Training for Family & Church History Support Missionaries

It has been over 30 days since I drafted my first entries. Finding enough hours in the days is very difficult. Here is what I have been doing in the month of August.

Support Missionary Training

Most of my free time has been spent in Training for Family & Church History Support Missionaries. The lessons are 1 1/2 to 2 hours long 4 nights a week. Also, there are several lab sessions during the daytime, interactive videos to view 2 times per week, and slide presentations of lessons to view and study. I have learned so much in these weeks about serving as support missionary by answering telephone and e-mail inquiries; finding an answer to the questions or problems submitted and then conveying the information to the patron along with the documentation to goes with the solution. Frank has been concerned about how difficult this would be for me to handle health wise. But so far, I have done okay.

I thoroughly enjoy family history research and the compilation of the information into a family history genealogical program. It has been amazing what I have discovered these past 12 years about my ancestors.

Our Church has devoted a tremendous amount of resources in persons, technology, training and money to be able to offer this service world wide to any who call with no charge to them. I've been fascinated learning skills in the advanced technology that we will use to help us in this service. Our supervisor taught the first several lessons from New Zealand. Now our Trainer is teaching from North Carolina. There are 21 persons in the August Group which includes the two mentioned trainers and their 4 assistant trainers. The rest of us are divided in to four team for each of the trainer assistants.

These past two weeks we have been practicing replying to e-mail inquiries. These next two weeks we will practice answering telephone calls. Then, sometime after October first we will begin our live trainer under a new Mission Leader and the assistant Team Leader.

But first, Frank and I will stop and go on our fall cruise from Los Angeles, California to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Mazatlan, Mexico, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and return to Los Angeles. We are looking forward to the 7 nights aboard ship.

It is a wonderful like Frank and I are living right now. I send my love to all.