{"id":7098,"date":"2014-06-11T04:35:46","date_gmt":"2014-06-11T11:35:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pierfamily.com\/wordpress\/?p=7098"},"modified":"2019-08-21T14:27:42","modified_gmt":"2019-08-21T21:27:42","slug":"transfer-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.pierfamily.com\/wordpress\/2014\/06\/11\/transfer-day\/","title":{"rendered":"10 June – Transfer Day…"},"content":{"rendered":"

We had some things we needed to do up in Joburg so we decided that we would combine them with being part of transfers. Transfer day is very special because missionaries from all over the mission come together for a few hours to either get new seasoned companions or become trainers for the new missionaries that have come into the mission.\u00c2\u00a0One thing that is convenient about the Johannesburg mission is that the MTC where most of their missionaries have been being trained is in the same building as the mission office. So all the new missionaries walk out one door and are immediately in their mission field.<\/p>\n

The Assistants and the Office couples are busy for days getting ready for transfers. Of course so is President and Sister Omer. The new missionaries ‘arrive’ at 7:00 and spend three hours being trained by the couples on things like cars, phones, debit cards, and anything else that they need to know about being a Joburg missionary.<\/p>\n

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Elder Dummer tells the new missionaries the ins and outs of driving and how to use their finance cards. Sister Dummer took notes on the new companionships. She also took pictures of the new companionships which will be included in the package that goes out to the families of new missionaries.<\/p>\n

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Our good friend sister Taylor was kept busy making sure the new missionaries had all they needed to start their adventure. Mary and I were just along for the ride – we got to enjoy the excitement of transfer without having any responsibility.<\/p>\n

While this is going on cars start arriving from all over the mission bringing those who are being transferred and those who are not being transferred but who are getting new companions. The parking lot becomes one big gathering place where missionaries meet and hug old companions and those they went through the MTC with.<\/p>\n

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The missionaries gather in the parking lot and greet old friends before finding out who will be their new companions. I did not make notes of how the elders knew each other so I will just share the pictures – Elders Day and\u00c2\u00a0Mukarti.<\/p>\n

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Elders Day and Olson and Elders\u00c2\u00a0Massou, Mukarti. Elder Massou is one of the elders chosen to train a new missionary.<\/p>\n

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Elders Pius, Cummings pose for my picture – we keep running into elder Cummings at different locations. He was in the MTC with elder Rogers.<\/p>\n

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The assistants post the transfer information on the walls in a cultural hall and missionaries flock in to find out where they are going or who will be their new companions. Then comes the sorting out as they find the companion they will spend at least the next 6 weeks with. Luggage and other things must be transferred from one car to another and journals need to be written in and signed. The meeting and greeting goes on for a long time before cars start to exit the lot for the trip home or to a new area.<\/p>\n

While those who are being transferred are getting sorted out, the new missionaries are in a meeting with the trainers, the assistants, and President and sister Omer. \u00c2\u00a0President Omer has spent the morning interviewing the new missionaries and seeking the spirit to know the first area they should serve\/be born in and who should be their father\/trainer. The new missionaries \u00c2\u00a0are invited to share their testimony and then they are matched up with their trainer.\"June14<\/a> \"June14<\/a><\/p>\n

The 9 new missionaries occupy the front rows while their trainers sit behind them. However at this point no one except the president and the assistants knows who will train who!<\/p>\n

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I was out of the room when the new missionaries bore their testimonies and only got back in time to take single photos of elders Hehir and Anjin. But I did get companion pictures for all of them.<\/p>\n

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Elder\u00c2\u00a0Allen will train elder Maraetefau who comes to the mission from the isles of French Polynesia while elder\u00c2\u00a0Hughes who comes from the island of England will be trained by Silvester.<\/p>\n

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Elder\u00c2\u00a0Kenyah if Uganda will be trained by Andritiana. Elder\u00c2\u00a0Massou will train elder Adjin who is also from Uganda.<\/p>\n

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Elder\u00c2\u00a0Mead is training elder Hehir who comes from the UK. Elder Nkosingphile who is serving from Swaziland got a new purple tie from his trainer elder Packard.<\/p>\n

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Elder\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Rizk will train his son elder Natwijuka who is from Uganda. Elder\u00c2\u00a0Widdison from the US \u00c2\u00a0will be trained by our friend elder Compton who was our district leader when we first came into the mission.<\/p>\n

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Elder Hentunen from Finland will be trained by elder Quigley.<\/p>\n

They then gather up their luggage, get a new pillow and comforter – it is cold here at this time of the year – get everything loaded into a car and off they go to serve the best two years of their life.<\/p>\n

One of the other reasons we enjoyed being at transfers is that we got to see and meet the new companions of the elders from our district. Elders Rogers and Harris were transferred out of the Ikageng district while elders Kelem,\u00c2\u00a0Mdletshe and Perkins stayed in their areas but got new companions.<\/p>\n

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Elder Rushton is elder Harris new companion and they will be serving in the Rabie Ridge area. We were sad to lose elder Harris but we know he will do well in his new area. Elder Hallman will be elder Roger’s third companion as he moves from Ikageng to Germistron area.<\/p>\n

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Elder Otieno joins elder Mdletshe\u00c2\u00a0in Jouberton and Elder Perkins now has elder Larsen as his new companion in the Klerksdorp area. Some how I missed getting a picture of elder Kelem with his new companion elder Msangi who will serve with us in Ikageng.<\/p>\n

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