 

 This is home . . .

 Pump Jack

 Kern County Museum

 Christmas spirit with a smile

 Hungry Hunter Dining

 Generous Reeds bought us missionaries dinner

 The missionaries love to eat

 The big boys loved it also

 150 missionaries at our Morningside - donuts and chocolate milk

#4 To every one there is a season:

 Elders moving fridge up flight of stairs in pouring rain

 Driving in Lancaster

 Out-going missionaries last LA Temple trip

 We eat every chance we get

 A happy missionary couple

To every person there is a season season: a time to prune and a time to be pruned

At we drove along the freeway to Lancaster last week, I noticed the orange trees were cut across the tops like a flat top hair cut. I’ve been told they are pruned that way to give light to the inner branches so they don't grow top heavy, nor become so deprived of light that the inside branches wither and refuse to grow fruit. In a way I feel like the missionaries also experience a bit of a pruning process: the young missionaries are modified to a simple life so they can concentrate on developing their testimonies and understanding the Spirit. They have the things they need, but, no excess.  They must rely on the light of the gospel to help them fill their days with meaningful work.  They study and work hard to produce the fruit of their service.

We as senior missionaries don't have the strict rules that the young Elders and Sisters do, but we also live simply. We miss our cozy fireplace and throws, our decorations and cooking gadgets, and, our scrapbooks and movies; but we've also learned that we can live simply with one fry pan, no bed spread nor over stuffed chair. And we spend our time relying on the light of our testimonies as we figure out how we can best serve.  Our prayer is that our fruits will be the opportunity to invite others and to lighten the  loads of the young missionaries.

It is amazing our office works so well.  We are a group of senior adults, from different background, who have been assigned different jobs.  None of us knows the others’ jobs (in fact, we hardly know our own jobs), yet we work together and things get done. The hours are long and hard (though no one requires that of us), and we enjoy what we accomplish.  What an experience.

We are learning much about the workings of a mission. There is so much that is required of so many to help our young missionaries feel safe, loved, productive, and successful as they dedicated two years of their lives to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement.  It is a great work.

We closed one apartment and opened three last week.  Closing a house that has missionaries living in it for several years can be a major shock -- we truly appreciate those mothers who have taught their children to clean.  Four cute missionaries, and two service missionary couples helped us with the moves.  But three of the moves took place on the one day in six months that there was rain in Lancaster.  By the end of the day we were all soaked and cold to the bones, and there was an 18” stream of water running through the roads. We had lots of laughs and even more exhaustion.

The other night we delivered a dryer to two Sisters in Palmdale.  I asked them what their favorite part of the mission is, and the first Sister said it is the many little miracles she witnesses each day as they are doing the work.  I must confess, I agree with that.  We’ve done some hard things, and still, things fall into place.

Each missionary has his/her own story.  One young sister shared her amazing conversion that inspired her to join the church 19 months ago.  Another young missionary talked of his difficult childhood as his family worked with his dad’s mental illness and the neighborhood gang violence, tempered through the blessing of letting the Savior make up the deficiencies in his life.  Many of these young men and women have gone through great sacrifice to served the Lord. 

We are so blessed to work with these young men and young women.