Elder Scott Invokes Apostolic Blessing on Sisters in the MTC and Sisters Who Go Home to Marry Given Honorable Releases

This week has been really crazy. The other Cebuano district left yesterday and its been really quiet without them. They were all amazing people. Basically everyone loved them! So in crazy news in the MTC Sister Russell left the other day the same day as Sister Brinton. Sister Brinton went to the field while Sister Russell went home to get married! She has a date set for December 6th. You forget there is a real world outside of the MTC sometimes and that people leave their missions.

I guess though that when girls leaves their missions they are considered as having served honorably. Their records say they served a full time mission even if she was only out for 2 weeks. It is weird how that happens.  I was sad because think of all those people that she would have met.  But I think she is happy about her decision about her going on a mission and. I think it was the best thing for her, because she is now getting married.

LDS Online Missionaries' Slide Show

Sister of Online California Santa Rosa Missionary Drums Up Traffic for LDS Online Missionary Pilot Project

Kaylie Jean Hancock shared her feelings and a letter the family received about her brother Elder Nathan Hancock's new assignment as one of the LDS Online Missionaries.  Kaylie Jean sets a good example of what people should be doing on their personal blogs which is drumming up business for the missionaries. I see several of her followers are now following her brother too. Check out her post and her brother's blog Strength in the Storms of Life.

MTC Experience: Loving Missionaries Differences

Kamusta Everyone and Hello Again!


This message comes to you from the world called the MTC. It feels like its own world we are here forever I am ready to leave and go out and speak Cebuano even though I don't know as much as I should. I love the MTC though it is an awesome experience! This week actually last night we had a devotional and guess who came! Elder Nelson so Cool. That's right one of the 12 apostles came and spoke to us pretty cool! I wish we could have been able to shake his hand, but I know that its because the flu buggy is going around in the MTC and as I sat in the devotional I just heard all sorts of coughs and nose blowing all over the place, but still I wish he would have shook our hands! This week has gone by so fast I have no idea what happened to it! Insane. Sister Brinton is leaving for the Philippines on Monday and its going to be a sad day I'm going to be lost without her, but I know its going to be awesome with a new "companion" when she leaves I will have to go to the office and get a new assigned sister... weird right most sisters get a companion the whole time they are here but it's okay I think its way better this way you get to change it up a lot and it's new every week!

Solo Sister: First Week at MTC

Kamusta! (Hello) Everyone!!

So today Wednesday is my P-Day so expect an email from me on Wednesdays for now.  I found out my leave date right now is December 7, 2010.  My first week in the MTC has been all sorts of interesting!  I got to the MTC around 12:45P and I was greeted by Host elders and they took my luggage and took me to stand by this other sister.  A bunch of new comers stood by me and I was taken by a host sister to my room to put my luggage away in my room. I found out I had 3 other sisters in my room. I was excited to meet my companion. Then we were taken to a big room and they had 5 lines. One to take a picture then to make sure information was right and to give the paper. Then we got an envelope with things we needed they gave us a name badge and I was told to go talk to another sister because a sticky note was on my envelope.  I felt like I was being sent to the principle's office.  I went over and the sister explained to me that I was going to be the only sister in my class so I was going to be a solo sister.  As a solo sister my situation is unique.  As a solo sister I will have a sister companion with whom I share a living quarters but I am not in the same class.  Our schedules are the same for meals, laundry, temple, and gym.  On my name tag we have a white sticker in the right hand corner of my badge.  When I am in class or studying having MDT missionary directed time I have to be with a pair of elders in my district!  I have to be with someone but I have more freedom with who I can be with. I can be with my sister companion or my elders at times.  I have a lot more freedom than other missionaries I have noticed! 

Call for Volunteers: Member Missionary Online Training Center Comes To Facebook

Selected members of the LDS Church have a chance to get involved as member missionaries online by teaming up with missionaries at  the Referral Center at the Provo MTC.  The RC missionaries are looking for volunteers to help them engage in the online process.  They solicit help through the use of a Facebook page to find possible people to help them gain ideas.  Then they have you give them your Skype name so they can call you on a weekly audio Skype chat to discuss ways of doing this or solicting ideas on ways they can improve the online missionary process.  If the missionaries and their leaders think you have something to contribute they will invite you to give them ideas at one or more of their sessions. You could end up becoming an online missionary or consultant depending on your skill set.

In the Mouth of Two or Three Witnesses: President Thomas S. Monson and Elder Russell M. Nelson Reaffirmed Missionary Emphasis at General Conference

Kristin Murphy(©) Deseret News

At the opening conference session on Saturday, 2 October 2010 President Thomas S. Monson reaffirmed the church's missionary emphasis that has been supported by every prophet going back to President Joseph Smith Jr.

Scott Taylor of the Deseret News wrote:  "President Monson also called on the church's young men and male teens to prepare themselves physically, emotionally, spiritually and worthily to serve as missionaries.

"I repeat what prophets have long taught — that every worthy, able young man should prepare to serve a mission," he said. "Missionary service is a priesthood duty — an obligation the Lord expects of us who have been given so very much."

Blog of the Month: Online Missionary Reaffirms Support for Boyd K. Packer

This week has been week filled with buzz as many of the liberal elements inside and outside the LDS Church have gone on the defensive over the conference talk Cleansing the Inner Vessel by Elder Boyd K. Packer.  I don't believe any talk has stirred up so much excitement since Ezra Taft Benson's To the Mother's in Zion. People have been lining up on both sides in support or criticism of Elder Packer.

LDS Online Missionaries: California Santa Rosa Mission

The California Santa Rosa Mission has slowly but surely been joining the official Mormon Blogging network. They joined a couple of weeks ago with the other missions but only the mission president Jon Bunker posting a Facebook page.  President Bunker is from my hometown of Las Vegas and I ran across across him as a teenager at LDS Church dances which were attended by hundreds of kids from across the Las Vegas Valley.  He was a fine young man then and a fine man now.

President Jon Bunker (Facebook)
The Missionaries of Santa Rosa California (Blogspot)
jwbunker@ldschurch.org
Susan Bunker (Facebook) 

What I Believe (Blogspot)
Project 365 x 3 (Blogspot) 
sbunker@cox.net 

Dr. B. Creates Official Mormon Mission World Aggregator in Response to Missionary Request to Become International

On Friday 1 October 2010 I noticed that Elder Louis Dajeu of the New York Rochester Mission's blog link Remember Who You Are! wasn't working on my blog list on Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord. I saw that he was on Facebook so I chatted with him briefly to get the correct link or to ask him to fix a broken link. He quickly responded giving me the correct link with which I fixed my blog.

A few minutes later I noticed he was engaging me in a further chat conversation. As a result of the two hours we spent chatting I have designed a new aggregator Official Mormon Mission World because of this elder's desire to have a truly International presence on the Internet.  Unfortunately and ironically it is an unofficial aggregator because I am just a Joe Blow member and not connected to the new LDS Blogging movement officially. I changed it temporarily to state it was unofficial but opted to put it in the only post on the site. The aggregator doesn't have the stamp of approval from the Church but I am working on that.

I thought Elder Dajeu was a sincere young servant of the Lord with a very righteous desire so I did this in response to his request to get international attention. I know he is called to a specific mission but even that effort needs some aggregation to drum up business.

Reflections on Being Called to Serve Her Mission

I was set apart on October 3, 2010 at 6:00pm and up until that point it had not really hit me how close my mission really was.  I enter the MTC on October 6, 2010 at Noon.  I have one day to finish preparing to enter the MTC since I leave tomorrow the 5th of October at 8am.  I am excited to go to the MTC and meet everyone there and gain life long friends.  Right now its just a waiting game all I want to do is just be there and start learning what I need to learn for when I go to the Philippines!  I am excited for my dad to keep this blog and keep everyone updated on my adventure of being a missionary.  I know it is the only thing I want to be doing in my life at this time and it will shape me into the person I need to be.  These memories are forever and I will most likely reflect on these times even when I am elderly I believe I will state "ON MY MISSION..." and everyone will be like man you are so old they don't do that any more haha!!  Its time to give my self to the Lord see you in 18 months!!

Sister Annika Kamaleilani Bruno
Monday, 4 October 2010