Tuesday, August 23, 2016, Reed and I participated in the Self-Reliance training with the departing missionaries.  Every six weeks, Renee Solomon and Reed do a two hour presentation with the young missionaries the day before or the day of them being released to go home.  They talk to them about Self-Reliance Through Education. 

We had 6 Sisters and 5 Elders leaving either tonight or tomorrow.  They are going home to Germany, Samoa, Tonga, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Fiji, Belgium, Utah and Cape Town South Africa.

Renee asks each of them to talk about their goals and plans for when they return home.

She has each of them write a Me in 30 Second statement.  This is for when they interview for a job or to get into some form of schooling.

Renee helping one of the young Elders with his Power Statement.

We ask them to write down skills they have learned on their mission that will help with schooling, careers, being parents, serving as leaders in the church, etc.

Reed takes the second hour and talks to them about their mission as a beginning not an end.  It is the beginning of the rest of their lives.  He talks to thme about the doctrine of education and how being educated will help them provide, be able to serve and eventually help them become like Our Father In Heaven.

He talks to them about things they should not whine about.  He tells them that schooling is more about being tough than smart.  That if something is hard don't quit, try it a different way, give it more repetitions and learn to say I can't do this, YET!  This is about the only time we really get to spend any time with the young missionaries so we really look forward to it.  We only wish the mission president would let us spend time with them sooner to help them set their goals and get registered for school before they go home.  Some mission presidents are letting our senior missionaries work with the young Elders and Sisters for the last three months of their missions on their P-days.  They are finding this very helpful to the missionaries being ready to move forward when they leave their missions and get back to their home countries.

This is the view we see every day when we walk out of the Area Office.  The building on the right is the Spencer Hotel.  We always joke that we own it and live in the Penthouse Suite!

We have been so blessed on this mission to do such a variety of things.  Life is never boring.  The gospel is true and we hope that we are helping these young missionaries and our senior missionaries strengthen their testimonies and know who they are and why they are here.  We Love The Lord.

Until next time, Love Elder and Sister Spencer (aka Reed and Nada)