New Missionaries

December 7, 2011

We had a really great day helping with the arrival of new missionaries.  We meet the assistants to President Keyes at the temple. They were in a van, pulling a trailer.  We followed them to the airport.  Eighteen new missionaries arrived!  President Keyes was glad to have our van available!  We loaded them into the vehicles and tons of luggage into the mission trailer.  We then drove back to the temple.  I guess it’s tradition to tour the church sites close to the mission home before they are assigned to their area.  When we got to the temple, all the missionaries lined up in front of the temple along with President and Sister Keyes, everyone had a camera.  So Jerry and I and the assistants snapped pictures.  Sister Keyes gave them all a sandwich, then back into the cars.

Eight Witnesses Monument

  We then drove to the Eight Witnesses site.  It is about 4 miles away from the temple.  It was dedicated just weeks before we arrived.   

From there we went to the Liberty Jail.  We were all able to take the tour together, it was a pretty big group!  Another very spiritual spot.  We then drove to the mission office site, which is in Independence.  There is a lot of history in this area.   A section of land was appointed and consecrated as a place where the Saints will gather and build a temple (D&C 57).  The LDS Visitors Center is located here.  The Community of Christ (formerly RLDS) has it’s temple and headquarters here, as well as several other churches.

Elder Cowdin
He is from our home ward in Plain City

The Visitors Center was remolded and reopened in 2006.  It is just a wonderful place to visit.  We divided up into two groups and took the tour.  After the Visitors Center we drove to the mission home where the Elders and Sisters had a lovely dinner waiting for them.  They spent the rest of the night being interviewed by president Keyes.   They will spend the night there in the mission home.  In the morning a bus will pick them up, take them to a stake center where they will be assigned to their new companions and taken to their new areas. 

I would like to have seen how they put 18 young adults to bed!  I know the sisters get the bedrooms upstairs.  The elders lower twin mattresses that are stored upstairs over the banisters down to the main floor.  There is a big room off of the kitchen where I think they all stay.  There are bathrooms down stairs in the garage as well as on the main floor.  I am sure it is a fun time for all!