CHRISTMAS DAY 2014

We awoke to freshly fallen snow this Christmas day!  Our mission met together at 1:00 pm in the North Visitor center for our Christmas Devotional.  We want to thank all the sisters who have contributed time and talents to make this an amazing program.  Through your readings, singing and instrumental presentations we were able to reflect upon the beautiful Christmas story of our Savior Jesus Christ and what it means to each of us in our lives.

Immediately following our Christmas Devotional we went to the South Visitor Center for cookies and milk provided by the generosity of many families throughout the Utah Valley.  Zones then met together to open gifts provided by secret Santa's.

Cookies and Milk or Juice


OPENING CHRISTMAS GIFTS

                                                                     

East 1 Zone  

North 1 Zone

At 5pm this evening our mission enjoyed a Christmas dinner provided by several families from the Highland Stake--a wonderful and most appreciated meal!!!!!

President Poulsen enjoys dinner with the Sisters

SING AND SMILE

At Christmastime on Temple Square you can hear Sister missionaries singing to the visitors on Temple Square.  Anyone is invited to join in.  We had a couple of takers in this picture. 

SOUP DINNER

December 14, 2014

Families in the Highland Stake provided a soup and bread dinner for our Sisters.  It was hard to choose from the variety of soups available to us.  Of course, a variety of Christmas cookies were available for dessert.  Along with a wonderful meal young women in the Highland Stake made rice bags for our Sisters comfort.  Their service was greatly appreciated and it was a most enjoyable evening. 

To express their gratitude for the wonderful meal Highland Stake provided the Sisters sang ''Called to Serve'' Temple Square style.



IT'S TRANSFER TIME AGAIN!!

DECEMBER 7, 2014

This morning after Sacrament Meeting our sister missionaries looked forward to attending Music and Spoken Word in the Conference Center.  As usual our departing sisters were recognized and thanked for their service at the end of the program. 

 

Departing for home this transfer are Sisters: Cuevas, Depablos, Hardy, Humble, Jarrett, Malavasi, May, Nakayama, Orfila, Park, Price, Sheratt, Snow, Stufflebean, Tanner, Yang, Yeung, Yu, Kennach, Liao, Ying, Vosaniyaqona, and Stephen.  

DECEMBER 8, 2014

Today at 8am we held zone transfer meetings.  Zone Leaders gave out new assignments including apartment moves and new companionships.  After the zone meetings we met as a mission in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square to receive words of counsel from President and Sister Poulsen.  Sister Yeung, one of our AP’s, will be departing for home so President Poulsen announced that Sister Gretchen Rose Brock will fill that position.  Departing sisters were asked to bear a brief testimony/words of advice.  New Zone leaders called this transfer are:  Sisters Ma, Araujo, Jones, Jin, Christensen, Ueno, Weidmann, Tiritilli, Reed, Cardus, Davis, Tuinukuafe, Vargas, Hirro, Stigsson and Torres.

 

In celebration of exceeding their baptism goal during this transfer period sisters gathered for Pizza and icecream.  For this Transfers (6 week period) we had 159 baptisms!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHRISTMAS SURPRISE

December 4, 2014

Perry Fourth Ward surprised our Temple Square Sister missionaries tonight with a treat of cookies and milk along with a special gift for each sister.  We appreciate their thoughtfulness! The cookies were yummy and it was a fun time.  We ended the evening by receiving a scarf to pin our name tags on so that we are more visible in the evening hours as we serve on Temple Square.

 

He Is the Gift Christmas Initiative 2014

This morning at 7:30am our mission met in Theater 1, South Visitor Center at Temple Square to receive training from Brother Kay of the Missionary Department for ''He Is the Gift'', a Christmas initiative to invite all to come unto Christ.  Temple Square changes magically at Christmas so as missionaries we need to adjust a little in the way we do our missionary work. As part of this initiative we will have a 5 minute video available to all visitors that shows us that the most important gift during the Christmas season is the gift of Heavenly Fathers son, Jesus Christ, to us. Through the video and He Is the Gift pass-a-long cards we are invited to Discover The Gift, Embrace The Gift and then Share The Gift by expressing our feelings and thoughts about Jesus Christ through various social media. There will also be a You Tube promotion for He Is the Gift beginning November 28.  Along I-15 billboards will display ''He Is the Gift'' referring people to go online at christmas.mormon.org for more information.

 

THANKSGIVING

Sisters were asked to write on a feather some thing they were grateful for to help fatten up our turkey. An attitude of gratitude prevails throughout our mission so it didn't take long to fatten this turkey and he continues to grow fatter.  Something our Sisters are particularly grateful for this Thanksgiving is the opportunity to be invited to members homes from the Bountiful Heights Stake.  Temple Square will close from noon to 6pm on Thanksgiving day and during that time Sister companionships will spend Thanksgiving with a family from the wards within this stake.  The Sisters are so excited to be in members homes for Thanksgiving and grateful for this opportunity.  We wish all who visit our site a Happy Thanksgiving and may we all keep this attitude of gratitude throughout the year and throughout our lives.  No matter the circumstances you find yourself in, remember, a grateful heart sits at a continuous feast.

HALLOWEEN MISSION ACTIVITY

Temple Square closed at 5pm on Halloween and our mission gathered in the cafeteria area of the Church Office Building for a Potato Bar dinner.  President Poulsen warmly welcomed everyone and introduced our new senior missionary couple Elder and Sister Burton.  Afterwards we went to the 7pm Endowment Session at the Salt Lake Temple.  All 190+ of our Sister Missionaries looked beautiful dressed in white and it was a special experience to be together in the temple as a mission.

              Sisters enjoying our Halloween Event

                                                         A line begins to form for our Baked Potato Bar & other goodies

DEPARTING MISSIONARIES

Temple Square departing sisters and senior missionary couples sat together today at Music and The Spoken Word in the Tabernacle.  At the end of the program Bro. Lloyd Newell, the announcer for the broadcast, had all our departing missionaries stand and be recognized for their service and to bid all farewell.  The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang ''God Be With You Till We Meet Again''. 

OUTBOUND SISTERS CALLED

October 23, 2014
Announcements were made today of Sisters who will be going Outbound October 29th.  During their Temple Square Mission each sister receives a call from the prophet to serve three months in another state side mission.  This opportunity provides them with another perspective of missionary work outside Temple Square. We will miss our sisters and look forward to their return in January.

TEMPLE SQUARE MISSION FIRESIDE

David Archuletta was our special guest for our mission Fireside on October 12, 2014.  He used a question and answer approach for his presentation intermingled with music.  He related how he always had a desire to serve a mission but had a difficult time realizing that dream because of the demands of his music career.  One day through a series of experiences he had an epiphany and realized that he was the one in control of his life.  With that insight and having the right people around him at the time to help make his dream possible he made a public announcement that he was going to serve a mission.  His mission to Chile was a life changing experience for him in many ways and he was grateful for that opportunity.  He was asked if he used his music in the mission field and how he did it.  He said he loves to sing, in fact when he first started his mission in Chile and didn't know the language well he and his companion would knock on a door and say, ''Can we sing a song for you''?  The reply was yes but that's all.  After they listened to the words of the song and how beautifully they sang it the people were touched and wanted to hear more of what Elder Archuletta and his companion had to share.  When asked if he was going to go back to his music career he said he was taking it slow as to what he would do as far as the entertainment world goes which is a very liberal world.  He has been keeping busy and had just finished recording the theme song ''Glorious'' for the new movie ''Meet the Mormons'' and was working on a new cd to be released this spring.  Our evening with David Archuletta was very inspiring and we hated to see it end.

                                                               

David Archuletta sings ''Glorious''                              David and his accompanist Kendra Lowe

GENERAL CONFERENCE - OCTOBER 5, 2014

Every April and October for two glorious days we get to receive counsel from our Church leaders.  The messages we hear are for our times and will help us face the challenges we meet on a daily basis.  The message from our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, to ''Ponder the path of thy feet'' is a clear call for us to choose to follow our Heavenly Father and to reject evil.  Heavenly Father has not left us without help. He has given us the tools we need to stay on the path that leads home to our Heavenly Father.  Those tools include prophets, apostles and other inspired leaders as well as the scriptures, hymns and the inspiring lessons we receive as we attend our Sabbath Day meetings.  You can read and study the talks we heard at General Conference in the November Ensign. 

A Group of Sister Missionaries Pose for a Photo before Conference begins.

General Conference draws thousands of people from all over the world and the Sister missionaries are busy greeting and teaching visitors about the history and basic beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they conduct tours of Temple Square.  The Sister missionaries appreciate the wonderful dinner the Highland Central Stake served them on this very busy day.  The Sister Missionaries showed their appreciation by singing ''Called to Serve'' Temple Square style.

HOW GREAT SHALL BE YOUR JOY!

September was the 5th month this year that our Temple Square Missionaries have participated in the baptism of 100 or more persons.  Sisters, thanks for your diligence and hard work!!

 OPERATION DEEP CLEAN (ODC)

 

Brother Moore explains Operation Deep Clean to some of our Sisters.  

 

ARMED WITH THEIR SUPPLIES & READY FOR ODC

Sisters Tanner, Cuevas and Kim

Sisters Jager and Ioane

 

Sisters Buloaot and Bwaraka

 

MORE SISTERS CAN'T WAIT TO HELP

Sisters Paulino, Hardy, Dimatera and Y.Yu

 

HI, HO; HI, HO; ITS OFF TO WORK WE GO..

Sister Briggs begins by cleaning and organizing the closet in their apartment

 

Sisters Ioane, M.Huang and Vargas happily scrub away at that kitchen.

 

Sisters Nakayama, Gomez and Ha are excited about having a clean kitchen!

 



Sisters Brink and Smith know that cleanliness is next to Godliness.

 





 

Sister Bondare gets a little extra muscle power from Elder Bradshaw to clean under the frig.

 

Thanks to all our wonderful sisters who willingly and cheerfully worked so hard to accomplish ODC even while they were very busy preparing for Conference weekend.  You're all amazing! As Bro. Moore said, "Do the dance of joy as you enjoy your Celestialzed homes and sing Alleluia--You are now entitled to the Lords blessings!!!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparing Lunch to Welcome Outbound Sisters

LUNCH TIME FUN!!

Sisters Jamito, Palmer, Escobedo, Stephen, Heuea

Sisters Taito and Park help Sister Bradshaw slice grapes for Chicken Salad 

Sisters Barrett and Magidson wash lettuce with great enthusiasm!

Sisters Ferguson and Skaggs just had to join in the fun!

Lending moral support for the occasion is Sisters Moore, Tanner, Cuevas and Wog.

Sisters Cuevas, Spichiger, and Tanner pass through the lunch room and pause to smile at the camera

Sister Burgoyne shares a letter with Sister Ma.  Wonder what was in it? 

ZONE LEADERS COUNCIL - SEPT. 26, 2014