Quarterly Interviews

Quarterly President Black has the opportunity to interview each missionary in the mission. Two weeks ago we spent a morning in Fallon, an afternoon in Carson City, and the next two days in Reno interviewing a total of 83 missionaries in the northern part of the mission. The next week we spent three 10 hour days interviewing the 113 missionaries in the southern part. Each interview lasts only about 10 minutes but it is a great opportunity to sit face to face with each Elder and Sister to see how they are doing.

While President Black was interviewing one on one I was able to check each companionship's Area Books, making sure that they were up to date and complete. It was also a great time to spend visiting with the missionaries. I purchased a game of Dinnertime Conversation Starters, different questions to initiate conversation. It was fun as the missionaries took turns answering different questions. We learned a lot about each other!

Elder Simmons and Elder Figuerrez

Elder Callejas and Elder Modawell

Elders Hill, Davison, Burton, Ferguson
Elders Stevens, Modawell, Lougee

Elders Fish, Boyce, Gawrych, Pinkerton

Sister Neeley, Sister Johnson, Sister Maumau

Elders Robison, Constantino, Rogers, Crossett, Dunn, Miller

Elders Hartmann, Hensley, Theurer, Petersen

Elders Weaver, Sullivan, Fetner, Childs

Elder and Sister Kite

Elder Bassett and Elder Coad


Sister Warnock, Sister Cloward, Sister Chapman

Elders Josephson, Smithey, Lento, Ah mu

Elders J. Rice, Paul, Wright, Sorenson

Elders Moreno, Dunkley, Elmer, Naval

Elders Clavijo, Grady, Nunnally, Blakemore

Elders Reid, McPherson, Elder Tipa, Tapusoa

Elders Jones, Mabeza, Johnson, Tanner

Elders Christensen, Bertagnole, C. Williams, Justice

Elders Kiaha, Liddiard, Ainscough, Burch
Elders Alvarez, Snow, Sombke, Powell



Sister Sprouse and Sister Cockrell

Elders Alcorn, Stucki, Barnard, Marks

Elders Lopez, Retuerto, Neufville, Rothert, J. Martin

Elders Boone, Spencer, Francis, Zegarra, Torres

Elders Rolfson, McClellan, Marsh, Graff
Elders Wallace, Rogers, Kempton, Asay

Elders Fackrell, Roberts, Lloyd, Cooper

Elders Flores, Bush, Richards, Wiscombe

Elders Downs, Corvalan, McOmie, Schank

Elders Camp, Bowe, Layton, Irwin

Elders Sine, Peters, Cook, Siebach

Sister Rummler and Sister Kim

Elders Reyes Sanchez, Cevallos

Elders Lane, Williams, Kamalamalama, Pearson

Sister Kartchner and Sister Mack

Elders Barnes, Villalobos, Andrews, Hubbard

Elders Barnes, Sugiyama, Carleton, Hubbard, Sister Larsen, Elder Larsen

Elders Taylor, Pomee, Estes, Rice

Elders Sellers, Marler, Fulbright, Daines

Elders Hawkins, Robinson, Quick, Millington

Elders McCoy, Jimenez, Ethington, Grover, Feldman

Elders Cedeno, Larsen, Davis, Chamberlain

Elders Kakau, Zanudo, Tindall, Terry

Elders Christensen, Henderson, Clapp, Matekel

Elders Schleiffarth, Wilson, Marin, Velez

Elders Hansen, Farnsworth, N:. Martin, L. Smith

Elders Welker, Trapp, Askham, Bunnell, Humphrey, Bowzer

Elders Towns, Moser, Mathis, Bradsher

Elders Norman, Bello, Vilcapoma, M. Smith

Elders Ostler and Brough

Temple Day

The missionaries have the opportunity to attend the temple once each quarter. This past Wednesday was our mission temple day. The Reno Temple is in the boundaries of the mission. Those serving in the north attend the Reno Temple. The Las Vegas Temple is not in our mission. However, the Elders and Sisters serving in the south part of the mission are able to cross mission boundaries and attend the Las Vegas Temple on this day. All the missionaries look forward to temple days.

The Reno Temple

The Las Vegas Temple

Welcome to the Church

The mission had 873 baptisms in 2010. We welcome each one of them into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. Each one who gets baptized has a story to tell. What a change of life it is for many of them. What a great strength they are to the wards where they live.

Last week a young lady in Reno was baptized. Ashia began meeting with the missionaries about a month ago and knew from the beginning that that which she was being taught was true. She set a baptismal date and called and told her father who lived in Hawaii. The only problem is that Ashia’s father is an elder in another religious congregation. She immediately began receiving discouraging email and texts from that congregation. A few days before her baptism, her father flew in for the day to convince Ashia that what she was doing and that what she was listening to was wrong and that he was there to talk her out of being baptized. He basically told her to decide between being part of his family or part of the LDS Church. She had one hour to make that decision. Well, Ashia was baptized. As she stood and bore her testimony she said that she knew that what she did was right, she was happy and had faith that with time she will again be part of her family and that with time they will understand and also maybe be part of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Some More Training!

We continue to do the training that Missionary Department has asked us to do. This training session we taught Revelation through the Book of Mormon and Revelation through Church Attendance. We helped the missionaries learn how to recognize revelation so that they can teach the investigators how to recognize and listen to the Spirit as they read the Book of Mormon and attend Church meetings.

Training and Lunch in the South

Training and Luncheon in the North

You are in our Thoughts!

We wish we had kept track of the number of times we have made the trip to the airport. It seems like some weeks that we are there almost every day.

This month we have said good-bye to a number of missionaries that have left our mission for a variety of different reasons.

We wished three visa waiters, Elders Hyer, Hedrick and Hardy, well as they anxiously departed to serve in Brazil...the mission to where they were called. There is still one visa waiter waiting for his visa. Those that left have corresponded back saying "enjoy the states while you can!"

Three other Elders, Elder Rollins, Elder Walker and Elder Stepherson, have gone home on a medical release. One had terrific headaches, and after a week in the hospital it was determined that going home for help would be best. Another went home with back problems. And another had some other heath issues that needed to be cared for. As we told them good-bye at the airport we assured them that they will be welcomed with opened arms if their health will allow them to return.

Elders Theurer, Petersen, Hardy, Hedrick
Elder Hyer

Elders Bush, Walker, Flores

Elder Rollins

Elders Schank, McOmie, Stepherson, Uland, Byers

Zone Leader Council -- South and North

Once a month we hold Zone Leader Council. This is where all the Zone Leaders come together for training and to discuss what is happening in the mission. Because geographically the mission has two different areas we hold two different Zone Leader Councils, one in Las Vegas and one in Reno. President Black is trying to arrange to go out teaching with each of the Zone Leader companionships in the evenings and is certainly enjoyed that opportunity.

Zone Leaders in Las Vegas

Elders Liddiard, Hensley, Hartman, Clavijo, Francis, Grady, Ferguson (Assistant)

Elders Spencer, Uland, Byers, Ainscough, Hill (Assistant)

Zone Leaders in Reno

Elders Ferguson, Hill (Assistants)

Elders Pearson, Kamalamalama, Davison, Burton, Taylor, Rice

President Black, President Rands

Missing: Elders Schleiffarth and Wilson

Six Weeks Later......Another Transfer!

Another six weeks has flown by! It is time for some to pack up their bags and meet up with new companions, discover new areas, and work with new investigators. It is a time for others to recommit to working with the same companion, working in the same area and continuing to find new investigators!

The work continues to move on!

(Sorry for the blurry pictures)