Kelsey's Mission Blog

Kelsey has now been on here mission two weeks.  She flew to Canada on Tuesday.  Karl and I were lucky enough to be home when she called from the Toronto airport.  You can imagine my joy when I saw Toronto on the caller I.D.  We were able to speak only about ten minutes or so, but it was long enough to here how happy she is.  She sounded excited and like she was having the time of her life.  That gave me great peace.

So last night I was up late working on e-mails when an e-mail appeared in my list from her mission president.     So they are fours hours ahead and it was 11pm where I was sitting.  This man must keep crazy hours.  I have attached most of the letter as well as a link to the city where she is now assigned.  It is a beautiful coastal city way out on the edge of Nova Scotia.  I can easily see Kelsey here.

I wanted to send you an e-mail to update you on your daughter's progress so far in the mission field. As you know her group left Salt Lake yesterday morning early and flew all day arriving here in Halifax around eight thirty last night. They were on time and only one bag was lost which is a new record. Delays lately have been up to four to five hours. In any case it had been a long day as they had to get up at around two thirty in the morning to get to the airport. In spite of all that they arrived in good spirits when my assistants Sister Leavitt and I met them at the airport.
 
After taking pictures and hunting down luggage we took them back to the mission home where they were fed a late night meal of chili, buns and ice cream.  We have a dormitory in the basement of the mission home where we can accommodate up to fourteen missionaries. For the seond time in the history of the mission we had more Sisters than Elders arrive so the the six sisters slept down there and the three French Elders were on the top floor near Sister Leavitt and I. 
 
In the morning they were up at six thirty to start their day. After breakfast they were interviewed, given their assignments and we then travelled to the Canada Halifax temple for a session.  
 
In the interview I found out a bit more about your daughter, your family and  her feelings about serving in the Canada Halifax mission. During the interview I explained to  her about the various areas and about how we are organized.  I was able to let her know who her first companion would be and a bit about her first area.
 
After attending the temple we went to the mission office for the rest of the orientation. After having a hearty supper the new missionaries went out for their first proselyting experience. They are now in bed and tomorrow they will travel early to their new areas and meet their first companion.
 
Your daughter was assigned to serve with Sister Miehe in St John's Central. Sister Miehe is an outstanding missionary who was carefully selected to be a trainer. Your daughter will benefit greatly from Sister Miehe who is a hard working, obedient and dedicated missionary.
 
Sister Leavitt and I feel Sister Christensen has come prepared to serve the Lord and we will endeavor to help her have a successful mission and one of the greatest experiences of her life. In the next eighteen months, with the help of your daughter, we look forward to inviting many souls to come unto Christ.
 
I meet with the missionaries on a frequent basis and receive a detailed letter from them every week. My Assistants, the Zone Leaders, District Leaders and Trainers and Sister Training Leaders all are focused on helping new missionaries make the adjustment to missionary life.
 
You can do your part by writing to Sister Christensen weekly and encourage her in a positive manner. Detailed updates on sports teams, friends, current affairs or unnecessary detail on problems at home tend to distract the missionaries and often cause a number of problems.
 
I do my best to communicate with the parents of all the missionaries on a regular basis to keep them informed of the progress of the mission in general. I do this by way of a quarterly update letter sent to you via email. As well, I try to send specific updates as various areas of responsibility change.
 
I firmly believe the African saying that says "it takes a village to raise a child" and that it applies to missionaries as well. Each of us doing our own part will contribute to the overall success of your daughter's mission.
 
Please do not hesitate to let me know of any concerns or questions that you might have.
 
May the Lord bless us all in this sacred and important endeavor.
 
Sincerely,

Brian D. Leavitt
 
Mission President