Friday, December 23, 2011

A Joyful Christmas to YOU


The photo Christmas card of two elders serving in a Spanish speaking area of the mission captures our feeling of the season.

LIGHT


In the long, dark days of New England—it is dark by 4:30pm--candles light windows of homes. Ours is a message of LOVE of the LIGHT of the world even JESUS CHRIST. The Joseph Smith Memorial is ablaze with lights during December.

One by One


In a small way, President Wilkey hopes to act as the Savior himself did in ministering one by one as he interviews every missionary every three months. This month, each missionary companion came prepared to share Christlike attributes of his or her companion. So which photo do you think expresses the feeling of interviews!! While the President is interviewing, the zone leaders were teaching members of the district. Sister Wilkey had the privilege of discussing personal and companion study with each one, emphasizing the counsel of the First Presidency in regard to Preach My Gospel, “ use it daily in your personal and companion preparation.”

Together


We love being with the missionaries! We were able to attend a District Meeting as the missionaries together studied the Atonement of Jesus Christ and applied what they learned in what we call ‘real play’ or applying the principles in a practice with ‘real’ people they are teaching. And as you can see, the missionaries enjoy being together. This district knowing that transfers coming this week the day after Christmas will change their numbers decided to take photos.

Finding - Native American New England - Honoring Those who Uphold Freedom


Winnipesaukee, Pigwacket, Amoskeag—the names go on and on. The rich Native American heritage of New England lives principally in the names and reminders such as this monument in Opechee Park, Laconia, New Hampshire.


Nearly every town we have passed through has a
monument honoring the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for their country. This monument erected in 1882 in Auburn, Maine celebrates Civil War heroes.We appreciate the reminders of those who continue to support freedom.
Finding those who want to know the message we bring is like finding the bird in this photo.

Miles to Go before We Sleep or Mission Glimpses



Androscoggin River Falls in Lewiston, Maine once vibrant with aquatic life became polluted from factory waste.Today it is being reclaimed though it is still tainted with mercury and dioxins.
In an object lesson for President Wilkey in talking to the youth, he referenced 1 Nephi 15:27 the
water which my father saw was filthiness;and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water. He asked simply,“Are you filling your minds, your hearts, your lives with so much good that you will not pay heed to the filthiness? And if you have become polluted, are you doing all you can do –and allowing the healing of the Atonement—to again to become clean again?"

Monday, December 12, 2011

More in four "SSSS" and two "HH"

Weekly planned service to random acts of kindness,
Smiles in fulfilling our purpose to invite others to come to Christ,
Scripture study and holy habits:
These are a few of our favorite missionary things!


Sunday, December 11, 2011

Service, Smiles and Sacred Ordinances



What more can we say? Called to serve him, Heavenly King of Glory...onward, ever onward.....

MIRACLE

A copy of this Carl Bloch painting, the Healing at the Pool at Bethesda is in our Mission Home living room. We attest to the miracle of healing through the Savior. We are grateful for the priesthood authority that allows such blessing in this day as in the time of the apostles in the meridian of time.

James 5:14 “ Is there any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him,anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
Wednesday night, interviews and meetings ended at 7 pm, two hours away from Williston and our hotel but it was there in So. Royalton that diarrhea struck Dad-Dave. With a vengeance. Two stops later we arrived and he settled orrather unsettled for a long napless night. Frequent bathroom visits and his stomach gnawing at him. At 6 am I awakened again. He simply said, “ I’m too sick and can’t possibly be ready for another set of interviews at 8:30 am.” We prayed—always a good idea—and he said in short, I’ll do what you want me to do dear Lord, but I’m miserable. Promptly he went into the bathroom and got rid of the horrible nausea and everything he had eaten that had not already
made its exit. Now thoroughly rung out and 45 minutes later, he decided we’d go to interviews a half hour late. Arriving he received a blessing. Twelve hours, 18 interviews, a meeting with the zone leaders and with the stake presidency and a lesson with two young men later, we returned to the hotel. Now that’s a MIRACLE!

Symbols - Light and Wreaths

Shall we say that Christmas décor on the outside of homes has a distinctive look here? Our two favorites are single candle lights in the windows and wreaths on the doors and windows.We love the symbolism: circular evergreen, symbol of eternal blessings
through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Mailboxes with decor are common in the neighborhood as well. We can cheer that one: we love to find mail in our box. We have the nicest mailman possible and we enjoy a chat with him.
But nothing could be more unique than the décor in the front yard of a home
in the neighbor hood!!! Maybe it’s in memory of Vermont Cabot Cheese or Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

Monday, December 5, 2011

If Ye Are Not One, Ye Are Not Mine

Can thirty elders pull one another up on the count of three? Or more accurately, can one hundred plus elders lift one another up in their companionships, their areas, their wards or branches? Not to mention the eighteen sisters.
Leadership training - this was a short break of action, applied action, along with about 12 concentrated hours of training.
The bottom line--will we unitedly lift the mission?
Will we invite others to come to Christ and receive Him in faith and repentance, receiving his saving ordinances through the authority to act in his name.

Monday, November 21, 2011

12. Grandma Rose

We thank our brothers and sisters for their constant love and care for Mom Rose Flynn as she waits for the time to be ‘taken home to the God who gave her life.” (Alma 40:11) We are increasingly grateful for Jesus Christ who has broken the bands of death. We anticipate the day of restoration for our mother and grandmother that “ her soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea,and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; [that her body, mind and emotions] ... shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame. (Alma 40:23).

11. Holy Habits and Righteous Routines

We treasure missionaries with the fire of faith in
Christ, the commitment to His cause, combined with worthiness , willingness and hard work. Those who embrace holy habits—like up on time, exercise and study—and righteous routines—like seeking referrals from everyone— "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! " Isaiah 52:7

10. Boost, Blessings and Blain


Nov. 18-19
He left us with notes from their five children all over the kitchen and deepest love and gratitude.

9. SNOW for Halloween – SPOOKY days without power





*Grateful for the generator at the Mission Home

*Grateful for the two companionships of sisters who stayed
here during the power outage

8. Zone Conference – The Book of Mormon, another Witness of Christ


Nov. 1 and 3

From our study together –how the Book of Mormon answers questions of the soul—to the closing remarks—how has the Book of Mormon changed my life or the life of someone we have taught—the day was exceptional.

7. Stake Conferences Memories


* Montpelier – Open Your Ears to the whisperings of the
Spirit, Open Your Mouth to share the gospel

*Bangor – For the evening session, the stake presidencies
invited the speakers to double their daily scripture study for two weeks but
NOT to write any prepared talk and NOT to bring any prepared notes, just their
scriptures and share their impressions for about 5-8 minutes each. It was absolutely wonderful!!

*Concord – Ione of many impressions: “How can we daily add
drops of holiness to our souls? stemmed from a statement, “In Russia, communism
managed to drain holiness from the souls of the people.”

6. Seminars Strengthen





*Enjoyed three days in Palmyra New York in mid October

*Edified “built up” by our leaders, Elders Jay E Jenson,
Nash and Alonzo and their wives, fellow mission presidents and their wives.

*Inspired by the Word of God

*Enlightened and Enervated as we visited the Sacred Grove
and received again the sure witness that God the Father and Jesus Christ
appeared to the boy Joseph as he humbly petitioned for answers to his prayers, the grateful testimony that the Book of Mormon
was given through the angel Moroni that we have a second evidence with the
Bible that Jesus is the Christ sent by our Father to fulfill His eternal purposes,
the immortality and eternal life of man and the joyful reminder that through
the prophet Joseph, the Savior restored the fullness of His gospel in the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

5. Two Transfers – Four T’s


TOO CRAZY--this picture refuses to come in right side up. Maybe it's indicative of the feelings of the missionaries coming and going.

Early October and mid November
Trembling – 8 new sisters, 13 new elders and 7 returning
sisters and 12 returning elders—who has more ‘butterflies’ on the days of
transfers? Mix those with tears—those leaving—anticipation
and
Temple- As the outgoing missionaries serve for a session in the temple, they feel more
prepared to return home as they receive personal revelation and renew sacred
covenants.
Training – Improvement! Inspired! Those are the descriptions of the new
missionary training. The trainers are
vital in the mission. We say tritely, “in the mission what happens in training is what happens in the mission.”
Testimonies – At transfer meeting, the outgoing missionaries share “a golden
truth I learned on my mission that will change me forever.” Among those they
recounted with conviction—we witnessed the changes in their lives—“My Father
knows me. The little nuggets of truth I
got all stem from the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the gospel. Charity, the
pure love of Christ defines what I am capable of becoming. I had to learn to
step out of the boat like Peter and reach for the hand of the Savior.”

Sunday, November 20, 2011

4. HUGS and HAPPINESS







Spencer and Jonelle Morris come to the Mission with Logan and Gracie. On their blog (spennyandnellie.blogspot.com), find the complete log of the marvelous days of Morrises.
Lessons learned:
*Enthusiasm and action
Logan loves trains and he puts his enthusiasm into action. He can spot a train anywhere. (We’re hoping that our missionaries will have that enthusiasm and action in finding those who seek the truths of the restored gospel.)
*Gracie was not upset by a fall in the mud. Chasing a chicken in the rainy, muddy day at Shelburne farms, she fell splat, picked herself up and kept after the chicken. (Now is that ever a parable for dealing with the ‘mud’ in our lives. We appreciate the missionaries who have the disappointments of rejection, hard days and cancelled appointments, then pick up the next day and work with even greater faith in the Savior and determination.)
* A missionary heart - In Lawrence, Massachusetts, many people from the Dominican Republic have come and settled. Spenny served his mission in the DR. though he has been home several years, the love he feels for the Dominicans, coupled with his appreciation for their food, came through loud and strong when he took his family to Lawrence for a day visit. (We hope each of our missionaries develops that same love and devotion to the people in this area.)

3. The MAGIC of FAMILY - WELDING LINKS


Kyle and Liz Flynn are spending about
nine months in our mission area, in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
President Wilkey enjoyed a grandpa moment
with their children Sam and Sophie. Kyle
is at Tufts University in Boston working on his doctorate.

2. SUPER SENIORS


*Service unpaid in dollars of inestimable value.

The MacGregors served for six months at the Memorial helping to maintain
the grounds. Their stirring testimony at the conclusion of their service summarizes the effect of senior missionaries,
“by small and simple things are great things brought to pass…” (Alma 37:6)

*Magic
Sister Hayes cooperates with
President Wilkey’s “multiplying bunny” trick.
She and her companions Sisters Smith and Watkins brought countless magic to the people they served in northern Vermont.
The real magic of seniors’ service is their love, their willing sacrifices, their experience, their sure testimony of the Savior and His restored gospel.

8 Weeks’ Absence – a DOZEN MEMORIES



1. RENEWAL


* Visit from Erin and Ryan in early October
* Love – Listen – Light
* Joy in early October
* WONDERFUL!!