20-30 June 2017 New Mission Presidents Seminar Trip

20-30 June 2017 Mission Presidents Seminar Trip

President Leavitt and I returned to Utah for the New Mission Presidents Seminar at the Provo MTC.

Following are highlights from our trip home to Cedar City and Provo before returning to Johannesburg on the evening of 30 June.

After three planes over two days, we arrived Wednesday evening, 21 June, in Cedar City, greeted at the airport by our Cedar City kids, grand kids and parents.


We had a big family dinner at our daughter's house and went to bed fairly late.

We each had a full morning of appointments and errands on Thursday, 22 June. One thing I was able to do was stop in at the Southern Utah University swimming pool to see two of my grandchildren's swim lessons.

Thursday afternoon, 22 June, our kids and grand kids and us all packed up and went up Kanarra Mountain to our family cabin. Besides enjoying our family in beautiful surroundings one last time, President Leavitt also needed to show our son-in-law some more about the solar and water systems so he can take care of it while we are gone. It was all under many feet of snow when we left in March.

Some of the more fun vehicles to ride in up the mountain.

President Leavitt helping the grand kids change a flat tire on the way to the cabin. There are always a lot of sharp rocks on the dirt roads leading up the mountain.

We celebrated my daughter, Skye and my birthdays with an ice cream cake we ate before dinner as it was melting--too big for the tiny freezer.

My grandma name is 'Mimi'

Dinner Thursday night at the cabin

Friday, 23 June, 2017:

Breakfast outside on the deck

Playing in the meadows

President Leavitt showing Hansen how to skip rocks across the reservoir
picture above, video below

On Friday afternoon, 23 June, at the St. George LDS Temple, President Leavitt and I were escorts for our good friends, Charles and Judith from Burundi, who received their temple ordinances and were sealed together as an eternal couple. Their youngest son, Joddy, was also sealed to them. He attends Cedar High School. Their other four children, who are older than 18, can be sealed to them when they are baptized and receive their own temple ordinances. Their oldest son is coming this summer after graduating from medical school in Russia. Their daughter arrived in December from India after graduating from college. Their other two sons are attending Southern Utah University. We all traveled back to Cedar City to have dinner in the back yard of President Leavitt's parents, Dixie and Anne Leavitt.

Charles & Judith with family, friends & ward members

Charles and Judith

On Saturday morning, 24 June, all our Cedar City family members came to Mac and Brooke's (our daughter) home for a good bye breakfast for us. After eating, visiting, cleaning up and packing up, President Leavitt and I drove to Provo, making one recruiting stop of a potential missionary couple on the way.

Sister Leavitt visiting with President Leavitt's parents, Dixie and Anne

Our oldest son, Dixon, with President Leavitt 

Saying good bye to our 9 Cedar City grandchildren (7 live in other states)

The picture below shows the summer field crops starting to come up as we traveled along the freeway. It was in the low 90s degrees Fahrenheit during the days in Cedar and Provo, around 106 degrees in St. George.

We checked in at the MTC in Provo at 4:45 pm, ate dinner there with everyone, then drove to the Marriott Hotel in Provo to sleep.

On Sunday, 25 June, we had church meetings, MTC meetings and took a tour of the new MTC which opened last week. We also had a wonderful time meeting friends and making new friends.

President & Sister Orton, President & Sister Leavitt, President & Sister Nakken,
all from Cedar City and have served as student stake presidents at SUU.

We are happy to be here!

I discovered our SAJM Elder Resek's aunt during a break time. President & Sister Resek,
Argentina Buenos Aires West Mission, are from Kaysville Utah Haight Creek Stake

Pictures from the new MTC with large open spaces, beautiful murals and quotes:

Looking out an MTC classroom window--Provo Temple upper right

We participated in wonderful meetings. We were taught and counseled in many things from all the First Presidency and Council of 12 except President Monson and Elder Hales, who sent messages of faith and love. We were also taught by some of the Presidency of the Seventy, General Authority Seventies, Bishop Waddell and some of the General Auxiliary leaders, especially Sister Oscarson. We also ate meals with many of them and their wives and had wonderful interactions during our stay in Provo. There were 127 New Mission President couples attending the seminar--about a third of all Mission President couples serving throughout the world. The 127 couples will serve in 61 different countries. The youngest mission president is 40 (his wife is 36--hint, they are serving in Cape Town) and the oldest mission president and wife are both 66 years old. It was a faith-filled experience.

Oregon Eugene, California Ventura, and South Africa Johannesburg--here we come!

Half the missionary audience at Elder Bednar's Devotional Tuesday night.

Ran into President Leavitt's 1st cousins, MTC Branch President & Sister Judd.
We had the Devotional follow-up with their MTC missionaries as we don't have any current Provo MTC missionaries.

Discovered some of my mom's cousins, President & Sister Toone, Alaska Anchorage Mission,
from Idaho Falls, Idaho. 

Traveled with & had classes with President & Sister Lebethoa, South Africa Cape Town Mission,
we know from our Florida 1st Ward, Soweto South Africa Stake.

We know President & Sister Keyes, Ghana Accra Mission,
from our Edenvale Ward, Bedfordview Stake, South Africa.

We traveled with and had classes with currently serving President & Sister Senna,
Mozambique Maputo Mission from Parque Dez Ward, Rio Negro Stake, Brazil.

Southwest view from our Provo hotel window--can see Utah Lake in the distance

Thursday morning, 29 June, President Leavitt's brother, Mike, drove us to the Salt Lake Airport.

While at the airport, former Elder Morrill and his family found us waiting for our plane. They were leaving from the Salt Lake airport for a family trip. What a happy surprise! It was fun meet his family and visit!

We made it back to Johannesburg Friday evening, 30 June 2017, and were picked up by our wonderful assistants, Elder Benson and Elder Adams.