I had a delightful conversation with Sister Grimshaw in the Canada Winnipeg Mission office this morning. I have a growing list of questions about getting Andrew ready to serve. A few she answered and promised to send some information to us. They have not yet gotten offical word that he is coming.
Some things I learned today:
* the mission office email address (hopefully, I got it right!)
* the mail there is slow
* the lady from Colorado says it is COLD
* they are currently in the midst of a "heat wave" - it's up to -8 degrees celsius
that's 17.6 American (see Faherenheit-Celsius Converter)
* his camera should be fine despite the admonition in his papers not to bring cameras that take videos
* bedding is usually provided (but enough??)
* dinner appointments not so much
* although his is an English speaking mission, he will encounter French and various Indian languages
* it is best that he buy his real winter clothes there, and, hopefully, someone will help him with what and where
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Support Elder Robarts
1) Pray for him
2) Write to him. (addresses below his picture on the left)
Please, please write to him when he is in the field.
First-Class Mail International Postcards, letters to 1 ounce $0.72 to Canada
Here is a link to US postage rates
A convenient way to write to a missionary is Dear Elder.com. You can even write to multiple missionaries at once with personal notes to individuals (optional) and one letter to each of them. Dear Elder. com types up the letter - stationary and envelope at no charge - and just charges you the postage.
Andrew has a Dear Elder website
3) Financially - if you have/can commit to regular monthly contributions - TERRIFIC! Thank you! - It is requested that the first payment be made by the 1st of the month that he enters the MTC, that is by April 1st.
If you cannot commit to regular monthly contributions, but might be able to donate occasionally. Terrific! Thank you!
So far, the ward is expecting to have to pay about half of his $400/month expenses. Every little bit would help.
Either way - if you are LDS or have access to "tithing envelopes" through a Mormon friend - send a check made out to Perkins Ward with a tithing slip indicating "Andrew Robarts" on the Ward Missionary Line.
If you don't have a tithing slip, but write Andrew Robarts' mission on the check, they will get it correctly.
Mail donations toBishop Ronald E. Young
Perkins Ward
9413 Roseport Way
Sacramento, CA 95826
02/10 We have new Bishop. Mail donations to
Bishop Gene Adair
Perkins Ward
8951 Canberra Dr
Sacramento, CA 95826-4450
Remember, while the envelope is addressed to Bishop Adair, make the check out to "Perkins Ward" and note that it is for "Andrew Robarts' mission."
I have instructed my credit union to mail checks directly to the Bishop at the above address each month with "Andrew Robarts " as the "account number." Bishop says that works.
If you wish to make small personal monetary gifts directly to Andrew for personal expenses, etc. the best way is to give me the money to put in his account. I will tell him of your gift. He has an account here with a debit card he should be able to use pretty much anywhere. Sending cash (from America) or checks directly to him would be problematical for him. I know it is easier and more fun to pop it in the mail to him yourself, but not easier for him.
4) Care packages to the same address as letters & see #2 for postage rates-
Treats to eat - things that dont' crumble easily
even though it takes a long time to get there, I hear missionaries like homemade cookies a lot -
red whips
lip balm, sunscreen, -
See his "wish list" in the margin
Any returned missionaries are more than welcome to tell us what they especially liked getting!
2) Write to him. (addresses below his picture on the left)
Please, please write to him when he is in the field.
First-Class Mail International Postcards, letters to 1 ounce $0.72 to Canada
Here is a link to US postage rates
A convenient way to write to a missionary is Dear Elder.com. You can even write to multiple missionaries at once with personal notes to individuals (optional) and one letter to each of them. Dear Elder. com types up the letter - stationary and envelope at no charge - and just charges you the postage.
Andrew has a Dear Elder website
3) Financially - if you have/can commit to regular monthly contributions - TERRIFIC! Thank you! - It is requested that the first payment be made by the 1st of the month that he enters the MTC, that is by April 1st.
If you cannot commit to regular monthly contributions, but might be able to donate occasionally. Terrific! Thank you!
So far, the ward is expecting to have to pay about half of his $400/month expenses. Every little bit would help.
Either way - if you are LDS or have access to "tithing envelopes" through a Mormon friend - send a check made out to Perkins Ward with a tithing slip indicating "Andrew Robarts" on the Ward Missionary Line.
If you don't have a tithing slip, but write Andrew Robarts' mission on the check, they will get it correctly.
Mail donations to
Bishop Gene Adair
Perkins Ward
8951 Canberra Dr
Sacramento, CA 95826-4450
Remember, while the envelope is addressed to Bishop Adair, make the check out to "Perkins Ward" and note that it is for "Andrew Robarts' mission."
I have instructed my credit union to mail checks directly to the Bishop at the above address each month with "Andrew Robarts " as the "account number." Bishop says that works.
If you wish to make small personal monetary gifts directly to Andrew for personal expenses, etc. the best way is to give me the money to put in his account. I will tell him of your gift. He has an account here with a debit card he should be able to use pretty much anywhere. Sending cash (from America) or checks directly to him would be problematical for him. I know it is easier and more fun to pop it in the mail to him yourself, but not easier for him.
4) Care packages to the same address as letters & see #2 for postage rates-
Treats to eat - things that dont' crumble easily
even though it takes a long time to get there, I hear missionaries like homemade cookies a lot -
red whips
lip balm, sunscreen, -
See his "wish list" in the margin
Any returned missionaries are more than welcome to tell us what they especially liked getting!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
a little about the Canada Winnipeg Mission
From the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Newsroom
A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in Souris, Manitoba, petitioned the president of the Canadian Mission to send missionaries to Manitoba in 1897. The missionaries proselyted new church members there, although many of the converts emigrated to Alberta.
Family History Centers 5
-------------
Also look here for map and more information: Canada Winnipeg Mission info
The mission address given on this page is not the address in Andrew's mission packet which (probably good in mid May) is:
Elder Andrew James Robarts
Canada Winnipeg Mission
845 Shaftesbury Blvd
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3POM5
A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in Souris, Manitoba, petitioned the president of the Canadian Mission to send missionaries to Manitoba in 1897. The missionaries proselyted new church members there, although many of the converts emigrated to Alberta.
In 1910 the Winnipeg Sunday School was organized with 37 members. Church membership in the district grew to 197 by 1930, including those in the Winnipeg and Bergland, Ontario branches.
The Canada Winnipeg Mission was created in 1976 with about 4,200 members in four districts, including Saskatchewan and western Ontario. The Winnipeg Manitoba Stake (similar to a diocese) was created in 1978.
| Membership | 4,465 |
|---|---|
| Missions | 1 |
| Congregations | 12 |
-------------
Also look here for map and more information: Canada Winnipeg Mission info
The mission address given on this page is not the address in Andrew's mission packet which (probably good in mid May) is:
Elder Andrew James Robarts
Canada Winnipeg Mission
845 Shaftesbury Blvd
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3POM5
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Elder Robarts correspondence information
entering Mission Training Center April 22, 2009
Elder Andrew James Robarts
Canada Winnipeg Mission
Provo Missionary Training Center
2005 N 900 E
Provo, Utah 84604
He will probably be there about a month.
Elder Andrew James Robarts
Canada Winnipeg Mission
845 Shaftesbury Blvd
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3POM5
Elder Andrew James Robarts
Canada Winnipeg Mission
Provo Missionary Training Center
2005 N 900 E
Provo, Utah 84604
He will probably be there about a month.
Elder Andrew James Robarts
Canada Winnipeg Mission
845 Shaftesbury Blvd
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3POM5
drumroll.......and the winner is
Dear Elder Robarts,
You are hereby called to serve as a missonary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Canada Winnipeg Mission.
....
You should report to the Missionary Training Center at Provo, Utah on Wednesday, 22 April 2009
You are hereby called to serve as a missonary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Canada Winnipeg Mission.
....
You should report to the Missionary Training Center at Provo, Utah on Wednesday, 22 April 2009
more later ; )
Andrew is hungry!
Andrew woke up feeling better today. Not entirely well, but alive and happy.
Also, he theorizes that if he concentrates on breathing through his nose, he doesn't cough so much. Which is harder than it sounds, because it keeps plugging up.
He feels better and he is hungry. This is such an improvement.
I don't know if he is going to open his envelope privately first, as he originally intended, or wait for the family dinner, but at least he will really be there when he does open it.
Oh! I can hardly wait for this evening!
Also, he theorizes that if he concentrates on breathing through his nose, he doesn't cough so much. Which is harder than it sounds, because it keeps plugging up.
He feels better and he is hungry. This is such an improvement.
I don't know if he is going to open his envelope privately first, as he originally intended, or wait for the family dinner, but at least he will really be there when he does open it.
Oh! I can hardly wait for this evening!
Friday, February 13, 2009
So close and yet so far
Andrew’s envelope arrived today!
Unfortunately, he has some cold/flu thing that has been hanging on for several days and even getting worse (even though we all had flu shots!), so he is just about too sick to care.
He is going to wait to open it until he feels a bit more alive. It deserves better than he feels right now.
Hopefully, the family Big Reveal Dinner is on for Sunday evening.
What if he is still sick?????
Barbara
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Make your life a mission - not an intermission.
I saw Bishop Young tonight who said that he and Stake President Fisher had talked (conjectured?) about Andrew's mission call and why it has not arrived.
Apparently local leaders can check the status of these things online?- is this a fairly new thing ? - and so they know the call has been issued. But they don't know what that means exactly. Current thought is that the Brethren have made the call, but then it goes to an office where the packet is put together.
What we are looking for, I believe, is a largish envelope that will include, along with the formal call, information about his mission, what he needs when he goes, and things like what is expected in dress and grooming.
So, while the Brethren have determined the Lord's will in where, there may be some delay in the packet preparation part.
Anyway, that's the my understanding on the latest theory. - And not that the Lord doesn't want this young gentleman as a missionary.
Meanwhile, we keep watching the mail.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
I'll wait for thee...
Okay! =D I know you're all excited to see who, if anyone, guessed correctly, so I'll tell you all right now... that the envelope hasn't come yet. =/ I'm sorry for getting you all so excited yesterday. I was SO SURE that the envelope would come yesterday, but, unfortunately, it didn't.
SO, the new plan is this: When the letter comes, I'll read it in private and then tell people WHEN I'm going, so they can plan on being out of town during my boring farewell. xP BUT, I will not tell you WHERE I'm going until AFTER I tell my immediate family during the Big Reveal, which has now been rescheduled for Sunday the 15th.
Now, I know that some of my family would like to have the reveal on Thursday, but that doesn't really work out for all of us. Two of you have meetings/ assignments/ plans for that night, and the rest of you will want to watch the Season Premiere of Survivor. I understand that some of those plans or activities can be changed or postponed, but I don't want you guys to have to adjust your schedules for this event. Sunday is open for everyone (I think), so let's have the reveal then. At least, that's what I'm voting for.
So what does this mean for the rest of you? This means that the last-minute guesses (including yours, Joe,) have at least two more days to be submitted before we stop accepting guesses altogether. You may even have as many as five days, but there are no guarantees of that, so just play it safe and post whatever guess you may have before the end of Thursday. I'll (most likely) announce the winner(s) either this Friday morning or that of the following Monday. In the meantime, keep sending in those guesses! =D
Oh, and by the way, until recently, no one place had been guessed by more than two people, but yesterday, at 10:32 pm, Amanda & Jacob have cast (Her? His? Their?) vote for Ireland, as Sariah Robarts and Jerry Cook have before them. HOWEVER, when Sariah Roser voted for New Zealand, she said to CHANGE her vote to New Zealand. If that removes her vote from Ireland, that means that the Land of the Leprechauns is back down to having two votes, tying it up with so many others.
It also seems prudent to mention that the careful observer may have noticed that Chicago and New Mexico have been mentioned no less than FOUR times each! However, the VERY careful observer must have noticed that THREE of the votes for each of those places have come from the SAME PERSON (Nice try, Jeff. xP). Sorry, folks, you only get one vote per place per person. =P Otherwise, Esther could vote for Disneyland again and again a hundred thousand times, and then I'd have no choice! I'm sure I'd learn to live with it eventually, but instead, let's just try to keep things fair. ^^
So, unless Sariah changes her mind and puts Ireland in the lead again, the lead position is currently stuck in a NINE-WAY TIE, and the leaders are as follows: Ireland; Chicago, Illinois; New Mexico; (Old) Mexico; South Africa; The Philippines; Japan; New Zealand; and Texas.
Keep up the guesses, guys! One of these days we'll find out who's right. In the meantime, Ciao!
-Elder Andrew Robarts
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! Thy wings shall my petition bear
To him whose truth and faithfulness Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since he bids me seek his face, Believe his word and trust his grace,
I'll cast on him my ev'ry care, And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
-Hymn. 142, 'Sweet Hour of Prayer'
SO, the new plan is this: When the letter comes, I'll read it in private and then tell people WHEN I'm going, so they can plan on being out of town during my boring farewell. xP BUT, I will not tell you WHERE I'm going until AFTER I tell my immediate family during the Big Reveal, which has now been rescheduled for Sunday the 15th.
Now, I know that some of my family would like to have the reveal on Thursday, but that doesn't really work out for all of us. Two of you have meetings/ assignments/ plans for that night, and the rest of you will want to watch the Season Premiere of Survivor. I understand that some of those plans or activities can be changed or postponed, but I don't want you guys to have to adjust your schedules for this event. Sunday is open for everyone (I think), so let's have the reveal then. At least, that's what I'm voting for.
So what does this mean for the rest of you? This means that the last-minute guesses (including yours, Joe,) have at least two more days to be submitted before we stop accepting guesses altogether. You may even have as many as five days, but there are no guarantees of that, so just play it safe and post whatever guess you may have before the end of Thursday. I'll (most likely) announce the winner(s) either this Friday morning or that of the following Monday. In the meantime, keep sending in those guesses! =D
Oh, and by the way, until recently, no one place had been guessed by more than two people, but yesterday, at 10:32 pm, Amanda & Jacob have cast (Her? His? Their?) vote for Ireland, as Sariah Robarts and Jerry Cook have before them. HOWEVER, when Sariah Roser voted for New Zealand, she said to CHANGE her vote to New Zealand. If that removes her vote from Ireland, that means that the Land of the Leprechauns is back down to having two votes, tying it up with so many others.
It also seems prudent to mention that the careful observer may have noticed that Chicago and New Mexico have been mentioned no less than FOUR times each! However, the VERY careful observer must have noticed that THREE of the votes for each of those places have come from the SAME PERSON (Nice try, Jeff. xP). Sorry, folks, you only get one vote per place per person. =P Otherwise, Esther could vote for Disneyland again and again a hundred thousand times, and then I'd have no choice! I'm sure I'd learn to live with it eventually, but instead, let's just try to keep things fair. ^^
So, unless Sariah changes her mind and puts Ireland in the lead again, the lead position is currently stuck in a NINE-WAY TIE, and the leaders are as follows: Ireland; Chicago, Illinois; New Mexico; (Old) Mexico; South Africa; The Philippines; Japan; New Zealand; and Texas.
Keep up the guesses, guys! One of these days we'll find out who's right. In the meantime, Ciao!
-Elder Andrew Robarts
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! Thy wings shall my petition bear
To him whose truth and faithfulness Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since he bids me seek his face, Believe his word and trust his grace,
I'll cast on him my ev'ry care, And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
-Hymn. 142, 'Sweet Hour of Prayer'
Monday, February 9, 2009
To paths that I do not know...
I went on an exchange with the missionaries last night. It was cold and a little discouraging. No one was really interested in hearing the gospel message, but we kinda expected that. What I didn't expect was how unable I was to contribute to the conversation. I froze up. I didn't know what to say. A little training in the MTC should take care of that problem, but in the meantime, I expected better of myself. I've preformed in plays before, and I've been told I was pretty good at it, so why am I so shy when I'm talking to strangers? Elder Wessling told me that talking to people got easier over time. Maybe I just need to get into character. I need to mentally become a missionary before I can do what missionaries do. That makes sense, right? The Missionary Training Center should be able to help me do that.
Anyway, THANK YOU for all of your guesses! I would've guessed something, but I'm so indecisive, I don't even know what to guess. I like Dave & Phillis Harris's guess. I hope they're right. I also got a kick out of Jared's guess. He's probably got the best odds of being right out of everyone, except for Dave and Phillis. Maybe all three of them are right, plus one or two of the rest of you guys.
I hope you all had fun guessing where I'm going to go. There are still several hours left until the big reveal, so any more guesses still have time to be posted before this evening. I'll post the results and winners in tomorrow's post, assuming the all-knowing envelope arrives today. See you then!
-Elder Andrew Robarts
It may not be on a mountain height, Or over a stormy sea,
It may not be at the battle's front My Lord will have need of me.
But if, by a still, small voice he calls To paths that I do not know,
I'll answer 'Dear Lord, with my hand in thine, I'll go where you want me to go.'
-Hymn. 270, 'I'll go where you want me to go'
Anyway, THANK YOU for all of your guesses! I would've guessed something, but I'm so indecisive, I don't even know what to guess. I like Dave & Phillis Harris's guess. I hope they're right. I also got a kick out of Jared's guess. He's probably got the best odds of being right out of everyone, except for Dave and Phillis. Maybe all three of them are right, plus one or two of the rest of you guys.
I hope you all had fun guessing where I'm going to go. There are still several hours left until the big reveal, so any more guesses still have time to be posted before this evening. I'll post the results and winners in tomorrow's post, assuming the all-knowing envelope arrives today. See you then!
-Elder Andrew Robarts
It may not be on a mountain height, Or over a stormy sea,
It may not be at the battle's front My Lord will have need of me.
But if, by a still, small voice he calls To paths that I do not know,
I'll answer 'Dear Lord, with my hand in thine, I'll go where you want me to go.'
-Hymn. 270, 'I'll go where you want me to go'
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Open for comments
So, sorry! I didn't think to check the settings on comments before. I have changed them so anyone can comment.
If you are putting in a mission guess, please add your comment to "Where, oh, Where?" so he can see them all in one place. Thanks!
B
If you are putting in a mission guess, please add your comment to "Where, oh, Where?" so he can see them all in one place. Thanks!
B
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Where, oh, where?
Before Elder Robarts can share his mission call with family and friends (once it arrives), we need to guess where he is going. Please comment with your guess.
(Not that it always happens the way you ask, but he did say he would prefer English speaking USA.)
(Not that it always happens the way you ask, but he did say he would prefer English speaking USA.)
Not today, Zurg
We didn't really expect it, but we were still a little disappointed with today's mail.
The envelope, PLEASE!
Rumor has it (if you want to call a phone call from the Bishop Fridday evening a rumor) that Andrew can expect a letter from SLC any day now.
Time to organize a dinner for those who are in Sacramento (or can get here) and telephone conference for the out of towners.
An excited and nervous Elder Robarts can hardly contain himself.
Time to organize a dinner for those who are in Sacramento (or can get here) and telephone conference for the out of towners.
An excited and nervous Elder Robarts can hardly contain himself.
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