We arrived in the Alabama, Birmingham mission on Saturday, the 23rd of February. We were picked up at the airport by our branch president, Rob Boot. 

We attended our very first meetings the next morning, including correlation. We had arrived on the weekend of branch conference. The stake president showed us a video on improving reverence in Sacrament meeting. It was suggested that we rejoice in the foyer.  When we walked into the chapel, I expected the normal hum of conversations of members rejoicing in fellowship and just catching up. I was pleasantly surprised to find people talking only in hushed tones. It was quite lovely. It reminded me of other churches that I have attended where people quietly await services to begin. Is the branch that much more reverent than others I have attended, or was the Spirit of the Lord at work here?

 We have learned that the branch covers a very large area. It is more than 2 hours' travel from north to south and about an hour's travel from east to west. I guess we can plan on wearing out our car in the service of the Lord!

After meetings, we hung out at the building so that we could join the young missionaries at a teaching appointment. It was with a lovely young mother who expressed her gratitude for the things she was learning. 

Yesterday was our first preparation day. I was able to do a bit of cleaning and some laundry, including a couple of rugs from the garage entry. We decided that they were a bit heavy for the home washer, and so sought out a laundromat to accomplish that goal. We also ran a few errands, and tried to get a feel for the area.

We were able to visit an older sister in the branch in the evening. Her husband is hospitalized about an hour away, and she was feeling overwhelmed with the experience. He has a long standing illness, and she is weary. 

I am grateful to be here and look forward to finding people to serve.

Life at the MTC

 We have been at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) for a week and a half now. It is interesting. When we talk to those who are members of the same church, they are surprised that we will be serving for only a year. When we talk to those who are not members of our church they cannot believe that we are going on a mission for a whole year!

We have been called to serve in the Alabama, Birmingham mission. It is really the only mission in Alabama. We are, of course, unsure of what awaits us there. We will be supporting the branch, the mission and the young missionaries. We will likely be serving in the community as well. 

It has been suggested that we could teach classes at a community center, at a library or at the chapel. Today, we learned some fun resources and activities on the Family History page that the church has made available. We actually did a few of those exercises in our class this morning, and this afternoon as well. As family history averse as I have always been, I was surprised that I enjoyed the experiences, and can see how others would as well.

Overall, our experiences here have been quite remarkable. We have met amazing people. We have felt amazing things. But the air here is, as Elder Holland has said, "rarified". Those that we meet outside these walls will likely have questions for which we do not have the answers. I trust that God knows who they are, what their questions and fears are, and we will be led to help them in ways that will, eventually, give them what they truly seek, if they are open to the answers. I need to remember that we are on God's errand, and that the answers will ultimately come from Him.

There is more to come, and there will, no doubt, be interesting twists and turns. 

The adventure continues.