They’re Here - And We’re Ready!
Elder Wiley and Elder Lee holding our mission banner as we greet the new missionaries.
Every six weeks, President Quinn and I go to the Sonoma County Airport to welcome our new incoming missionaries. We have studied their photos and read their biographies and letters from their parents. We are now excited to meet them in person.
We bring our AP’s and Tech Elders to the airport with us. We are usually at the airport around 3:00 pm waiting for a 3:30 flight to land. We film them as we greet them coming out of the secure area. It is fun to put this video up on our mission Instagram and Facebook accounts for their family and friends to see. This past week we welcomed 17 new missionaries!
New missionaries coming out of the secure area.
Sister Quinn greeting missionaries!
President Quinn greeting Missionaries
The AP’s get their luggage and put it in our mission trailer and transit van. They then take the suitcases and all the missionaries to the mission office here in Santa Rosa on Badger Road. It is only about a 12 minute drive from the airport. The missionaries are usually very tired as they have been up since around 3:00 am for their day of travel, They are also very hungry as they have not eaten much all day.
Once at the office we give them a snack and then President Quinn and I take time to say hello to each one separately. We show them the mission map and all the different zones where they may be serving and ask them about their families. We offer to answer any questions they may have. Sometimes there are tears as a missionary may be feeling overwhelmed which is understandable. Meanwhile the other missionaries fill out some forms our office secretary, Sister Larsen, has for them. Our mission nurse also visits with each one of them.
We then bring them to the mission home where at 5:30 pm we provide them an early dinner courtesy of “Mr.Pickles” sandwiches and salads made by our senior office missionaries. We take photos of each one separately with President Quinn and me. Later that evening I text the photos to their parents to show them that each one is here in Santa Rosa safe and sound and that we are excited to get to know them. By 7:30 pm they are headed to other missionaries’ apartments where they will be staying over night and by 8:30 pm most are asleep.
The new 17 missionaries at the door of the mission home, where they have come for dinner on their first day in Santa Rosa.
The next day is new missionary training and they get to meet their companion. and learn of their assigned area. Then they’re off to be a missionary! They are ready and excited. In another post I will explain about new missionary training and the fun way they are told who their companion is. It is always a wonderful day to meet these incredible young people!
We take photos of each one to send to their parents. President and Sister Quinn with Elder Latham.
New missionary training. This is the entire group of 17 new missionaries!
