We were thrilled to see this new group of missionaries who came in today. There were eight elders and five sisters. Each of them will be a wonderful addition to the mission.
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| Everyone gets off the plane a little excited and a little tired, too. |
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| A head count reveals we have everyone. Left to right: Sister Aldridge, Elder Brian, Sister Tuft, Elder Palmer, Sister Lavrentyeva, Elder Mecham, Sister Balls, Elder Fletcher, Sister Clement, Elder Hatch, Elder Christensen, Elder Bledsoe and Elder Lim. |
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| Elder Brown attempts to squeeze in as much luggage as possible into the truck. Thankfully we have several other vans to help carry luggage. |
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| Left to right: Sister Clement, Sister Aldridge, Sister Lavrentyeva, Sister Tuft, and Sister Balls. |
Our first stop is at the temple. Unfortunately the grey sky doesn't allow us to get a very clear picture of the temple. Take our word for it. The Washington DC Temple is behind us.
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Front row left to right: Sister Tuft, San Antonio, TX; Sister Lavrentyeva, Russia; President Matsumori, Sister Matsumori; Sister Aldridge, Dover, DE; Sister Clement, Mesa, AZ; and Sister Balls, Pingree, ID.
Back row left to right: Elder Lim, Renton, WA; Elder Fletcher, Rocklin, CA; Elder Hatch, Auburn, CA; Elder Brian, Las Vegas, NV; Elder Palmer, Monroe, UT; Elder Christensen, Layton, UT; Elder Mecham, Mesa AZ; and Elder Bledsoe, Upland, CA. |
Our next stop is for food - much needed by missionaries who haven't eaten since the evening before.
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| Left to right: Elder Fletcher, Elder Bledsoe, Elder Hatch, Elder Christensen, Elder Brown and Elder Palmer. |
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| Around the table starting at the left: Elder Mecham, Elder Lim, Elder Brian and Elder Bigelow. |
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| Around the table starting at the left: Sister Balls, Sister Aldridge, Sister Tuft, Sister Clement, Sister Lavrentyeva and Sister Matsumori. |
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| Left to right: Elder Mecham, Elder Bigelow and Elder Sanchez. |
At the mission home the missionaries are trained and practice extending baptismal dates.
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| The missionaries gather in groups. |
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| More groups. |
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| Elder Christensen and Sister Aldridge practice their Spanish. President Lorenzana observes. |
And then it is time for dinner.
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| Left to right: Elder Palmer, Elder Hatch, Elder Mecham and Elder Fletcher. |
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| Those around the counter left to right: Elder Brian, Elder Mecham, Elder Bledsoe, Sister Balls, Sister Aldridge and Sister Tuft. |
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| Around the table left to right: Elder Fletcher, Elder Hatch, Elder Brian, Elder Palmer, Elder Bledsoe, Elder Christensen and Elder Mecham. President and Elder Lim are in interviews. They join us later. |
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| Left to right: Sister Clement, Sister Aldridge, Sister Lavrentyeva, Sister Tuft and Sister Balls. |
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| Left to right: Elder and Sister Black who serve in the office. Sister and President Lorenzana, 1st counselor in the mission presidency. |
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| The assistants let the others go first. Left to right: Elder Sanchez, Elder Brown and Elder Bigelow. |
