Sunday, January 31, 2016

Welcome to the Woolleys

On Wednesday January 13, 2016 Elder and Sister Woolley arrived in the PPM form Driggs Idaho. They will be serving in the Fairview Ward and YSA Branch in the Gettysburg District.  We welcome them and are so grateful to have them join the Royal Army of missionaries serving in the Pennsylvania Pittsburgh mission!

Saturday, January 16, 2016

STAY ON THE STEEP END OF THE LEARNING CURVE

"Stay on the steep end of the learning curve!"

As we are willing to continue to learn and grow even though it means many times we may be uncomfortable and willing to do things out of our comfort zones, our lives are blessed and we have joy and meaning in our lives that we could never experience.  We also come to know our need for our Savior and His willingness to help and bless us as we strive for perfection.  

Fortunately we have prayer, scriptures and other inspired resources to help us learn to receive the Savior's many gifts to help us!

Here is a quote from one of the missionaries:

"President, I wish everyone was better at using the adjusting to missionary life booklet. That book has blessed my life in the hardest of times. Got trusts us, he knows we are strong, but he has given us valuable resources and we need to use them! We have been reading and studying that booklet every morning doing companionship study and I have felt this huge weight just lifted off my shoulders. It helps so much with stress and the every day problems that come with serving a mission. It helps you realize that you're not crazy! Ha ha I need that sometimes! Especially now that the weather is changing, the holidays are here, I feel like a lot of missionaries are going to start struggling (maybe not, hopefully I'm wrong) but either way, I know that the adjusting to missionary life booklet will help them! I still need it, and I've only got blank weeks left, ha ha!"  -Missionary writing to President Johnson

D&C 68:6-8
6 Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.

Meeting with individual districts this month and conducting interviews. . .

Wheeling District
Elders Goeckeritz, O'Keefe, Sisters Thompson, Harlan, Hansen, Johnson, President and Sister Johnson

Washington District
Elders Duffy, Hinckley, Sister and Pres. Johnson, Elders Gray and Parke

University District
Elder Ivie, Sisters McDonald, Jarvis, Pres. and Sister Johnson, Elder Nelson, Sisters Danso and Thorson

Two Birthdays in One Week
Elder Ivie and Elder Nelson

McKeesport District
Left:  Elders Hebdon, Pennington, Klima, Mueller, Pres. Johnson, Elder Cahoon
          Sisters Welch, Wall and Johnson

Carlisle District
Sisters Canseco, Wyasket, Faamaile, and Douglas
Pres. Johnson, Elders Smedley, Baker, White and Coburn

Gettysburg District
Sisters Sears, Amendola, Johnson, Smith and Hokafonu 
Elders Wilson, Pres. Johnson and Elder Ross

Shrewsbury District
Back left:  Pres. Johnson, Elder Stevens, Elders Casper, Spencer, Elliot and Hansen
Front:  Sister Johnson, Elder Gates, Sisters Sibley and Roberts

Beaver District
Sisters Huffaker, Kwasney, Evenson and Smith
Elders Liston, Masina, Tengberg and Shephard 

Lancaster District
Front:  Sisters Wilson, Robinson, Johnson, Landa and Blackwell
Back:  Elder Eubanks, Ibarra, President Johnson, Elders Andrade and Pirzadeh 

Harrisburg District
Front:  Elder Bryant,nSister Johnson, Elder Ord
Back:  Elders Gee, Bramwell, Pres. Johnson, Elders Cook and Walker

Camp Hill District
Sisters Blake, Durrant, Johnson, Simpson and Young
Elders Ramos, Ashton, President Johnson, Elders Williamson and Johnson

Hershey District
Sisters Forrest, Johnson and Talbot
Elder Renteria, President Johnson, Elders Tunquist and Van Leeuwen 

Freeport District
Sisters Jex, Johnson and Wadsworth
Elders Smith, Perry, Wadsworth, Pres. Johnson, Elders Wilt, Woodbury and Rose

Chambersburg District



Elders Camp, Bowers, English, Hatch, Sisters Wells and Azucena 



Pittsburgh 6th District
Seated on couch:  Elder and Sister Clarkson, Sister and Elder Christensen,
Front Row:  Elder Gehrke, Bryant, Woll and Wilkins
Standing middle,  Elder Adams, 



Erie District
Back row:  Elder Elkins, Elder Taylor, President John Hanson, Elders Tidwell and Uchityl 
  Front :  Sisters Hamblin, Johnson and Penrod

Cranberry District
Kneeling :  Sisters Oliver and Huffaker 
Standing: Sister Maya, Elder Mink, Sister Beutler, Elder Schofield, Rackham and Hoyt

Jamestown District
Front:  Elders Ekins, Hyer, Holiday and Draper
Middle:  Elder Halls Sister Johnson, Elder Foster
Back:  Elders Richens, Millis, President Johnson, Elder Boyes and Elder Kap



Philipsburg District
Elders Harley and Posada
Sisters Hales, Ewing-Di Bari, President and Sister Johnson, Sisters Hartman and DeMille

Williamsport District
Elders LeBaron, Pres. Johnson and Elder Davidson
Sisters Durfee, Crockett, Johnson, Taunima and Crisp

Towanda District
Elders Loreto, Kotter, Baxter and Cuthbert 
Elder and Sister Samuelson and Sister and President Johnson

Lewisburg District
Elders Herzog, Saylor, Hansen, President Johnson and Elder Haroldsen
Sisters Hokafonu, Meyers, Schofield, Johnson and Bartlett

Franklin District
Sisters Busath and Birch
Elders Aitken, Hyer, Holladay and Bates

Johnstown District
President and Sister Johnson and Sister and Elder Hanson
Elders Beal, Woods, Robertson, Baumgarner, Holman and Wilson

North Side District
Front:  Elders Howard, Syndergaard and Bell
Back:  Elders Simmons, Lundberg and Devey

Pittsburgh 7th District
Front:  Elders Gull, Worsham, Lundgren and Garduno
Back:  President and Sister Johnson, Sister and Elder Butler

Greensburg District
Elders Montgomery and Redd
Sisters Roberts, Johnson, President Johnson, Sisters Allen and Campbell

Altoona District

Elders Scott, Cooley, President and Sister Johnson, Elders Haskins and Griffins 
Kneeling:  Elders Cluff and Averett 

Elizabethtown District
Elders Hawley, Davis, Gille, President Johnson, Elder Hughes, La-Fon and Mills
Sisters Bennett and Noorlander (from Hershey district), Sisters Johnson, Ewell and Davis

John 16:33
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peaceIn the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheerI have overcome the world."

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Our Very Own Missionary!

"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."


At the airport in Pittsburgh saying farewell to our son Andrew as he heads back to Utah to pack up and report to the MTC on January 6.  He will be serving in the France Lyon Mission.


MLC January 2016


Good morning Pittsburgh!  On our way out to Altoona this was the hug we received from our Creator!

Zone Leaders and Sister Trainers come together for the day to counsel together on ways to improve missionary work in the PPM.

Elders Baker, Mills, Sisters Ewell and Davis

Back left:  Elders Masina, Liston, Averett, Scott, Loretto and Cuthbert
Middle left:  Sisters Davis, Ewell, Busath, Birch, Johnson and Roberts
Front left:  Elders Gray, Devey, Parke and Bryant


Back left:  Elders Gee, Ord, Sisters Durfee, Crockett, Sears and Smith (Elder Clarkson visiting)
Middle:  Elders Bell, Hyer, Holiday, Gille and Mills
Front left:  Elders Smedley, Baker, President Johnson and Elder Miller


"Leadership assignments must never be viewed as a way to obtain personal recognition or advancement, but rather as opportunities to serve others, to develop greater love, and to learn (see Ezekiel 33–34; 2 Nephi 26:29–30). Like all callings in the Church, each assignment has its own importance; an assistant to the president is no more important than any other missionary."
                                          -Missionary Handbook

“Jesus … said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. “But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;  “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:  “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”     (Matthew 20:25–28).

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Farewell December 2015


"Thou wilt shew me the path of life; in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."               (Psalms 16:11)

Best wishes and many thanks for your faithful service!

Sister Bills checking in /out!

Elders Harper, Gamble and Kocherhans with Elders Redford, Klima and Ginos behind.

Elders Redford, Klima, Little, Kocherhans and Ginos

Sister Bills with President Johnson

Elder Harper and Elder Whitmire 

Elder Hebdon with President Johnson

Sister Duncan

Friday, January 8, 2016

December 2015 Welcome to the PPM

In December we welcomed fifteen new missionaries into the PPM!  Winter storms and heavy travel time through the holidays caused delays and a two day stay in Detroit for some of the group. We were relieved and excited to finally greet them at the airport!

"As a disciple of Christ we can ask for more energy, more revelation, more patience, more self-discipline, more help, more love, more healing, more happiness. We can ask for miracles, for freedom from pain, and for the desire to forgive. We can ask for more faith and for help and becoming better disciples.  We can ask for angels to walk with us, because if we live up to our privileges, they just can't be restrained from being our associates.  We can also ask for help to understand why the Lord sometimes responds to our requests and other time manifests his grace in our lives differently then we may have hoped.  The Lord's timing and his wisdom about what we need at any given point in our lives reigns supreme."  Sheri Dew



Sister Azucena (Phillipines) and Sister Danso (South Africa) join the PPM from Temple Square for three months.

President Johnson welcomes Sister Kwasney

Sister Morrison will train Sister Kwasney 

President Johnson welcomes Sisters Faamaile and Roberts


Middle Front:  Elder Goeckeritz, Sisters Johnson, Brown, Evenson, President and Sister Johnson
2nd Row Left:  Elders Kotter, Davidson and English
Back left:  Elders Worsham, Calaway and Coburn

Left:  Elders Miller, Goeckeritz, Calaway, Kotter, Clarkson, Gardner and Sister Gardner 


Left:  Sisters Morrison, Kwasney, Elder and Sister Christensen, Pres. Johnson , Sisters Clarkson, Smith

Left:  Sisters Brown, Johnson, Sibley, Evenson, Joseph, Hansen, Palmer and Douglas

Left:  Sisters Roberts, Faamaile, Elders Camp, Baxter, Davidson, English and Worsham

Left:  Elders Coburn, White, O'Keefe, LeBaron, Hummer, Bryant and Gull



Elder Calaway and Elder Kotter 

Elder O'Keefe training Elder Goeckeritz 

Sister Sibley will train Sister Roberts

Elder Kotter being trained by Elder Baxter

Sister Hansen will train Sister Johnson

Elder Davidson being trained by Elder LeBaron

Elder English being trained by Elder Camp

Sisters Smith training Sister Evenson

Sister Palmer training Sister Brown

Elder Calaway being trained by Elder Hummer

Sister Douglas will train Sister Faamaile 

Elder Coburn will be trained by Elder White

Elder Worsham will be trained by Elder Gull

Sister Jarvis and Sister Danso 

Sister Azucena with Sisters Campbell and Sister Wells (in a live nativity first night she was here!)