Public Affairs Training

April 22-24 we were fully engaged in Public Affairs training in Salt Lake City to prepare us for our mission.  There were four other couples in training with us:  The Chamberlains who will serve in Hong Kong, the Walkers who will serve in Frankfurt, the Davenports who will serve in Los Angeles and the Laus who will serve in Toronto.

These couples all have had amazing life experiences that have prepared them well to serve.  Elder and Sister Larsen, the Senior Public Affairs Missionary Coordinators, were awesome.  They provided great training that included the sharing of actual experiences which made the training not only very interesting but also extremely valuable.  At the conclusion of the training, heartfelt,  powerful and moving testimonies were shared by all. 

The meeting culminated with the presentation of our missionary badges.

 

The Journey Begins

Connie and Elliott

We arrived in Utah last week to visit our son, Ross, and his family.  Fortunately, we are here during Little League baseball season.  We have watched both Elliott and Wyatt play and will see one more game next week.  Ross and Annie have been taking good care of us with planned activities and great home cooking.  Its been lots of fun spending time with them and playing with their boys.  Its amazing how fast they grow up.  We can see significant changes in them since we saw them last in February at Elliott's baptism.

Wyatt

Elliott and Quinn

We attended Church at our old ward in South Jordan Sunday morning.  It was a thrill to see so many good friends and to be able to say goodbye before we leave for South Africa.  

Pres Bronson, Connie, Wyatt, Quinn & Elliott
Awaiting our Setting Apart

We were "set apart" by our Utah Stake President, Blaine Maxfield, on Tuesday evening.  We received wonderful blessings, heard touching testimonies and were given great guidance.