Departure & Arrivals Arrivals - Transfer #3

 

"All of us will be tested.  And all of us need true friends to love us, to listen to us, to show us the way, and to testify of truth to us." (Elder Henry B. Eyring, Apr. 2002). 

Gratefully, our Heavenly parents did not send us to earth to "wing" it all on our own.  I am very thankful I have this opportunity to serve with so many faithful, vibrant, and intelligent young women every day for six months.  They are amazing!

DEPARTING SISTERS

May 10, 2024: Departing sisters do not always leave on the same day. So, in May we had three different departure days.  We drove Sister Maddie Pope to the Newport Beach Temple on May 10th where she was picked up by a senior office couple from her Los Angeles Mission.  

May 16th, 2024: We were up bright and early on this day because Sister Hannah Bingham had a 6:20 a.m. flight for her Tennessee Knoxville Mission.  Gratefully, Sister Choi Yu Chan had a much nicer flight time of 10:15 a.m.  She was going to Hawaii. 

While we were in the airport with Sister Chan for the second time that morning, I received a phone call from Sister Bingham saying her flight had been cancelled and that she was still in the airport but would need to be picked up and brought back the next morning.  Although disappointing and a mental adjustment for Sister Bingham to have to go back to the Battalion for a day, the timing was a blessing.  

Before leaving themselves, Sister Hernandez and Sister Logo-Vaelua went to the airport to see Sister Chan off on her flight to Hawaii. Then our new STL's, Sister Nance and Sister Ballstaedt, helped us send off Sister Garcia and Sister Hernandez to Colorado. 

A Learning Curve:  Missionaries do not have their own phones.  They are given a phone to use in the MTC. These MTC phones have limited internet ability and only the senior companion has a SIM card in their phone which both missionaries use to access the internet.  When the missionaries leave, they take their phone which does not have a SIM card therefore they cannot contact people outside of the airport.  If they have a problem arise, like Sister Bingham did, they have to ask to use an airport phone to make a phone call. Because we were still pretty oblivious to how their phones work, and this was the first time something like this had happened to us, we had not prepared our missionaries for this potential scenario.  Gratefully, Sister Bingham was able to get a hold of us and we called Mission Travel who contacted the proselyting mission to let them know of the change.  They also took care of all the arrangements for a new flight.  

May 17th: So, instead of having three sisters leave on Friday, May 17th, we ended up having four.  We took Sister Bingham bright and early (again) and then picked up Sister Hernandez and Sister Garcia for their flight to Colorado Denver North Mission.  We took them to the airport early (8:30) so that we could drop them off and then drive Sister Logo-Vaelua to meet Elder and Sister Hendrickson from the Anaheim Mission.  

When we arrived at the airport, we were informed that all the parking was reserved and that we would need to go to a parking lot some distance away and then take a shuttle to the airport.  There was no way this would work into our travel timing for taking Sister Logo-Vaelua.  So, with Sister Hernandez an expert in airports and travel (her mother works for the airlines & she has traveled a lot.) we dropped them off in the parking garage, gave them our hugs and well wishes and sent them on their way.  Although we knew Sister Bingham and Sister Garcia were in safe hands with Sister Hernandez we felt like neglectful grandparents not being able to take them inside and make sure they were all safe. 

We met Elder and sister Hendrickson from the California Anaheim Mission at a Chick-fil-A a little over half-way to Anaheim. We bought Sister Logo-Vaelua breakfast and had a little one-on-one time with her before they arrived, which was nice to do. Sister Logo-Vaelua and Sister Hernandez had both served us faithfully as our first STL's. They had been invaluable as we jumped onto our moving train, known as the Mormon Battalion Historic Site,  and tried to learn what we were supposed to know and do.  (There were a few tears shed.)   

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Departing picture for Transfer 4.  Pretty much the same except for different dresses and a new senior couple, Elder Bob and Sister Janice Ottley who arrived in April to replace Elder and Sister Harwood who had gone home to Utah.  

ARRIVING SISTERS: May 16th & 30th: L/R - Sister Ballstaedt (STL) Sister Kamila Polanco, Sister Reece Rosin, Sister Ashlynn Pepper, Sister Toni Stoddard, Sister Kamila Polanco, Sister Layla Nance (STL) 

 

Sister Vicente was part of this transfer of sisters but stayed in the MTC two extra weeks and arrived May 30th. She will have an extra memorable arrival because it was in the middle of our skunk ordeal!

It's a tradition that each new set of sisters arriving from the MTC experience their very own, private, 

tour of the Mormon Battalion Historic Site.  These tours are especially enthusiastic 

yet spiritual at the same time.