Transfer Day

Yesterday was the day that culminated about 9 weeks of preparation. We welcomed 8 new Missionaries and said goodbye to 16 missionaries.  Two weeks prior to this event Sister Meeker and I hosted a meeting with President and Sister Senior along with the Assistants to the President and the two office Elders. We call  he meeting the transfer planning meeting.  We laid out the plan for the three days of activities.  First day Missionaries arrival - Welcome at the airport, take arrival pictures, Individual interviews with the President, Blood draw at local clinic, Orientation with office staff, lunch, Dan Jones contacting on the Street and then Dinner with President /Sister Senior and the Assistants to the President at the mission Home. 2nd Day - Transfer Meeting,Training of Trainers, District Leader Training, Zone Leader and Sister Training Leaders Training.  Then a Dinner for the Completing Missionaries with President and Sister Senior at a Restaurant followed by a Testimony meeting at the Mission Home.  3rd Day - Escorting Completing Missionaries to the Airport and seeing them off (Depart for the Airport at 3:30 AM). Then later in the morning meeting with any parents of Missionaries who came to pick up their son or daughter. We had detail plans down to the 30 minute intervals.  We were ready. 

Then 24 hours prior to the arrival  of the new missionaries we get word that the arrival will be pushed back about 14 hours (some kind of airline problem).  So instead of the new missionaries arriving at 10 AM on Wednesday they are scheduled to arrive at just prior to midnight on Wednesday.  So I scrambled to adjust the plan to fit day 1 and day 2 activities all into 1 day.  It did not start well - Missionaries plane was an additional 1:40 minutes late.  We put them to bed in the hotel about 3 AM.
We had to cancel some planned activities and adjust others. But we are flexible and started the re-planned 2 PM transfer meeting at about 3:15 PM.  My day outside the condo started by going to the market before 7 AM to pick up fresh fruits and ended about 10:30 PM after refueling the Van for the 3:30 AM Trip to the Airport ( No I did not go to the Airport - that pleasure was left to others).

Sister Sowards and Sister Meeker enjoying a moment

Being at Transfer meeting is so fun.  the Missionaries are enthusiastic and great to be around.  Notice Sister Meeker catching up with other Senior Missionaries prior to the start of the Meeting.

The couple t the very front of this Picture are Elder and Sister Seppi.  They were included in the change of assignment portion of the meeting.  They were assigned to support the Thonburi branch.  Prior to this time they were not assigned to attend a specific church unit. 

Sister Seppi was so cute she jumped up with excitement just like the other junior Missionaries and hugged her companion.  It was fun to see.

Elder Meeker ready to receive customers after the transfer meeting.

After the new assignments made, and the meeting is over I get very busy.  I have to take in phones and hand out new or switched cell phones.  I accept house leader change forms and  reimbursement requests.  I also give out quite a few emergency reimbursements - giving them enough house money to pay for the bus ticket to their new area. That is why you see my petty cash box on the table.  When we close areas - I get keys and all kind of questions. 

I will be digging out from this transfer for few days.  We closed about six areas and opened two new houses.  I have to help with the finding of accommodations for the new areas and work with new landlords and arrange for a contract, security deposit and pay rent.  Tomorrow morning (my Preparation Day)  I get to drive to one house and deliver two additional mattresses because we added two Elders to an existing house.

MLC Special Musical Number

Today I had to deal with two phones that got taken to the wrong areas.  We have one phone in each area that is listed on the Free English Website and the Free English Signs around town.  Well the phone for one area go sent to Northeast Thailand by accident.  So I worked a deal were both phones were to be taken to the DTAC (our phone service provider) store in their respective towns and we recreated the Sim Cards with the correct phone number for that area.  It required me to get on the phone with the DTAC store.  I had the Secretary call previously to set it up - but that wasn't enough apparently to convince them to do it.

The special musical number (Army of Helaman) was performed by the Mission Leader Council (MLC) and all of the Completing Missionaries.  It was very well done. Note the 9 Sister Training Leaders on the far side.

Picture of the Missionaries prior to the start of transfer meeting

 

Completing Missionaries were seated in a place of honor
Up front on the side - on couches

This was the last 9 week transfer - we are going back to 6 week transfers.  That means we have new missionaries arriving in 6 weeks and experienced missionaries leaving every 6 weeks from now on.