Salt Lake Temple Square Mission

January 12, 2014

Mid-January is upon us.  With the lights off at Temple Square, it feels more like winter.  This week has been cold and the sidewalks treacherous.  We have had to be very careful as we walk our many miles daily.  Winter has its beauty, but we look forward with great anticipation toward the spring.  We still have visitors coming to the Square, especially those who enjoy skiing in the mountains and the many convention patrons that come to Salt Lake City.

Peter Brineholt

 This and next week will be a time to say goodbye to our mission president and his wife, the Gillettes.  Our new mission president and his wife, the Poulsens, will arrive next Friday.  On Monday night we had a special musical presentation by Peter Brineholt and David Tolk.  These men are well known in the LDS music industry.  Their concert was uplifting and spiritual for all who attended.  Afterwards the sisters surprised the Gillettes by a very special New Zealand dance and Hawaiian musical number.  Each sister who was there presented leis to them.  By the time each sister had said goodbye, the leis were up to their noses.  It was a very emotional but happy time   for both of them.

Sister Gillette

President Gillete

We talked to Tressa on Saturday but she had been called into work so we couldn’t talk long. We were so happy to touch base with her and reconnect.  We have another appointment on Monday with her and hope to hear that things might be changing in her environment, that a repentance process might get started.  We only wish her the best and want so much for her to be baptized.  Jason is back in town so hopefully next week we might go forth and start teaching him again.  We hope to teach him about our Savior, Jesus Christ, something he knows nothing about.

Sisters Leaving their Mission

We will miss these sisters

We also had a transfer conference this week.  Again nineteen great sisters went home and thirty-one went outbound.  These events are very difficult for us because it is so hard to say goodbye to them.  Also on Wednesday, seventeen new sisters joined the mission.  This mission is always in flux and it becomes very hard to learn names and countries.  Personally, I just think I’ve learned the names of the sisters and then it all changes again.  Next week I start my ESL class and I will really get to know these new sisters!

We talked to Cesar this week and he always inspires us.  Because he is a ward missionary, he goes out with the full-time missionaries teaching the less active or new investigators.  It is amazing to hear of his stories and the testimony he shares with those people.  He invited us next week to be present when he receives his Patriarchal Blessing.  What a joy it is for us to participate in these special events with him.