Wednesday, August 10, 2011

July 2011

Beginnings and Changes, New Missionaries, Outgoing Missionaries –

It’s TRANSFERS

- Hours for the president in prayer, planning, considering the needs of the missionaries, for trainers, for the areas in which they serve

- The nervousness combined with tiredness of incoming missionaries, the buzz of excitement for those transferring to new areas and the anticipation combined with concern of those going home

- Hours of preparation for the office staff, the president and assistants who have to strategize all the travel arrangements in our large mission

- Can you guess the color of most of the cars in our fleet?!





TRAINING in EVERY ZONE –PLANNING!!!!

Maybe you’d call it, Preach My Gospel chapter 8 in technicolor or stereo or whatever term that magnifies, intensifies.. It was an 8:30 am till 5:30 pm day of workshops on vision to goals to desire to weekly and daily plans.

It included individual companionships –yes you see the Evans, one of our wonderful senior couples now serving in Portland, Maine—and groups working together to improve our planning and finding.



We don’t anticipate another long, long day like those five, but we do anticipate dramatic improvement in our vision of our potential, in setting goals and in fulfilling those goals. We hope the light shining on the Farmington elders Bennion and Slater is indicative our good things to come. We heard in Zone Leaders’ Council today positive reports.


Not to leave anyone thinking the day was not without variety, preparation—each companionships had to have area books updated and very presentable—and follow up. Each companionship was invited to make a visual of its vision from the planning chapter. The workshops were well presented by assistants and zone leaders. President and Sister Wilkey opened all the sessions and participated throughout the day.



No mistake, we mixed some action in with the brain work: a three legged race in which even our senior sisters and Sister Wilkey participated. We sure noticed the companions who could work in unity. In a couple zones there was a basketball shoot out at lunch time. A sister won in Concord Zone. She’s some kind of a dead eye shot at the free throw line.



TRAVEL SCENES

This is the land of lakes!!! (not to speak of the black flies & mosquitos!)


Notice in St. Albans, Vermont, the gas station, auto service center and maple syrup distribution market all in one tiny store. Only in Vermont!!


We got to visit our three senior sisters, not one of which is under 70. We LOVE senior missionaries!!! Well, okay, we love all our missionaries.

The two weeks of meetings also meant two weeks of travel. We started mid month in Farmington, Maine to attend Ward Council and participate in the three hour church block. Then we circled to Bangor, Maine, drove that night to Topsham, Maine, then on to Exeter, New Hampshire, stopping for a couple days at home before going north to Laconia, New Hampshire, west to Montpelier, Vermont, farther northwest to Burlington, Vermont, south to South Royalton and back to Oxford, Maine for another wonderful opportunity to visit in a ward. We work with individual companionships along with the training, go out with them as much as possible, include other meetings. In sum, we are tonight, July 31st, completely ‘tuckered out.” But President is up in his office answering letters to the president.


Robert Frost loved Vermont’s Green Mountains. We enjoyed a short, very wet –it was pouring buckets—walk on the Robert Frost interpretive Trail. What do you think of the short couplet “The Secret Sits” posted near an open field surrounded by trees? We especially like the words from the poem “Two Roads divurged in a yellow wood and I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.”


PHOTO MESSAGES

Do you have label for these photos taken during a short break at zone leaders’ council?

Bad B.O day? His wish is their command? See sheep run? What do you think???? Give your suggestions.



The presidency has asked every missionary to expect (with confidence in Christ and obedience to His commandments), observe (look for and keep) and remember miracles (evidences of God’s love and presence and the effect of faith.) We have seen the hand of God in the details of our lives from the sublime, a family who has united in their faith, to the small and simple, the elders who took hamburger buns home from zone training wondering why they needed them only to be given hamburger that very night.