Favorite Exhibit comes to the Visitors' Center

Sister Susan Fuller and twenty-five helpers prepare the International Nativities Display which will be viewed by thousands of visitors during the Christmas Lights Season.

Dedicated volunteers spend many hours arranging displays

Every detail including labeling of nativities is considered

Sister Trane and Ashton lead the sisters in singing to Sister Susan Fuller in appreciation for her devoted service

Sister Weight arrived in time to enjoy the Christmas Lights season, and is trained by Sister Hernandez

Sister Weight joins us from Utah

Sister Loynd is lead by Sister Gonzalez-Calderon

Sister Loynd is from Oregon

Sister Fuller is thanked by the sister missionaries 

Christmas Lights and the Joy of Serving

November brings the excitement of preparation for Christmas Lights and "Super Saturdays". The members of the surrounding stakes come to the Mesa Temple grounds to participate in the events of the day beginning as early as 6:00 a.m.  Each stake and ward has an assigned area to decorate with lights.

Volunteers gather for instructions

Fragile lights are carefully unwrapped 

Stacey Farr is surrounded by strands of lights and brings her own joyful "light" to every aspect of the task as she directs the entire project of Christmas Lights

A family of six participates 

Each stake is responsible for a designated area

Nothing keeps the volunteers from coming to help

Welcome arrivals to the Visitors' Center, and Reluctant Farewells

Sister Zamudio leads Sister Loynd as her Trainer

Sister Loynd joins us from Portland, Oregon

Elder and Sister Trane arrive from Idaho Falls, Idaho

The group bids farewell to Sister Grow, Greene and Lund on the front steps of the Center because of the closure for remodeling and the addition of new exhibits

Sister Greene, Grow and Lund

Farewell Breakfast

Sister Kohler, Beach, Guevara and Stringfellow serve as Visitors' Center Trainer Leaders during the transition from closure of the Center through Christmas Lights

Teaching from here to Kenya

The sisters of the Arizona Mesa Mission teach friends as close as neighbors in Mesa and as far away as Kenya.  We are especially grateful to Elder and Sister Clark and the missionaries who serve at the ROC (Records Operation Center) for sharing their facility with us so that the sisters can continue to teach across the world.

Sister Hart and Gaskell teach a friend in Kenya who was referred from someone in the Netherlands

Sister Lopez and Stringfellow hold the visual image representing our goals for new referrals and baptisms.  Marbles are transferred from one jar to the other, signifying new referrals and baptisms through contacts in the Teaching Center

Sister Kohler and Ganta

Sister Ganta adds a marble signifying a new friend to teach in the TC 

Sister Jensen and McNeely

Sister Ganta and Stringfellow as companions on a sister exchange

Sister Casey and Kelson

Sister Lund and Gutierrez

Elder Cameron enjoys helping with teaching questions during a session at the TC

Sister Willes and Hale

Sister Grow shows the happy news of someone's baptism as a result of teaching in the Center

Sister Gonzalez and Morris

Sister Duran and Breck

Sister Redford and Grow

Sister Greene and Anderson

Sister Gonzalez-Calderon and Hernandez

Sister McSheehy and Lloyd

Online Teaching at the ROC (Records Operation Center)

While the Visitors' Center is closed for remodeling, the sister missionaries were graciously welcomed to the ROC - the Records Operation Center to continue their online teaching.

Sisters assigned to the Visitors' Center along with their full field companions find joy in speaking with people in many lands. 

The sisters teach those interested in the gospel until they are able to be taught in their local area.  The sisters will continue to talk with and encourage all those who have missionaries teaching them locally.

Our VC Sister Trainer Leaders, Sister Kohler and Stringfellow, teach about the value of various online resources such as "Chat" to teach 

Sister Ganta shares her testimony of the value of online teaching and the conversion of those she has taught

Sister Grow tells the story of a friend in Brazil that she met online who was baptized, and shared with us his expressions of delight in finding the Gospel

Sister Gonzalez speaks of the challenge she first experienced with online teaching.  She taught a man when he came to the Visitors' Center.  When she contacted him online, he seemed  distracted and somewhat uninterested in their conversations.   She persisted by sending messages of faith and encouragement and was filled with gratitude and joy when she learned that he will be baptized soon.

Sister Anderson and Greene help us understand the importance of teaching with the Spirit whether with someone in person or teaching them online

The ROC provided their conference room for our first Preparation Meeting while the Visitors' Center is closed for remodeling

We thank Elder and Sister Clark who direct the Records Operation Center for allowing us to use their facility

Elder Moulton from the Missionary Department in Salt Lake, who is overseeing the remodeling project joins us in our Preparation Meeting

Sister Clark and Elmo tell us that they were taught in the MTC to "have a blast"!  And we can tell they do at the ROC!

Celebrating October Birthdays

These two companions, Sister Hale and Sister Willes, both have birthdays in October - we will look forward to wishing Sister Pajaro  happy day when we see her again after her full field experience.

Sister Zamudio welcomes and looks forward to training Sister Loynd from Oregon.  Her first experience as a Visitors' Center sister missionary is at the ROC!