Preview of Places to Come

This week while sitting in one of our classes, we received an email from our mission office.  Sister Hilgendorf serving in the office as a Housing Coordinator (whom we have never met, but briefly spoke to) sent us several pictures of the home in which we will live in Cheboygan. Can we just say that we are so thankful for dedicated and consecrated people who are so willing to serve the Lord?  We can’t wait to meet her!  Here are some pictures of the home we will live in…can you say “spoiled!”

MTC Devotionals - Amazing!

 Every Tuesday evening the missionaries attend a devotional.  Either a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or one of the General Authorities come to the hundreds of missionaries here.  For our first devotional experience this week Elder D Todd Christofferson and his wife spoke.  He taught that repentance is a blessing and an opportunity to change our hearts and points us to Christ.  He emphasized that the Lord’s forgiveness never ends and is always possible through our sincere desire to turn our hearts back to Him and is only possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  We know, and testify, that this is true.  We have experienced this forgiveness for ourselves and have felt His unfailing love for us.  While sitting at the feet of an Apostle this Spirit confirmed his Apostolic mantle.  What a powerful witness for which we are both grateful.

 This is our email from the MTC on February 17th...

We don't even know where to start.  What a wonderful week of learning new things, meeting amazing people and enjoying the blessing of being in such a place as the Provo Missionary Training Center where the Spirit of God is felt everywhere at this dedicated and wonderful place.  We were moved to tears of gratitude so many times.

Until we get settled in Cheboygan, Michigan it won't be possible for me to load pictures into an email using the computers here.

Highlights:

During this first week, we had classes in the morning and again all afternoon after lunch and we trained on "Preach My Gospel" (an amazing book), technology, safety and security.  We practiced lots of teaching skills and we met and chatted with the younger Elders and Sisters every chance we got.  We met missionaries from Arizona (some we know), and missionaries going all over the world to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Memorable moments this week:

Tuesday's MTC Devotional gave us the opportunity to sit at the feet of D. Todd Christofferson, an Apostle, and his wife, and be taught by him regarding the blessing and opportunity to repent (meaning to turn back to God.)  

Wednesday we attended a "Character of Christ" experience.  So fabulous!  They played clips of Elder David A. Bednar's MTC talk given here at the MTC on Christmas Day in 2011.  It can be found on YouTube if you haven't heard it.  Between short clips there were discussions and the responses of the younger missionaries were so inspiring.  They are so impressive with what they already know and understand.

There is a newer training building here with huge murals depicting scenes from the scriptures.  I wish you could experience them.  There is no way to sufficiently describe their beauty.  They are "back lit" and so any light in them just pops.

Again, for pictures and details see the blog.

We are experiencing our first "transfer" tomorrow evening.  We've been staying at the MTC all week, but are being asked to transfer to a nearby hotel.  So many Senior Missionaries are arriving each Monday we have to take turns.  BUT, at least we get to transfer together unlike the younger missionaries.

We will leave for Michigan next Friday when we finish our last class at approximately 12:00 PM and are choosing to start driving. We will be stopping somewhere in Wyoming the first night.

We love you all!  You are in our prayers.

Week One Training - “Preach My Gospel” Lessons

They do keep you busy around here.  Classes morning and afternoons and Devotionals in the evening.  On Monday we were given our “District” assignments and Elder Gibbons was made the “District Leader.”  There are four couples in our District and we spent time in class all week together.  The District Leader is given the charge to watch over those in his district and makes assignments for prayer, music and spiritual thoughts each day.

We quickly grew to love and enjoy these couples.  We learned from each other and laughed and cried with one another.  We had incredible young adult teachers who are returned missionaries themselves and students now at BYU nearby.

Quick plug for the new “Preach My Gospel” book that has been released.  So incredible.  I recommend it to everyone wanting to study the Gospel of Jesus Christ and teach it to their family or in a church setting.  We just scratched the surface, but already have a testimony of its power.  It is a book we will study from each day/week of our mission for sure.

Our morning classes were taught by Sister Eve Gunderson, 

who served in the Romania mission.

From Left to Right:   The Gallands (assigned to Ghana, Africa.)  The Fishers (assigned to Indiana Indianapolis).  Sister Gunderson.  The Houstons (assigned to Colorado Denver) and, of course, us. 

 

Our afternoon classes were taught be Sister Gina Ferreira (in the middle) who served the Brazil.

Provo Temple Night

Every missionary passing through the MTC has the opportunity to attend an endowment session at the Provo Temple just up the hill from the MTC.  We had that chance Thursday night and we are so grateful.  We are used to being in the Temple every week at least twice.  Our mission does not have a Temple yet so we won’t be able to be there often.

Next week, on February 24, 2024 this Temple will be closed for a very long time while it is demolished and rebuilt.  It was built and then dedicated on February 9, 1972. 

Happy to have had the chance to visit the Provo Temple.

The iconic missionary picture.  Our name tags placed in the white rocks that are on the Temple grounds.

Provo Missionary Training Center - Arrived!

There are no words to describe the spirit, the joy and the love that is everywhere on this campus dedicated to train young adult and senior missionaries headed to serve all over the world to invite people to come to Christ.  We have met people headed to all continents and from many places all over the world.  You know it gives us such hope for the future of our world to see these young adults who have chosen to give up two years of their lives to serve the Lord.

Senior Missionaries - Arrived Monday, February 12, 2024

We are standing in the front row to the right of the Sister in the bright orange sweater

Every missionary that passes through this MTC takes such a picture pointing to the place where they are called to serve.

The commission to serve in the words of the Savior

Travel Time

Friday, February 9th, we left our home and began the travel to the Provo Missionary Training Center.  We left at 6:25 AM when it was 37 degrees with 24,838 miles on the car.  I wonder what it will say when we return home in a year?  The roads were perfect and we made great time…

It started to snow about Nephi, Utah when we were about an hour out of Provo.  Then we had to reroute around an accident on the freeway.  The picture below shows how beautiful it was.  We were glad we were inside a warm car.

It's Official.

We are not only "called to serve" we are now officially "set apart" by our Stake President as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to represent our Savior in inviting all to come unto Him.

We are so grateful for those who could join us.  And we are thankful for our Bishop in taking time to join us.  We will receive our missionary name tags when we report to the Missionary Training Center on Monday.  In the meantime, here are pictures.

From left to right:  Sarah, Mikaela, Ammon, Rown, Liam, Nicole, Jaxen and Bryan.

President Enos, Elder Gibbons, Sister Gibbons and Bishop Baumbach

Raise Your Hand If You've Heard of ...

Cheboygan, Michigan?!

On Monday evening, in the middle of our last Member and Leader Support Zoom Training, we received a call from President Peckham, the Michigan Lansing Mission President, and learned he is sending us to Cheboygan, Michigan to serve as part of a district there supporting the small Branch.  Cheboygan is located at the northern tip of Michigan and 75 miles from Canada.  Here is what we learned from a quick search for information.

 A river runs through it...  the Cheboygan

                

and it is at the edge of Lake Huron  

And here is the "cottage" we will be living in while in Cheboygan.  It is a summer home for a member of the Church who has allowed missionaries to stay in.  How consecrated is that?  It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms.  We are so blessed.  We will send more pictures once we get there and have a chance to make it our own.

Next stop, Provo Missionary Training Center (MTC)

 

We are told that the number of senior missionary couples reporting on Monday, February 12th, exceeds 200!  It is being called the "Rasband Affect" since Elder Rasband, an apostle of the Lord, issued the call for more senior couples to assist in spreading the Gospel and bringing others to Christ during his General Conference talk a few months ago.  We feel so blessed to be in a position to be able to be part of this eternally important work... the gathering of God's children in preparation for the coming of our Savior.

 Elder and Sister Gibbons

Best Christmas present ever!

On Monday, December 25, 2023 our lives changed forever.  Having just concluded we wouldn't receive our mission call until after the first of the year, both of our phones "pinged" at the same time early on Christmas morning.

Michigan here we come!

                

Fun facts about Michigan...

Total members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints = 45,547

Population total of the State of Michigan = 10,037,261 as of July 1, 2023

Number of Stakes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints = 10

Number of Congregations = 99 (62 Wards and 37 Branches)