Groundhog Day

Our newest missionaries - September 22, 2010

Remember the movie, Groundhog Day, where the same things just happen over and over and over again? And remember how, in the movie, Bill Murray keeps getting better at everything that happens, because he practices it over and over and over again? Well, that's us. Here in the mission, we just keep doing the same things over and over and over again. Every six weeks. It's sort of like lather, rinse, and repeat. And hopefully, we will eventually get better at what we are doing!

September 22nd, the big old MTC bus came lumbering out of Provo and up the freeway to Salt lake City again. This time, it brought us 14 brand spanking new missionaries from the MTC - and they are just as cute and fresh and fun and eager and wonderful and bold and perky as the last new missionaries were, six weeks ago!! It's like they are a shot of enthusiasm on steroids to the whole mission - every six weeks! And what could possibly be better than that?

Of course, General Bruce Lee Winn is out in front, leading the charge! He's the first one to the bus, welcoming the missionaries with a big bear hug that they might not have been expecting, and directing them, while barking instructions such as, "Go west, young men!" Or maybe, "This is the place!" More likely, it was something along the lines of, "There are pancakes inside if you are hungry." I think Elder Harvey may be trying to determine if there is room in the luggage compartment under the bus to stow away, and return to the MTC, where things are familiar and safe..... Poor Elder Tuimaualuga tried and tried to teach us how to say his name. After the 47th time of him explaining how to speak Tongan, and sounding it out for us, we just informed him that we would be calling him Elder Tui, and we hoped he liked it!

Then it was time for breakfast for everyone, because we had a long day planned for these new missionaries!

Of course, we had to take pictures of everyone!
Elder Tonga - Vava'u, Tonga

Elder Lameta - Apia, Samoa

Elder Ehehalt - Wurtburg, Deutchland

Elder Morales - Harlington, Texas

Elder Zambrano - Magnolia, Texas

Elder Tiensuu - Tampere, Finland

Elder Duarte - Mesa, Arizona

Elder Fore - Apopka, Florida

Elder Tuimaualuga - Corona, California

Elder Bodily - Ranchester, Wyoming

Elder Cassidy - St. Cloud, Florida

Elder Harvey - Fayetteville, Arkansas

Sister Greenwood - Bells, Texas

Sister Mousseau - Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania

Soon, all the new missionaries headed downtown for a tour of Temple Square. Upon returning to the mission office, they each had a brief interview with President Winn, and one with me. I don't know what President Winn talks to them about in his interview, but I tell that that I am in charge of the health of all the missionaries in the Utah, Salt Lake City Mission. Next, I inform then that under no circumstances are they to get sick during the next two years of their lives! I find out who likes to sing solos, who likes to sing duets, who likes to sing in a very large congregation and who only sings in the shower. I'm also sort of in charge of the music in the mission, so last of all, I inform those young men and women who have been claiming all their lives that they can't play hymns on the piano because they don't read music, they only play by ear - that the gig is up. I know that they can play a hymn by ear just the same way that they can play any popular song by ear! I tell them that soon enough, they will be playing at baptisms in this mission! Then, they meet their trainers, the companions who will be teaching them, for the next six weeks, just how to be a Zion Missionary!

The Trainers.

After that, we send them out to the streets to do some street contacting, followed by their dinner appointment, and teaching lessons. By the time 9:00 rolls around, they are ready to go to bed! They are tired, but giddy with excitement, and ready to be a missionary again tomorrow! You just gotta love the new missionaries! We sure do!