7:30 AM— Our First Mission Devotional—in the JSMB on Temple Square

The new Utah Salt Lake City Headquarters Mission officially became the 422nd mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Jan. 1st 2016

Elder Craig C. Christensen of the presidency of the Seventy announced the change to missionaries in a special meeting in December in Salt Lake City.“The Family and Church History Headquarters Mission has evolved over time to be a very unique mission. It has also experienced remarkable growth. This new mission will allow these wonderful missionaries to further the work in many meaningful ways,” said Elder Christensen.

Missionaries in the Family and Church History Headquarters Mission do more than family history work. They serve with the Temple Department, military relations,
security, building maintenance and other areas.

While the largest mission of the church in terms of the number of missionaries (1,200 missionaries), it’s one of the smallest geographically, second only to the Temple Square Mission. It’s comprised of service missionaries, full-time missionaries, senior couples and single sister missionaries.
That is just a few facts about this Mission that EVERYONE we meet tells us we are going to LOVE!!

Monday morning, Oct 8, 2018–dawned crisp and clear!! I had been awake since about 4:30 am—could not sleep as I contemplated what this day held in store for me—for us!! We have actually
 started our Mission!! It is so different from our NY Manhattan Temple Mission— can’t even begin to compare them. So I won’t—I’ll just be grateful I get to experience BOTH!

Utah Salt Lake City Church Headquarters Mission Jerry Duane Fenn Jr., 61, and Sara Jill McConkie Fenn, six children, Ensign Peak Ward, Salt Lake Stake: Utah Salt Lake City Headquarters Mission, succeeding President Warren G. Tate and Sister Suzanne J. Tate.

Brother Fenn serves as a high councilor. He presided over the Illinois Chicago and Chicago West Missions and is a former stake presidency counselor, bishop, and missionary in the California Oakland Mission. Retired attorney. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah,

Our “first “ Mission picture with Pres Jerry D Fenn and Sister Sara McConkie Fenn

(Sister Fenn is Elder Bruce R McConkie’s youngest daughter)  Pres Fenn LOVES the Book of Mormon and teaches powerful lessons from it!! 

This photo was taken our 1st day in the USLCCHMission with our Mission Pres and his wife

L to R: Elder and Sister Mumford with Sister Sara Fenn and Pres Jerry D Fenn

Pres and Sister Fenn have been serving for 13 month and I guess since this Mission has so many Missionaries—the Call for them to serve is 2 years instead of 3–like most Mission Presidents. So I guess we will be serving under a new President half-way through our Mission.

Our Apartment with a “pleasant surprise” waiting for us when we returned home on  Thursday, Oct 11, 2018. The day before had been a Rainy, Rainy day— and since we walk to our Mission Headquarters (JSMB) we had to share this tiny blue umbrella we found in our things—and Elder Mumford’s left side was pretty wet when we arrived that morning. Someone was watching us—maybe even “smiling” at the sight of us scurrying through the rain to get to where we needed to be— hopefully in one piece!! Well— there it was— a brand new umbrella with this note

 

All anonymously done!!  We so appreciate it!!

Below are some of the “sights” from my first walk around our “Neighborhood”

 

Along South Temple— the Beehive House and the Lion House 

Many styles of architecture as seen walking around and down Capitol Hill Road

      

 

The 

flowers are so beautiful and yet the Gardeners will start pulling them out—probably this week— getting the grounds ready for the colder season and the holidays.

I’d just like to spend a day or two with the “ gardening crew on Temple Square” and Garner some tips on HOW TO MAKE YOUR GARDENS AS BEAUTIFUL AS CAN BE!!  The flower groupings are AMAZING!! 

  

The view along the sidewalk passing the Beehive House and the Lion House

 

The Salt Lake Temple from my walk coming down Capitol Hill Road 

  

One of my favorite buildings—the North side of  “the COB” or to laymen—

THE CHURCH OFFICE BUILDING 

 

sight from our Training on the 3rd floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial  Building (JSMB) .

Our Training consisted of so many things, as we were exposed to many, if not all 17 “Zones” within this “small area yet vast purpose” of this  Most unique mission in the Church! 

    

 

One more shot of what we saw the first week of our Training 

as we “crossed Temple Square”  on our way to class each morning. By the 2nd week— the weather had turned colder and the grounds were being “readied” for the changing of the seasons and the “decorating of the ‘Square’ for the Christmas “spectacular” it has come to be known!!