December 2014 MLC

On The Road

Traveling through the mission sometimes brings unexpected smiles

Downtown Pittsburgh

Elder DeFreese posing by the "Weiner Mobile"

A Big Welcome

We are thrilled to have two new couples serving here in Pittsburg! They arrived last month and are already doing an amazing job!

Elder and Sister Butler from Salt Lake City

Elder and Sister Elcock from Malad, Idaho

November 2014 MLC

Godspeed

It is always a bittersweet experience to say good-bye to missionaries who have completed their missions.    We are sad to have them leave, but at the same time excited for their success, for their reunion with loved ones, and for the great adventure that lies ahead of them.

From the transfer meeting we go to the mission home.  We invited anyone who wished to go over on the trails for an hour before dinner with us.  

Left:  Sisters Moore, Hanseen, Pau'u, Winkler, Cook and Crockett

Front: Sister Weloth

Elders Vascallo (AP), Rasmussen, Johnson and Nash (AP)

Front left:  Sisters Hanseen, Pau'u, Cook and Weloth

Middle left:  Sisters Johnson, Crockett, Winkler, and Moore

Back left:  President Johnson, Elders Vascallo, Rasmussen and Johnson

Then we enjoyed a soup and salad bar with reminiscing, stories and laughter.

Front and clockwise:  Sisters Hanseen, Pau'u, Moore, Crockett, Weloth, Luker, Bateman, 

                                   Cook and Winkler

Sister Melissa Nobbs, President Nobbs (counselor to Pres. Johnson), Elders Rasmussen, 

     Johnson and Vascallo

Sisters Luker, Bateman, and Winkler

Elder Rasmussen

Sisters Cook, Crockett and Moore

Elder Johnson

Sisters Weloth, Hanseen and Pau'u

Thanks to President and Sister Nobbs for all they do!

We have several missionaries who serve in the PPM while they wait for visas.   On November 16 we said farewell to Elder Rosen who got his visa to go on to his mission in Taiwan.

Welcome New Elders and Sisters to Pennsylvania

Transfer Number 3!  

The crew arrives!  This month we welcomed 4 sisters and 16 elders.

An impressive line-up of new elders!  Elders Elkins, Bumgarner, Stallings, Woodbury, Hughes,

Hinkley, Pennington, Curtis, Wadsworth, Bell, Millis, with Sister Johnson, President Johnson

President and Sister Johnson with new sisters!  Sisters Landa, Sibley, Jex and Smith

A birds-eye view of Pittsburgh!

left:  Elders Ekins, Stallings, Bumgarner, Woodbury, Hughes, Wilt, Curtis, Bell, Wadswoth, Johnson

    Sisters Sibley, Landa, Jex, Smith, Hinckley, Pennington, Millis and Sister Johnson

The next day they have training and transfer meeting.  It has quite a dominoe effect when we add 16 new missionaries and send home 11 who have completed their missions!

Sisters!  Landa, Jex, Bills, Sampson, Yates, Sibley, Morphy, Olvera, Pau'u,and Smith

sister Yeats and Sister Jex

Friends come to wish missionaries well as they depart for home or new areas.

Sisters Pau'u and Olvera with Elders Shields and Nash saying goodbye to friends from their area.

Here and There

President Johnson has been conducting interviews throughout the month of October.  Here are some of the districts we visited:

Camp Hill District

Back left:  President Johnson, Elders Horsely, Tangberg, Kocherhans, Gates, Hyer & Stevens

Front left:  Sisters Johnson, Lindsay, Stokes, Purcell & Rosengren

Cranberry District

Left:  Elders Beck, Woods, McDonald, Trotman, Baxter, Holman and President Johnson

         Sisters Hodson, Valikoula and Johnson

Hershey District

Left:  Elders Cluff, Whitby, Larsen and George

         Sisters Bills and Tolman

University District

Left:  Sisters Bradshaw & Kuo, Elders DeFreese & Bryant, Sisters Zaugg & Sparks

Bearing one another's burden?

State College District

Left:  President & Sister Johnson, Sisters Burnett & Larsen, Elders Little, Jackson, Cook, Muir & Rosen

         Sister & Elder Glover.   Elder Adamson kneeling

Beaver District

Left:  Elders Peers & Saylor, Sisters Romero, Wilde, Winkler & Smith, Elders Walker & Ashton

Johnstown District

Back left:  Elders Barney, Brown, Workman, Cooley, Liston & President Johnson

                 Sister Barney, Elders Woll & Green & Sister Johnson

                                        Sisters Duncan & Baltazar

Pittsburgh 6 District

Back left:  Pres. Johnson, Elders May and Taylor

                Sisters Johnson, Pugmire, Walborn, Olvera and Pau'u

Carlisle District

Left:  Elders Shuppy & Haskins, Sisters Johnson & Denny, Elders Stevens & Lewis

Fairview District

Back left:  Elders Glick, Sheffer, Bashein, Whipple and Pres. Johnson

                 Sisters Hinkle, Robinson and Johnson

Farewell to the Burbidges

Farewell to the Elder and Sister Burbidge!  Thank you for the wonderful service you have 

given here in the PPM!  We will miss you!  

MLC To The Rescue

Thank you to Elder and Sister Thorne for gathering items for emergency kits for each companionship in the PPM.  Thank you to our MLC for assembling them!

Elders Vassallo, Ginos, Baggett, Gibson, Whitney and Sister Thorne

Sisters Moore, Chavez and Washburn

Sisters Jones and Thomas

The evening before our monthly MLC day the missionaries on the council who live in areas away from Pittsburgh travel in.  They stay with missionaries who live in the area.  

Elder Baggett and Elder Shields making preparations

Some of the council singing together . . .

The Sisters stayed at the mission home and Elders dropping them off enjoyed visiting for a 

    a little while before heading to stay with other a Elders.