Sunday, June 03, 2012
Mission Letter
Last Sunday, May 27th, I was at Mark and Lisa Hardin’s house in North Ogden. I got to help them move into their new home, meet some of their neighbors, and go to church with them in their new ward. I got caught up on all the hugs, kisses, and “I love yous” that I had been missing from Lewis, Jack, Ashley, and Renee. Someone is teaching those kids to be very loving. I have decided to just enjoy having the Hardins close by while I am on my mission and not think ahead to when I go home and they will not be there. They are in a beautiful setting.
This last week Elder and Sister Allan Packer spoke to us in the Salt Lake Temple in a mission devotional. It is unusual to have mission devotionals in the temple, so we especially appreciate the opportunity. It was held at 5:30 p.m. I had just enough time to walk home, eat dinner, and walk back to the temple early enough to get a good seat. It was my assignment to take notes and then write a thank you letter for the president to sign. President Peterson sometimes adds a personal note to the letters I compose, which is as it should be.
Sister Packer reminded us with her personal stories that our families will be blessed during our service. After talking about the difference between testimony and conversion (When we are converted we act on the knowledge and feelings we have that are our testimony), Elder Packer encouraged us to help others with their conversion as we interact with them in the various roles we have (missionary, friend, family member, etc.) by all the things we think, say, and do. Food for thought.
The routine things I do at the office have gotten easier with experience. This week, however, Sister Olah and I did the “Big Run”. The big run is the process of printing and delivering dozens of Access database reports to dozens of people at the end of each month. Some reports are as much as 33 pages long. Then we email some reports to a list of people that want to receive them that way. It takes most of the day plus any preparation we can do ahead of time to make Big Run day go smoothly. We leave our desks (other people have to cover for us) and go back to a large cubicle with lots of counter space where we can work on the Big Run without interruption. We use a computer and printer there because they are close together and we can lay the reports out on the counters, grouping them together according to where they will be sent. This saves lots of running back and forth between our own computers and the printer near counter space. We always do this on the last business day of the month. This only happens one day out of 30 or so. Why did that have to be the day the drum broke and caused the toner cartridge to rupture? There were black smears all over the pages of copy and the inside of the printer which immediately spread to clothing and the carpet when the printer was opened. Then there was waiting time while maintenance came and cleaned up and tech support came and repaired the printer. In the meantime, we ran back and forth to another printer on the opposite side of the office to try to finish the run. Now I understand why they prayed for the Big Run in prayer meeting.
I also see that things going wrong deliver some of the best teaching moments. We had the opportunity to keep our cool, find solutions, be patient, experience the kindness of others who stepped in and tried to help (That’s when their clothing and the carpet were sprinkled with toner) and learn things we didn’t know before about how to get that particular job done which will apply to other assignments. Next month I will already have created distribution lists in Outlook and things like that which took extra time this month. And surely the printer won’t implode again.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Thoughts on Charity - So Good
Some Thoughts on Charity
7 May 2012 Spiritual Thought
Here are some great thoughts on charity.
President Thomas S. Monson-“Charity Never Faileth”
In a talk given during a General Relief Society Meeting broadcast, President Monson said:
I consider charity—or “the pure love of Christ”—to be the opposite of criticism and judging. In speaking of charity…I have in mind the charity that manifests itself when we are tolerant of others and lenient toward their actions, the kind of charity that forgives, the kind of charity that is patient.
Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others.
President Ezra Taft Benson – “Beware of Pride”
In a now famous talk on pride given by President Benson he taught us that:
We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them. (See Hel. 6:17; D&C 58:41.) The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others. [Even our righteousness] In the words of C. S. Lewis: “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. … It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.” (Mere Christianity, New York: Macmillan, 1952, pp. 109–10.)
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf- “The Merciful Obtain Mercy”
More recently in a Conference address President Uchtdorf reminded us that:
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, said that those who pass judgment on others are “inexcusable.” The moment we judge someone else, he explained, we condemn ourselves, for none is without sin. Refusing to forgive is a grievous sin—one the Savior warned against…
Of course, these words seem perfectly reasonable—when applied to someone else. We can so clearly and easily see the harmful results that come when others judge and hold grudges. And we certainly don’t like it when people judge us.
But when it comes to our own prejudices and grievances, we too often justify our anger as righteous and our judgment as reliable and only appropriate. Though we cannot look into another’s heart, we assume that we know a bad motive or even a bad person when we see one. We make exceptions when it comes to our own bitterness because we feel that, in our case, we have all the information we need to hold someone else in contempt.
Elder Paul E. Koelliker-“He Truly Loves Us”
In his Conference talk, Elder Koelliker explained that when we actually live the gospel in the pattern taught by the Lord Jesus Christ, our ability to help others increases.
He told the story of two young missionaries who knocked on a door, hoping to find someone to receive their message. The door opened, and a rather large man greeted them in a less-than-friendly voice: “I thought I told you not to knock on my door again. I warned you before that if you ever came back, it would not be a pleasant experience. Now leave me alone.” [And]He quickly closed the door. As the elders walked away, the older, more experienced missionary put his arm on the younger missionary’s shoulder to comfort and encourage him. Unknown to them, the man watched them through the window to be sure they understood his message. He fully expected to see them laugh and make light of his curt response to their attempted visit. However, as he witnessed the expression of kindness between the two missionaries, his heart was instantly softened. He reopened the door and asked the missionaries to come back and share their message with him. We become effective at helping others as we think, speak, and act the way the Savior would if he were here.
The Apostle Paul-“1 Corinthians 13:1-3”
Paul discusses the high status of charity in 1 Corinthians.
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. (1Cor.13:1-3)
Charity has been defined as “the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love,” the “pure love of Christ …; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.”
May it be well with us. May we think, speak, and act the way the Savior would if he were here to a greater and greater degree. May this wonderful, blessed mission become an even greater force for good than it already is because we do. It is good to be here with so many others who are striving for the same generosity and compassion that the Savior shows us.
7 May 2012 Spiritual Thought
Here are some great thoughts on charity.
President Thomas S. Monson-“Charity Never Faileth”
In a talk given during a General Relief Society Meeting broadcast, President Monson said:
I consider charity—or “the pure love of Christ”—to be the opposite of criticism and judging. In speaking of charity…I have in mind the charity that manifests itself when we are tolerant of others and lenient toward their actions, the kind of charity that forgives, the kind of charity that is patient.
Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others.
President Ezra Taft Benson – “Beware of Pride”
In a now famous talk on pride given by President Benson he taught us that:
We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them. (See Hel. 6:17; D&C 58:41.) The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others. [Even our righteousness] In the words of C. S. Lewis: “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. … It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.” (Mere Christianity, New York: Macmillan, 1952, pp. 109–10.)
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf- “The Merciful Obtain Mercy”
More recently in a Conference address President Uchtdorf reminded us that:
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, said that those who pass judgment on others are “inexcusable.” The moment we judge someone else, he explained, we condemn ourselves, for none is without sin. Refusing to forgive is a grievous sin—one the Savior warned against…
Of course, these words seem perfectly reasonable—when applied to someone else. We can so clearly and easily see the harmful results that come when others judge and hold grudges. And we certainly don’t like it when people judge us.
But when it comes to our own prejudices and grievances, we too often justify our anger as righteous and our judgment as reliable and only appropriate. Though we cannot look into another’s heart, we assume that we know a bad motive or even a bad person when we see one. We make exceptions when it comes to our own bitterness because we feel that, in our case, we have all the information we need to hold someone else in contempt.
Elder Paul E. Koelliker-“He Truly Loves Us”
In his Conference talk, Elder Koelliker explained that when we actually live the gospel in the pattern taught by the Lord Jesus Christ, our ability to help others increases.
He told the story of two young missionaries who knocked on a door, hoping to find someone to receive their message. The door opened, and a rather large man greeted them in a less-than-friendly voice: “I thought I told you not to knock on my door again. I warned you before that if you ever came back, it would not be a pleasant experience. Now leave me alone.” [And]He quickly closed the door. As the elders walked away, the older, more experienced missionary put his arm on the younger missionary’s shoulder to comfort and encourage him. Unknown to them, the man watched them through the window to be sure they understood his message. He fully expected to see them laugh and make light of his curt response to their attempted visit. However, as he witnessed the expression of kindness between the two missionaries, his heart was instantly softened. He reopened the door and asked the missionaries to come back and share their message with him. We become effective at helping others as we think, speak, and act the way the Savior would if he were here.
The Apostle Paul-“1 Corinthians 13:1-3”
Paul discusses the high status of charity in 1 Corinthians.
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. (1Cor.13:1-3)
Charity has been defined as “the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love,” the “pure love of Christ …; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.”
May it be well with us. May we think, speak, and act the way the Savior would if he were here to a greater and greater degree. May this wonderful, blessed mission become an even greater force for good than it already is because we do. It is good to be here with so many others who are striving for the same generosity and compassion that the Savior shows us.
Pivotal Moments - Mission Devotional
All the new missionaries are asked to take a turn speaking in the mission devotional held every monday morning. We are asked to take just 3 minutes and talk about ourselves and how the gospel has blessed our lives. Here is my turn.
My name is Karen Wellman and this is only a three minute talk so I’m going to spend my time on a few pivotal events. The first of these events was really a culmination of many years of hoping and praying when I was sealed to my parents, my two brothers, and my sister in the Arizona Mesa Temple when I was 18 years old. My father was raised in an inactive family and my mother was not a member when they married. I saw the great difference the gospel made in our family when my mother joined the church and later my father became active. The gospel made our family so much better. Now when we are all together we talk non-stop and the discussion always comes back to the gospel.
Another of these pivotal events was when I was married to Bruce Wellman in the same temple just a few months later and we started our life together. However imperfectly we traveled that journey, both of us started out sincerely grateful to our Father in Heaven for having found each other and for the privilege of making temple covenants that could bind us together for eternity. I still have cards and notes Bruce wrote back then that speak of his desire to be a good husband and father and build a forever family.
Together we made the decision to start our family right away and keep the children coming. We had ten children in the next 20 years and now have 30 grandchildren with 2 more on the way. I know not everyone has that choice and I don’t know why that particular blessing came to us, but I’m so grateful that it did. My favorite calling is being a wife, mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother. My idea of heaven includes having all these people I love close by for eternity with no one missing from our circle.
Fourteen years ago there was another pivotal event when my dad died of cancer and Bruce and I rushed up to Lakeside, Arizona to be with my mother and siblings. Bruce stopped going to church seven years earlier but when my mother asked for a priesthood blessing he couldn’t refuse her, so he stood in with my brothers. During that prayer he heard a voice asking him how much longer he was going to hurt his family. When we returned to our home, Bruce went to see our bishop and asked what he needed to do to come back. He did everything he was asked to do. This was a time of great happiness and thanks-giving for all of us despite my dad’s death. I began looking forward to being in the temple with Bruce and our children who were married. He missed their temple marriages and this was the thing I wanted most.
Bruce was killed in an accident just 6 weeks after my father’s funeral. This is only a three minute talk, so here are some things I learned from the deaths of my dad and my husband: I know God lives. I know He hears and answers my prayers. I trust Him. I know the Comforter can comfort like nothing else can. I know I really will see Bruce again because of a witness I received shortly after his death. I know this is only possible because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and that this is His church. Living the gospel and keeping the commandments makes me happy and makes my life good. When I see Bruce again I will want him to be proud of us. This has helped me realize how much I will want my Heavenly Father’s approval when I see Him again.
By nature I fall short of all that I want to be and I have to repent a lot. Nevertheless, I am a much better person because of the gospel of Jesus Christ than I would be without it and I am so very grateful for it. I can see that this mission is going to be another pivotal event for my life. I feel so blessed to be here and so privileged to serve with all of you very good people.
My name is Karen Wellman and this is only a three minute talk so I’m going to spend my time on a few pivotal events. The first of these events was really a culmination of many years of hoping and praying when I was sealed to my parents, my two brothers, and my sister in the Arizona Mesa Temple when I was 18 years old. My father was raised in an inactive family and my mother was not a member when they married. I saw the great difference the gospel made in our family when my mother joined the church and later my father became active. The gospel made our family so much better. Now when we are all together we talk non-stop and the discussion always comes back to the gospel.
Another of these pivotal events was when I was married to Bruce Wellman in the same temple just a few months later and we started our life together. However imperfectly we traveled that journey, both of us started out sincerely grateful to our Father in Heaven for having found each other and for the privilege of making temple covenants that could bind us together for eternity. I still have cards and notes Bruce wrote back then that speak of his desire to be a good husband and father and build a forever family.
Together we made the decision to start our family right away and keep the children coming. We had ten children in the next 20 years and now have 30 grandchildren with 2 more on the way. I know not everyone has that choice and I don’t know why that particular blessing came to us, but I’m so grateful that it did. My favorite calling is being a wife, mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother. My idea of heaven includes having all these people I love close by for eternity with no one missing from our circle.
Fourteen years ago there was another pivotal event when my dad died of cancer and Bruce and I rushed up to Lakeside, Arizona to be with my mother and siblings. Bruce stopped going to church seven years earlier but when my mother asked for a priesthood blessing he couldn’t refuse her, so he stood in with my brothers. During that prayer he heard a voice asking him how much longer he was going to hurt his family. When we returned to our home, Bruce went to see our bishop and asked what he needed to do to come back. He did everything he was asked to do. This was a time of great happiness and thanks-giving for all of us despite my dad’s death. I began looking forward to being in the temple with Bruce and our children who were married. He missed their temple marriages and this was the thing I wanted most.
Bruce was killed in an accident just 6 weeks after my father’s funeral. This is only a three minute talk, so here are some things I learned from the deaths of my dad and my husband: I know God lives. I know He hears and answers my prayers. I trust Him. I know the Comforter can comfort like nothing else can. I know I really will see Bruce again because of a witness I received shortly after his death. I know this is only possible because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and that this is His church. Living the gospel and keeping the commandments makes me happy and makes my life good. When I see Bruce again I will want him to be proud of us. This has helped me realize how much I will want my Heavenly Father’s approval when I see Him again.
By nature I fall short of all that I want to be and I have to repent a lot. Nevertheless, I am a much better person because of the gospel of Jesus Christ than I would be without it and I am so very grateful for it. I can see that this mission is going to be another pivotal event for my life. I feel so blessed to be here and so privileged to serve with all of you very good people.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Spiritual Thought
Friday I went to the temple with our mission office staff and the new graduates of the training zone. Walking back to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building afterward underground (because it was windy and raining outside) I walked past L.Tom Perry and his wife going to the temple. They were having an animated discussion but stopped long enough to say hello to me. It was nice to see them enjoying each other's company.
This was the week I spoke in the Mission Devotional on Monday morning and then gave the spiritual thought in our mission office prayer meeting on Thursday. Anyone who knows me well knows I spent a lot of time writing and throwing out these little talks.
I'm attaching the spiritual thought I gave:
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A young sister missionary wrote the following letter at the end of her mission:
Dear Family and Friends,
At this, the close of my mission, I would like to thank you for what your love, support, encouragement and prayers have made possible for me.
On my mission I have served in the branch of the church the farthest away from church headquarters in the world. I have fully experienced Africa, Europe, and India as a missionary. I have seen and smelled real poverty. I have depended upon anti-malaria drugs and de-worming medicine. I have bathed in boiled kettle water. I have taught discussions by the light of one candle. I have lived for weeks without electricity and days without plumbing. I washed my clothes by hand for months on end, and I haven't worn machine-dried clothing for a year and a half. I have met people who pray to Bob Marley. I know people who walk on fire and drink goat's blood and call it religion. I know people that worship God in buildings that look like the "it's a small world" ride at Disneyland. I have listened to Muslims chanting from a tower at the Mosque. I have seen constellations that can only be seen in the southeastern hemisphere. I have eaten fruits and vegetables that I never knew existed. At times I have unknowingly eaten white worms in those same fruits and vegetables. I have been chauffeured by drunken taxi drivers in seatbelt-less taxis. On two different occasions, I have been chased by a man who had the intention of physically harming me. I have fallen into an open sewer in a heavy downpour. I have vomited from transfer anxiety. I have stood on a volcano and looked at hot lava. I have eaten rice and beans with my bare hands. I have lost an endless battle with fleas. I have walked miles in shoes held together by a safety pin. I have waxed wood floors with half a coconut. Children have thrown rocks at me. I have eaten roots and boiled leaves.
I now know people from Canada, England, Belgium, France, Congo, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Germany, Ireland, Nicaragua, and Australia, and I have a testimony in common with each of them. I attended the dedication of the first L.D.S chapel in Madagascar. I rejoiced in the completed translation of the Book of Mormon in the Malagasy language (as well as the missionary discussions). I have sung and spoken in front of General Authorities. I have taught people the gospel in a language that was neither mine nor theirs. I have felt carried by angels and guided by the spirit. I have accomplished things that I thought I was totally incapable of doing. I have cried more and prayed harder than I ever have before.
Why?
Because God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith the prophet and restored the fullness of the everlasting gospel upon the earth. And I know it. And other people need to know too.
It was so worth it.
Sister Tamara K. Wellman
Reading this young sister’s report of her mission makes me wonder what a letter from me at the end of my mission might sound like.
Dear Family and Friends,
At this, the close of my mission, I would like to thank you for what your love, support, encouragement and prayers have made possible for me.
On my mission I have served in the branch of the church the closest to church headquarters in the world. I have only had to walk a city block to my mission home, a luxurious one hundred year old landmark. I live in a clean, safe, healthy environment across the street from my stake center. I have all the clean water I need to drink and bathe in. I have my choice of many options of good food. My biggest inconvenience is washing my clothes in a laundry room a few yards from my front door. I walk to and from my assignment every day through a beautiful garden that rivals Eden. The temple is the center of this garden and I could attend a session almost every day if I chose to. Next to it sits the Tabernacle where I listen to the world famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir in person every Sunday morning. I also walk by the Family History Library and Church History Library where the finest resources in the world are available to me. I have sacrificed being with my family and friends back home for a time. Oh wait, they call and text me on the phone, send me packages and letters, Skype with me, and even come visit me sometimes.
I’m surrounded by faithful missionaries all day every day. Kindness is shown to me by everyone I meet. Doors and gates are held open for me, elevators are held for me, and strangers come up to me while I’m shopping to thank me for coming here to serve a mission. My leaders and co-workers help, praise and encourage me. I have frequently attended conference, firesides, and devotionals where I was taught by apostles and prophets.
I now know people from Germany, Australia, and the North Pole, and I have a testimony in common with each of them. I have felt carried by angels and guided by the spirit. I have accomplished things that I thought I was totally incapable of doing. I have learned more and prayed harder than I ever have before.
Why?
Because God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith the prophet and restored the fullness of the everlasting gospel upon the earth. And I know it. And other people need to have the blessings I have.
It was so worth it.
Sister Karen D. Wellman
If I have to stand next to that young sister missionary and before God someday as we report our missions, I want to at least be able to say I didn’t waste my opportunity. I pray my Heavenly Father will open my eyes to all the good I can do with the time that I have been given. I’m so thankful to be here and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Mother's Day
Mission Letter
May 13, 2012
I’ve had Mother’s Week instead of Mother’s Day.
It started off with a visit from Chrysta and Jonny. They flew in Sunday morning and I picked them up at the airport. We went to the Salt Lake Cemetery and tried to follow a map to famous headstones, sometimes with more success than others. I got to show them off at church in my branch and afterward we walked around temple square. We toured the Beehive House with two sweet sister missionaries and enjoyed the gardens. Jonny and Chrysta were really good sports to do all that when it turns out they only had a few hours sleep the night before. Monday I went to work and they visited Chrysta’s girlfriends and their new babies. Tuesday morning we took the Conference Center tour and went south of temple square to the Deseret bookstore and City Creek Center. We ate lunch on the tenth floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and I went back to work. They came back after work (about 4:00 p.m.) and on the way to my apartment we stopped and toured the Church Museum. That evening they visited some of Jonny’s old missionary companions. Wednesday morning I took them to the airport and they flew home. It was so lovely to have them here.
I got a package from Dany and Paul and a nice card from Luke. He is amazing! I need to see him write.
Then I had a virtual visit with Mark and Laura. Since I missed the baby shower, they gave me a tour of the nursery and showed me all the stuff little Evan Howard got at the shower. They are ready! I enjoyed spending the time with them almost as much as being there.
Somewhere in here I talked to Cheryl and Mother in Lakeside. I’m so glad Cheryl could visit Mother for Mother’s Day. I expect that made both of them happy and Cliff is always happy for Mother.
Sunday between Music and the Spoken Word and church I talked to Shana and caught up on all her exciting news. It makes me happy when my kids are happy. After church I talked with Tami and her family. I love that sweet family, one and all. The kids told me all about the cards they made for me and I could show them I got them. I Skyped with the Nally’s while Brad made dinner. I love Skype! It’s so much better to see everyone while we talk. Tanner, Brogan, and Kimbrie played their recital pieces for me and I could see their fingers flying over the piano keys while I listened. I also got to Skype with Jeff and Melanie and family. The kids made faces and hung upside down over the camera and mimicked what I was doing. It was all so fun.
The next day I had an appointment with Scott and Cheryl and crew and got another Skype visit. They are ready to get going to Virginia. I can always think of dozens of questions I would like to have asked after we hang up. I got to talk to Eric and the girls. They were so cute on the phone, I could almost see them even without Skype. Eric was finding it hard to wait to find out if they are having a boy or girl.
Thanks everyone for all the visits, cards, gifts, and well-wishes. More came today. I’m sure blessed.
May 13, 2012
I’ve had Mother’s Week instead of Mother’s Day.
It started off with a visit from Chrysta and Jonny. They flew in Sunday morning and I picked them up at the airport. We went to the Salt Lake Cemetery and tried to follow a map to famous headstones, sometimes with more success than others. I got to show them off at church in my branch and afterward we walked around temple square. We toured the Beehive House with two sweet sister missionaries and enjoyed the gardens. Jonny and Chrysta were really good sports to do all that when it turns out they only had a few hours sleep the night before. Monday I went to work and they visited Chrysta’s girlfriends and their new babies. Tuesday morning we took the Conference Center tour and went south of temple square to the Deseret bookstore and City Creek Center. We ate lunch on the tenth floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and I went back to work. They came back after work (about 4:00 p.m.) and on the way to my apartment we stopped and toured the Church Museum. That evening they visited some of Jonny’s old missionary companions. Wednesday morning I took them to the airport and they flew home. It was so lovely to have them here.
I got a package from Dany and Paul and a nice card from Luke. He is amazing! I need to see him write.
Then I had a virtual visit with Mark and Laura. Since I missed the baby shower, they gave me a tour of the nursery and showed me all the stuff little Evan Howard got at the shower. They are ready! I enjoyed spending the time with them almost as much as being there.
Somewhere in here I talked to Cheryl and Mother in Lakeside. I’m so glad Cheryl could visit Mother for Mother’s Day. I expect that made both of them happy and Cliff is always happy for Mother.
Sunday between Music and the Spoken Word and church I talked to Shana and caught up on all her exciting news. It makes me happy when my kids are happy. After church I talked with Tami and her family. I love that sweet family, one and all. The kids told me all about the cards they made for me and I could show them I got them. I Skyped with the Nally’s while Brad made dinner. I love Skype! It’s so much better to see everyone while we talk. Tanner, Brogan, and Kimbrie played their recital pieces for me and I could see their fingers flying over the piano keys while I listened. I also got to Skype with Jeff and Melanie and family. The kids made faces and hung upside down over the camera and mimicked what I was doing. It was all so fun.
The next day I had an appointment with Scott and Cheryl and crew and got another Skype visit. They are ready to get going to Virginia. I can always think of dozens of questions I would like to have asked after we hang up. I got to talk to Eric and the girls. They were so cute on the phone, I could almost see them even without Skype. Eric was finding it hard to wait to find out if they are having a boy or girl.
Thanks everyone for all the visits, cards, gifts, and well-wishes. More came today. I’m sure blessed.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Christ-like Love and Effective Missionary Work
Mission Letter
May 6, 2012
I have been thinking about the importance of the two great commandments, to love God and to love our neighbor, for quite some time because Jesus said all the law and all the prophets hang on these two commandments. In Elder Koelliker’s message in conference he told this story:
Two young missionaries knocked on a door, hoping to find someone to receive their message. The door opened, and a rather large man greeted them in a less-than-friendly voice: “I thought I told you not to knock on my door again. I warned you before that if you ever came back, it would not be a pleasant experience. Now leave me alone.” He quickly closed the door.
As the elders walked away, the older, more experienced missionary put his arm on the younger missionary’s shoulder to comfort and encourage him. Unknown to them, the man watched them through the window to be sure they understood his message. He fully expected to see them laugh and make light of his curt response to their attempted visit. However, as he witnessed the expression of kindness between the two missionaries, his heart was instantly softened. He reopened the door and asked the missionaries to come back and share their message with him.
Elder Koelliker said when we actually live the gospel in the pattern taught by the Lord Jesus Christ, our ability to help others increases. This principle of having love one to another and developing our ability to be Christ centered in how we think, speak, and act is fundamental in becoming disciples of Christ and teachers of His gospel.
I see the connection between having Christ-like love and being effective here in my mission so clearly. What is it that makes some people such powerful influences for good? I think it is directly related to how they have internalized this principle of charity. I see it in the good people around me.
For instance, we have two young elders in our office who are the assistants to the mission president, Elder Clancy and Elder Lyon. Their cubicle is just over the wall from my desk area, so I hear them interact with each other and the stream of elders who come to them daily for various reasons. You would love these young men! I do. They are unfailing kind and sincerely desire to help each elder grow and have a happy, successful mission experience. I don’t know how they could be better than they are at their responsibilities.
Another example is our mission president. This week President Peterson called me into his office to talk to me about working less. He and his wife want to lighten my load. He took back two responsibilities that were given to me by staff members as they left the mission to go home. He asked me to take a full hour lunch every day and to leave by 4:00 p.m. (That’s eight hours). He asked me to take a Temple and Research half day off every week. He also said not to take work home anymore. He asked me to try this for a month and then we will re-evaluate. He said if the work doesn’t get done, it doesn’t get done. I am to write notes about what I am able to cover and what I am not able to get to for our meeting at the end of a month. Then we can decide if an assistant secretary is needed.
While I think it was Sister Peterson who brought my long hours to his attention, it was President Peterson and his counselors who discussed it and came up with this plan. He said they wanted me to have a good mission experience. They aren’t just trying to make their own missions look good to others by wringing as much out of the missionaries as they can. They really love everyone and want to do what the Lord would have them do in every situation.
I can learn so much here from the lives of others around me. I get as much inspiration there as I do from the things that are delivered from the pulpit….which are also very inspiring.
Chrysta and Jonny are here! Time to enjoy the moment.
May 6, 2012
I have been thinking about the importance of the two great commandments, to love God and to love our neighbor, for quite some time because Jesus said all the law and all the prophets hang on these two commandments. In Elder Koelliker’s message in conference he told this story:
Two young missionaries knocked on a door, hoping to find someone to receive their message. The door opened, and a rather large man greeted them in a less-than-friendly voice: “I thought I told you not to knock on my door again. I warned you before that if you ever came back, it would not be a pleasant experience. Now leave me alone.” He quickly closed the door.
As the elders walked away, the older, more experienced missionary put his arm on the younger missionary’s shoulder to comfort and encourage him. Unknown to them, the man watched them through the window to be sure they understood his message. He fully expected to see them laugh and make light of his curt response to their attempted visit. However, as he witnessed the expression of kindness between the two missionaries, his heart was instantly softened. He reopened the door and asked the missionaries to come back and share their message with him.
Elder Koelliker said when we actually live the gospel in the pattern taught by the Lord Jesus Christ, our ability to help others increases. This principle of having love one to another and developing our ability to be Christ centered in how we think, speak, and act is fundamental in becoming disciples of Christ and teachers of His gospel.
I see the connection between having Christ-like love and being effective here in my mission so clearly. What is it that makes some people such powerful influences for good? I think it is directly related to how they have internalized this principle of charity. I see it in the good people around me.
For instance, we have two young elders in our office who are the assistants to the mission president, Elder Clancy and Elder Lyon. Their cubicle is just over the wall from my desk area, so I hear them interact with each other and the stream of elders who come to them daily for various reasons. You would love these young men! I do. They are unfailing kind and sincerely desire to help each elder grow and have a happy, successful mission experience. I don’t know how they could be better than they are at their responsibilities.
Another example is our mission president. This week President Peterson called me into his office to talk to me about working less. He and his wife want to lighten my load. He took back two responsibilities that were given to me by staff members as they left the mission to go home. He asked me to take a full hour lunch every day and to leave by 4:00 p.m. (That’s eight hours). He asked me to take a Temple and Research half day off every week. He also said not to take work home anymore. He asked me to try this for a month and then we will re-evaluate. He said if the work doesn’t get done, it doesn’t get done. I am to write notes about what I am able to cover and what I am not able to get to for our meeting at the end of a month. Then we can decide if an assistant secretary is needed.
While I think it was Sister Peterson who brought my long hours to his attention, it was President Peterson and his counselors who discussed it and came up with this plan. He said they wanted me to have a good mission experience. They aren’t just trying to make their own missions look good to others by wringing as much out of the missionaries as they can. They really love everyone and want to do what the Lord would have them do in every situation.
I can learn so much here from the lives of others around me. I get as much inspiration there as I do from the things that are delivered from the pulpit….which are also very inspiring.
Chrysta and Jonny are here! Time to enjoy the moment.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Happy Exhaustion
April 29, 2012
Mission Letter
Here is the message from Music and the Spoken Word today. It pretty well sums up my week:
“HAPPY EXHAUSTION” given by Lloyd D. Newell
“In a hospital emergency room, a team of surgeons was urgently called. Four passengers in a car accident had just arrived by ambulance, and their injuries were life threatening. Running on adrenalin and focused on their demanding task, the doctors worked around the clock, mobilizing others around them to give all they had to save the lives of these four people. Afterward, the doctors shared embraces of relief and joy, worn out but elated that their patients would survive.
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said: ‘Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It’s not a day when you lounge around doing nothing. It’s when you’ve had everything to do, and you’ve done it.’
Work that seems beyond our capacity is often a blessing and brings us a happy exhaustion. It obviously doesn’t need to be performing life-saving surgery on accident victims to fit this description. Hikers atop a mountain after a strenuous climb, athletes who willed their way to a difficult win, or parents who collapse on the couch after a day full of sacrifices of time and energy for their children---they all know what it feels like to be spent but smiling. In such moments, we discover what we’re made of, and we find that we are capable of much more than we thought.
It’s a myth that the key to a satisfying day is to relax, put your feet up, and sip cold lemonade. The real way to feel joy at the end of the day is to have achieved your goals, to have pushed yourself to accomplish your tasks. When our day is filled with unexpected challenges, instead of seeing them as obstacles that interfere with an easy schedule, perhaps we can reframe that outlook and see them as opportunities for fulfillment and satisfaction---the unexpected rewards for a job well done. “
This week I have stayed after most of the office staff have left (at 4:00pm) to 5:00, 5:30, 6:00 or later. Then at home I work some more after dinner. Apparently there used to be a secretary and assistant secretary in the mission office. The notes I refer to in a “Reports and Responsibilities” binder on my desk divides the tasks between two people and there are two work stations in my office. As the Church Service Missionary coordinators were preparing to leave it was decided to give two tasks the wife had been taking care of to the new secretary. I have felt like I was learning to juggle balls, and just as I think I can keep the ones I have in the air today, someone walks by my desk and tosses me another ball. On the day I experienced a little discouragement I came home and saw the three electronic sticky notes on my desktop. These are rules I made up for myself at the start of my mission. There is one more I will discuss some other time.
First: Live in thanksgiving daily, serving with joy
Second: No criticizing, no complaining, or quitting
Third: Speedily repent
So I speedily adjusted my attitude. It makes all the difference. I believe that the things that I persist in doing will get easier, not because the nature of the task has changed, but because my ability to do will increase. And I do get a lot of satisfaction out of pulling it all off. I’ve been experiencing “Happy Exhaustion”.
I’m so thankful to be here. I often think this is the happiest place on earth. I’m daily told that I’m doing a great job, an excellent job, that I’m so appreciated. It’s kind of like that episode from “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” where there is a closet upstairs that the characters keep visiting. They open the door and a crowd of people applaud them while shouting out praise like, “You’re doing a great job”, “you’re so amazing”, etc. Would that everyone could open the door to that closet like I have been.
Sister Shelley was so kind and generous as she left. I know she really doesn’t want her mission to end and is really sad that she has to go. And yet she has been so generous with her encouragement to me and in trying to prepare me as well as possible. She hid a gift and a note for me in the office where I would find it. It was a pretty clock with words on it about taking time for the important things. She has strongly encouraged me to take some time for myself, a thing which she did not do much of. She has assured me that it was hard for her at first, but it got better. Nothing I do is too hard for me to do. It just takes longer to look up how to do each step or figure out where to find answers because I’m new to this. Already some of the tasks I have repeated enough times that it is not such a chore to do them.
Friday President Peterson told me they have the new travel coordinator coming in Monday to start training to replace Sister Bottoms. When he called her, he told her she would be taking on some of my responsibilities because the travel coordinator is not nearly so busy. He said she was quite willing to do that, so help is coming. But it was a good exercise for me to make the adjustment before help arrived. Missions are supposed to stretch us, right?
Mission Letter
Here is the message from Music and the Spoken Word today. It pretty well sums up my week:
“HAPPY EXHAUSTION” given by Lloyd D. Newell
“In a hospital emergency room, a team of surgeons was urgently called. Four passengers in a car accident had just arrived by ambulance, and their injuries were life threatening. Running on adrenalin and focused on their demanding task, the doctors worked around the clock, mobilizing others around them to give all they had to save the lives of these four people. Afterward, the doctors shared embraces of relief and joy, worn out but elated that their patients would survive.
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said: ‘Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It’s not a day when you lounge around doing nothing. It’s when you’ve had everything to do, and you’ve done it.’
Work that seems beyond our capacity is often a blessing and brings us a happy exhaustion. It obviously doesn’t need to be performing life-saving surgery on accident victims to fit this description. Hikers atop a mountain after a strenuous climb, athletes who willed their way to a difficult win, or parents who collapse on the couch after a day full of sacrifices of time and energy for their children---they all know what it feels like to be spent but smiling. In such moments, we discover what we’re made of, and we find that we are capable of much more than we thought.
It’s a myth that the key to a satisfying day is to relax, put your feet up, and sip cold lemonade. The real way to feel joy at the end of the day is to have achieved your goals, to have pushed yourself to accomplish your tasks. When our day is filled with unexpected challenges, instead of seeing them as obstacles that interfere with an easy schedule, perhaps we can reframe that outlook and see them as opportunities for fulfillment and satisfaction---the unexpected rewards for a job well done. “
This week I have stayed after most of the office staff have left (at 4:00pm) to 5:00, 5:30, 6:00 or later. Then at home I work some more after dinner. Apparently there used to be a secretary and assistant secretary in the mission office. The notes I refer to in a “Reports and Responsibilities” binder on my desk divides the tasks between two people and there are two work stations in my office. As the Church Service Missionary coordinators were preparing to leave it was decided to give two tasks the wife had been taking care of to the new secretary. I have felt like I was learning to juggle balls, and just as I think I can keep the ones I have in the air today, someone walks by my desk and tosses me another ball. On the day I experienced a little discouragement I came home and saw the three electronic sticky notes on my desktop. These are rules I made up for myself at the start of my mission. There is one more I will discuss some other time.
First: Live in thanksgiving daily, serving with joy
Second: No criticizing, no complaining, or quitting
Third: Speedily repent
So I speedily adjusted my attitude. It makes all the difference. I believe that the things that I persist in doing will get easier, not because the nature of the task has changed, but because my ability to do will increase. And I do get a lot of satisfaction out of pulling it all off. I’ve been experiencing “Happy Exhaustion”.
I’m so thankful to be here. I often think this is the happiest place on earth. I’m daily told that I’m doing a great job, an excellent job, that I’m so appreciated. It’s kind of like that episode from “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” where there is a closet upstairs that the characters keep visiting. They open the door and a crowd of people applaud them while shouting out praise like, “You’re doing a great job”, “you’re so amazing”, etc. Would that everyone could open the door to that closet like I have been.
Sister Shelley was so kind and generous as she left. I know she really doesn’t want her mission to end and is really sad that she has to go. And yet she has been so generous with her encouragement to me and in trying to prepare me as well as possible. She hid a gift and a note for me in the office where I would find it. It was a pretty clock with words on it about taking time for the important things. She has strongly encouraged me to take some time for myself, a thing which she did not do much of. She has assured me that it was hard for her at first, but it got better. Nothing I do is too hard for me to do. It just takes longer to look up how to do each step or figure out where to find answers because I’m new to this. Already some of the tasks I have repeated enough times that it is not such a chore to do them.
Friday President Peterson told me they have the new travel coordinator coming in Monday to start training to replace Sister Bottoms. When he called her, he told her she would be taking on some of my responsibilities because the travel coordinator is not nearly so busy. He said she was quite willing to do that, so help is coming. But it was a good exercise for me to make the adjustment before help arrived. Missions are supposed to stretch us, right?
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