Sad and Happy at the Same Time is Possible, June 2012

Another transfer week has occurred.  We were so sad to see seven great missionaries bid us goodbye, but happy at the same time.  They were superb missionaries.  They will go forward in their lives in great ways.  We send them our love and confidence in their goodness.

Of course, we can't send them away empty.  They are smiling,
but they are thinking, "Wow!  I'm going to miss Sister Baird's
cooking."

Standing, L to R: Sister Goodale, Sister Inoue
Seated:  Elder Cruz, Elder Rust, Elder Brown, Elder Voss, and Elder Hollister

We love you all.  

Elder Michael Brown, says one of the other missionaries who worked with him, is a “way hard worker.”  He fills his schedule. Working hard, finding people, and teaching lessons make him happy.  He is very respectful to people.  One investigator said, “When I saw him, I thought that God can be seen in some people.”

Elder Voss has been called, "Tall, way tall!"  But this person also went on to say he is a very gentle person and a hard worker who helped make companions stronger and more reliable.  He is dependable.  And the best of all compliments:  "He was exactly obedient on his mission."

Elder Cruz was also exactly obedient!  He can work, work, work!  He is also talkative and he is a great Brazilian.  Another elder who knows him said he was determined, good at Japanese, and was a really great leader.  He is passionate about what he does.

Sister Goodale loves drawing, was a solo sister in the MTC, loves being outside and really loves talking.  She is also a great listener, always making any situation fun.

People who know Sister Inoue said she has very good English, she's crazy in a good way, and she is happy all the time.  She enjoys volleyball, cool guys (like the one who said these things about her!) and is very friendly to everyone.  She is always bright and smiling and loves children.

Elder Rust served as an AP.  He is always willing to help anyone at any time, and is always sensitive to other needs, especially those needing translation.  He  learned Japanese very well, in speaking, writing and reading, and is a very good translator.  He thinks before he reacts to situations and consistently leads by example.  He is well loved by everyone.

Elder Hollister served as an AP.  Having been trained for a year at the Air Force Academy, Elder Hollister has great exercise habits, is self-disciplined, exactly obedient, and a very hard worker.  He is always ready to help and serve in any way he can.  He is an excellent planner and lived and breathed missionary work.

July 2011 New Missionaries

This week, we celebrated 4 new missionaries coming to our mission! Sister Shimoji (Naha), Elder DeMille (Utah), Elder Hiruta (Tsukuba), and Elder Kobayashi (Sapporo). It was great to meet and get to know them! They will be great missionaries!

Left to right: Sister Shimoji, Sister and President Baird,
Elder DeMille, Elder Hiruta, and Elder Kobayashi.

The missionaires shared their testimonies on the train as they came
to the mission home. This is a picture of a couple they met on the train.

The new missionaires standing outside the Meito church with their trainers.

Sister Shimoji (left) and Sister Kumagai- Matsumoto

Sister Ziona Shimoji from Okinawa, Japan has four people in her family.  She loves her family and the church.  She enjoys playing tennis, playing with children and being in nature.  Playing tennis makes her smile and calms her and being a part of nature helps her feel Heavenly Father’s love.  She looks forward to a temple marriage and lots of children. She wants to study the Gospel and spend a lot of time together with her family.  Sister Mado Kumagai is from Hokkaido, Japan.  Her twin sister served at the same time in Sendai.  She has 3 adopted brothers.  She loves to draw and make sweets, giving away her great cinamon rolls and cookies.  She also enjoys playing with children.    Her family's faith and love have given her self-esteem and confidence that she wants to share with others.

Elder DeMille (left) and Elder Voss- Matsumoto

Toquerville, Utah, near the beautiful canyonlands, is home for Elder Joshua DeMille.  He enjoys music, hiking and camping.  His favorite thing is just having fun with the family and his friends.  He also likes to create knick-knacks.  He wants to be known as someone who is always headed up, always trying to be better.  He describes himself as fun, good natured, random, honest, stubborn and a good peace maker.  He has always loved the Gospel and sees evidence of God in everything.

Elder Voss's talents are memory, physical capacity and relating well
with others.  He is slow to get angry or upset and people have told
him that his personality has a calming effect on them.  He relates well
to most people and quickly develops trust and friendship

Elder Hiruta (left) and Elder Ikeda- Kariya

Elder Naohiro Hiruta is from Fukushima, Japan.  He is the only member of the church in his family, but his family supports him well and he loves them. He started swimming when he was five, so he could enter university because of his swimming ability.  He wants to become a teacher and contribute to society.  Elder Hiruta wants to give hope and power to the children he teaches.

Elder Ikeda is optimistic and slow to anger.  He can easily love people.
He has already had one great missionary experience where a friend was baptized.

Elder Kobayashi (left) and Elder Brown- Gifu

Elder Yuto Kobayashi from Hokkaido, Japan knows traditional Japanese dance, and performed on the university dance team.  He looks forward to an eternal family.  He is studying architecture and wants to design homes and cities.  He wants to own his own architectural company.  He is kind, calm, and optimistic.

Elder Michael Brown hopes to be self-employed at some point, but hasn't decided what he wants to do because there are so many professions he would enjoy.  He knows that one of the many benefits of serving a mission is the potential for growth and independence.

The Friend of Reason

Written by Sister Chalet Severson                   Nov. 25, 2010

When we were asked to tell our companions about a person who has shaped our life, I didn’t even need to think.  I knew exactly who that person was for me.   Her name is Candy Rendon.

She’s about ten years older than I am and has been an older-sister figure in my life since I was about 12.  We first met at church.  She was the camp director in my ward.  I had just moved into the ward and was a little on the quiet side.  Well…on the outside. Inside I was wild and rambunctious.  When I first met Candy, there was something different about her.  Not your normal leader.  She was way young, but was very grown up at the same time.  I don’t know what or why it was, but I instantly had a bond with her and knew we would be good friends.

Once camp came we went on a hike.  At the tail end of all the hikers was me, my friend Sam and Candy.  Candy, being the one trying to hurry us up, kept teasing us on how we were so slow and that we were young.  We should be faster than her.  Well, that’s all it took to bring the prankster out in me.  Once we sat down for a rest, I slipped a rock into her backpack.  This continued for about 10 more times as we continued our hike.  Once we were getting closer to the top, she was getting further and further behind.  The teasing now was aimed towards her and how she was so slow.  Once at the top, we all sat to eat our lunch.  She opened her back pack and found the rocks!  It then turned into dodge the rocks!  I was running, she was throwing.  We have been inseparable ever since.

Every big decision in my life, she was who I turned to.  She has been the voice in my head, the friend of reason.  I have always had her back and she’s had mine.  She continued on to become Young Women’s President and an even bigger influence in my Gospel life.  She was the person I wanted to be like as a young girl and now as I’m grown, I still look to her for guidance and a sister to spend time with.  I’ve lived with her right before my mission and was able to spend lots of time with her and her kids.  She’s an example to me.  She’s the definition of love and friendship.  She’s not just my best friend.  She’s my family, my sister.

Chalet Severson is third from left on front row.
Back row includes Elder Sorenson, Elder Stachowski, Elder Voss, and Elder Amussen
Front row, Sister Mimaki, Sister Shibata, and on right, Sister Harada

Someone Who Changed My Life

Written by Elder  Voss,   Dec. 3, 2010.

Someone Who Changed My Life—Kelly Mann

At the age of about 12, I began to get to know this man.  Our friendship started to grow as he became my Sunday School teacher, and then invited me one week on a fishing trip.  From that one experience, I began to love fishing and during the summer we would have fishing trips almost every weekend.  Throughout my high school years we became very close friends and shared a lot of great experiences. 

He had had a pretty rough life up till the point where he joined the church, and had many health problems as a result of car accidents and a stroke.  Some people might have felt broken and depressed after the kind of experiences he went through, but he was not.  His love and testimony of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and this gospel, was a light that shone through in everything that he was.  The strength and inspiration that I received from him buoyed me up through the struggle that I had, and kept me on the right track when I might otherwise have gone in other directions.

When I was 17, we went on an all night fishing trip to a favorite pond that we knew.  It was a great night.  We caught fish, and I remember us both being very happy and tired as we drove home.  

The next morning in church, I received a phone call from his wife saying that during the night he had passed away.  I struggled.  I had never experienced the death of someone who was that close to me, and at the time I literally felt like a huge piece of my life, of who I was, had been ripped away.  For a very long time, I felt utterly lost whenever I allowed myself to think about all the experiences we had together and the friendship we had built.  

Over time I began praying to Heavenly Father, asking to understand the reason or purpose behind him being taken back.  From those continued prayers, my study of the plan of salvation, and a series of experiences in the temple, I received a very strong impression that he had fulfilled the purpose that Heavenly Father had assigned him here and that he had another mission on the other side to fulfill.  

From these experiences the great thing that I have carried is gratitude.  Gratitude for the incredible example and influence that he was in my life, and for the sure knowledge of the plan of salvation and Heavenly Father’s love and purpose for us, that I was able to gain from him.

The gospel is true!

August 2010 New Missionaries

We welcomed in our first group of 4 great elders! Elder Voss (California), Elder Brown (Australia), Elder Cruz (Brazil), and Elder Rust (Indiana)! They all looked great and ready to go to work. It was so great to talk to them and get to know them! They are a great group!

Left to right: Kathryn Baird, Whitney Baird, Sister and President Baird
Elders Voss, Brown, Cruz, and Rust

The elders on their first morning in the mission home!

Elder Rust and Elder Valentine- Fukuroi
Elder Ryan Rust (right)  hales from Evansville, Indiana. His parents are both teachers. Elder Rust wants to become a doctor. He loves to be in nature, usually on a bike or ATV. He also has a black belt in karate. 

Elder Christopher Valentine was born at Misawa AFB in Japan.  He has lived in several places throughout his life.  He is the elder brother in his family, with six younger siblings.  

Elder Brown (right) and Elder Stachowski- Nonami

Elder Michael Brown (right) is from Australia. His family (4 boys) enjoys sports and outdoor activities. Elder Brown loves to read. He is a hard worker and also enjoys studying the scriptures.

Elder Benjamin Stachowiski is from down under, Castle Hill, New South Wales, Australia.  He has also lived in Poland, New Zealand, and the UK.  He loves to learn and considers reading a hobby.  He has been a DJ and loves sports.  Electrical Engineering is his field of study. 

Elder Voss (left) and Elder Kutney- Toyota
Chico, California is where Elder Adam Voss (left) calls home. Both of his parents served missions. Elder Voss's greatest dream has been to serve a mission, but other goals include a good education, marriage, and earning Shadan rank in Danzan Tyu Juijitsu. He wants to share the peace and happiness the Gospel has brought into his life with others.

Elder Terrance Kutney hales from Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Elder Kutney says nothing beats reading a good quality book except reading the scriptures.  He also loves rugby and loves to follow politics.  He plans to go into International Relations. 

Elder Cruz (right) and Elder Jorgenson- Suzuka

Elder Andre' Cruz (right) comes from Sao Paulo, Brazil and has one younger brother and sister.  Before his mission, he loved to play soccer and be with friends. After his mission, he wants to go to school and work hard so he can get married.  

Elder Jacob Jorgensen calls Mesa, Arizona his home.  He comes from a close and loving family and has four great sisters.  Elder Jorgensen loves drawing, piano, cross country and track, and academics and he is a hard worker.  He has looked forward to serving a mission all of his life and would have chosen Japan because he has many Japanese friends.