OUR MISSION UP TO DECEMBER 30, 2013
On March 27, 2013, we received our call to Brazil Sao Paulo South Mission to serve in the Perpetual Education Fund program. We were to enter the MTC on November 4. On October 30 we received a call from the Missionary Department to suggest that we accept a reassignment since we had waited so long (7 months) and we jumped at the chance. We got our new call on November 8 to enter the MTC on November 18 and serve in the California Long Beach Mission office. We had only a full week to get our preparations finished up, pack up and head out.
Nope, not Brazil!!
We entered the MTC and stayed at Ruth's sister's house. (Cathy) Spent Thanksgiving at Darrin's and left for Las Vegas the next morning. We attended the Las Vegas Temple that evening and then arrived in Long Beach shortly after noon.
Us at Cathy's house- on our way to Long Beach
It has been an interesting and challenging experience thus far and we have a lot still to learn. We have met many missionaries and loved them all and they really show us a lot of love too.
Some photos from our first month
The apartment complex where we live
5401 E Anaheim Rd
Our apartment courtyard.
Our apartment is towards the back, behind the fountain
Anaheim Road- the street where we live
A street near our church (Park Ave)
Our church. Long Beach 10th Ward
A Spanish branch and the only Cambodian ward in the church also meet here.
It is a very interesting building.
The Cambodian Christmas party.
The primary posed for photos for a Christmas card for their families.
We drove down the beach our first P day (Saturday).
This building faces the beach (right of this photo)
The Pacific Ocean
(across the street from the above building)
Palm trees blowing in the breeze off the ocean
Orange trees in our neighborhood
Shopping at California's version of Smiths (Ralph's)
A table full of sisters at the Christmas conference.
With 260 missionaries it took 3 conferences to include them all.
The thank you for the people who prepared and served the dinner--
the entire group singing "Called to Serve", and "As I Have Loved You".
Awesome.....Powerful!!
Cornered by 1 morning of Christmas packages.
Remember: 260 missionaries- all packages come to the mission office!
The mission map. The red outlined area is the boundary.
We are surrounded- left to right- by the
Los Angeles, Arcadia, Rancho Cuchamunga, Anaheim, and Irvine missions.
The furthest distance in any direction is 20 miles (2+ million people)
(sorry about the flash)
(I think that if you click on the pictures you can see them in a larger view.)
Well, we are here, we are fine, we are warm (Christmas Day at the beach we were at 80 degrees), we are happy about choosing to do a mission, we love the work and the missionaries, and we love Long Beach and the surrounding areas (like how Salt lake is surrounded by areas like Sandy, Magna, West Jordan, etc.) We love and appreciate you all and pray for health, happiness, and success.
And a PS: Ruth's sister Cathy was called to our mission, too! She arrives Feb 8, 2014 and will serve for a year in the Fountain Valley Employment Services Center. She will be serving about 10 miles from where we live. Who'd have thunk!
