New Missionaries: January 26, 2011

January 26 was another cold, gray, snowy day in Salt Lake City. But it didn't matter to us at all, and we couldn't have been any happier if it had been 85 and sunny! (Well, okay. I might have been a little happier if it had been 85 and sunny!) The days we get new missionaries are always great days, and we had ten handsome young elders riding up from the Provo MTC. We were actually adding eleven missionaries to our cadre, but for some reason unknown, Elder Rosas had arrived a week before everyone else. President Winn was the first one outside to meet the bus.

Here they came, dragging all their worldly possessions behind them!

Once inside, we let them put down their luggage and warm up.

But that was only a ploy. The first thing Sister Chase does is make them all hand over their passports, drivers licenses, and money. You see, she and Elder Chase run a fake ID business on the side, and they use the missionaries' stuff to keep it going......JUST KIDDING! Actually, we do keep their passports under lock and key rather than having them drag them around for two years and run the risk of lots of lost passports. We collect their drivers licenses and make copies of them for our Mission Car Czar before we give them back. And Sister Chase really doesn't take their money. Everybody knows that missionaries don't have any money!!!

Look at all these fine young men!

(Back Row:) Elder Hoffman, Elder Montgomery, Elder Garbe, Elder Ngauamo & Elder Vialea

(Front Row:) Elder Pollmann, Elder Ahlstrom, Elder Tse, Elder Thomas & Elder White

This is our Elder Rosas, who joined us a week ago.

We've already had him hard at work.

Here are some mug shots of the new missionaries with their mission president.

We feed them a little breakfast, take mug shots, and then gather in the Relief Society Room for a short meeting. Each of the new missionaries introduces themselves and shares their reason for giving up two years of their life and coming to Salt Lake City to serve a mission. Next, we sit them all down to then get them busy reading up on the mission and filling out some required paperwork. We also have them write a letter home, letting their parents know that they arrived in the mission safely.

While they are doing this, President Winn interviews each new missionary for a few minutes to get to know them a little. After that, we load them up in the mission van and send them down to Temple Square to see where they will be taking their investigators for the next two years!

President Winn and the Assistants sit down together and determine which of the trainers will be best suited for each of the new missionaries.

Back from Temple Square, the new missionaries anxiously wait to find out who their trainers will be.

And the trainers anxiously wait to find out who their new missionaries will be!

And pretty much all of them are just hungry and anxiously waiting for lunch!

Soon, the announcements begin:

Elder Rosas from Mexico, your trainer will be Elder Salisbury from Ohio!

Elder Chamberlain from Pennsylvania, you will be training Elder White from California!

Elder Thomas from Alaska will be trained by Elder Freitas from Brazil.

Elder Ngauamo from Tonga will be trained by....

Elder Tupou who is also from Tonga!

And Elder Vialea from Tonga will be trained by none other than.....

Elder Fifita from Tonga!

Guess who is going to Wyoming?!?!

Elder Ahlstrom from California, to be trained by Elder Walker from Arizona.

Elder Garbe from Kansas will be trained by Elder Torres from Mexico.

Introducing, from Florida, Elder Hoffman!

To be trained by Elder Judd, who hails from Oregon.

Elder Montgomery, from Arizona will be trained by Elder Jorgensen from Oregon.

Elder Pollmann comes to us from Iowa.

Elder Beck from Wisconsin will be training him.

For our last companionship, drum roll, please!

Elder Tse, from Canada.....

...meet Elder Burkard from California!

Now, let's stop talking and eat!

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New Missionaries: January 26, 2011