MTC Address: (February 27- May 1)
Sister Nicole Ellen Shepard
Romania Bucharest Mission
Provo Missionary Training Center
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, UT. 84604
Pouch Mail: (May 2008- September 2009)
Sister Nicole Ellen Shepard
Romania Bucharest Mission
POB 30150
Salt Lake City, UT. 84130-0150
If you want to write but actually WRITING, addressing, and stamping a letter is just too much work for you, then you can go to www.dearelder.com click on write a letter, choose the Romania Bucharest Mission and fill out the info and type up a letter and they will mail it to me for you for FREE! Thats right, no 41 cent charge, its completely FREE.
And if you are feeling particularly generous you can send a package to me:
Nicole Ellen Shepard
Sos. Pipera Nr. 41 Et. 7
Sector 2, COD: 014254
Bucuresti, Romania
Love Runs in a Circular Motion
Me and my Sistas!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Where Mission Calls Come From- Heavenly Father... duh...
So, I was wondering this myself; "where do apostles come up with mission calls?" We know they are inspired but sometimes we just wonder... especially me because when I got my call to Romania I was like, "did they just see that I've been there and just decided to send me back because thats lame if they did." So I struggled a bit at first because I wanted my call to be personalized and inspired not logical, because logical is lame.
Well, the other day I was talking to my old young women's president Dana Geddes and she told me that a few years ago she was asked to do an interview with (at the time Elder, now )President Eyring back in the day when he was in charge of the missionary stuff. She was invited to sit in while he trained (then Elder) President Uctdorf and Elder Bednar on how to decide where it is that a future missionary should go. He started off by showing them around the building the work is done in. Starting where the maps are, I guess they have all these maps where they keep physical documentation of where missions and missionaries are. This is the place where they first organize what mission needs are and when missionaries are coming and going within their missions. This information is processed into a computer.
Now as for where the Apostles come in. 2-4 apostles on any given day go through a special temple session and then go into individual areas with individual computers where missionary candidates photos come up along with info like health issues, family's missions, ancestry, etc. and then they decide. Now Dana told me that when Pres. Eyring was training the new apostles of the time he asked one where a particular candidate on the screen should go and they responded, "I think.." at that Pres. Eyring cut him off and said, "No, you cannot think, you need to FEEL, and not choose a place you feel that they will GO, but feel where they will COME HOME FROM." After feeling the country or city that the candidate will come home from they choose from the possible missions within or including that country or city. And what is miraculous is that when they go into the information about that particular mission there is always an opening in that mission for the right gender within the next four months that matches up perfectly with MTC required times! And thats how it is done. Pres. Eyring said that usually the process took no longer than a few minutes!
I just found that so fascinating!
Well, the other day I was talking to my old young women's president Dana Geddes and she told me that a few years ago she was asked to do an interview with (at the time Elder, now )President Eyring back in the day when he was in charge of the missionary stuff. She was invited to sit in while he trained (then Elder) President Uctdorf and Elder Bednar on how to decide where it is that a future missionary should go. He started off by showing them around the building the work is done in. Starting where the maps are, I guess they have all these maps where they keep physical documentation of where missions and missionaries are. This is the place where they first organize what mission needs are and when missionaries are coming and going within their missions. This information is processed into a computer.
Now as for where the Apostles come in. 2-4 apostles on any given day go through a special temple session and then go into individual areas with individual computers where missionary candidates photos come up along with info like health issues, family's missions, ancestry, etc. and then they decide. Now Dana told me that when Pres. Eyring was training the new apostles of the time he asked one where a particular candidate on the screen should go and they responded, "I think.." at that Pres. Eyring cut him off and said, "No, you cannot think, you need to FEEL, and not choose a place you feel that they will GO, but feel where they will COME HOME FROM." After feeling the country or city that the candidate will come home from they choose from the possible missions within or including that country or city. And what is miraculous is that when they go into the information about that particular mission there is always an opening in that mission for the right gender within the next four months that matches up perfectly with MTC required times! And thats how it is done. Pres. Eyring said that usually the process took no longer than a few minutes!
I just found that so fascinating!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
I will miss President Hinckley!
I am so excited to be on the brink of President Thomas S. Monson's presidency and am grateful that I am permitted to live during his time as prophet. But alas I will miss my dear President Hinckley. He always said something that illuminated a situation for me and gave me much needed perspective, as well as uplifting me when I was feeling down about something. One of his quotes which got me through many a hard day while working with twelve to fourteen year old girls (which isn't always cake) and here is that quote that always gave me perspective of what I was working towards: "When you save a girl, you save generations. She will grow and strengthen in righteousness; she will marry in the House of the Lord. She will teach her children the ways of truth, they will walk in her paths and will similarly teach their children. Wonderful grandmothers will be there to lend encouragement. I see this as the one bright shining hope in the world that is marching towards self-destruction. We plead with you to give encouragement and help in every possible way to the women and girls of your stakes and wards. They need your leadership and counsel. Help them in everyway you can." He was a beautiful supporter of women and people in general and I will always love him for his insight and advice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
