Wednesday, March 1, 2017 – Mission-Wide Training, Transplanting Plugs, Dahlias, Haircut

Again this morning we had our weekly Mission-wide training meeting. And again it was very good. The mission leadership is preparing for the arrival of our first group of senior couples this Friday. For months now they have been reworking the training and orientation program for all the new arriving missionaries. They have literally spent hundreds and maybe thousands of hours in very thoughtful  consideration of plans, programs and training so the new missionaries will be properly trained before beginning their assignments in the historic sites. 

 This new training program for the newly arriving missionaries will be a huge improvement. When Sis. Johnson and I arrived a year ago we were sent right into the historic sites to give tours with very little instruction.  This week’s new missionaries will receive a full week of comprehensive training and be guided through the tour process step by step. It was a great meeting this morning.

Today we worked in the greenhouses transplanting all of the “Plugs” we received yesterday. A “Plug” is what they call a small plant grown from seed, cutting or tissue culture that has been put in its own little 1X1 inch cell to grow, develop roots and are ready to be transplanted into a larger pot. All of the plugs we received yesterday are very healthy, strong and thriving little plants.

We got some help in the greenhouses today from one of the staff members that works with Scott Higley on the grounds. Sean Simpson is usually on a lawn mower or pruning a tree or grinding a tree stump. Today we were fortunate to have him in the greenhouse with us as we planted the plugs.