WINTER AT THE VISITOR CENTER

March 2013

Winter months are pretty slow at the Visitor Center.  Durning these slow months, we may only welcome 10 to 15 guest into our center all day.   On average, it runs arounds 50 guest with some days way over 100.  With this slow-time, it gives us all lots of time to study our scriptures and the new Sisters to study their lessons.  It also gives them time to call Referrals and Chat with those investigating the church on line.  We always keep busy, even when few guest come into our center.

February and March has continued to be cold and snowy in Missouri.  The snow doesn't seem to be slowing down but it doesn't seem to keep our Sisters down.  A few weeks back they decided to have "Spirit Week" and they asked everyone to wear a certain color or type of clothes each day of the week.  It was fun and amazing how well it turned our.

                    NOW THAT IS A GREAT GROUP OF SISTER MISSIONARIES!

What a privilege it is for us, and all the Senior Couples, to serve with such beautiful Sisters and to be around their strong testimonies they share with our guest.

During the day we have two shifts we serve at the VC along with the Sisters.  When the Sisters are off shift, they receive a car and proselyte in their assigned areas.  At the end of the day, all the Sisters return to the Visitor Center at 8:45pm and we all gather by the Christus for singing and a closing prayer.  After closing prayer, they rearrange the cars for the following day and they all return to their apartments.





When they are off shift, they often bring their investigators into the VC so we often meet them before they are baptized.  Occasionally, when we have meet the Sisters' investigators, they ask us to participate in their baptism.

Here, Elder Godfrey was asked to baptize Richard Allen Williams.  His sister, Joyce, who Elder Godfrey confirmed a few weeks earlier, is standing next to Rick.  The Sisters in the picture are all the Sisters that helped teach Rick.





This was a very special occasion for Elder Godfrey because we do not proselyte and find new people to teach the Gospel to but we meet many that the Sisters teach.






Every Six weeks we have a Departure Breakfast to say "Farewell" to our Sisters that have finished their mission and will be returning home. This month we only had 2 Visitor Center Sisters that were leaving us.  They were Sister Hansen and Sister Atkins, both wonderful Sisters.  They are the 3rd and 4th Sisters from the right, in the front row.

Also at this time, many of the Sisters are transferred to other areas to be full proselyting missionaries for a while and we receive  new missionaries to fill their spot.  This is always a sad but also a wonderful time for the Sisters.

Senior Couples that serve the Independence Visitors Center and Historic Liberty Jail

Top Two Rows

                      Elder & Sister Pugsley,  Elder and Sister Pyne,  Elder and Sister Brenchley

Elder & Sister Stevenson,  Elder & Sister Simper,  Elder & Sister Godfrey

Bottom Two Rows 

The first week in March, "Spring Break" in many areas, gave us a chance to welcome large groups of youth.  This group traveled to us from the Dallas, Texas area.

They had 3 buses of 50 youth and Stake leaders on each bus.   They traveled from early morning and arrived to us in the early evening.
(Stake President on the far left)







Two buses visited the VC and the other went to Liberty Jail.  Then, the next morning, they switched and one bus load came to the VC while the other two buses went to Liberty Jail. We were at the VC when this bus of youth visited.

It was great to welcome such a nice group of youth.  Here, you are looking at some of our future missionaries!

From here they were going up to Far West, Adam-ondi-Ahman, and then to Nauvoo.  What a great Stake Youth Activity!





I hope this blog lets you see some of the exciting things we have the privilege to participate in while serving on our mission.  We had Zone Conference this week and President Keyes' talk was all about how the Lord is 'Hastening' the work of the 'Gathering of Israel' through missionary work.  With the influx of mission applications, the church anticipates around 90,000 missionaries in the field by the end of the year.  WOW!  Church history is in the making and many will receive the saving ordinances they will need to live with our Lord and Savior and our Heavenly Father once more.  We are blessed to be part of this work at this time.

We love you all,
Elder and Sister Godfrey