Elder and Sister Prater in Newport Beach, California Mission

  Elder and Sister Kenningston's last Sunday in the Double Peak Ward   Sunday February 19,  was the last Sunday that the missionary couple serving in the Double Peak Ward before us attended our new ward.  The next morning they packed up their car and traveled back home to Utah to be released.  They served well and loved so many!  They have large shoes for us to fill.   On Monday afternoon we moved into their apartment which they had just vacated.  This apartment was worth the wait!   On Tuesday, we attended our district meeting.  We love our young missionaries.  We have a sister from Mississippi who lives closes to an area that our son, Matthew served in several years ago.  We also have an elder from South Carolina.  These missionaries are hard working and always willing to learn from each other how to better invite others to come to Christ.   We were blessed by the Kenningtons who gave us a list of members that they had been visiting and wanted us to continue to minister to them. 

One of my favorite scriptures is in the beginning of the Book Of Mormon in the very first chapter of Nephi-  I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith.  The Lord has shown as many tender mercies as we have began our mission here in Newport Beach California.     Because the senior couple that occupies the apartment that we will be living in for the majority of our mission still has two weeks left to finish out their   mission, Elder Prater and I were assigned to live in other apartments til they return home.   So our first temporary apartment was in Ladera Ranch.   It had been empty for a bit and had formerly been occupied by young elders.   We found the apartment comfortable and of course without internet.   Elder Prater came down with a cold so we spent a couple of days just sitting in the apartment while he slept it off.   But at least the weather was glorious!   I was no longer cold.   Because my h

  Our second week at the Missionary Training Center was just as amazing as our first week.  This was the week that we had specialized training for Member Leadership Support.  We spent our mornings in a group setting with all the senior missionaries serving as MLS and leaving the MTC this week. There were approximately 40-45 of us.  In this group setting we were taught each day by senior missionaries.  We had training on Family History work, Church Education systems, Self Reliance programs.  We also had a couple of days training by missionaries that had served as MLS missionaries.  It was all so informative and interesting.  When we were training on Family History we were shown how to use the compare a face activity on Familysearch.  This activity compares your face to your relatives and to famous people.  I look the most like my grandma Smith with 69% similarities.  These are two famous people I have similarities to- I am not sure what to think about this- haha.  Our church offers so m