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!!