How do we survive?

When a group goes home every 6 weeks we always ask ourselves, "How will we ever survive without them?" Somehow we do! These 11 are powerful missionaries. They really have grown from teenagers to men and women of Christ. We love you - Now and Forever!

Top Row:  Elder Robbs, Elder Leishman, Elder Preator
Middle:  Elder Taft, Elder Kelley, Elder Bingham, Elder Murray
Front:  Elder Johnson, Sister Kitchen, Elder Christensen, Elder Cox



Good-bye, dear friends. 



Transfer Meeting

It's probably the most spiritual, uplifting and fun meeting of the mission. We love the excitement of transfers and new missionaries. We love the testimonies and strength of the departing missionaries. It builds us up with the drive to continue on. I put in a lot of pictures this time. I want all the families of new missionaries to see their own and to see who their trainers will be.

We are singing our mission song complete with 'Go Forward' actions.  These are the departing missionaries

In the following pictures the trainers are introducing the new missionaries.  I will label them from left to right.

Sister Patterson will train Sister McCracken

Sister Converse will be trained by Sister Surtees

 Sister Hicks (middle) will be trained by Sister Mathis

Sister Knickerbocker (middle) will be trained by Sister Hafslund

Sister Fitu will train Sister Delaplane.

Elder Northrup will be trained by Elder Bennion

Elder Morris will train Elder Bigley.

Elder Jones will be trained by Elder Fuller until his visa arrives from Brazil.

Elder Whitby is waiting for a visa to Brazil but will be trained by Elder Howell until then.

Elder Nicholson will train Elder Nelson.  Both are Spanish speakers.

Elder Evans will be trained by Elder McArthur.  Also Spanish

Elder Godfrey will be trained by Elder Hansen.

Elder Bishop will be trained by Elder Bass.

Elder Ross will train Elder Housel.

Elder Larrocha will train Elder Warren, Spanish speakers.

Elder Quintano will be trained by Elder Winward, Spanish speakers.

During the weeks before transfers we have scriptures that we memorize. So at transfer meeting we have scripture memorization competition. They pick the scripture reference randomly out of a bag. These picture are of each zone giving their recitations. Only missionaries who are affected by the transfer come to transfer meetings so the pictures are not full zones.

JAX South Zone



JAX East Zone



Gainesville Zone

Savannah Zone



JAX West Zone



Lake City Zone



Kingsland Zone





All the sisters at transfer meeting.  Standing:  Sister Liljenquist, Sister Converse, Sister McCracken, Sister Knickerbocker, Sister Hafslund, Sister Gneiting, Sister Patterson, Sister LaJeunesse,  Sister Delaplane, Sister Fitu, Sister Mathis, Sister Hicks
Kneeling:  Sister Capua, Sister Barry, Sister Surtees, Sister Prettyman, Sister Rule 

5 new sisters!!

Yes, it's transfer week again. This is an exciting but hard week. These 16 new missionaries are the most affected. They come with many, many emotions. Think of it, everyone who comes is facing a monumental task. For 2 years or 18 months they are to give up everything they have known and give everything to the Lord. They spend 3-4 hours a day studying, role playing and preparing to teach investigators. They are expected to find people to teach every day by contacting, talking to everyone and working with members. They are expected to spend about 7 hours a week planning. They teach 20 lessons a week. And of course they are to prepare people to be baptized and to keep them active.  That is just touching the surface. I wish everyone could just watch them for a day. You would be amazed what your missionaries do. They turn from teenagers to adults very quickly. I am proud of them.

This new group is powerful. We are thrilled to have 5 more sisters. We now have 18 sisters in the mission with 8 more coming before the end of the year! Exciting. Welcome to the FJM!



Top Row:  Elder Bishop, Elder Evans, Elder Whitby*, Elder Godfrey  Middle Row:  Elder Warren, Elder Bigley, Elder Nelson, Elder Northrup, Elder Jones*, Elder Housel, Elder Quintano  Sisters:  Sister Hicks, Sister McCracken, Sister Knickerbocker, Sister Delaplane, Sister Converse. 
President Barry and I decided to surround ourselves with these beautiful missionaries. 

*These missionaries are with us for a while as they wait  for their visas to Brazil.