Samuel in Liberia

Remember this red headed Sister in the front row?  She provided some excitement for Samuel's District.  The Saturday after they arrived at the MTC, she came down with a cold, so she went to the information desk to get some Benadryl.  MTC policy is to test everyone for Covid if they feel sick.  Her test came back positive.  That meant that she and the rest of her District had to be quarantined from the rest of the missionaries.  The MTC actually has a building that they save for this purpose.  Sister Yardley had to be quarantined away from everyone else, but all the Elders got to be on one floor, and the other three Sisters got to be together on a higher floor.  They were all shipped off to the hospital to be tested for Covid Saturday night and didn't get their results back until Monday morning.  They were all negative, but had to stay quarantined until they got a second negative test on Wednesday.  To pass the time, the Elders got creati...

Samuel's District Elder Thomas is Samuel's companion.  He is from Cedar Hills, UT   Front row:  Addison Miller (Washington Mission), Emma Aune (Washington Mission), Sadie Yardley (Scotland/Ireland), Zoe Jensen (Scotland/Ireland) Middle Row: Hayden Hooge (Liberia), Tyson Woolstenhulme (Sierra Leone), Keaton Hunsaker (Liberia), David Waite (Namibia), Andrew Blaney (white) (Namibia), Elijah Norlund (black) Back Row:  Joshua Monsen (Sierra Leone), Chase Thomas (Liberia), Samuel (Liberia) More District pictures.  Samuel really liked his District.  They liked to have fun and had great personalities.   Here's a picture to give you a little idea of how many missionaries are at the MTC.  This of course isn't everyone, but the sidewalks are full. The Provo, UT temple which is across the street from the MTC.  Missionaries get to go to the temple once a week. Pardon me, but I "mustache" you a question? Samuel's picture for his missionary plaque. A pretty...

Samuel entered the Home Mission Training Center on Aug 23, 2021.  Actually he left our house with Grandma and Grandpa Kerns and his cousin Hyrum Bradford on Aug. 22 after getting set apart by President Jason Blake, a councilor in our Stake Presidency.  We thought Samuel would have a more peaceful/spiritual MTC experience if he spent it at Grandpa Kerns' home in Haines, OR than if he stayed in our fun/chaotic 1250 square foot house in Stanfield, OR.   Now the first week of the MTC is over. He says he's already learned a lot and he's excited to keep learning more. They have 14 people in his district and they seem like a lot of fun. They haven't really gotten to know each other because it's through zoom, but on Wednesday they'll meet each other in person at the Provo MTC. Several missionaries in his district are feeling overwhelmed, but so far Samuel is doing fine!   He likes his companion, Elder Thomas, a lot! He and Samuel get along well and they have a lot ...