Dear Brother and Sister Woodward,
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| At the airport |
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| Sister Woodward with President and Sister Goodwin |
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| San Bernardino, California |
Dear Brother and Sister Woodward,
I
wanted to write to you and express our gratitude to you for sharing
your daughter, Sister Woodward, with us for the next 18 months. She is a
fine young woman and we have enjoyed meeting and interacting with her.
We met the arriving missionaries at the
Ontario airport at 9:40 a.m. on May 14. When Sister Woodward, along
with 11 Elders and 8 other sisters arrived, they looked amazing in their
new clothes, white crisp shirts, new suits and shined shoes. While we
were waiting for their luggage, we had a quick visit with each of them.
They were excited and just a little uneasy, (maybe more than a little)
wondering what was happening next. We also had 5 other Elder’s and 3
other Sister’s arrive in a different terminal making a total of 28 new
missionaries!
The
assistants to the president (AP's) arrived in a pick-up truck and a
van, and with the help of our senior couples and with our car, we were
able to fit all 16 missionaries and their luggage in and we were on our
way to the Woodruff building for our transfer meeting. You could just
feel the excitement in the air. All of the new missionaries were
assigned a very capable trainer. After the meeting, President had a
trainer and missionary meeting that explained the expectations of the
missionaries for the 12 Week Training program. Following the trainer
meeting we enjoyed lunch and the missionaries all got acquainted.
Following lunch, we went to the mouth of the Cajon pass to Glen Helen
Park where we met Sister Marilyn Mills. Sister Mills is an accomplished
historian and she explained to the missionaries how the area of San
Bernardino had been settled.
Briefly,
for your information, the first settlement efforts were conducted by
Spanish missionaries, and Spanish landowners starting about 1810.
During the U.S. Mexican war the Mormon Battalion (the only religiously
based battalion in U.S. history) was organized in Iowa in 1847.
Jefferson Hunt, a Captain in the Mormon Battalion was a member of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as were all the members of
the battalion. Since many people call Church members Mormons, the
Battalion was known as the Mormon Battalion. After a march through what
would become the Southwestern part of the U.S. the battalion arrived in
San Diego and was eventually stationed in what would become San
Bernardino and the surrounding areas. Among its’ many assignment’s, a
portion of the Mormon Battalion was sent to guard the Cajon pass and
protect it from possible marauding indians. After the members of the
Mormon Battalion were mustered out of their service, they returned to
Salt Lake City to join their families. President Young saw that
Southern California could be a valuable supply route for the Utah
pioneers. So to establish a mail route and a supply stop/route for
immigrants coming through California, President Young used church funds
to buy property in the desired area from Antonio Maria Lugo, a Mexican
rancher who had obtained a 35,000 acre grant after Mexico won
independence from Spain. Twenty families were asked by President Young
to colonize the area. Fifteen former Battalion men and their families
were among the Saints who settled in the area in 1851, including Captain
Jefferson Hunt. It was the third stake organized in the church. The
story of the settling the area here in San Bernardino was told in a
story written by Sister Marilyn Mills for the February, 2003 Ensign, if
you are interested in reading more about it.
Following Sister Mills presentation, we had
a short orientation meeting. Sister Snyder, the financial secretary
for the mission explained how to use their MSF (Missionary Support Fund)
cards and explained to them the proper use of the card and what to
purchase with them. Elder Houser and Elder Perez, our senior missionary
elders explained briefly to them about the church-owned vehicles in the
mission and about the gas cards that are associated with each vehicle.
Not all missionaries are assigned cars, about 1/3 of the missionaries
at any given time, are on bicycles while the remaining 2/3 are in
church-owned vehicles. We showed them some entertaining DVD’s made by
the church with some serious expectations explained in part on the DVD
by some of the 12 apostles. Sister Ball, our mission nurse, also
arrived to meet the new missionaries and explained some very basic
things each missionary needs to know. (We will do a more detailed
meeting on April 16. After some experience in the mission, they will
have more questions and be able to more fully understand what will be
explained to them. The office staff will be there at that meeting as
well to explain how things work in their specific areas of
responsibility.
After
they received their MSF and Missionary Medical cards, the housing
coordinator, Elder Snyder, talked to them about some basic expectations
in regard to housing and talked about the importance of CO2 detectors.
President started interviewing and I spent some time with the
missionaries answering questions and explaining our expectations of them
as missionaries. We also let them just relax a bit. I showed them
around the mission office, which is right there in the building, so they
could see where their mail comes and their pictures and areas on the
transfer board. That evening we had dinner with them at the church. We
laughed and enjoyed one another's company but they were all very
tired. The trainers returned at 7:00 and they went to their various
areas to sleep. They were asked to return Wednesday morning at 7:00 to
have breakfast along with their trainers. President finished
interviewing each of them and also talked to them more about some of his
expectations of them as missionaries and role played with them some
different scenarios. Those not being interviewed, did individual and
companion study. After all the interviews were completed we settled in
the chapel and had a testimony meeting with the new missionaries and
their trainers. It is always inspiring to hear the new missionaries and
their trainers bear testimony of the work they are involved in and
their testimonies of the Savior and His Atonement. Following testimony
meeting we went back into the cultural hall for lunch. About 2:00 we
sent them off to their areas to begin, in earnest, their missionary
efforts. They were all happy and excited to get to their fields of
labor to start their missionary experience of finding and preaching the
restored gospel.
We are looking forward to working with your
missionary in this most wonderful of experiences - preaching the Gospel
of Jesus Christ to the people in this area. There is a lot of
diversity in this mission. The missionaries will learn a lot about
other cultures. We know she will be a fine missionary. She is a wonderful
young woman.
The
Lord is indeed “hastening His work” and we are thrilled to be yoked
with your missionary at this very exciting and monumental time.
Warmest regards,
Sister Godwin
President Godwin
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