January 10th, 2011 Arrival in North Carolina

Dear families of missionaries in the North Carolina Raleigh Mission,

We are thrilled to have welcomed your missionary to our mission!  We received 11 new missionaries during an ice storm so it has been a very exciting and a very busy time!  Forty percent of the flights into Raleigh on Monday had been cancelled so we felt it was a miracle of the mission to have both of our flights arrive, and with everyone’s luggage!

After they all arrived on Monday we took them to the mission home for dinner, interviews with President Cotterell, a testimony meeting and dessert.  After that everyone was ready for bed.  All stayed here in the mission home.

Because of the storm we adjusted the transfer schedule and delayed when all of the missionaries would travel to their first areas.  This allowed an extra day on Tuesday with your missionary in the mission home.  They had a “bonus day” of training with President Cotterell and the assistants.

After breakfast on Wednesday morning, all of the missionaries were taken to the mission office to meet the office staff and to be oriented in some of the things they need to know to be a missionary.  We then brought them back to the Mission Home to meet their trainers.  This is a wonderful experience for them to meet the missionary who has been specially picked to train them and to set the course for them to have a successful mission.   Everyone had pictures taken with President Cotterell and I, and then with their trainer.  They had some practice role-playing and finally I served them lunch.  

From there everyone traveled to the Raleigh Stake Center The transfer meeting began at 1:30.  At this meeting all of the missionaries in the mission who are being transferred come to find out where they are going.  They then leave for their new areas.  Many of our new missionaries asked me what they would be doing when they got to their area on Wednesday night.  I assured them that they would get right to work with either teaching appointments or contacting.

It is a pleasure to serve with your missionary.  We felt a strength from each one of them and look forward to getting to know them individually, working and learning with them.  

These are the missionaries, their companions and the area they are assigned to:

Elder Beaty is serving with Elder Cook of Ft. Collins, CO in Fuquay-Varina.

Elder Calaway is serving with Elder Barbano of Murray, UT in Durham

Elder Christiansen is serving with Elder Nielsen of Provo, UT in Hampstead

Elder Conners is serving with Elder Christensen of Burley, ID in Rocky Mount

Elder Dunn is serving with Elder Wightman of Rexburg, ID in Jacksonville

Elder Edwards is serving with Elder Peters of West Jordan, ID in Lumberton

Elder Farr is serving with Elder Hafen of St. George, UT in Jacksonville

Elder Farrer is serving with Elder Hughes of Mesquite, NV in South Boston, VA

Elder Hartley is serving with Elder Garrett of Eldorado Hills, CA in Wilmington

Elder Lopez is serving with Elder Zenger of Farmington, UT in Raleigh

Elder Tonini is serving with Elder Huffman of Lehi, UT in Cary

Your missionary will fill in more details in their next email to you.  Our preparation days are on Monday.  They will look forward to an email from you at that time.  They will use the same "myldsmail.net" address that they used in the MTC.  Emailing privileges are for family only.  Missionaries have a limited time to read and respond to emails.  Be aware that most use computers at the public libraries.  On holidays those libraries are usually closed so the missionaries won’t be able to email until Tuesday of that week.  We encourage you to write uplifting and positive letters that will help them to keep focused on the important work they are doing here.

All other mail should come through the US Postal system and be mailed to the mission office using this address:  

Missionary’s Full Name  (we have several with the same last name)

North Carolina Raleigh Mission

6508 Falls of Neuse

Suite 100

Raleigh, NC 27615 

The day the mail is received it is forwarded on to your missionary.  This can only be done if the mail is sent by First Class, Priority or Express mail.  If you choose to use UPS, Federal Express or parcel post mail it cannot be forwarded.  Those items will get to your missionary, but they must wait at the office until someone travels to your missionary, which could be 3-6 weeks.Once again, it is a pleasure serving the Lord in the North Carolina Raleigh Mission with your missionary. With love,Sister Cotterell Raleigh North Carolina Mission