Departing Missionaries

The sisters in this group started their missions just before we arrived in July of 2017. We did their followup training when we had only been in the mission about a week and we did not know what we were doing. SO we have all learned together! This group will always have a special place in our hearts because of the experiences that we have shared together. It is hard to see them go. I hope they will always remember how much we love them and that "we have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of their souls!" 

The sad thing is how much we miss the missionaries when they go home. It is an interesting experience to pick up new missionaries at the Santa Barbara airport on Monday. When you see the new ones that come in you can’t help but think how young they are. They are excited but have so much to learn. Being a missionary really does take a lot of skill and there will just be so much to learn!

After a day of training and assigning everyone to their new companions and areas, we then meet with those who are finishing their missions. We spend the after noon together taking pictures, have a nice meal and then share testimonies. They talk about experiences they have had and lives that have been changed. They just know how to do missionary work and they know how to inspire others to know how to do it – and then they are gone. I always wonder how we will be able to function without such good missionaries. I  think back over those two days when the new ones come, and the old ones leave and I think- this is NOT a fair trade! How will this work ever move forward? We are always re-building, re-training, re-teaching, re-reminding, re-assigning, re-encouraging and re-committing missionaries! How will we ever succeed! Hahhaha These are my real feelings every time, and every time I already know the answer. This is God’s work not ours. This is how He wants it to be. It is actually the fulfillment of prophecy that proves this is God’s true church- D&C 1:23- “That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world”

We have a lot of confidence in the futures of these missionaries. We will miss them so much. 

 Sister Masaki and Sister Wright

 Hma Cruz, Hma Coronel, Sister Martin, Sister Priestley, 

Sister Wright, Sister Masaki, Sister Frankman, Sister Lyon

 Elder Cannon, Elder Bunnage, Elder Jarnagin, Elder Morgan, Elder Reeve, Elder Tanuvasa

 

 Sister Priestley, Sister Wright, Sister Masaki, Sister Martin

Hma Coronel, Sister Frankman, Sister Lyon, Hma Cruz

  Sister Priestley, Sister Wright, Sister Masaki, Sister Martin

Hma Coronel, Sister Frankman, Sister Lyon, Hma Cruz

 Sister Martin, Sister Prieslty, Sister Masaki, Sister Wright, Hma Coronel, Hma Cruz, Sister Frankman, Sister Lyon

 Sister Martin, Hma Cruz, Sister Frankman, Sister Lyon, Sister Priestley, Sister Masaki, Sister Wright, Hma Coronel

 Elder Jarnagin, Elder Goodman, Elder Tanuvasa, Elder Reeve, Elder Morgan, Elder Bunnage, Elder Cannon, Elder Barzee

 Elder Reeve, Elder Morgan, Elder Bunnage, Elder Cannon, Elder Barzee, Elder Jarnagin, Elder Goodman, Elder Tanuvasa

 Sister Wright, Sister Masaki, Elder Cannon

 Elder Barzee, Elder Tanuvasa, Elder Morgan, Elder Goodman, Elder Reeve, Elder Bunnage

 Sister Priestley, Sister Frankman, Sister Lyon

 Elder Jarnagin, Hma Cruz, Sister Martin, Hma Cruz

 Cutting of the Ties!   Elder Cannon

 Elder Reeve

 Elder Morgan

 Elder Tanuvasa

 Sister Missionary Shoes!

 Elder Tanuvasa

 Elder Reeve

 Companions in Santa Barbara YSA

  Elder Reeve, Elder Morgan and Elder Jarnagin without their ties! 

 Elder Barzee and Elder Bunnage

 Sister Martin, Sister Wright and Sister Masaki

 We love these sisters! 

Elder Reeve-  Signing the book of recent baptisms-  Elder Tanuvasa

  President and Sister Nakken

 Sister Masaki was wearing the tie that the person she last baptized wore to church for the first time!

 Sister Wright-

 Elder Reeve and Elder Tanuvasa

 Elder Goodman- and Elder Reeve

Elder Barzee and Elder Goodman do so much work during the transfer. We could never do it without them!

 

New Missionaries- November 2018

Our Visa waiters were able to all fly out together. It was fun to have them all in our home the night before they left for Taiwan and Portugal. The shuttle came at 3:30am and they were excited and ready to go! We are always so happy to have missionaries who are waiting for their visas. We know that they cant stay with us, but we take seriously the opportunity of providing them with their first experiences of missionary life. We wish them the best and hope they always remember that we love them and are grateful to have had the chance to serve with them.

 Elder Terron, Sister Flake, Sister Awerkamp, Elder Tanner, Elder Bowers, Elder Hammond, Elder Harrison and Elder Young

 Elder Barton, Elder Rawlings, Elder Teoyotl, Sister Prior, Sister Valle, Hma Pita, Hma Person

Elder Smith and Elder Christensen

  Elder Barzee, Elder Porter, Elder Shoen, Elder Barton, Elder Smith, Elder Rawlings, Hma Person, Elder Teoyotl, Sister Valle, Elder King, Elder Leavitt, Elder Magnusson, Elder Christensen, Elder Coburn, Elder Miller, Goodman, Elder NeSmith, Pres Nakken
Sister Hartwell, Sister Fastabend, Hma Pita, Sister Prior, Hma Kunes, Sister Thiriot

 Dinner at Kyle's Kitchen

 Orientation training with the assistants, Elder Barzee and Elder Goodman

 

 Class of November Transfer 2018

 Elder Jarman will be training Elder King in the Ventura Second Ward- Ventura Zone

 Elder Miller will be trained by Elder Thueson in the Santa Maria Third Ward-Santa Maria Zone

 Elder Roylance will traine Elder NeSmith in the Valley Vista Ward- Camarillo Stake

 Elder Coburn will serve with Elder Trone in the Santa Rosa Ward- Camarillo Zone

 Hermana Pita and her trainer Hermana Edgel in the Simi Valley Spanish branch- Simi Valley Zone

 Sister Prior is waiting for her Visa to Ecuador and will be trained in the Simi YSA ward by Sister  Watkins and Sister  Petersen- Simi Valley Zone

 Elder Schoen will be serving with Elder Robinson in the Pleasant Valley Ward- Camarillo Zone

 Hma Scmidt will be training Hma Person in the Lompoc Spnich branch- Santa Barbara Zone

 Elder Cepeda will be training Elder Porter in the Santa Clara Ward- Camarillo Zone

 Elder Whitelock will be training Elder Magnusson, who is waiting for his Visa to serve in Madagascar. They will serve in the Las Posas Ward-Camarillo Zone

 Hma Kunes will be trained by Hma Walker in the San Buenaventura Ward- Ventura Zone

 Sister Valle is waiting for her Visa to Tahiti and will be trained in the Camarillo YSA ward by Sister Behunin

 Sister Thiriot is waiting for her Visa to Ecuador. She will be serving with her trainer in the Wildwood Ward-Thousand Oaks Zone

 Elder Stenberg will be training Elder Barton in the El Camino Real Barrio- Oxnard District, Camarillo Zone.

 Sister Fastabend will be serving with her trainer, Sister Fowers, in the Westlake YSA Ward, Thousand Oaks Zone

 Elder Anitoni will be training Elder Rawlings and follow-up training Elder Brewer in the Simi Spanish Branch- Simi Valley Zone

 Elder Christensen is being trained by Elder Leszynski in Fillmore- Ventura Zone

 Elder Smith is with his trainer, Elder Holland, in the Santa Lucia Branch- San Luis Obispo Zone

 Elder Teoyotl is waiting for his Visa to Paraguay and will be trained by Elder Pendleton.

Sister Hartwell is being trained by Sister Rawlings and Sister Wilbert in the Pismo Beach Ward, Santa Maria Zone