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All registered alumni, friends, members and parents of the mission are welcome to post to the message board.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 -- Add Message

Another Opportunity to Unite 29 Aug 2010
Dear Great and Grand Former Missionaries of the Arizona Mesa Mission,
Life is a journey that never slows down. It is filled with many opportunities that stretch and temper us. In the midst of these adventures we are surrounded by friends and family that can sustain us, love us, lift us, and carry us. Sometimes we are the ones lifting and carrying and other times we have the opportunity to be carried and embraced.

We are grateful that we are a “family” that can continue to serve in those roles as we march through life. We contact you once again with a need to lift and carry. Elder and Sister Christensen were the Directors of the Mesa Temple Visitor Center while many of you served. Sister Christensen was diagnosed with breast cancer about a year ago. The cancer has now been found in her liver and her bones. Could you please join us in sincere prayer and concern as we unite to strengthen the Christensen’s at this time?

If you would like to contact them their email is: chrisco@bpcfamily.com and their phone number is 434-723-6990.

Thank you so much for your love and support.
Love,
The Wappetts
Nigel George Wappett Send Email
 
A Need for Your Prayers 19 Aug 2010
Dear Elders, Sisters, and our ever enlarging circle of Spouses, and AMAZING Progeny,
It is always great to take a few moments and simply bask in the light of warm and wonderful memories. We continue to be amazed at the strides and progress that each one of you are making. It is exciting to watch the “becoming” process. We are blessed to be a small part of the adventure.

This afternoon we pause for a few moments in the rush of life to ask each of you to slow down and unite forces with us in behalf of Christopher Clune. Chris is currently living in Seattle, Washington with his wife standing at his side as he battles with a diagnosis of melanoma. He has completed another phase of his treatment program and is regathering his strength and resources for the next phase. It would be wonderful if each of us could remember him in our prayers, our fastings, and our temple worship. As you attend the temple please add his name to the prayer list.

If any of you would like to contact Chris he can be reached at clunecj@gmail.com or his phone number is 763-381-9622.

We send our love to each of you. Remember it is “inch by inch” and “row by row”.

Love,
The Wappetts
Nigel George Wappett Send Email
 
A Need to Fast 01 Dec 2009
As we all served in the Arizona Mesa Mission many of us were touched by Elder Shawcroft and Sister Shawcroft. There are many wonderful stories to tell about the time we all spent together in the sun of Arizona. Elder Shawcroft kept the vehicles going and Sister Shawcroft kept the missionaries coming and going! But more than their daily tasks, they changed our lives with their love and service. Now is our opportunity to change their lives with our fasting and prayers.

Elder Shawcroft has been diagnosed with an advanced stage of Multiple Myeloma, a bone marrow cancer. He is currently in the University of Colorado Medical Center in Denver where he has completed his first round of chemotherapy. This Sunday we have the opportunity of joining with the Shawcroft family and friends in fasting in behalf of Elder Shawcroft. What a wonderful opportunity to give just a small portion of ourselves back to this wonderful man.

If any of you are attending the temple in the coming weeks please add his name to the Temple prayer list. Remembering them in our prayers is a gift we can freely give to a couple who have always given so unselfishly. If any of you would like to contact the Shawcrofts they can be reached on their cell phones at 907-322-7796 or 907-322-7825. Sister Shawcroft has stayed by Elder Shawcroft's side since he has been hospitalized. She is adamant that she won't leave the hospital until he goes with her.

Our warmest love to each of you. What a blessing to be able to call upon you in this hour of need.

Love,
The Wappetts
Nigel George Wappett Send Email
 
Mission Reunion Fall 2009 04 Aug 2009
It is Time to Reconnect with our Mission Roots!

Arizona Mesa Mission, President and Sister Wappett Era

Please join us on September 18, 7:00 p.m.

We will be joining together in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Mark your calendars and plan ahead.
We will have a short program, followed by time to reconnect and renew our friendships.

We Need YOU!!!
Please contact Rod and Kylene South at
kylenesouth@gmail.com. They will be organizing our energies and they need you to volunteer in the production.

More Information will follow.
SPREAD THE WORD
Nigel George Wappett Send Email
 
Elder Green 16 May 2009
I am looking for an Elder Green who served in the Phoenix and Mesa areas during 1999-2001. There is an Elder Kane serving in our mission in Oakland California who was baptized by Elder Green in 2001. He would very much like to contact him. One of Elder Greens companions was an Elder Fry.

Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Jeannie Halversen
Oakland California Mission
Jeannie Halversen Send Email
 
where in the world is david chapman 29 Apr 2009
hey if anyone know where i can find david chapman and how to get a hold of him that would be great. hopefully there isnt more than one goofy david chapman from canada. if anyone knows how to contact him please let me know. thanks.
by the way i am married, have a little boy that is almost 2 and i will have another baby boy on may 24th-ish. yippy.
jake
jacob stewart pulsipher Send Email
 
Reunion 29 Mar 2009
For those that haven't yet heard, President Watson has helped organize a mission reunion. His message is below. Thanks - Tyler Nay.

Greetings Elders and Sisters,

I hope you are planning on attending the Arizona Mesa Mission Reunion next month. We always seem to have a great time. The reunion will be Friday April 3rd at 6:30 p.m. It will be at a chapel we met at two reunions ago in South Provo. The address is 1340 East 900 South Provo Utah 84606. Please let other companions, missionary friends and so forth know. I will send more details the closer we get. For sister Watson and I, this is one of the highlights for the year. We are like kids on Christmas eve when it comes to the reunion.

For some of you who live far away, let me know if you have a webcam and perhaps we can link up with a few of you that evening.

We love all of you and hope to see many there.

President Watson
None Send Email
 
President's Message to Mission Reunion April 2008 05 Apr 2008
President’s Message to Mission Reunion April 2008

Dear Friends (and we mean this in the most intimate sense of the word),

Tonight our hearts feel two conflicting emotions. We thrill that you are assembled together to share the love and memories associated with our common experience. We sorrow that for the first time since our release we are not there with you! Suffice it to say that our past six months have been tumultuous. Despite our best intentions and plans to be there with you the death of Sister Wappett’s mother, work-associated travel, schedules and family commitments this year keep us firmly rooted in Alaska during this Spring season. This evening we will pause in our activities and shed a tear or two as we remember the sweetness of our association. That said, the real losers tonight are the Wappett’s. The essence of our reunions remains intact. Tonight you will share with each other what is truly important. Whatever brought you here tonight, whether it be looking for an old companion, to show off your spouse or new baby, or simply to try to re-capture a feeling once felt, take these few precious hours and remember how each of us became returned missionaries. I can promise you that although many things fade and dim through the years that your mission experience will continue to illuminate your life if you will it to be so.

Elder Holland has said that “there may be one or two days in my life when I have not thought about my mission”. It is true with the Wappett’s and it is true with you. Immediately before last year’s reunion we reunited with George and Isabel Cannon, my mission parents in England. It is 40 years since we served together but the feeling remained. We laughed, we cried, we reminisced, and we embraced and told each other how much we loved each other. We are older now but the relationship had not changed one bit. That is how Sister Wappett and I feel about each and every one of you. We receive daily letters, wedding announcements, e-mails, and phone calls but more than those you continue to visit us in our dreams and in our quiet moments. I may be driving to work and all of a sudden I am again in Snowflake or in an apartment in Mesa. Both of us share daily memories and experiences that return to us unbidden. Whether we wish it or not we will remain a part of each other’s life forever and it is a cherished blessing.

We are particularly proud of your continued wise choices and allegiance to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Your lives have become diverse and varied. Some of you own convenience stores and others are attending Harvard Law School. Some of you are in the military and others are teaching in Taiwan or Europe. Many of you own your own homes and many live in smaller apartments than the mission field! We each pursue our own paths as given to us in snippets of revelation as we hold fast to the Iron Rod. What is important is not the size of your house or paycheck. It is not the letters behind your name that count. What is important is the light that shines from your eyes as you tell your husband or wife that you love them, as you laugh and teach your children, and as you stand at the pulpit and bear your testimony. It is not an easy world to maintain balance and perspective, but continue to remember that possessions are secondary and prominence is fleeting. Winston Churchill once said, “Success is not final and failure is not fatal”. Be true. Be clean. Be consistent. Remember that each of us has a specific destiny unique to our path in life and you should be proud of where your heart leads you.

Recently I read a poem that I have read and re-read entitled, “A Ritual To Read to Each Other” by William Stafford. A few extracted lines give an important message:
“If you don’t know the kind of person I am
and I don’t know the kind of person you are,
a pattern that others made may prevail in the world
and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.

And as elephants parade holding each elephant’s tail
but if one wanders the circus won’t find the park.....

For it is important that awake people be awake,
or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep,
the signals we give---yes, or no, or maybe---
should be clear: the darkness around us is deep”

Our lives should be all about certain rituals and we would encourage you to develop a few in your lives. Rituals like a weekly date night, regular temple attendance, reading together, daily touch and affection, bearing regular testimony....Those rituals will give your family stability. Without certain individual traditions it is easy to let the Spirit leak out of our associations. None of us want to “follow the wrong god home and miss our star”.

A brief closing word about us to satisfy some of your curiosity. I continue to work an 80 hour week. I love my medical practice. I love bringing new life to the world although a few nights of 3:00 A.M. can become a little tiresome. I love working with my hands in surgery. This year may mean a little career change. We all embrace the concept of change and what it means to each of us. Sister Wappett is very busy as Stake Relief Society President. Our stake is the size of the state of Texas and she is continually in the air flying to our far-flung branches. She continues to bless our community with volunteer service and to bless the lives of our 11 grandchildren with everything from emergency ice cream or fresh bread to a regular publication entitled “Grandma’s Ecology Pages”. We continue to exercise our minds and bodies vigorously. Last fall we walked from Coast to Coast in England, a distance of 202 miles. We love the Earth and are involved in the political issues of preserving wilderness. We love Alaska and rejoice daily that we are blessed to live in such a wonderful place. We have prepared a brief slide show (thanks to the technical help of Jesse Davison) that may showcase vicariously a little of how life has moved on for us. However, don’t be distracted because we seem to be having so much fun. We generally don’t take pictures of home teaching visits, late night emergency room calls, sick grandchildren, or of any other of the myriad duties that make each of our lives fulfilling and purposeful. We would urge you to consider what shines out of the eyes in the following pictures. We would hope you see there love, tenderness, appreciation, and humility. All of us are greatly blessed by the goodness of the Lord.

We love the Lord more than ever. The Church moves on mostly because each of us have a part to play. Enjoy this lovely evening together. Please know that we will be disappointed if you don’t shed some tears and if you withhold saying to your friends and companions what you should say to them. We are with you in spirit tonight and we want to hear what happens! May the Lord bless each of you in your hearts and homes. We will continue to march together!

Love,
President and Sister Wappett
Nigel George Wappett Send Email
 
Elder and Sister Grant 09 Mar 2008
Does anyone know how Elder and Sister Grant are doing? I just haven't heard anything about them in a long time.
Yong-Sook Bunton Send Email
 
Mission Reunion April 2008 18 Oct 2007
It is time to look ahead and plan. Our last reunion in April of 2007 we failed to recruit volunteers to organize our next event. Ben and Mathhias certainly set the standard in their organization and orchestration of that reunion. We are grateful for their talent, time, and skill. We are anticipating that there is a desire to meet once again. We have already heard from several missionaries inquiring about the time and date. We have made reservations with BYU for a room at the Wilkinson Center on Friday, April 4, 2008. So the location is secured. We are now seeking an organizer and chairman. We look forward to hearing from you.

We continue to be amazed at the accomplishments and growth of each of you. Every day is filled with news that makes us count our blessings for our friendship. Our lives have forever been changed by our association.
Love,
The Wappetts
Nigel George Wappett Send Email
 
"The Valley of Decision" 06 Sep 2007
Missionary Message
Early September 2007
“The Valley of Decision”
Dear (former) Elders and Sisters,
Recently Sister Wappett and I were asked to speak in the Denali Branch, a lovely little chapel near the entrance to Denali National Park. Most of the congregation were young people, more than 100, hired as Park guides, naturalists, river rafters, etc. They reminded us a lot of you! Energetic young men and women loving nature and the world and with the world at their feet.
Some years ago I took a long hike down the Savage River Valley in Denali with my talented and beautiful daughter. We were alone, struggling together with what seemed to be a turning point in her life. In that lovely valley that day she made a life-changing choice to serve a mission, subsequently serving in Fukuokoa, Japan. In our family we refer to that valley now as the “valley of decision”. In the Old Testament Joel prophesied,”Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision” (Joel 3:14). All of us stand in that valley from time to time in things both small and great. No matter how experienced we become at decisions, there are some basic characteristics of the decisions that really count. Since this is a season of decision in many of your lives (careers, how many children to have, who to marry, etc.), we thought we would share a few of the things which have helped us.
1) Decisions that really count will be difficult and will exact a price. Lehi teaches “For it must needs be there is opposition in all things” (2 Nephi 2:11) and “Wherefore the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other” (2 Nephi 2:16). Remember that there is no free agency--only moral agency. Moral agency means that the decision will be connected to values and that there are consequences.
2) It will be up to you to choose a path which you will recognize as the correct one. Capt. Robert Anderson, Captain of the submarine Nautilus which was first to go beneath the polar icecap, carried a slip of paper in his wallet which simply said, “I believe that I am always guided. I believe that I will always chose the right way. I believe that God will make a way when there is no way”.
3) Make some decisions only once. President Kimball used to teach that making the decision to resist temptation should be made only once, that we don’t need to struggle every time our favorite sin appears. In the last General Conference Elder John Dickson taught that we cannot become addicted to that which we have not experienced. How we honor the Sabbath Day, whether to bless the food and on what occasions, attending the temple, the character of our language, etc. are decisions we only need to make once. Colonel William Travis at the Alamo drew a line in the sand with his sword, inviting those who wished to depart with their families were free to do so without being ostracized, while those who were willing to stay and die to defend freedom should step across the line. From time to time we each need to step across our own “lines in the sand”.
4) Choose your life’s work wisely. Recently I spoke to a young man going to college to become a marine mammal trainer and I also met a PhD in tennis coaching! Make the world a better place and challenge yourself. Many spend their whole lives “finding themselves” and never really do. What did the Savior say? “He who shall find his life shall lose it, but he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it!” Find a life’s work that will contribute not only to your interest and your wallet but also to the greater good of the world and which will contribute to the well-being and happiness of others.
5) Decide how you will manage your money, great or small amounts. Save, prepare, be secure as possible, pay thy debts. Remember that the first law of financial security is the honest payment of tithes and offerings. Don’t get “car fever” or “house fever”! “Affluenza” is a deadly disease that strikes without warning. Immunize yourself with a dose of self-discipline and deferred gratification.
6) Relationships are one of the few things you can take with you! We can take our ordinances, certainly, but also our family and friends. It is our obligation to seek out, cement, and develop relationships based on love, acceptance, tolerance, diversity, forgiveness, kindness, and sacrifice. Listen to the young couples who speak in Church--how they met is always a miracle! Be open to friends and opportunities. Do the things that are under your control, just like when you were missionaries. Lose weight, gain weight, take a shower, try a new hairstyle, update your wardrobe, shave, try something new. Remember that President Hunter taught that the Lord’s way of communicating with us involves “gentle solicitation and sweet enticement”. Let that be our way in our relationships.
7) Get off the dime! Don’t get stuck in what Dr. Seuss calls “the Waiting Place”! Be willing to move, to change, to take the first step. Only when we begin moving do we see the path ahead.
8) Elder Nelson has taught that there are three principles of making a correct decision: Walk to the edge of the available light, take one step into the darkness, and remember, you will receive only one step at a time. Remember in the mission field Elder Uchtdorf taught that when a correct decision is made that generally the Lord will witness that it is correct three times. Good guidelines for all of us!
9) Remember that the Lord is comfortable with long shots! Remember the army of Gideon? The Lord did not want them to think that “their own arm had done this”. You won’t do it alone either. I have a beautiful daughter who, for a time, despaired of marriage. She was in a graduate program in Texas and the “pickins’ were slim” in her mind. As part of a class in statistics, she conducted a project where she calculated the odds of meeting and marrying a man who met all of her (very picky) qualifications. The odds were one in 3.6 billion! Within three months she was engaged to that very man. Have a little faith! “For I am God, and mine arm is not shortened; and I will show miracles, signs, and wonders, unto all those who believe on my name”--D&C 35:8.
May the Lord bless you at this season as you confront your own “valleys of decision”. Remember you are not alone. You are constantly in our thoughts and prayers in your successes and problems. The Gospel is truer than it has every been!
Love, President and Sister Wappett
Nigel George Wappett Send Email
 
Your Ph # 23 Jul 2007
To all those who have or would like to have my Cell Ph# My new one is 208-206-0611
Brandt Thomas Arnold Send Email
 
Funeral Services For Elder Jonathan Dee 18 Jul 2007
I have been in contact with Jonathan's mother the last few days regarding his passing. His funeral will be held in Blanding Utah on Tuesday the 24th of July. The building and exact time are currently TBA. I should have all the information before the funeral. If you would like to know more, feel free to contact me at (480) 518-5519 or by e-mail. I can be contacted at either spencer.dushane@verizonwireless.com or scdushane@hotmail.com. I'm sure his parents would appreciate the support of any who would like to attend.
Spencer Clayton DuShane Send Email
 
Sorrowful News 18 Jul 2007
19 July 2007
Dear Elders and Sisters,
It is with deep sorrow that we announce the unexpected passing of Elder Jonathan Dee of Monument Valley, Utah. Jonathan passed away just after noon today at the University of Utah Medical Center. Many did not know that Jonathan was born with hydrocephalus and throughout his life has functioned with a cerebro-peritoneal shunt which has kept fluid from building up on his brain. Recently he became ill when that shunt failed, and during surgery to replace it, he experienced a cardiac arrest. He lived only a day after this event, passing peacefully despite the best efforts of the medical staff. For those of us who worked with Elder Dee, he never mentioned his physical challenges and certainly never made them an excuse for anything. In fact, few knew, because to him they were “no big deal” as he often would say. As a physician I worried a great deal about his service, knowing that at any moment the shunt could fail. However, Jonathan did not let anything stand in his way and fulfilled every calling with dignity and composure.
Elder Dee entered the mission field in Arizona on August 20, 2002, having completely read all of the Standard Works, including the Old Testament. He came to work, and never once was out of the pathway of duty. He loved each and every companion and each and every area. He particularly loved serving in the Papago Ward, in the Sanders Branch, and in the Winslow and Payson areas. He was a young man through whose veins coursed the royal blood of Israel. He was a missionary who could be trusted and whose quiet ways and cheerful manner lifted all who met him. He was memorable to companions and no one left him without a deep impression of goodness. He was always excited for reunions and last Spring he introduced us to a special young woman. This summer his work was intended to pay for a future ring.
The 42nd Section tells us: “Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die, and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection. And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them.” (vs.45-46) At this time we mourn with the Dee family and offer them our sweet memories of a special missionary who continues now his mission with the same valiance he served on earth. Brother and Sister Dee offer their gratitude to all the Elders and Sisters who befriended and loved this special son and brother.
Services will be held in the Blanding North Chapel, located at 2nd East 2nd North, Blanding, Utah, on Tuesday, the 24th (Pioneer Day). Viewing will be at 9:30 A.M. with the funeral beginning at 11:00 A.M. with interment to follow. Jonathan’s little chapel in Monument Valley could not accommodate the crowd of expected family and friends so Blanding has been chosen as a more suitable facility. All fellow missionaries are invited to attend.
Brother and Sister Dee’s address is P.O. Box 360008, Monument Valley, Utah, 84536. Their home phone is 435-727-3364 and their cell phone is 801-581-2121. May the Lord smile on this wonderful family at this time of sorrow.
President and Sister Wappett
Nigel George Wappett Send Email
 
Mission get together 10 Jul 2007
Please come and enjoy getting reaquainted with old companions and other mission friends. Sister Watson and I will host a mission "get together" this Saturday July 14th. We will be meeting at the home of some of our good friends in Highland. The address is 6192 West Valley View Dr. (Same as 11760 N) Highland, Utah 84003. We will meet from 6:00 p.m. until about 9:00 or so. The home we will be meeting at is the home of Danny and Denise Ashworth. It includes a nice swimming pool and an indoor basketball court and plenty of room for sitting and chatting. Please bring, if you can, your favorite snack and we will provide drinks. And if you want to swim, which you are welcome to do, come prepared. We are so excited to see you and have some time to get caught up with what has happened in your life since you left the mission field. We are assuming that you will be able to get direction to the Ashworth home from Mapquest.com. If you don't have Internet access, let me know and we can provide directions. We love you and look forward to seeing those who can make it.

Love,
President Watson
William Tracy Watson Send Email
 
We are home, lets get together 05 Jul 2007
Dear missionaries,

As you know, we are home. Wow, it has been an interesting adjustment. We have been working our heads off on our two homes. I want to go back to Arizona. Anyway, if you want to contact us you can reach us at 801-400-5186 (my number) or 801-636-6419. We are in the process of buying a home in Alpine, once we close we will give you the address. We talked about a "get together" after our return and had tentatively talked about the 7the. However, the 7th will not work for us, so for those of you who are coming to the Sacrament meeting where we will be speaking, we will give details on the date and location of this get together. We are thinking July 15th or perhaps the next weekend. We are looking forward to seeing all of you. We love you and miss you and the mission field.

Love,
President Watson
William Tracy Watson Send Email
 
President and Sister Watson reporting 26 May 2007
Hello everyone who loves and has an investiment in the Arizona Mesa Mission! We have had a number of you asking about when Sister Watson and I will be reporting on our mission. I did post a news message, but it was not totally accurate and I am still getting familiar with this website. So I thought I would try a "Message." Sister Watson and I will report on July 8th at 9:00 a.m. in the Slate Canyon 6th ward (Provo Stake) on 1315 E. 900 S. Provo Utah. This is the stake center and is just due east of the Provo Cemetry. We love all of you and look forward to seeing many of you again.

Love,
President Watson
William Tracy Watson Send Email
 
Hello to all 15 May 2007
Well I am sorry I have missed the mission reunions up to date. We have moved back from Utah to Missouri and moving again depending where Rebecca(my wife) is accepted to Medical School. Anyone that wants to keep in contact my email is carmac08@hotmail.com or can call me 5738375053. I think of all of you often.
Carlos Moises Coral Escalante Send Email
 
Reunion Photos on CD 08 May 2007
Jim Purrington asked that I post the following message concerning the recent mission reunion:

At the reunion on March 30th, I took over 100 pictures of those at the reunion (97 are on the CD). I tried to get a picture of everyone there (in groups at least) and hope I did. I can burn a CD for anyone who wants a copy. The cost for this is $1.60 and detailed as follows:

CD - $0.25
Padded envelope - $0.50
Postage - $0.90

Total - $1.65

For those who want a copy send me an e-mail requesting the CD. You can pay
after you receive the CD in the mail.

Jim Purrington
jjpurr@juno.com
None Send Email
 
Mission Reunion Follow-up 08 Apr 2007
President’s Message
April 2007

Dear Elders and Sisters,
Before the memory fades too quickly, it is time for Sister Wappett and I to again express our profound appreciation for our association with each of you. Our Third Annual Reunion was again well-planned (by Ben Maughn and Matthias Cicotte), well-attended, and spectacular in every way. It was a unique experience to once again be in the presence of so many quality people whose lives are moving on in positive ways. Before I share a few details and feelings, however, I must share a preliminary experience.
This year it has been forty years since I embarked on the scariest experience of my life to that point--the mission field. I feel at the time of my departure that there never was a more naive and innocent elder. I had a burning testimony but also a very narrow world view with previously limited challenges. I found England to be my crucible, the place where my character was formed and where my ideals were tested. The Lord found out what I was made of and what was the depth of my commitment. I am sure that in many ways I disappointed Him and myself, but nevertheless I came to know with certainty the reality of our message and the goodness of people. It was Elder Melvin J. Ballard who said, “A missionary never rises above the stature he carves for himself in the mission field”. My mission served for me to be the foundation of my future goals and aspirations as well as the environment in which I became the person I would become. Through the ensuing years of schooling, employment, marriage, and family life, there is not a day that passes that I don’t find myself walking or cycling the streets of England or in the homes of the British people. My affection for my Mission President served no small part in that development and memory.
The day prior to our reunion I had the privilege of once again spending a couple of hours with President George I. Cannon, my beloved president. He is now in his advancing years and the challenges of the winter of his life are apparent. Yet as we spent a short time together we had the opportunity to once again express our love and appreciation for his life and his example. Sister Wappett has emulated Sister Cannon through the years and everything I know about being a mission president came from modeling what President Cannon did for me. The years melted away and we were together again, reliving our wonderful missionary days. Through the years my respect and love have deepened.
I am always humbled by the love and concern exhibited by each of you whenever we are together. The reunion was such an occasion. Again we spent a sweet temple session together with the valiant senior couples. Each and every one are examples of fortitude, courage, and seasoned commitment. We are especially grateful to the Lord for His goodness in sparing the life of Elder Larry Bergen this year. Only after many tested seasons will most of you have the opportunity of giving the way that these senior missionaries have given.
At the reunion we had the special treat of seeing Elder Seth Loughmiller walking with his canes. Last year the prognosis was that he would never leave his wheelchair. Our eyes filled with tears this year as we were greeted by him bravely walking deliberately to the reunion. We asked him to stand during the reunion and we were humbled by his courage in being able to do this simplest of tasks. We thank the Lord for His mercy in preserving not only his legs but his spirit of determination and courage. Elder Misiego was there from Spain, Sister Nabi from Mongolia, and Elder Lazareno from Mexico. We were inspired by the music of Shelby Chamberlain and Javier Misiego and by the testimony of Justin Chandler. Ryan Jaime brought his whole family and half the BYU Dairy ice cream. We had the opportunity to laugh and cry together and the evening was sweet. However, at the conclusion, Sister Wappett and I left again with a deep frustration that we were only able to spend brief minutes with each of you. Regrettably, the numbers were so great that we even missed many that we love. We didn’t sleep for two nights as each of you passed through our minds. We saw your struggles, your triumphs, your disappointments, and the light in your eyes reflecting your continued commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
A few weeks ago we spent a lovely morning in Milwaukee having breakfast with Karissa McAlister (Babbel). We shared dinner in an African restaurant with Sam and Kirsten Stone. We visited the rural home of Rod and Kylene South in Idaho. All were the type of settings and occasions we would really like with each of you, a time when we could sit down and accurately let you know how much we love you and respect what you are trying to do. We regret that our reunions are somewhat hectic and even occasionally boisterous but they are but a small part of what we truly feel for you.
We continue to be impressed by your lovely wives and handsome husbands, by your educational attainments, by your solid commitment to excellence in your work and family. Life is indeed full for all. Bob Hope used to sing at the end of his TV show, “Thanks for the Memories”, and we can only reflect that wonderful sentiment.
This year President Watson returns home and President Mark Bassett will become the 3rd president of the Arizona Mesa Mission, a positive and promising new beginning. Each day brings us new beauty and new energy. We are more convinced than ever that the Lord answers prayers (and he believes in “photo finishes”!) and that the world is a good and welcoming place as our priorities are right. Please know of our continued interest in your lives. We rejoice with you in your successes and weep with you in your sorrows. I am afraid that our years together have entwined our lives in ways neither of us expected.
Love,
President and Sister Wappett
Nigel George Wappett Send Email
 
Mission Reunion 08 Apr 2007
Hey, I just want to apologize to those who wanted to see me at the mission reunion. I didn't go, but I hope you know that I still love you all and keep you in my prayers. :)

Jessica Evans
Jessica Kerry Evans Send Email
 
Family Finding 30 Mar 2007
Hey Fellow AMM Alumni,

I am wondering if anyone has any current phone numbers and/or addresses for the Javier and Marta Aguado Family or the Jesus and Mercedes Martinez family. I have lost track of both and would love to be reconnected if anyone has any info or updates on either family. I sent my mom to the Aguado's home on Lindsay last summer and they didn't live there anymore. Thanks so much, Chelsey Powers Gertsch
Chelsey Elizabeth Gertsch Send Email
 
C.U.N. UTAH! 01 Mar 2007
Just wanted to let people know that I am coming up for the reunion and so is Sister krista stewart so cant wait!!! see you in a month!
nadia noel daou Send Email
 
Hey ya'll 01 Mar 2007
Hey everyone! I hope you are all happy and healthy and loving life- I know it is hard after the mission... I was wondering if anyone else is coming up to this reunion at the end of March? You're all welcome to stay at my house, and we'll party! (At least till 10:30!! ) :) Take Care- Love you all!
Tamara Lea Crane Send Email
 
Upcoming Reunion 27 Feb 2007
This year the mission reunion will be a little different. There will be two
parts, a fireside and an informal reception. The fireside will commence at
6:30 PM and the reception will be at 7:30 PM. This way those who want to
have a devotional can have that, and those who want to renew friendships can
do that too. We need volunteers to help, see below:



We Need the Following Number of Volunteers



1 Pianist:

1 Chorister:

1 Opening Prayer:

2 Special Musical Numbers:

1 Testimony - Post Mission Missionary Experience:

1 Closing Prayer:

1 Slideshow Coordinator (Request Pictures, Put Music, Set it all up):

4 Clean up people:



Please send Benjamin Maughan an email if you are interested in helping out.
We need it! BMaughan@byu.edu


Mission Reunion Schedule


6:30 – Prelude

6:40 – Presiding: President Wappett

- Conducting: Matthias Cicotte

- Pianist:

- Chorister:

- Opening Song:

- Opening Prayer:

- Announcements – President Wappett

o Update on Mission

o Missionaries returned since last reunion

o Births

o Marriages

o Engagements

o Other

- Special Musical Number:

- Testimony - Post Mission Missionary Experience:

- Special Musical Number:

- Talk by President Wappett & Sister Wappett

- Closing Song:

- Closing Prayer:

7:30 – Reception Begins

7:30 – Slide-Show Presentation:

7:45 – Dessert Bar fully operational

9:30 – Finish

9:30 – Cleanup:


Thanks.

Benjamin Maughan & Matthias Cicotte
Nigel George Wappett Send Email
 
EASTER PAGEANT 23 Feb 2007
Hello everyone! I will be coming to Mesa for the Easter pageant this spring and am looking for a ride to SLC from Mesa. (My best friend is getting married in SLC on Sat, Apr. 7). So, if any of you Utah people are planning on a road trip to Mesa that week, I would be looking for a ride back with you sometime between March 30-April 6. Please let me know as soon as possible! Thanks! Hailey
Hailey Elizabeth Maloney Send Email
 
VC/Temple trip 21 Feb 2007
For those in Utah, we're taking a "field trip" this Saturday, 24 February 2007. 9am session at Salt Lake temple, then the 12 noon showing of the JSPR. It'll be fun! Don't forget your recommend! See you there!
Katy Tindall Send Email
 
Chat on the mission site 20 Feb 2007
On the mission site there is a feature that will allow us to chat. This is called chat on the menu. I would be really interested in chatting with anyone who wants to join me sometime. Please let me know if chatting on the sites chat room would be an interest to you. This is a great resource to keeping up with all our news.

Thank You,
Bill Loski
Bill A. Loski Send Email
 
Spring Sunshine at 35 Below! 20 Feb 2007
Missionary Message February 2007

Dear Elders and Sisters,
While the sun is streaming the window and the early Spring sky is a brilliant blue, it seems natural to take a few moments to share some thoughts that have been passing through my mind the past few weeks. Currently I am serving as the High Priests’ Group Leader in my ward and most of you know that there is a new emphasis for the High Priests to take charge of all the Family History and to accomplish it on the ward level. We next have a weekend at the Anchorage Temple in April and I extended the invitation to all our quorum to have personally prepared a family name for whom to perform the necessary ordinances by that time. I am aware that for most of you in this season of your lives that Family History means primarily surviving and thriving with another week of school, work, marriage, and babies. But there is a dimension that all of us need to consider even in the formative years of our “history”.

The author Alex Haley said, “In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage—to know who we are and where we have come from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, an emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness”. We all long to be “connected” and that longing has led the majority of you so far to the altar and to the delivery room! Of course our friendships and experiences, including the missionary experience, connect us, but there is something special about the ties that bind us as family. Sister Wappett and I just completed a unique and spectacular family reunion with all of my children and grandchildren in, of all places, Arizona! At Christmas we reserved a remote ranch outside of Tucson and spent a wonderful six days together, all 21 of us. Since then we added two more to the family! As we watched our children, now all married, all adults, and all parents, we were led to say, “Who are these people and what have they done to my kids?” We came to quickly realize (again) that really all of our relationships are not so much parent and child as peers and friends. We laughed, cried, blessed, sang, and bounced over many miles on horseback together. We held Church, blessed and passed the sacrament, bore testimonies, and hugged like you’ve never seen President Wappett hug! Our memories were sweet and we just made another one. However, during the evenings we reviewed our family from both sides and the little things that have motivated our forebears to be true and to prevail.

We were reminded from a letter from an uncle in a malaria hospital in Malta in 1914 that “...I never get discouraged, no matter how heavy the bombardment!” We saw my father as a 14 year-old Scout in one of Lord Baden-Powell’s original troops in England serving as flag-bearer for his troop in 1915. We saw again the determination to be true in the eyes of Lyman Curtis, one of Sister Wappett’s ancestors, as he was asked to guard the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum from desecration after the martyrdom. We saw the faces of ancestors sent by Brigham Young to colonize and to thrive in southern Arizona. Real people with real families who faced real problems and who, through it all, remained faithful and true. As we closed our reunion with a testimony meeting, I felt the presence of mother and father, grandfather and grandmother, and all those who had gone before. I felt their approval and their love and their support because we had spent some time remembering them and honoring them for what they had done in their generation.

On our last visit to the Anchorage Temple, Sister Wappett and I spent an evening performing washings and anointings and subsequently endowments and sealings for the inhabitants of a small Peruvian village in the early 1800’s. As name after Spanish name was presented I was led to think, “Who would remember or care about these people except the Lord and His Church 200 years after their lives were lived in poverty and obscurity?” It was a blessing and a privilege to serve on their behalf.

For most of you this is the season of your lives when you are consumed with preparation, making ends meet, and establishing the careers which will sustain you. You are surrounded with bills and diapers and generally too little time for too many obligations. However, my feelings of affection for my past, current, and future family I am sure are only miniscule compared to the comprehensive love of a Heavenly Father who wants all of his family to succeed, to be tried, and to be found worthy. If the Lord cares enough about a little village in Peru during another century then it is worth my time to drive 700 miles in the winter so that their ordinances can be performed and their families secured to them for eternity. He likewise cares enough about you for you to have your share of challenges, disappointments, and successes.
History is something that is written daily. Even if you cannot devote the time now to the “paperwork”, keep memories and feelings alive and thriving. We live in a marvelous age when journal-keeping and digital scrapbooks are relatively cheap and easy. Take the time to make memories and to record them. Spend a home evening reviewing the stories and the events that have made you who you are. Renew old friendships and make new ones. Spend a quiet evening looking into the faces of those who sacrificed so that you could live now. As we pay attention to the past, those who are of the past will be invited into the present. Remember, the opposite of love is not hate; it is to be ignored!
You each taught during your missions the words of John the Baptist restoring the Aaronic Priesthood. He concluded with these words, “...and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness” (D&C section 13) What is that offering? Section 128:24 tells us, “...Let us, therefore, as a Church and a people, and as Latter-Day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.” I am convinced that we daily write that book with our deeds, our mistakes, and our adventures. It is a thrill to belong to each other and to know the ties cannot be broken except by our own foolishness. The blessing of having both “roots and branches” cannot be overestimated.

Next month on the 30th of March (Check the Mission Web Site under Missionary Reunions) we will gather again to renew memories and to refresh our love for each other. This will be our Third Annual Reunion and this time it is missionary-generated and missionary-organized as they all should be. As we make memories again and remember what has made us who we are, let us record the feelings, tell the stories, honor the people, and express the love which, after all, is the whole reason we are bound together in the first place. May the Lord bless each of you in your daily triumphs and failures, for each of those who have gone before knows what it feels like. Be true and faithful and help beyond our own efforts from family who care will be part of our present and future lives. We look forward to greeting each of you again..
Love, President and Sister Wappett
Nigel George Wappett Send Email
 
Christmas Greetings 23 Dec 2006
Dear Friends,
As this wonderful season engulfs us we send our love and greetings to you. We are so blessed by your friendship, love, support, and examples. We have enjoyed receiving your cards and pictures. There have been some great wedding announcements and beautiful births reported. We are warmed and strengthened. We in return send our love to each of you and our prayers for a Christmas filled with understanding and a New Year filled with hope.
Currently there are two contemporary books that present a great message that gives insight into the nativity and its impact on our lives today. That simple birth, in primitive conditions, by a humble mother teaches us the wonder of the “Glorious Impossible”. Madeleine L’Engle teaches from Mary’s innocent and humble acceptance of her role as the mother of Jesus we begin to glimpse the possibilities of life by simply believing in the “glorious impossibles”. We have no limitations if we open our hearts to involving our Heavenly Father in our lives. Mary became the mother of the Savior of the world, blind men were given their vision, the lame walked, and the dead came to life.
Barack Obama’s book, The Audacity of Hope , comes from a sermon revolving around the story of Hannah and her pleading with the Lord to bless her with a child after years of barrenness. Moses and his call to deliver Judah from Pharaoh, David and Goliath, Daniel in the lion’s den are all examples of the “audacity of hope” and the fruits of such deep seated faith. Examples of great and daring faith in Jesus Christ.
Joseph Smith gives us further understanding of the power within the manger. A young man with a simple New England upbringing asked to accomplish remarkable tasks. The translation of the plates, the establishment of the Church, the restoration of the Priesthood, the construction of Temples, were only a few of the “glorious impossibles” that were his. But because of the “audacity of his hope” he was able to accomplish all the Lord asked of him.
As this Christmas season enfolds us and the New Year rises up to challenge us analyze your own lives and start dreaming, setting goals, and relying on your Elder Brother to help unfold miracles in your life. There is great power in the manger if you understand its message. “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37
We send our love to you.
President and Sister Wappett
Nigel George Wappett Send Email
 
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