This is EXACTLY What I Signed Up For!

Dearest Family and Friends,

October 20-23, we traveled to Ohio for a Mission Leadership Seminar held for the 19 couples who are mission leaders in the North American Northeast Area. We had some helpful training in Cleveland. On the first day, we sat next to President Reid and Sister Shelly Neilson of the Washington D.C. North Mission. She had a water bottle with a big sticker on it that said, "This is EXACTLY what I signed up for!" When I said how much I loved it, she told me her daughter had made them for all their missionaries, and she gave me one too. What a great lesson in a fun sticker! When life gets tough, especially as we reflect on all that we've lived through since March 2020, it can be easy to feel ripped off, disappointed, and discouraged. We hear this from some church members and even some missionaries, "This isn't what I signed up for!" The truth is a mortal experience is exactly what we all signed up for in heaven before we came to earth. Even if we don't remember it, I believe we can be plenty impressed with our pre-existence selves that we not only were willing to come here to be born and receive a body, to learn and to grow, to have joy and sorrow, and all kinds of opportunities and challenges, but we shouted for joy about it! There's no doubt that it is tough and even heartbreaking at times. How thankful I am for the peace that comes when we know we can turn our burdens over to the Lord so He can carry them.

Every moment of the seminar was fantastic, but for us, the highlight was the day we spent in Kirtland with Karl Anderson ("Mr. Kirtland") learning more about the earliest members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and touring the sites where so many sacred events took place. Elmer and I tried not to be too weird and obvious about how thrilled we were for our first visit to Kirtland, but we did ask if we could take a photo with Karl and Joyce Anderson and their daughter and son-in-law, Linda and Drew Page, who are the mission leaders in Indianapolis and our friends from San Diego. We are big fans!

Although Mission Leadership Seminars are held twice yearly, this one was our first in person. It was so wonderful to meet together, share ideas, and be instructed by our leaders including Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. We were asked to share how the Michigan Lansing Mission helps and supports members in their efforts to share the gospel, which we've been trying to do for many, many months. The focus of the effort is member-centered, missionary-supported. We've been reporting on our efforts to the Area President, Elder Rand Bennett, since June who then reports our efforts to Elder Cook. At the seminar, Elder Bennett gave a presentation and instructions on how now all the missions in the NANE will work with members in the way we've been trying to do. We emphasize that it isn't a program, but it is simply living the two great commandments and the doctrine of Christ. However, we hope to never again be asked to present anything at a mission leadership seminar. 😅 It's a little tricky to help and not come across like, "Do what we do."

We may or may not have stopped by the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on our way home. Don't get out a map, but our excuse was we were avoiding all the toll roads. It was our preparation day. We seem to take one every other transfer or so.

Kirtland Ohio Temple

With the Wrights of Pennsylvania Pittsburgh, the Rolfes of New Jersey Morristown, the Horgesheimers of Ohio Columbus, and the Nyes of Maryland Baltimore

With President and Sister Horgesheimer of the Ohio Columbus Mission

Karl Anderson upstairs at the Whitney Store

With Karl and Joyce Anderson, President and Sister Page of the Indiana Indianapolis Mission

At the John and Elsa Johnson Home - From these steps, Joseph Smith taught the gospel of Jesus Christ the morning after he was tarred and feathered by a mob. Among those he preached to that morning were members of the mob that had attacked him. Some hearts were softened by the word of the Lord.

Exactly!

In other news, our missionaries have totaled three cars in three weeks - all in accidents that could have been avoided with a little more attention and care. Fortunately, no one was injured, which is quite the miracle. We have a few other cars that have needed repairs from things like someone hitting the missionaries' car in a parking lot and a deer strike. (In Michigan, if you don't hit a deer this year, they say you will next year. I think I've already mentioned the disturbing amount of roadkill.) It takes two months to get an appointment with a body shop due to the problem with getting the parts ordered and the shops having enough workers. Usually, the body shop can get it back within a week once it goes in. But our poor Kalkaska sisters have been waiting for their car for weeks. When they called the bodyshop today to arrange pick up, they were told it still isn't ready because no one has come into work because it's hunting season. Welcome to Michigan.

We were finally able to have most of the stake presidents and their wives, our Area Seventy Elder Rick DeVries and his wife, Dyana, and the Traverse City District President Buddy Stoddard and his wife, Tina, over for dinner. Normally, we would have had everyone over when we first arrived, but the pandemic has made it impossible until now. I am still mad I didn't take a picture. We had one of our Assistants, Elder Kika Stone, sing with Sister Carlee Stephenson at the piano, then we had dinner, and then we played the Newlywed Game, which Hillary and Newel put together for our family reunion, and we reused. It was hilarious, and everyone had a great time.

We also had an outing with the senior couples in the mission. Other than one of the husbands coming down with COVID, it was also very fun. The senior couples do so much good for the ward, branches and groups where they serve.

The COVID cases in Michigan are on the rise again especially in Northern Michigan. Church has been cancelled in places. Hospitals up north aren't doing elective surgeries and the ERs are overrun. So far, our young missionaries have avoided getting it.

We sent missionaries to Suriname (Trinidad Port-of-Spain Mission), Brazil, Barbados, the Netherlands, and the Dominican Republic. It doesn't get any easier. Once a missionary has less than six months left in his or her mission, they are permanently reassigned to us. On November 5th, we got word that Sister Ashley Kirchner, one of our Dutch-speaking missionaries, was permanently assigned to the MLM and would not have the opportunity to go to her original assignment in the Belgium/Netherlands Mission. Neither Elmer nor I felt that was right. She was trained by a Dutch-speaking missionary who began her mission in Suriname. She has been doing Facebook work for the missionary efforts in Suriname the whole time she has been here and studied her Dutch faithfully. Elmer reached out to the Missionary Department, who agreed that she should have the chance to go. They got the necessary permission, and she was on a plane November 10th. Even though we knew it was the right thing to do, we said, "What were we thinking?!" Zuster Kirchner was one of our great leaders in the mission and doing a great work at MSU. She and I both cried for joy when we told her the news. I also had a few sad tears.

Overall, the mission is very young. While we have some excellent experienced missionaries, they are closer to finishing their 18-24 months of service. Many of the missionaries who have been out about a year have gone or will go to original assignments. But we are very impressed with the new missionaries we are receiving. They are doing well and capable of filling that gap.

We were so happy to be able to watch Jordan, Bennett, and Brady with the rest of the Primary children in the San Diego 7th Ward present their program in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. Later that day, we got to see Eloise's Primary Program in the Lehi Hardman Farms Ward. Isn't this technology amazing? While we never want to see a global pandemic again, we would have missed out on these moments with our grandchildren but for all we have learned during the past couple of years.

We love you all,

Amy and Elmer

Sister Emma Jolley to Suriname

Elder Bryce Johnson to Brazil

Elder Freddy Twitchell to Barbados (so sad he's missing winter in Michigan)

Elder Brayden Canning to Brazil

Sister Ashley Kirchner to the Belgium/Netherlands Mission

Elder Hayden Wilcox to the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission. Our heart rates are pretty high in this photo because the elders overslept and got to the airport literally one minute before Delta would not let Elder Wilcox board.

MLC - Spanish Zone Leadership: Elder Mejia, Elder Miner, Hermana Muñoz, and Hermana Johnson

October Zone Conference

October Zone Conference - Traverse City and Midland Zones

October Zone Conference - Missionaries of Bay City

The Sisters of the Midland Zone

The Sisters and Elders of Jackson, with Lansing Elders photobombing

Something to eat after Zone Conference in Mt. Pleasant

After zone conference in Mt. Pleasant

With Sister Dallin and Sister Traughber of Cheboygan

Zone Conference in Kalamazoo

With Elder Rasmussen and Elder Godoy

Look who surprised us after zone conference in Lansing: the former Sister Indee Rigby with her wonderful parents. Coming back to take Michigan by storm!

With the Lansing and Spanish Zones' sisters and hermanas after zone conference in October

Look who else came back to Michigan for the Traverse City District Conference! The former Elder Matthias Dunn with his lovely family - From Argentina to Michigan to Argentina and back to Michigan!

Trying to find food on a Saturday night in Traverse City when District Conference happens during the fall color tour with Elder Randall Bennett, Elder Rick and Dyana DeVries, President Gentile, President Brown, and President Buddy and Sister Tina Stoddard. We'll never forget it!

Sister Kirchner, Sister London, and Sister Muñoz before Sister Kirchner left for the Netherlands

How grateful we are for this group of missionaries who finished their missions in November: Elder Kika Stone, Elder Andrew Power, Elder Jayden Iverson, Elder McKay Mecham, Elder Andrew Eccles, Sister Emalie Harris, Elder Brayden Braithwaite, Elder Shiwon Kim, Elder Christen Moray, Elder Joram Watson, Elder Brighton Huggard, Elder Hyrum Clare, and Elder Drew Candland

New missionaries and their trainers

The Sisters of MSU (Atkinson, London, and Kirchner) to the rescue at midnight to pick up Sister Zimmerman (a missed connection in Detroit is a big deal since there are not many flights into Lansing)

Nineteen out of twenty newly arrived missionaries to the great MLM: Elders Lundgreen, Parks, Watts, Douglas, Marsh, Reese, Nelson, Davis, Dahl, Gray, Doman, and Woolsey with Sisters Kitzman, Adams, Baldwin, Mertens, Galbraith, Painter, and Baumgartner