The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is making adjustments to the way its 405 missions are organized, to better utilize the skills and abilities of all missionaries in training and leadership. The change is due in part to the influx of thousands of young missionaries who are responding to the lowering of age requirements for mission service, announced by Church President Thomas S. Monson last October.

Each mission in the Church will organize a Mission Leadership Council that will include both elder (males) and sister (females) missionary leaders. The new mission leadership council will consist of the mission president and his wife, assistants to the president, zone leaders, and sister training leaders — a newly created role.

BACK TO ZONE LEADER COUNCIL MEETING TODAY…So here are about 60 pictures from the meeting and at the office afterwards. I have no idea when I will find time to catch up with my comments but I thought parents and friends would have a good time looking at these and finding their missionary.

We arrived to help get the food ready for lunch. Sister Anderson had prepared 4 big pans of homemade lasagna and a huge bowl of pasta with sauce. There was also a green salad and lots of garlic bread. For dessert there was Texas sheet cake with vanilla ice cream. There was enough food that it filled up close to 50 people with just a little left over. The first picture is of the group singing the closing song. It is a powerful thing to listen to that many elders sing “Ye Elders of Israel.” It is too bad that every parent could not have heard and felt the spirit these great mission leaders project.

I am not going to try and identify each missionary but I will point out some that we have come close to over the months. We have become close to elder Smoot since he has been around us since the first day he was here. We never have had a chance to serve with elder Rugg but we have come to know him from meetings that we have shared.

Elders Thorne and Wilson have served with us – elder Thorne I think has served with us longer than any other elder. They shared a table with elders Jones and Lee.

Elders Williams and Hoole carefully tucked their orange Miami Beach ties into their shirts as they enjoyed their lunches. Inside the big table played host to a number of elders including our good friends elder Plowman, Rockwood and Edwards. Elder Beer opted out of the picture by hiding behind elder Kata who is in the left foreground. I got some pictures of him later.

Sister Anderson packaged up the left overs and sent them home with some of the elders. Elder Toeava has one of the best smiles in the mission. I commented on his tie and he informed me that the Evans gave it to him. I hope they see this post so they can see their tie is much appreciated and remembered.

Elders Bloom and Thorne both have served as district leaders in the Fort Lauderdale district since we have been there. Elder Bloom now serves up in the Coral Springs zone. We were happy to get a picture with elder Toeava for our blog and journal. Our ties kind of match.

We only got to serve with elder Hunt for one transfer – one was enough for him – but we see him often at meetings and the office. He also is now up in Coral Springs. We finally got a picture with elder Beer. He will leave in just a few days and we will follow soon after. He is having an amazing last transfer as he and elder Rivera have found families to teach and baptize.

We served with elder Hoole and love to read his blog. What is probably our last picture with elder Smoot – at least with us both in suits. May we will catch him at transfer meeting since his companion elder Edwards will be finishing his mission next week.

Elders Smoot and Plowman were some of the first missionaries we got close to back in early 2012. Please notice the gang in the back. Elders Dowdle, Beer, and Edwards love to ham it up. Their love just bubbles out.

Another picture with elder Thorne and the gang. After lunch there was lots of group photos being taken. My guess is that a few hundred if not thousand pictures were taken. I hope you have as much fun looking through them as I did taking them.

Elder Dowdle and I took pictures of each of us taking pictures.

Elder Beer trying to look serious…it did not last long. This is an interesting group…elders Jones, Marsh, Hunt, Chinchilla, Hoole, and Torres are standing and elder Shipley is kneeling. I think they are spelling out something in sign language but I have no idea what.

 

 

We took the opportunity to have our picture taken with President and Sister Anderson. I has been a special blessing to serve here with them as our leaders. Their love for all the missionaries and the Lord is amazing.

You would never realize that it was lightly raining on the screen above the missionaries as they gathered around the pool to talk, take pictures and look at pictures. As I went through these pictures I was surprised to see how often elders Hoole, Wardell and some others ended up in them. I guess they were just very gregarious.

The easiest missionary to pick out in a crowd is elder Burgon with his bright orange/red hair. He is an amazing missionary and serves with our friend elder Taylor up in Fort Pierce – about as far north as you can go in the mission.

Elder Hoole talking to elder Marsh while elder Wardell has his arm around elder Rugg with elders Williams, Lee and Smoot nearby.

Another picture featuring elder Bloom and Thorne as well as elder Burgon. I do not think elder Williams is going to like this picture if he ever gets a chance to see it.

More group pictures with elders Bowen, Toeava, Edwards – looking rather pensive – Jones and Torres. You got to love elder Plowman’s look while others try to look serious. I am pretty sure no one is buying it.

 

Elder Patino is one of the few missionaries my size. We served in Fort Lauderdale district together and he now serves with elder Lange who is about a foot taller than we are. He showed me a picture where they are standing back to back and his head does not come up to elder Lange’s shoulders. The APs work very hard to develop the plans for these meetings, setting things up and they took down many of the tables and chairs that were used. They then finished cleaning up before elder Gust headed up to Fort Pierce for an exchange and elders Shipley and Stewart went to their area to try and do round up for conference tomorrow.

After the meeting we headed back to the office. On the way we stopped to look at this unusual house that we have often seen while driving home on Hiatus road. Sister Pier thought it might be a church but it turned out to be a private residence that just looks different. Many of the leaders came by to turn in paper work and pick up supplies. Elder Hunt is becoming an expert at cutting out chapel cards.

Elders Rockwood and Kata take a short break before heading back to their to their areas in Hialeah. Of course the board in the hall way gets lots of looks and comments. Elder Hoole, Dowdle and Samuelian are looking at the board while elder Williams strikes a pose for the camera.

I was too slow in getting out my camera to get a picture of elder Wardell with his big blue sun glasses on as he relaxes on the couch with elder Bowen. They are talking to elder Bloom who has a package for either himself or someone in his area.

 

Elders Wilson and Lee drop in to meet elder Singleton who is behind the wall. Later elders Jones and Hunt also make this acquaintance. It is always a good idea to get to know the man behind the finances.

About 10 minutes after I took this last picture every missionary had left. After 3 hours of being with them, it felt strange when I noticed how quiet it was with them all gone. The last Zone Leader’s Council in the Fort Lauderdale mission was finished.