Mission Facts

 

The Mission covers most of the state of New Jersey and a small portion of New York State to the north across the Hudson River.  The President of the Mission is Jay Jeppson, a really solid citizen and very pleasant to be around.  We are going to like him and his wife a lot.

There are nine senior couples in the Mission.  Five of them (Sierer, from St. George; Phillips, from Idaho Falls, Idaho; Carlson, from Boise, Idaho; Webster, from Rexburg, Idaho; and ourselves teach Institute classes for Young Single Adults (YSA) – ages 18 to 30.  In addition, other couples have more specific assignments: Christiansen from Lehi, Utah handle the mission fleet of 70+ cars and other office duties; Butterfield, from Pocatello, Idaho coordinate about 40 apartments and furnishings in the southern part of the Mission; Anderson, do the same for the northern part of the Mission; Packers handle finances and other office duties.  Usually couples are assigned to a small branch of the Church to help train local leaders in Church administration, etc.  The Carlson couple is also assigned to coordinate the Pathway program which allows YSAs to do an on-line course of study with BYU-Idaho (formerly Ricks College) leading to a professional certificate, an associates degree or a bachelors degree.  We are looking into the possibility of expanding this program to our part of the Mission.  Many of the YSAs need better jobs and training is one of the best ways to improve their possibilities.  Hopefully, we will have more on that later.

There are about 140 young missionaries here.  The number ebbs and flows as new missionaries leave and those who have completed their 24 or 18 month stints head for home and the rest of their lives.  Most teach in English, but more than a third teach in Spanish and a handful teaches in Portuguese.  Their job one is to find people who are interested in learning more about the Church and teaching them with the idea that they will (hopefully) convert to the Church.  For the past few years this mission has registered about 400 converts per year.  Not nearly as good as Latin America and Africa but far better than most European missions.

Our Assignments

The objective of the Institute classes is to help Young Single Adults (YSA) understand and rely on the teachings and atonement of Jesus Christ, qualify for the blessings of the temple, and prepare themselves, their families, and others for eternal life with their Father in Heaven. 
 
This year the course of study is the Old Testament.We teach Institute classes in Spanish in East Brunswick, Union City, Eatontown and Plainfield, New Jersey. 

These are some of the students who attend the Union City Institute, which meets on Wednesday nights in NJ just across from lower Manhattan.  Their names are, from left to right:  Alan, Elder Dixon, Madai, Hector, Patssy (spelled right), Pedro (an  investigator), Nancy (Local Instructor), Carlos (Charlie), Moises, Mary Jane.

 We are getting to know the young people after a few sessions and they are marvelous.  So full of energy and a zest for life and a desire to do the right thing, make the right choices and be of service to others.  Many of them only recently came to the United States and even more recently have joined the Church.  They are hungry for information.  It is a joy to teach them! 

Some of the East Brunswick Institute students are shown here.  This was taken on our first Sunday here and Helen's (in the cap) last Sunday before she left on her 18-month mission to Provo, Utah!  She is known for her friendly disposition and will be missed by all her many friends.  Their names are, from left to right: Javier, Aaron, Helen, Magali, Brian, Leslie (Brian's sister), and Jose.

The classes are generally in the evening beginning around 7 or 8 pm and last for about 70 minutes.  After class we have snacks or refreshments and some time (about an hour) for socializing and games.

Worldwide, the enrollment in LDS Institute classes is about 350,000 in over 2,500 locations.  In addition, more than 50,000 students are enrolled in Church universities.  Many of the classes are taught by full-time missionaries like us, others are taught by local (New Jersey) members or the CES professional staff members.  The later are more likely to be assigned to universities where the Church has built an Institute building.

We see ourselves as contributing in some small way to the future of the Church.  We can see many of these young people as leaders and positive role models for others.

Where to begin? Just talk fast!

There is so much I want to tell you and I'm just getting started.  Our daughter Debi started this blog on our behalf and posted the messages we sent her, to this point.  We realllllly appreciate her help*....push*....to get this going!  Thanks Debi!

*we think she "works" during the twin's nap time!

Settling In

(This is an email sent to our family about 3 days after we arrived.)

Hi Everybody. Thanks for your notes and love. We have settled into our little apartment and are quite comfortable in 650 sq ft. Not having a lot of toys helps a lot. This is a modest but nice apartment complex. We've seen mostly people of Indian descent, who have been pleasant. They sure have beautiful children. The night we moved in two ladies called across the parking lot and said, hello, are you new? They walked closer then one saw my badge in the dim light and exclaimed, Missionaries!!!  She gave me a hug! They are the only LDS in miles.  Melissa lives only 4 doors down and her mom Margaret, is in a nearby community.

We've had a day of full on rain and days of overcast clouds with some patches of beautiful blue skies. Autumn colors seem in the early stage and so gorgeous.

Our door is the fourth from the left, in front of the white car (not ours).  Most of the cars in this development look new and nice. 

 

 This photo is taken off our front porch, looking in the opposite direction from the above photo.  We live in the Royal Oaks complex.  We estimate there are approximately 840 apartments similar to ours.  

This is the view from our back sliding glass door.  Straight ahead is a tennis court and basketball court where we frequently see pick-up games played as seen in this photo.  To the far left is children's play equipment and our development's recreation center -- definitely within walking distance.  It has a small fitness room (which we use regularly) a pool and a party room.

We teach our first Institute class in Spanish on Sunday at 12:30 after church. We hear the "kids" (Young Single Adults) are excited to have us come and are spreading the word. We replace the Hatches, a couple that finished 6 months ago. I'll make Thea's recipe for a Pumpkin Pie Sheet Cake with Carmel Frosting. All suggestions for snacks and treats will be WELCOME! I brought no recipes.....I've got you!

FYI, we don't have internet hooked up yet. Maybe tomorrow. This smart phone is a blessing, but awkward for long messages.

Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

To NJ With Love

We just crossed into NJ. Will be meeting our CES leader for lunch then the mission president. Trip has been good. We're about 60 miles from NY. Saw signs for DC, Gettysburg, Baltimore, etc.

Love you all,

October 18, 2011, on location: New Jersey Morristown Mission

So this is the official mission photo of us taken on the day we arrived by our CES coordinator, Brother David Bean.

Elder & Sister Dixon/Mom & Dad/Grandma & Grandpa/Deanne & Rog/Etc.

Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

      The Trip Eastward

We left Highland on October 13^th and arrived in Morristown on October 18^th.

As we traveled, we thought often of “America the Beautiful”.  To paraphrase that popular hymn: we left the purple mountain majesties, traveled through amber waves of grain and arrived at the fruited plain – all under spacious skies.  We truly live in a fabulous nation.  We followed the thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness in reverse.  How marvelous it would be if all of our successes were noble and every gain divine.  How great it would be if we all felt and practiced brotherhood from sea to shining sea. 

 We were impressed with the abundance of our nation, which is represented in so many forms.  It filled us with gratitude and caused us to wonder how we can work to help a few of God’s children enjoy lives in which they are able to fulfill, at least some of their fondest dreams.

Ohio!

Our trip is going very well. We are in Ohio tonight.

Our  Prius averaged 47.6 MPG for the whole trip.  Do we sound pious?  We're glad for the great gas mileage because we are traveling a lot in our weekly assignments here in NJ.

This is the total of what we took for our 18-month stay--very tightly packed.

Things got a little confusing near Indianapolis.  It fit the saying: "You can't get there from here!"  Click on the pictures and you'll notice that suddenly we see that all the road signs near this overpass and major roads confluence and  divergence are taped over.  We knew we needed to turn but didn't know where or how or when or what into!  Yikes!  We hadn't needed the GPS on our smart phone yet.

Most of the Midwest looked a lot like this.

There were still touches of autumn as we traveled in October.

Day's end.  Time to find a place to stay.

VISIT WITH FAMILY IN OHIO

On Sunday my sister Shari went to church with us in Oxford, Ohio, and then we ate at her daughter Kelly's home and enjoyed getting to know Kelly's family.  This area is close to Cincinnati where Deanne was born.

I it's hard to express in words how wonderful it was to visit with Shari Ridenour, my half-sister.  It had been a long time since we had seen each other.

On the Road

Well, we did it. We actually pulled out of the driveway, our little car loaded to the gills and we're on our way to New Jersey. The drive has been good so far. We're staying in Laramie tonight.

It is hard to believe, after years of talking about a mission, that it's really begun.