Wednesday, March 30, 2016

3-30-16 New Arriving Missionaries!

They've arrived a half an hour early and we are on our way to Taichung!
It has been so long since we've had missionaries in bed by 10:30pm the evening of their arrival! Recently their flights haven't landed until 10pm and we weren't able to get back to the mission home until after 1am. It was so wonderful for this group to get a good night's rest and be up early to exercise:
 On your marks, get set, GO!
 A few Buddha claps to finish up:
 Morning breakfast at the mission home:
 President starts up orientation with the mission vision, goals, and plans:
 After an introduction to our family, missionaries learn about handling their finances...
  reporting mission statistics, as well as apartment issues from our office elders.
 Lunch break at the mission home:


 After some giving new missionaries an introduction to teaching English Class, APs train on contacting:
 Breaking the ice, teaching a gospel principle...
 and extending an invitation:
 APs giving a demonstration:
 Time for missionaries to practice:






Putting their newly acquired skills into practice: contacting on the way to dinner!









What a great way to work up an appetite!

 Duck brain challenge takers:




 Brave missionaries up to the fish eye challenge!

  Reviewing the evening's contacting experience:
All were able to share precious messages of the restored gospel...
 as well as survive rejection and language barriers!
 Early to bed and early to rise for another morning at the track:
P90X Yoga!
After a Preach My Gospel training session, they all met their new trainer!
Lunch next door together:






 Back to the chapel for a round of Happy Birthday to our April Fools Birthday Elder:)
 Then closing with the mission song:






 Not only does she bless us with her piano talents, but she always blesses us with her sweet smile!

19 comments:

  1. That's wonderful! That's a large group. And that's a very different way to spell Taichung. Things have changed a lot in the last 30+ years. So excited to see where they have all been assigned.

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    1. New pinyin, simplified characters--I feel illiterate and old. The food looks the same though. Thank you so much for the pictures and updates.

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    2. No simplified characters here, this is Taiwan!

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  2. It's so good to know they arrived safely. Thank you for posting!!

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  3. So excited they made it! Thank you for posting!

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  4. We're very happy to see our son and everyone made it safe after a long flight. Thank you Sister Blickenstaff :)

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  5. Thank you for letting us know they arrived safely, posting the updates, and for keeping us informed! Thank you for taking good care of them. -Marcia Ventura

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  6. Thanks so much for posting the pictures! I am so glad to know they are safe! Put them to work! Sondra Bingham

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  7. Love it. Thanks for the picture. They look happy. ~ Allyson Neuhaus

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  8. Woohoo! So excited for them and the people of Taiwan! Thanks so much for posting this!

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  9. Thank you for the cheery greeting and news home to all of us. We are very proud and excited for Dempsey and all of her district to be out in the field finally. I know they are anxious to get started and will be a great addition to the Taichung mission. Dempsey and I talked as she was waiting to board her plane in SF. She and each of the missionaries have their own unique light and their own unique way of relating to our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. Each of them come with something unique that someone will need to hear. I can't wait to see what comes next for my girl and all her district. It is going to be great!! That you Brother and Sister Blickenstaff for taking our girl into your hearts. I am so excited for her to be under your tutilege for this phase in her life. Best of luck and all our love to all of you!
    ~Crystal Emery, Proud Mama

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  10. So so so happy to see all those smiling faces! Means so much to us mamas! I can't believe how lucky we are to have such a wonderful record-keeper to keep us in the loop. Thank you so much for the effort and work you put into this, and everything else it takes to run a mission! So excited for all these kids to be there and can't wait to hear more!
    Love, Shawni Pothier

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  11. Grandparents are looking in these great posts too! What a fantastic way for families to stay in touch with their beloved missionaries! We served a mission 40 years ago in England and couldn't have imagined in our wildest dreams this astonishing outreach to keep families connected to their missionaries! We know that everyone doesn't do this so thank you more than we can say!
    Love and blessings, Linda and Richard Eyre (Shawni's parents)

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  12. Thank you so much for sharing these photos Sister Bickenstaff! We know Sister Hardy was very excited to be training and we can tell from the photos that she loves her new companion.

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  13. So excited for my missionary! She'll be awesome! C: Thanks for sharing the pictures, I'm sure I'll be watching this blog going forward.
    -Corbin, Dempsey Emery's OFFICIAL Boyfriend

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  14. Thank you for all of the pictures Sister Blickenstaff! It has been wonderful to have a peek into their everyday lives!! We appreciate your efforts so much! Elder Smith sounds happy and excited to share the gospel! Thank you for taking care of all of them!

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  15. Thank you to President Blickenstaff for following his inspiration in assigning my son's trainer. I believe the trainer is one of the most important aspects of ensuring that a missionary is successful. He is PERFECT for my son.

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    1. My son regularly went on splits with his trainer's cousin while he was serving his mission here in Texas. Small world.

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