Wednesday, January 25, 2017 – Transplant Seedlings, Fungicide Drench, Rehearsal, World-Wide Missionary Training

We transplanted five more trays of “Salvia Strata” AKA “Mealy Cup Sage” again today. Sis Johnson and I are getting pretty good at it, together we can knock out a full tray of 72 transplants in 20 minutes. All of the seedlings were the same color of “Mealy Cup Sage,” all blue until the final tray, it was white.

While we were transplanting seedlings, Richard was busy in the other greenhouses giving all the potted plants a thorough “Fungicide Drench.”  He used “Banrot 40WP,” a chemical designed for commercial greenhouses that controls damping-off, root and stem rot diseases. Richard has to do this fungicide preventative treatment up to four times a year to keep all of his plants healthy, growing and vibrant. Richard is very good, he knows his business.

We had to stop working in the propagation room a little earlier than usual because Sis. Johnson and I had another “Rendezvous” rehearsal. This time we rehearsed the final scene of “Rendezvous” with Elder & Sis. Burningham; they play “Peter & Abigail.” George & Agatha and Peter & Abigail and are on stage together in the last scene and we need to practice together to get our timing right. We have one more rehearsal on Saturday morning and then we will be on stage for our debut Saturday night.

At eleven this morning all of the missionaries in the mission met at the Nauvoo Stake Center for a World-wide Missionary Training broadcast from Salt Lake City. The training was hosted by Elder Brent H. Neilson, the Executive Director of the Church Missionary Department. His panel was made up of members of the Missionary Executive Council including three Apostles, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Elder David A. Bednar, Elder Neil L. Andersen. The panel also had Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, Young Women general president, Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric and Stephen B. Allen, former director of the Missionary Department.

Today’s World-wide Missionary Training was excellent. There was too much taught to recap here but a couple of things stuck out in my mind as I listened to the Brethren and Sister.  I liked what Dallin H Oaks said, “As missionaries you cannot teach repentance if you have not practiced repentance in your own life.” So true!  Elder Neil L. Anderson also made a good point I thought needed repeating. He said, “Your mission is to testify of Jesus Christ. No matter how much we speak of Him, it is never enough.” It was a very good meeting.