SB Zone Conference

Santa Barbara Zone

Front row:  Sister Clark, Hermanas Puertas, Morales, Elders Plummer, Bradler, Hoff, Heck, Stewart, Rodriguez, Hermana Torrico, Sisters Mortimer, Hardy, Hermana Zurita

Back row:  Elder Clark, Hermanas Eames, Wright, Elders Garrard, Peisley, Haines, Corbridge, Summers, Lallatin, Hermana Arkell, Sisters Wing, Lambert, Hermana Mulloy

Sisters Mortimer and Wing with Elder Iverson who awarded them the Most Excellent Car Award.

Happy birthday to Elders Summers, Stewart, Hoff, Corbridge, Hermana Mulloy.

Brother Foutin is taking a lunch break from driving the cars to make sure the Tiwis are functioning properly.

Sister Iverson, Sister & Elder Floyd, Russ Foutin, and one of the technicians.

Lunch consisted of a croissant sandwich, chips, and an ice cream treat.

So the Church parking lots were left with all kinds of skid marks because of the test driving.

There is an elementary school across the street from the Church in Santa Barbara.  Someone from the school called the police.  Two motorcycle cops came to investigate.  Once they found out what was truly going on, they were very supportive.  In fact, a comment was made that more of this should happen and one of the cops wanted their teenager to have one installed in her car.

Hermana Eames was asked to do a musical number to start the afternoon off.  She chose Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy.  The choral group consisted of Elders Heck, Stewart, Summers, Hermanas Zurita, Torrico, Arkell, Mulloy and Elder Corbridge accompanied.

SLO and SM Zone Conference

San Luis Obispo Zone

Front row:  Sisters Aston, Mendoza, Elders Hamelin, Blaylock, Herrera Loya, Petersen, Swenson, Chesley, Pierce, Turley

Back row:  Elder Aston, Sisters Scott, Barnum, Elders Hunter, Christenson, Lemus, Elliott, Dorius, DeGraw, Morby, Garcia

Santa Maria Zone

Front row:  Sisters Perry, King, Elders Avalos, Allison, Pickett, Pace, Liddiard, Weiss, Hermana Gonzalez

Back row:  Sisters VanDerWatt, Ulassin, Elders Suarez, Powell, Gemar, Nielson, Herrera, Campbell, Hermana Pirir

We enjoyed taco salad and carrot cupcakes.

Sister and President Kasper of the San Luis Obispo Stake.  President Hulstine joined us for the meeting after lunch.

Happy birthday to Elders Aston, Pace, Allison, Powell

Clean car award was earned by Elder Turley and Elder Garcia.

To start off the afternoon session Elder Suarez and
Elder Pace sang Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy.

NP, TO, Simi Zone Conference

We started four days of zone conferences today with three of the zones down south.  The morning started off with Brother Foutin of the Church doing a TIWI (teenage independent witness) presentation in regards to the cars in the mission.  For about an hour he talked with the missionaries.  During the morning and part of the afternoon a group of technicians were updating the tiwis in the cars.   The Iverson and Floyds inspected the cars out in the heat.  We love and appreciate them.  An award was given to the companionship with the cleanest car and best kept daily report.  Sisters McClure and Fisher received the award.

The new missionaries since the last zone conference were able to bear testimony.  President Felix did a presentation on being equally yoked with members. 

Newberry Park Zone

Front row:  Elders K. Davis, M. Bailey, H. Davis, Shaw, Hatman, Sisters Cardon, Bosshardt, Hermana Lance

Back row:  Elders Snyder, Levis, J. Bailey, Hales, Hull, Sisters Campbell, Hopkins, Hermana Ames

Thousand Oaks Zone

Front row:  Elders Wayment, Carter, Palmer, Barrios-Vega, Harvey, Oakey, Sisters Besendorfer, Capener

Back row:  Elders Sila, Bronson, Ruby, Marchant, Parkinson, Gardner, Sisters Deitos, Housman

Simi Valley Zone

Front row:  Hermana Gomez, Sisters Fisher, Greding, Elders Mata, Judkins, Alder, Rosenlof, Hidalgo, McCurdy

Back row:  Hermana Kneip, Sisters McClure, Orme, Elders Brown, Klingler, Jo, DuPlessis, Harper, Huston

President Felix, President & Sister Olson - TO, Sister & President Jordon - NP, President & Sister Newberry - Simi

Hawaiian haystacks

Birthdays for May and June
Elders Bronson, Hatman, Hales, Sisters Fisher, McClure, Besendorfer, Elders Harper, McCurdy, Rosenlof, Havey, Alder

The stake presidents for the zones were invited to join us for lunch.  Our afternoon started with a musical number -
Elder Harvey and Parkinson sang I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go with Elder Jo accompanying.  The Stake Presidents then shared with the missionaries their missionary vision for their stake.  We still talked about being equally yoked.  These men had amazing remarks.

The assistants presented the CVM target - Find the elect through the trial of your faith and the new Christlike attribute of faith.  The scripture we will learn is Ether 12:6.

President and Sister Felix did a presentation on True Believers taken from a talk by Neal A. Maxwell.  We talked about 10 different characteristics of a True Believer:

True believers gladly perform their duties in the kingdom, true believers are humble, true believers are willing to do what Christ wants, true believers truly pray, true believers have both right conduct and right reasons for that conduct, they are happy, true believers remember that forgetting is part of forgiving, they have a sense of balance, and true believers are settled in their views of Christ. 

 Because we no longer have transfer meetings the missionaries leaving the first week in August were given the opportunity to bear testimony.  We heard from Elders Gardner, J. Bailey, Hull, Klingler, Kuepper, and Snyder.  President Felix had closing remarks and then we sang I Believe in Christ.

District Leader Training

All of the district leaders were at the mission office for training.  It's hard knowing 6 of these elders will be going home after this transfer.  

Front:  Elders Pace, Hales, Hull, Lemus, Peart, Herrera, Garcia, Routledge, McLane, Ruby

Elders Gardner, Gregory, Slaugh, Klingler, Huston, Corbridge, Peisley

Transfer train

Tuesday, June 21 was transfer day.  We have what we call the transfer train.  Elder Floyd drove a truck and trailer to the northern part of the mission starting the "train" in Santa Maria; while Elder Iverson drove the truck and trailer starting in the south of the mission to go north.  The assistants each had an elder with them as they drove vans - one going north and one going south.  It's much different not having transfer meetings.  The missionaries are not away from their areas as long.

We appreciate Elder Iverson taking some pictures.

 

Departing 6/22/16

With the new transfer train the departing missionaries do not arrive at the mission home until later; it was around 4:45.  

It was Hermana Soriano's birthday so we sang to her.

Before dessert we saw and listened to a talk from Elder Holland and then took the opportunity to share memorable experiences and testimonies.

Hermanas Ricks, Soriano

Elders Reed, Mulford, Boyce, Deem

The missionaries are aware that I have a hard time saying good bye.  Elder Deem asked if I was going to cry and I told him no.  I guess I lied.

We very much appreciated the Floyds driving the missionaries to the Burbank airport.  They drove off into the fog.  Elder Gibb and Elder Kuepper stayed for a meeting to talk about district training on Thursday and zone conferences next week.  These APs are going to be great.

New Arrivals 6/20/16

We're missing two...

Hermana Puertas

Sister Perry

Elder Carter

Elder Deason

Elder Pickett

Elder Palmer

Elder Alder

They arrived at the airport around 1:30 but since they had a two hour lay over in San Francisco we felt they might eat at the airport so we just provided a snack of danishes, grapes, mangos, and water.  We never know, but this time they were hungry.  We also didn't want to cater a lunch in case the plane was late (which coming from San Francisco, it 

typically is).  

We drove to Father Serra Cross so they could experience having both feet in.  

After the cross we met missionaries at the mission home so these new missionaries could go out proselyting.  They returned to receive a short orientation from the assistants and then dinner. We showed a slide presentation about us so that the missionaries can get to know us better.

We were very grateful to the Iversons for driving to the airport and picking up two more missionaries who came on different flights.  We went a head and had dinner but saved some for the Iversons and the two.

Hermana Anstee

Elder Matthews

This was so appreciated that these elders cleaned up some of the dishes.
Everyone was so tired.  President was able to interview half of them before members picked up the elders to stay the night in their homes.

The missionaries all met back at the mission home for breakfast.  It consisted of waffles, bacon, and juice.

We had a lay back morning.  President Felix finished the interviews, they filled out a short quesionnaire and then we played Jeopardy - CVM style.

Sister Iverson came to the mission home to help transport the missionaries to the mission office.  We had lunch at noon with the trainers.  Afterwards President Felix did some training with the trainers and the office staff did an orientation for the new missionaries.  After an hour or so we combined and the missionaries found out who their companions were.

Elders Atkinson, Matthews, Bradley

Elders Palmer and Ruby

Elders Jo and Alder

Elders Pickett and Gemar

Elders Bronson and Carter

Hermanas Anstee and Peterson

Hermanas Eames and Puertas

Sisters Perry and VanDerWatt

Elders VanSchlocteren and Deason

These missionaries came from Utah, Idaho and one from Canada.

We are excited to get to see them all again next week as we will be having zone conferences.