Welcome To The GANM! One Month Away!

Dear Incoming Missionary, 

 

 

Welcome to the Georgia Atlanta North Mission! We are thrilled you will soon be joining  us in this beautiful part of the Lord’s vineyard. Our mission area begins 12 miles north of  Atlanta and stretches to just north of the Georgia/North Carolina border. Georgia has a  deep Christian tradition and the people here are generally friendly and kind. 

 

 

It is a wonderful time to be one of Jesus Christ’s representatives in the world. We are  enlisted, as you were recently told by President Nelson, in “the greatest challenge, the  greatest cause, and the greatest work on earth.” He further noted that our young  missionaries “were sent to earth at this precise time, the most crucial time in the history  of the world, to help gather Israel. There is nothing happening on this earth right now  that is more important than that. There is nothing of greater consequence. Absolutely  nothing...This is the mission for which you were sent to earth. You are the hope of  Israel, ‘children of the promised day’!“ We echo what President Nelson said with all our  heart. Our missionaries are remarkable emissaries of Christ and we’re eager to have  you join our ranks in Georgia. 

 

 

Sister Harris and I are happy to be serving with our 5 wonderful daughters, 3 of whom  are living with us in Georgia. Lydia is a senior at Parkview High School here, Susie is a  freshman at Parkview High School, and Natalie is in 6th grade and just started middle  school. Our oldest daughter, Isabelle, is a sophomore at BYU and served a mission in  Bangkok, Thailand. Our next daughter, Abby, is joyfully serving in Independence,  Missouri after being reassigned from Rome, Italy. Our family enjoys reading, traveling,  hiking, playing sports and being outside. We love to be together and share this great  adventure of life. As we’ve raised our family, our greatest source of peace, direction,  and purpose has been the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We love our Savior with all our  hearts, and find great joy in raising our family with the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the  foundation of all that we do. It’s exciting to have the opportunity to share this blessing  with others. 

 

 

Please familiarize yourself with and use the missionary portal. It will answer most of  your questions. We are also including some information in this packet that will be helpful  for you to review as you prepare to serve. We’re grateful for you and your willingness to  accept a calling from the Savior of the world to serve those He loves. 

 

 

Love, 

President and Sister Harris

 

 

The Growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Georgia 

 

 

Latest statistics show that there are approximately 87,000 members of the church in Georgia with 17 stakes, 130  wards, and 34 branches. There are two missions—the Georgia Atlanta Mission and ours, the Georgia Atlanta North  Mission. Basically, one in every 120 people in the state is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day  Saints. The Atlanta Temple is not far away, and we will hope to be able to attend on your last day in the mission  once temples open up again. 

 

 

The earliest missionary efforts in Georgia began with John U. Eldredge in 1843. He preached here as he traveled  from Alabama to North Carolina. The next time a missionary passed through it was 1876, and the work involved the  arrival of soldier, orator and educator, John Morgan. He organized the Church’s first branch near Rome, Georgia, in  1876, and a few years later, it became the Southern States Mission headquarters. Many Church members migrated  westward as missionary successes in the South led to violent opposition. Still, many pioneer member families joined,  stayed in Georgia, and built up the Church. In the early 1900’s, the Southern States Mission presidents directed their  missionaries to focus their work more in the cities during the winter and less in the countryside. The first convert in  Savannah was baptized in 1901, and in 1908 a branch was organized, and the first meetinghouse built in Atlanta. 

 

 

On May 5, 1957, Elders Mark E. Petersen and LeGrand Richards of the Quorum of the Twelve organized Georgia’s  first stake in Atlanta. The stake boundaries covered the northern two-thirds of the state and had 3,000  members. You can see how quickly the work has progressed in the last 50 years. In 1983, the Atlanta Temple became  the first temple built in the South and the 21st operating temple in the Church. It was dedicated by President Gordon  B. Hinckley, then second counselor in the First Presidency. After a two-year renovation, the temple was rededicated  by President Thomas S. Monson on May 1, 2011. 

 

 

In 1996, the Centennial Olympic Summer Games came to Atlanta and hundreds of Church members volunteered  during the games. President Hinckley visited and spoke to more than 13,000 members here. 

 

 

In April 1984, Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone said “President Spencer W. Kimball stated, ‘Make no small plans; they  have no magic to stir men’s souls.’ This is the vision I have for the South. I believe that one day the South will baptize  more people into the church than all other English speaking missions in the world together…As pivotal teachers come  into the church and have influence…We will baptize hundreds and thousands, tens of thousands.” 

 

 

We are thrilled to have you come and serve with us and also catch the “Vision of the South.” It is real; it is something  that can be accomplished while you are here on your mission as you work with all your “heart, might, mind and  strength with an eye single to the glory of God.”