Message--16 May 2011

Message--16 May 2011

This past week has been an awesome week for us.  We had a number of spiritual experiences and opportunities which I will share later in the message.  Monday’s in our Mission Office Staff Meeting we have time to sit together with President & Sister Christianson and council with and learn from them as well as learn from each other.  The staff is composed of Sister Evertsen, Sister Price, Elder and Sister McVea, and ourselves.  Sister Evertsen is a sister to President Christianson’s wife.  Sister Evertsen takes care of all the finances for the mission and takes care of paying for the missionary apartments and utilities, mission supplies, the missionaries monthly expense cards and some other things.  Sister Price is the companion to Sister Evertsen.  Sister Price takes care of correspondence for the President, arrangements with the Church Travel Office for missionary travel to New York and back home at the end of their missions, she does a monthly newsletter for the mission, its title is “Glad Tidings From Hill Cumorah”; and she also does sewing projects to mend the missionary clothing when needed.  Sister Price also keeps the missionary board in the President’s Office up to date; this has a picture of each of the  missionary companionships and where they are currently assigned, and she updates this board every time there are transfers.  There is a duplicate of this board in the President’s home and she updates both of these.  She also does some other miscellaneous things.  Sister McVea takes care of the mail, both incoming and outgoing, which includes not only office related items but letters, packages, etc. for the missionaries.  She also keeps track of Baptism records and insures they get to the Church Membership Department through the MLS System,  to create a membership for each new convert.  She also handles all the referrals that come to the mission and insures they get to the correct missionaries, and that the missionaries report back to her that the referral is contacted and if a Book of Mormon or church video was requested she makes sure the missionaries delivered it.  She also does some other things as well.  Elder McVea is responsible for all the church owned vehicles; he insures they are properly maintained and that the missionaries keep the vehicles clean and serviced, and that tires are replaced when needed.  He also takes care of registration, inspection, accident reports, and that the collision damage to vehicles is repaired as the Insurance requires.  He is also the in house office computer expert.  There are about 40 vehicles that he keeps track of and coordinates with the Church Motor Vehicle Department to see that everything is done as they direct.

I have shared all of the above so you have an idea of the variety and quantity of work it takes to keep the missionary program operating in each mission of the church.  These are all great people and they do an outstanding job in their assignments.  They also have a great spiritual side to them; and they each help in one of the wards here in the mission in various other ways.  Elder and Sister McVea teach a seminary class one night a week, and the Family Relations class in Sunday School.  Sister Evertsen and Sister Price help in the Relief Society in the ward they attend.  These two sisters also help Sister Christianson with hosting and meals done in the Presidents Home for newly arriving missionaries, departing missionaries, and visitors from here in NY and other places, and various people who come from the Church Offices in Salt Lake, including General Authorities.  It is a privilege and great blessing to us to be able to associate with these good people.

Last week the President had four Zone Conferences.  The mission has four zones; the Buffalo Zone, Rochester Zone, Palmyra North & East Zone, and the Palmyra South Zone.  We had a Zone Conference on each of the following days; Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.  We were both assigned by the President to attend all four Zone Conferences to help with behind the scenes things, like food and vehicle inspections, and apartment issues.  The Conferences each started at the Sacred Grove where they met at 9am in a small amphitheater near the entrance to the Grove.  Here the Zone Leaders gave some instruction and then President C. gave some instruction and shared some fascinating details about the history of the Grove.   He then walked through the Grove with the missionaries and pointed out some of the Witness Trees (trees which are old enough to have witnessed the appearance of the Father and the Son to Joseph Smith).  As we went through the Grove we could feel a powerful presence of the Holy Spirit.  This Spirit combined with the spiritual instruction given was just so impressive.  Our testimonies of the First Vision and the restoration of the gospel were reinforced and strengthened.  We bear our witness that the Prophet Joseph did see the Father and the Son and he was called and given the responsibility to be the mouthpiece of the Lord through whom, all the gospel truths and knowledge of the Savior and the atonement and Priesthood Keys were restored.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s true church on the earth.  Through the ordinances and doctrines restored and obedience to the covenants associated with them, we can be together as families with Heavenly Father and the Savior through the eternities.  The Book of Mormon is true and Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today; we both know these things are all true and of eternal value and importance to each of us.

After spending two hours in the Sacred Grove everyone went to the chapel across the road from the Palmyra Temple for the rest of the day and the training and instruction the President had prepared.  A video of some instruction given by Elder Holland was shown, followed by some instruction by the President.  Then there was a lunch break for 30 minutes.  Elder McVea did some safety instruction to the missionaries for driving and caring for the vehicles, this is required by the Church Motor Vehicle Department.  As part of the vehicle inspection elder McVea and I did we selected the vehicle in the best condition inside and outside and gave the missionaries driving it a license plate holder that was gold colored and had the words “Golden Plate” on it.  The missionaries enjoy competing to see who gets the “Golden Plate”.

Richard helped Elder McVea do vehicle inspections each of the 4 days, and Maxine helped with the food and some other things.  It was a wonderful week and gave us the chance to get better acquainted with more missionaries, including the proselyting couples.  We also had Elder and Sister Saunders come to our Zone Conferences; they are assigned to be Health Care Coordinators for the many of the missions in the North East Area of  North America, they live in Boston MASS.  Elder Saunders is a retired M.D.

The weather was wonderful on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.  On Saturday morning it was cloudy and we drove through some light rain in a few places on the way to Palmyra.  The President pleaded with the Lord in multiple prayers before the conference began and also prayed silently while we were in the Grove that the Lord would prevent it from raining on the missionaries in the Grove.  Some of the others of the Mission Office Staff likewise prayed for the rain to be stayed so the missionaries could have the experience in the Sacred Grove without it raining on them.  These prayers were answered, another witness that the Lord is in the details of His work.  It was raining all around the Grove most of the time we were in the Grove, from about 9am-11am; but no rain fell in the Grove while we were there.  Only a few drops fell as we started out of the Grove at 11 am.  The Zone Conference on Saturday had the rest of their training in the basement of the Hill Cumorah Visitors Center because the Palmyra Chapel was being used by the Sisters in the Stake for an activity they had.  Some of the staging and practices for the Hill Cumorah Pageant takes place in the basement of the Visitors Center.  The last month an artist has been restoring the large mural behind the Christus Statue in the Visitors Center.   One of the days during the last week he was redoing the mural an investigator couple brought their 3 or 4 year old girl with them to visit the Church History sites.  The little girl was very attentively watching the artist painting.  The artist noticed her and asked if she would like to paint on the mural.  She very excitedly said yes; so the artist gave her a brush with the right color on it and let her paint some grass in one of the lower corners for a few minutes.  The girl was so excited to have been able to do this.  I am sure she will remember this forever.  The investigator family was already scheduled to be baptized that same night.  We are sure special things like this happen often in many places as the missionary work progresses here and all over the world.

We love all of you and appreciate your prayers, thoughts, kindnesses, and help in our lives as we serve here.  Thank you for being the wonderful people you are.  We hope our grandchildren who graduate this month have great experiences in graduating and moving forward in their lives to decide what to do next.

Love,

Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, Richard & Maxine