Mission President's Letter (7/29/13) Regarding Transfers

Week 8 President’s Letter

Dear Sisters & Elders,

                As you are having your Pday today we will be welcoming 32 new missionaries to our mission.  This will undoubtedly be the largest group we have or will receive and will bring us 230 younger missionaries, just 8 short of the maximum number we have been allotted.  There has been a huge effort expended in preparing for this transfer, especially by the office staff and the Pittsburgh 2^nd Ward Elders who have paved the way for the influx by finding, leasing and furnishing 10 new apartments as well as securing cars, telephones, travel arrangements, debit cards, medical cards, assembling welcome packets, etc.  Please join me in thanking all those who helped or will help in any way to make this monumental transfer go smoothly.  Elder & Sister Bentley arrived last week and will replace Elder & Sister Warnock as vehicle/telephone coordinator and office secretary.  It has been a blessing to have the Warnocks here to handle so adeptly their multitude of duties during this historic growth time. 

                We will be opening 10 new proselyting areas this transfer and have created 3 new districts and a new zone.  New areas will be opened in Fairview, West York, Ephrata, Sunbury, Jamestown, Olean, Cranberry, Monogahela and Pittsburgh 3^rd wards as well as the Indian branch.  New districts were created in the Lancaster, Altoona and Jamestown zones and the Pittsburgh zone was divided into the Pittsburgh zone and Pittsburgh South zone. 

                Regardless of the many changes brought about by the influx of missionaries, some things don’t change and one is my continual counsel for you individually to progress and improve.  So, as I do at the beginning of each transfer period I urge you to arrange for a meeting with your bishop and ward mission leader to introduce (or reintroduce) yourself, to express your dedication to your calling as a missionary and to pledge your support to your ward or branch.  Emulate the example of Ammon recorded in Alma chapter 17 as he demonstrated to King Lamoni how he would live among and serve the king and his people.  Set goals and makie plans with your companion about how you will improve. 

                Once again we will continue to focus on finding people to teach and on improving teaching skills.  Over half (55%) of you have arrived since January, so you have at most six months experience as missionaries.  Many have been trained by inexperienced missionaries and some have trained before they had a chance to finish being trained themselves. We will outgrow this in a few months but the more effort we put into our study the faster the growth will take place.