Every six weeks we have many missionaries leave and many more come in.
At the next transfer, we will receive 25 missionaries, and lose 12.
Some are Elders, and some are Sisters and occasionally we get Seniors.
Some speak Spanish and some Speak English.
Some missionaries have no health problems,
but many struggle with various health issues as they serve the Lord.
Some will be Junior Companions, Senior Companions, Trainers, District Leaders, Zone Leaders, District Trainers, Sister Trainer Leaders, or Assistants to the President.
There are 8 zones with 16 to 28 missionaries in each zone. Some zones have both English and Spanish missionaries. The population in some zones is dense & crowded city population; in others it is country and farming population. In some zones you find a lot of wealth - in others, very meager circumstances.
The population in Chicago is unusual in that at least 30% of the households
do not have English as a first language.
Almost every country in the world is represented in Chicago.
THE TRANSFER BOARD
And how do we keep track of all this?
Through our President and APs who spend several days before transfers
planning who should serve where.
Part of that planning takes place in the President's office where you find
THE TRANSFER BOARD.
The Transfer Board indicates what missionaries are in each zone,
in each area, and in each district,
and whether they speak English or Spanish.
The transfer board also indicates which missionaries can drive,
which ones are on bikes and which ones use public transportation.
It tells where every set of missionaries live and
indicates their current calling in the mission.
It is done with the use of magnet cards on a large magnet board pictured above.
The doors fold in and are locked during planning times.
Pictured is our Board Card.
Sister Christensen just finished the new board cards for the 25 new missionaries. Since there is another board in the other President's office at his home,
50 Board Cards were completed.
On the front is the name, arrival and release dates, missionary number, and birthday. If the top of the card is bright yellow, that person speaks Spanish.
You can see from the brown boxes on our card that we stay in the office. A missionary's card will have several colors in those boxes when the mission is finished which indicates in which zone the missionary has served.
On the back of the card are the magnets, and a place to write the area of service and the name of the companion for every 6 week transfer. A nice record for them to take home.
Elder and Sister Christensen, I am a mom of one of your missionaries was searching the web for more photos or memories about the Illinois Chicago Mission, to satisfy my mom heart. THANK YOU for this blog, it is wonderful, informative, and so helpful!
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