Ventura/Santa Barbara Zone Activity

Turn your hearts toward your parents 

Generations gone before.

May you seek until you find them;

In the temple seal and bind them

To your hearts forever more.

Today we were in Ventura.  We encouraged the missionaries to get to know each other as they were finding names to write on their sheet.

Why would we do this for a family history activity?  Any analogies?  One has to look for the information.  

Get to know ancestors.

Elders Hatman, Reed, Stewart, Hidalgo, Corbridge, Summers, Deem, Heck

Hermanas Mulloy, Zurita, Ricks, Green, Sisters Lambert, Hardy, Hermana Arkell

Elders K. Davis, Strom, Boyce, Kuepper, Hermanas Eames, Frias, Elders Valladares, Bradler

Elders Liddiard, Oakey, Sisters Baird, Mortimer, Hermanas Morales, Soriano

Elders Peisley, Garrard, Dourious, Hoff

Sisters Jones, Hopkins, Hermanas Kneip, Flores

Elders Weiss, Peterson, Jones, Slaugh, VanSlochteren, McCurdy

In olden times, people did not smile in photographs.

The Floyds and Felixes

It was very enjoyable hearing the laughter as "Illustrations" was being played.

We heard stories about 49 different ancestors; a blacksmith, architect, trapper, dentist, farmers, pioneers, converts, Indian experiences, ones with faith, realizing the power of the priesthood and in healing, value of families, sailed the ocean, mechanic involved with the Indy 500, dreams, apostle, first to be baptized in the family, charitable, missionary, body guard to Jospeh Smith, Jr., served in wars, a bishop for 21 years, name talked about in D & C 104, a skunk story, prophet, helped in buidling the Provo temple, loved to serve, mothers and father.

It's really fun when the missionary presents their story in first person.

Newberry Park / Thousand Oaks / Simi Valley Zone Activity

In the latter days Elijah will renew the plan sublime.

He will teach you and remind you

Of the promises that bind you

To all men throughout all time.

The missionaries are getting acquainted with one another.  They had the sheet below and had to find someone that would be associated with each statement.

We asked - Why would we do this activity in regards to family history?

We get to KNOW about our ancestors.

Everyone is blindfolded and instructed to form a square.

One person can see and is instructing the rest to form a triangle.

Everyone can see and has to work together to form a square.

Elders Judkins, Bradley, Mulford, Jo

Sisters McClure, Fisher, Hermanas Ames, Gomez, Peterson, Gonzalez

Elders Pace, M. Bailey, DeGraw, Sila, Harvey, Snyder, Hunter, Marchant, Herrera Loya, Ruby

Elder Iverson took a picture of Sister Felix taking a picture. 

Elders DuPlessis, Rosenlof, Carpenter, Klingler, Morby, Harper

Elders J. Bailey, Willis, Sisters Orme, Houseman, Besendorfer, Deitos

Elders Holm, Hull, Lallatin, H. Davis, Peart, Rodriguez, Shaw, Haines

Hermanas Lance, Scott, Sisters Meglen, Greding, Wing

The Felixes and Iversons

So quiet when they started playing Telestrations.  When they shared the pictures is when the laughing began.

 One of the missionaries really did not have a good attitude about family history; but he committed to work on it.  His heart was TURNED and he really enjoyed it.  In fact, he found a name he would be able to take to the temple.

Today we heard about 8 grand parents, 12 great grandparents, 3 great great grandparents, 6 great great great, 8 great great great great, 3 great great great great great, and 6 ancestors that were not identified as to what the lineage was.

The spirit of Elijah is real!

Camarillo Zone Activity

We've been excited along with many of the missionaries for the zone activities that are this week and next.  The missionaries have been working on their family history and prepared a short story about one of their ancestors.  They were to come dressed in clothing representing that period of time that their ancestor lived in.

We are beginning each activity with the hymn 291 - Turn Your Hearts.  It's not a familiar hymn but it is fantastic for family history.

Turn your hearts; the Lord is coming, Malachi the prophet said.

Turn your hearts in preparation 

to the work of exaltation

For the living and the dead.

We had stories and broke the day up with some activities.  I will share the activities throughout the posts of zone activities.  The pictures below are in the districts they belong to except for the Hardy's and the two sisters that attended because of a doctor's appointment on the day of their zone activity.

Elders McLane, Barrios-Vega, Taufatofua, Portillo, President & Sister Felix, Hermanas Johnson, Hemingway, Hirst, Wiles, Wright

Elders Gibb, King, Blaylock, Hubbard, Atkinson, Hales, Routledge, Endicott

Elders Nielson, Gregory, Anderson, Christenson, Sisters Israelsen, Coleman

Elder & Sister Hardy, Sisters Coulon, Bosshardt

Each group was given a long rope tied in a loop.  

1.  They are trying to form a square blindfolded and without talking.

We discussed what challenges they faced.

2.  They tried again but one person is not blindfolded but still no talking.

How was this experience different?

3.  The person who is not blindfolded may talk but everyone else is blindfolded.  They were asked to form a triangle.  This still had challenges.

4.  Eveyone can see and speak to form a square.

It is much better to be able to work together and communicate.

New Missionary

Hermana Wiles was assigned to our mission and arrived today.  It was sad that her plane landed at the Santa Barbara airport so early.  We met her as she was waiting for her luggage.  

While at the Cross we met a salesman from Salt Lake and one of the his reps from Oxnard; one a member and the other not.  He wanted a picture with us and then took this one for us.

After hearing the story from President Uchtdorf about being committed, Hermana Wiles jumped in with both feet.

We stopped at the mission home to get some water and then onto the mission office for the senior couples to do an orientation.  It was planned to meet with the couples for an hour and then her companions would arrive to pick her up.  The companions were so excited to meet her; in fact her district was excited to meet her and planned to do so at the mission office.

Here is the tripan:

Hermanas Hirst, Wiles, Wright

President's letter

Dear Missionaries,

It’s hard to believe that it’s really May and that we are embarking on the daylight season in the California Ventura Mission.  We’ll get through “May gray” and “June gloom” before you know it.  This increased daylight will give us more time to meet and greet people on the streets and in their homes. 

Our CVM Target for this transfer is “To baptize monthly, we set attainable goals and work inspired plans.”  You will become aware that the Standard of Excellence for the mission has been modified by the mission leadership council and district leaders last week.  The focus is to set goals that will help us as a mission be balanced in finding the souls to receive the gospel whether they know it or not quite yet.    

While the Standard of Excellence have been adjusted to help you setting your own companionship goals, they are designed to inspire success.  The Mission President’s Handbook says that they “…must be carefully balanced with the need for personal initiative and the workings of the Spirit.”  Elder M. Russell Ballard said, “Set goals that you can reach.  Set goals that are well balanced – not too many, not too few, and not too high, not too low.  Write down your attainable goals and work on them according to their importance.  Pray for divine guidance in your goal setting.”

Growing up, my Uncle Reid who was a professor of Chemistry at BYU, suggested that I set a goal of becoming a Sterling Scholar in High School.  That didn’t match what I wanted to do and my goal was to become an All-State football player.  When I was recruited to play football in college, my mother was impressed with the marching band at halftime and suggested that I ought to focus on that.  Those goals suggested by my uncle and my mother were not in line with mine and I didn’t achieve them.  I did reach the goals that I made.  After high school with a state championship and being all-state, I received a full ride scholarship to play football.  I then made the decision to serve the Lord as a missionary and gave up football for a season.  The blessings of dedicating my life to serve the Lord as a missionary was great.  You will always have whatever you accomplished in the past and there might be plans for what you will do after your mission, but you are here now.  Let this time as a missionary be your focus. 

Elder Richard G. Scott cleverly stated “To reach a goal you have never before attained, you must do things you have never before done.”  It is my prayer that you will understand in your heart what it means to be a consecrated missionary and that you will adjust your goals to be more effective in representing the Lord in all things, in all places and at all times.  

Love with Heaven sent success,

President Felix

CO Detectors

The Missionary Department has authorized us to install a smoke and carbon monoxide detector in every missionary department. This unit has a 10 year sealed lithium battery.  It is the responsibility of the missionary to test the unit monthly and report the results in the missionary portal.

Elder and Sister Hardy have taken on the responsibility to install them. Here is a picture of them installing in the mission home.

MLC/DL 5/12/16

We had Mission Leadership Council and District Leader Training.  Our focus in the morning was using our time wisely.  The process for planning time wisely is to establish a vision, set inspired goals, create and execute inspired plans and be accountable to the Lord and the mission leaders.  The afternoon discussion was led by President Felix evaluating the Standard of Excellence.  It was wonderful having the District Leaders at the meeting to add to the discussion.  The Standard of Excellence now has some changes and it will be updated in the Orientation Book that will be given out at the May zone activities.  We separated the Elders and Sisters for more training on their responsibilities.

APs = Elder Boyce and Elder Kuepper 

Sister Training Leaders = Front row:  Sisters King, Houseman, Hermanas Hemingway and Frias

Back row:  Sisters Ulassin and Orme, Hermanas Johnson and Eames

Zone Leaders = Front row:  Elders Swenson, Campbell, Stewart, Peterson, King, Rosenlof, Harvey

Back row:  Elders Powell, Parkinson, Summers, Weiss, Gibb, DuPlessis, Snyder

District Leaders = Front row:  Elders Routledge, Lemus, Haines, Willis, Ruby, Herrera, Dorius, Taufatofua

Back row:  Elders Garcia, Gregory, Gardner, Mulford, Deem, Carpenter, Davis, Slaugh

After MLC the Zone Leaders pick up supplies to take back to their zones.

We are so grateful to the Iversons, Floyds and Hardys for putting together lunch for us.  The taco salad was delicious!