Dear Parents,
There aren’t words to explain last week.
We planned on saying goodbye to our twelve missionaries on Tuesday morning, but the weather had different plans. Four of them were able to get home and the other eight spent the next five days leaving in ones or twos. Three of the missionaries weren’t able to get home until Saturday.
The twenty-six new missionaries we expected on Tuesday arrived here over four days with the last Elder arriving on Saturday. We welcome Elder Riley Allen, Sister Alissa Andrus, Sister Brynlee Barker, Elder Aiden Barrett, Sister Madison Bohn, Elder Broque Domme, Sister Mariell Dopp, Elder Jeffrey Eardley, Sister Kaylee Johnson, Sister Emma Maxwell, Sister Kiana May, Elder Dylan Mclaughlin, Elder Andre Nelson, Elder Guy Pilj, Sister Ashley Rookstool, Elder Kobe Ray, Elder David Saenz, Elder Juan Salazar, Elder Benjamin Shurtleff, Sister Kylie Stahr, Elder Samuel Stanfield, Sister Isabel Wall, Elder Ian Wilson, Elder Arik Windmiller, Sister Tessa Woodin, Elder Richard Worthen.
We had temperatures in Wichita that were -14. We had snow for days that didn’t melt until yesterday.
It’s great to finally have everyone here and settled and ready for a successful transfer.
We have been able to open up the Covid restrictions a bit. The biggest change is that missionaries are now allowed to teach an investigator lesson at the church, and in a member’s home. They must keep their masks on and maintain social distance.
We are still encouraging them to teach using technology. They can teach more lessons and connect a member in that lesson so easily.
Thanks to Elder Weeks and Elder Kutsch for this week’s blitz video. Children are powerful! Please share it on your personal profiles and with your friends.
https://www.facebook.com/
Here are two other inspiring videos that you can watch and share. This one is from Elder Ingram and Elder Saldana and the social media missionaries.
https://www.facebook.com/
Sister Gleed and her district put this video together:
https://www.facebook.com/
Each Sunday evening, we have a live event hosted by our Facebook pages. Some weeks the missionaries teach short messages that fit the theme of the event. Some weeks we share a conversion story. Yesterday Elder and Sister Cloe (our financial secretary and mission nurse) shared their powerful conversion story. We invite you to watch it and feel of their testimonies. Share it with your friends. It would be fun for you to meet Sister Cloe since for many of you she has worked personally with your missionary.
https://www.facebook.com/
This week we say goodbye to Elder Christopher Shaeffer, Elder Samuel Jarvis, Sister Rachel Smith, Sister Hope Bates, Elder Benjamin Barnes, Elder Andrew Hyde, Elder Ethan Slade, and Elder Ryan Romero.
We have appreciated so much the consecrated work of these Elders and Sisters. They have been remarkable. We send them with our love and know what great things they will do to gather Israel.
Parents, if I might, can I please say a few words about the returning of missionaries to their originally assigned missions. The majority of our reassigned missionaries are digging their roots deep into Kansas soil while others can find it difficult to focus all their efforts here. We know and understand the desire of your missionary and your desires that they have the opportunity to serve where they were originally called. As we talk with our representatives from Salt Lake, they are well aware of these desires which echo the desires of the Brethren.
We know that many of you are connected with other moms, groups and sometimes even missions that share the news of their returning missionaries. Perhaps you share that news with your missionary each week. We invite you to be sensitive to the conflict it might cause in your missionary’s mind and heart. We are making our greatest efforts to help them stay focused on the task at hand and they are receiving news of others who are leaving. The scripture says that “a double minded man is unstable in all his ways” James 1:8
Even when a missionary receives notice that they are on a “list”, we remind you that they are not leaving until we receive flight plans from the missionary department, and this is the only source we can react to with confidence. Sometimes it takes weeks, sometimes it takes months.
We believe the best preparation for their future assignment is focusing wholeheartedly on their current assignment. We try to help the missionaries remember that we don’t serve because of our assignment, or location. We serve because of our covenants.
Thank you for your support. We appreciate it and we feel it.
Sister Ernst
316-308-7245
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