WHAT'S A "CYCLE" ANYWAY?
Everything in the mission is set up on a 6 week cycle. When we arrived here in Mexico City, all the missionaries kept using the word "cycle" and I didn't know what that meant, but now I am totally in sync!
Here is an example of what happens each of the 6 weeks:
Week #1
Monday: New missionaries arrive, are trained and out "into the mission field" with their companions.
Many other changes are made the same day with missionaries changing companions and areas.
All the missionaries going home this week have a final, much longer interview with the President.
All the Latin missionaries that have worked to learn English during their mission take an English
Exam online through an accredited rating agency and are certified at a certain level.
Tuesday: The President and I take all the missionaries returning home this week to a session at the Mexico City Temple, followed by a nice dinner and testimony meeting at the mission home.
Wednesday, we personally take all the missionaries going home to the airport. It is quite a job! Although we do all we can before going to the airport...it is still quite a process. One thing that is fun is that we almost always see other missionaries leaving from or passing through Mexico City!
It is also a very emotional day, because, the fact is, it may be the last time we see some of of these missionaries in person. It is hard to let them go! There are always tears. They have truly become our own sons and daughters!
At this point, we collapse!
Thursday, we prepare for Mission Council to be held Friday with all the zone leaders. This meeting is very important as we council with our mission leadership - about goals, training needed, etc.
Week 2:
Monday is always a meeting with the Assistants and lots of things are worked on. Also, Monday is P-day for the missionaries and each zone sends one set of missionaries into the office to pick up mail and packages for the whole zone. We love Mondays. The office is very busy and we get to see lots of missionaries. We hear about what is going on in their areas and catch up. Our office senior missionaries handle immigration and finances and the missionaries are always in their office signing papers and making ID cards and figuring out rent and repairs and everything else. The missionaries love the Carollos! Sister Carollo always has a box of chocolates and she gives them out to all these missionaries.
We also have pictures from former zone conferences or activities up on the wall, as well as recent baptism pictures and pictures of all the new missionaries in the mission. So Mondays, are always very busy, fun days in the mission office.
Tuesday-Friday the President and I travel to a different zone each day to do personal interviews. We drive 2-3 hours everyday and interview for 3-5 hours each day depending on the number of missionaries in each zone. While the President is interviewing a missionary, I chat with his/her companion about cleanliness, apartments, exercises, menu options, health concerns, favorite scriptures, their families, life in general, sometimes BYU sports, etc. With Latin missionaries, I work on English studies a lot!
Very typically, we will stay out in that zone area at least one day during the week and the President will do team-ups with a set of elders and I will do team-ups with a set of hermanas (if there are any). We love doing missionary work with our missionaries! It is so great to teach and testify along with them and feel the joy of sharing the Gospel! That is why we are here!
Saturday: Typically baptisms are held on Saturdays. We go to as many baptisms as possible. Driving is difficult here and even though our mission area is not huge - we still drive 2-3 hours daily getting around our mission. Baptisms are such a joy to attend, because it is when we gather to witness one of Heavenly Father's children, choosing to Come Unto Christ.
Week 3:
Monday: Oh, one more thing that happens every Monday in a mission is that every missionary writes an email letter to the President - so he receives 140 emails which he reads (and replies to many) each week.
More interviews and team-ups.
Also starting in March we will have 8 stakes in our mission. Since each stake has a conference two times a year, we attend 16 stake conferences each year. The President usually attends all the sessions of stake conference, and typically speaks at 2 sessions. I typically speak at one session of each stake conference.
Also, the President and the zone leaders that serve each stake meet monthly with each stake president - so those meetings are held at different times throughout the month.
Week 4:
Tues. Wed. and Thursday we do Zone Conferences. We have two zones each on Tuesday and Wednesday and 3 Zones on Thursday. We meet at different stake centers in the mission and President and I train, as well as zone leaders and assistants. Zone Conferences are always uplifting and motivational! We always serve Costco muffins and juice (it is a tradition begun by Sister Stutznegger, the former MP's wife), take zone pictures, and celebrate all the birthdays for the month, singing the traditional Latin birthday song, "Las Mananitas".
Other special training meetings might be held each cycle, such as district leader training. All training meetings, of course, require a lot of prayer, study, coordination and work.
Week 5:
This is usually the least busy week. If we aren't done with interviews it happens this week. We typically travel to do interviews at least 10 days each cycle.
Week 6:
Last of the interviews, if we aren't done yet, calling and training new trainers for soon-to-arrive missionaries, training of missionaries who have been in the field 6 weeks.
Somewhere in here we are supposed to have our own P-day each week. We are trying to do better! In 7 months we have actually had 2 P-days...and they are so needed!
So, there it is, cycle after cycle we Invite Others to Come Unto Christ! What a privilege!
*****************************VIVA MEXICO***************************************
Occasionally we get out into the countryside and we see fields with grain in sheaves drying like this. It is very pastoral!
In all neighborhoods in Mexico City people drive through the streets soliciting your old mattresses, furniture, appliances, etc. I learned that they pay you for your cast-offs, a very nominal amount (10 pesos for a mattress) and sell the metal. In many neighborhoods it is a pickup truck with a very annoying recorded voice on a loudspeaker calling out for your items.
It is very typical to see dogs on roofs of homes...that bark at you. (All roofs are flat here.)
And this home has "adornos" on it...a string of colored paper shapes that are hung for holidays.
There are lots of mortuaries here. Every mortuary has a flower shop as well - with lots of bouquets of flowers of all different sizes ready for the services. Very enterprising!
**********************************VIVA MEXICO**********************************
Here is an example of what happens each of the 6 weeks:
Week #1
Monday: New missionaries arrive, are trained and out "into the mission field" with their companions.
Many other changes are made the same day with missionaries changing companions and areas.
All the missionaries going home this week have a final, much longer interview with the President.
All the Latin missionaries that have worked to learn English during their mission take an English
Exam online through an accredited rating agency and are certified at a certain level.
Tuesday: The President and I take all the missionaries returning home this week to a session at the Mexico City Temple, followed by a nice dinner and testimony meeting at the mission home.
Wednesday, we personally take all the missionaries going home to the airport. It is quite a job! Although we do all we can before going to the airport...it is still quite a process. One thing that is fun is that we almost always see other missionaries leaving from or passing through Mexico City!
It is also a very emotional day, because, the fact is, it may be the last time we see some of of these missionaries in person. It is hard to let them go! There are always tears. They have truly become our own sons and daughters!
At this point, we collapse!
Thursday, we prepare for Mission Council to be held Friday with all the zone leaders. This meeting is very important as we council with our mission leadership - about goals, training needed, etc.
Week 2:
Monday is always a meeting with the Assistants and lots of things are worked on. Also, Monday is P-day for the missionaries and each zone sends one set of missionaries into the office to pick up mail and packages for the whole zone. We love Mondays. The office is very busy and we get to see lots of missionaries. We hear about what is going on in their areas and catch up. Our office senior missionaries handle immigration and finances and the missionaries are always in their office signing papers and making ID cards and figuring out rent and repairs and everything else. The missionaries love the Carollos! Sister Carollo always has a box of chocolates and she gives them out to all these missionaries.
We also have pictures from former zone conferences or activities up on the wall, as well as recent baptism pictures and pictures of all the new missionaries in the mission. So Mondays, are always very busy, fun days in the mission office.
Tuesday-Friday the President and I travel to a different zone each day to do personal interviews. We drive 2-3 hours everyday and interview for 3-5 hours each day depending on the number of missionaries in each zone. While the President is interviewing a missionary, I chat with his/her companion about cleanliness, apartments, exercises, menu options, health concerns, favorite scriptures, their families, life in general, sometimes BYU sports, etc. With Latin missionaries, I work on English studies a lot!
Very typically, we will stay out in that zone area at least one day during the week and the President will do team-ups with a set of elders and I will do team-ups with a set of hermanas (if there are any). We love doing missionary work with our missionaries! It is so great to teach and testify along with them and feel the joy of sharing the Gospel! That is why we are here!
Saturday: Typically baptisms are held on Saturdays. We go to as many baptisms as possible. Driving is difficult here and even though our mission area is not huge - we still drive 2-3 hours daily getting around our mission. Baptisms are such a joy to attend, because it is when we gather to witness one of Heavenly Father's children, choosing to Come Unto Christ.
Week 3:
Monday: Oh, one more thing that happens every Monday in a mission is that every missionary writes an email letter to the President - so he receives 140 emails which he reads (and replies to many) each week.
More interviews and team-ups.
Also starting in March we will have 8 stakes in our mission. Since each stake has a conference two times a year, we attend 16 stake conferences each year. The President usually attends all the sessions of stake conference, and typically speaks at 2 sessions. I typically speak at one session of each stake conference.
Also, the President and the zone leaders that serve each stake meet monthly with each stake president - so those meetings are held at different times throughout the month.
Week 4:
Tues. Wed. and Thursday we do Zone Conferences. We have two zones each on Tuesday and Wednesday and 3 Zones on Thursday. We meet at different stake centers in the mission and President and I train, as well as zone leaders and assistants. Zone Conferences are always uplifting and motivational! We always serve Costco muffins and juice (it is a tradition begun by Sister Stutznegger, the former MP's wife), take zone pictures, and celebrate all the birthdays for the month, singing the traditional Latin birthday song, "Las Mananitas".
Other special training meetings might be held each cycle, such as district leader training. All training meetings, of course, require a lot of prayer, study, coordination and work.
Week 5:
This is usually the least busy week. If we aren't done with interviews it happens this week. We typically travel to do interviews at least 10 days each cycle.
Week 6:
Last of the interviews, if we aren't done yet, calling and training new trainers for soon-to-arrive missionaries, training of missionaries who have been in the field 6 weeks.
Somewhere in here we are supposed to have our own P-day each week. We are trying to do better! In 7 months we have actually had 2 P-days...and they are so needed!
So, there it is, cycle after cycle we Invite Others to Come Unto Christ! What a privilege!
*****************************VIVA MEXICO***************************************
Occasionally we get out into the countryside and we see fields with grain in sheaves drying like this. It is very pastoral!
And this home has "adornos" on it...a string of colored paper shapes that are hung for holidays.
So cool to know how your cycles go! All those meetings! So crazy! Time flies when you're busy!
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