Mexico Mission 2023

This week focused on learning about the scope of the Utah Salt Lake City Headquarters Mission (USLCHM) strengthening my faith in Jesus Christ. Like any large organization, people in the USLCHM love to use acronyms. The first ones we encountered were COB (Church Office Building), NOB (North Church Office Building) and WOB (West Church Office Building) as the places we needed to be for our training. Our week closed in NOB where Sister Schlachter and I received our specific assignment in the “Collections” Zone at the Church History Library –rest assured we’re not tracking down tardy tithe payers. We don't know how long we will be serving here as we are waiting for visas for Mexico, but work we will. With us there are three other 'visa waiter' missionary couples in the photo below, another couple waiting to go to Mexico City, another waiting for a visa for Colombia and another for Japan. I met one of the grandsons of the couple waiting for visas for Japan in the gym at the Miss...

Yes we are waiters but it's not what you think. We finished our training at the Missionary Training Centre (MTC) last week and are now "visa waiters". We won't be serving up Salt Lake City favourites like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, ice cream or Chick Fil A entrees. We are not sure how long it will take to get our visas for Mexico but hopefully it will be soon as the senior missionaries in the Mexico Mexico City East Mission have confirmed that our apartment in Mexico City is ready for us.  We went to the MTC laundry facilities on Thursday afternoon before we moved to Salt Lake City while the bulk of the missionaries were in their classes. There are two aisles of machines like the one shown in the photo below - washing machines on the bottom (with up to 30 minute cycles) and dryers on the top (with up to 40 minute cycles) - every machine is clearly marked with a number so you can find your way back to your clothes - way down the row you can see Sister Schlacht...

The photo above is from day one at the Missionary Training Centre (MTC) here in Provo, Utah. Our common threads are our love of God and our love for all of his children and our having left our families and lives behind to serve as full time missionaries in various capacities. Some sold their homes and left behind numerous grandchildren. For some this is their fourth mission - for us, it is our first. Our training this week focused on, " A Guide to Sharing The Gospel of Jesus Christ: Preach My Gospel ". While Sister Schlachter and I have been assigned as  self-reliance services  and  humanitarian aid  missionaries for our church, our purpose is the same as the younger missionaries, to invite all to come unto Jesus Christ. Simply put, you can have a better life and God will help you. The photo below was taken on Friday afternoon during an activity with another couple with objective of supporting and encouraging each other in an informal setting. The MTC campus is beaut...

We have been called to serve as missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to labour in the Mexico Mexico City East Mission, primarily as Self Reliance Services missionaries. In our ongoing discussions with church officials over the past few months, the list of other possible duties we may be assigned include delivering humanitarian aid and being the housing coordinators for the 150+  missionaries currently serving in the mission. The reverse image I saw on my phone when I took this selfie of us in the Lethbridge airport (YQL) sums up our willingness to serve wherever we can help - joy, brilliantly glowing joy!   Leaving home today was a déjà vu experience of sorts. Wendy and I packed up and moved our family to Mexico in December 1994 for me to study at the University of the Americas in Puebla. Leaving seemed logistically simpler then than now even though we had three very active small boys (ages 3 and half, 2 and 8 months), T...