Zone Conference

Over the past two weeks, we have met with five of the ten zones. The other five are scheduled for this coming week. It is always a good day when we get to spend it with missionaries! It is fun to watch them reconnect. They become attached to one another in the MTC and when they serve together; transfers can scatter them for many months. They are always excited to see one another and catch up.

I love what Elder Holland said in October Conference 2012, "The call is to come back, to stay true, to love God, and to lend a hand. I include in that call to fixed faithfulness every returned missionary who ever stood in a baptismal font and with arm to the square said, 'Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ.' That commission was to have changed your convert forever, but it was surely supposed to have changed you forever as well."

It is a privilege to watch that change occur in the lives of these missionaries. We see them develop the "fixed faithfulness" mentioned by Elder Holland. They set their faces towards God and allow this experience to sanctify them and prepare them.

Savaii Zones

Tutuila Zones

Sisters!

We just received seventeen new missionaries; nine of them are sisters. We are thrilled to have a growing number of sisters in our mission.

Sheri Dew, in 1999, after talking about her grandmother said this: "To the world, my grandma was ordinary. But to me, she represents the unsung heroines of this century who lived up to their pre-mortal promises and left a foundation of faith upon which we may build. Grandma wasn't perfect, but she was a woman of God. Now, it is for you and for me to carry forward the banner into the next century. We are not women of the world. We are women of God. And women of God will be among the greatest heroines of the 21st century."

I marvel as I watch these sisters come. I see women of great faith and devotion. I see women of God and disciples of the Savior. They serve with priesthood authority and great heavenly power. I am ever so grateful for them. They help me to be stronger and more committed. They stand as witnesses in all things and in all places. They are a force for all that is good and praiseworthy; 1600 of them enter the mission field every month. Watching these sisters serve is a remarkable blessing.

New Missionaries (More photos on Life with Missionaries page)

As exciting as it is to welcome new missionaries, it is always sad at the end of the week to say good-bye to those who are returning home. We will miss them. Along with our young missionaries, our office couple, the Jacksons also went home. They will be missed by all of us! It is our hope as our missionaries leave us that each of them will feel the approval of the Savior for their sacred consecrated work.

Departing Missionaries

Zion

The Missionary Handbook states: "Listen only to music that is consistent with the sacred spirit of your calling. Music should invite the Spirit, help you focus on the work, and direct your thoughts and feelings to the Savior. Do not listen to music that pulls your thoughts away from your work, merely entertains, has romantic lyrics or overtones, or dulls your spiritual sensitivity by its tempo, beat, loudness, lyrics or intensity. Listening to music must never interfere with your personal preparation or proselyting."

We seem to have some confusion about this in our mission. Some missionaries, no matter the music or the lyrics, will say it helps them feel the Spirit. Others will say that listening to the music of the world is what calms them and helps them focus. The handbook is fairly clear on what the music should be, but we discussed it as a Missionary Leadership Council this past week. It was obvious very quickly that there is misunderstanding. I love to watch this Council as we work through issues and come to a consensus on something that will benefit every missionary.

We collectively decided to set a standard against which all music could be measured. We first talked about listening to only hymns, then only Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Someone brought up Especially for Youth Music. Others wanted to know what they could play on their ukuleles. After much discussion, we decided that as a mission we will listen to and play only songs that are appropriate for Sacrament Meeting. It seems a reasonable and measurable standard.

Sometimes the things God requires of us seem too specific. Can we not govern ourselves in all things? Of course we can; we have moral agency and can decide if what He is asking of us is important or necessary. Music may not seem like a big deal, but leaving the things of the world behind is a big deal. It made me reflect on a talk given several years ago in General Conference by Elder David A. Stone entitled "Zion in the Midst of Babylon."  He explained, "Babylon was, in the time of ancient Israel, a city which had become sensual, decadent, and corrupt." While the city of Babylon no longer exists, it provides a good metaphor for some of our choices and behaviors. He continues, "Too many people of the world have come to resemble the Babylon of old by walking in their own ways, and following a god "whose image is in the likeness of the world."

He suggested that we could develop a Zion in the midst of Babylon. Just as Babylon, the city of Zion no longer exists. It, too, stands as a metaphor for all that is good and right. A place filled with His light and His guidance. A place drenched in His love. A place where the pure in heart dwell. How do we achieve Zion in the midst of Babylon?

Elder Stone explains, "We can live as a Zion people, if we wish to. Will it be hard? Of course it will, for the waves of Babylonian culture crash incessantly against our shores. Will it take courage? Of course it will.

We have always been entranced by tales of courage of those who faced fearsome odds and overcame. Courage is the basis and foundation for all of our other virtues; the lack of courage diminishes every other virtue that we have. If we are to have Zion in the midst of Babylon, we will need courage.

The opportunities to stand for that which is right--when the pressures are subtle and when even our friends are encouraging us to give in to the idolatry of the times--those come along frequently. No photographer is there to record of heroism, no journalist will splash it across the newspaper's front page. Just in the quiet contemplation of our conscience, we will know that we faced the test of courage: Zion or Babylon?"

Missionaries have the opportunity to experience some of what Zion offers by living the standards of the Missionary Handbook. This mission experience is a refining process; each choice brings us closer to God or further from Him. Choosing to listen to music that invites the spirit and turns our thoughts to the Savior is one of those choices. For many who choose Zion, it will be required that they stand alone. "We will need courage" and strength beyond our own!

Elder Stone reminds us of the blessings that await, "Wherever we are, whatever city we may live in, we can build our own Zion by the principles of the celestial kingdom and ever seek to become the pure in heart. Zion is the beautiful, and the Lord holds it in His own hands. Our homes can be places which are a refuge and protection, as Zion is."

Mission Leadership Council 

Serendipity

Serendipity: The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. God enjoys serendipitous events; in fact, He makes them happen! I traveled home a few weeks ago for shoulder surgery and therapy. I did not want to leave the mission and make the long journey home, but it was necessary and needful. While many things occurred that could be defined as serendipitous, one of those sweet moments was being able to attend the homecoming report of one of our missionaries!

Elder Wengert is from Gilbert, Arizona, a neighboring city to our home town. He returned home about the same time as I returned to Arizona. I loved hearing him speak about his experiences in Samoa. What was most impressive to me was when he talked about his struggles. He shared that there was a time on his mission when he wondered what he was doing and why he was serving. He wondered why he was wasting his time and his family's time. He struggled with this burden for quite some time, and when he finally decided to completely and totally turn his will over to God's, his entire perspective and mission changed. As he allowed God to lead him, he found ways to serve and bless that were previously not available to him. In this process, he changed; he became who God wanted him to be. He became a fully converted disciple of the Savior; he learned how to represent Jesus Christ and offer His sweet Atonement to those he taught.

As I listened to him talk, I reflected back on what I had observed as we served together. I saw a good young man become a powerful, respected missionary and advocate of Jesus Christ. Elder Wenger left a legacy of growth and dedication in the mission field. It was an "event by chance in a happy way" that I was able to attend his home ward and celebrate his growth among those who know him and love him.

Elder Wengert and his parents

Listening to Elder Wenger and being home gave me a lot of time to think about what God expects of us and how He crafts experiences, which allow us to benefit if we choose to fully and completely embrace His will. I thought of the song "I Will Go Where You Want Me to Go."
"It may not be on the mountain height
Or over the stormy sea,
It may not be at the battle's front
My Lord will have need of me.
But if, by a still, small voice He calls
To paths that I do not know,
I'll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in thine:
I'll go where you want me to go."

The interesting thing is He may need us at the "mountain height, over the stormy sea, or the battle's front." It will always be to paths we do not know because it is only through these kinds of experiences that we come to know God and understand His love and His desire for us to return to His rest. The places we are needed can be scary and hard; they can be lonely and overwhelming; they can be places where we struggle to thrive.

Sometimes, we believe when we are serving in the mission field that the Lord will take care of our problems, things will go smoothly at home because we are serving, or we will be protected from difficulty because we are missionaries. While our service always brings blessings, they usually are not the ones we think we deserve or want. This trip home taught me, once again, God knows exactly what is most important for us to learn and do, and if we will go with our hand in His, He will always lead us to places of growth and greater light. Going where He wants us to go takes courage and faith, but it mostly takes giving our entire will to Him. When we finally surrender is when we find Him, and in finding Him we discover that turning our will over wasn't hard after all.

Six Weeks

I am a little behind. We welcomed a new group of missionaries over a week ago. They, like all others, came excited and ready to work. We are finding that six weeks rolls by pretty quickly. It seems we just get one group settled and another comes. 

These new missionaries remind me of Mormon. Mormon, abridger of the plates and prophet, was described by those who knew him when he was young. It is noted in the record of the Book of Mormon he "was quick to observe." Elder David A. Bednar has taught that "when we are quick to observe, we promptly look or notice and obey. Both of these fundamental elements-looking and obeying-are essential to being quick to observe. Being quick to observe is a prerequisite to and a preparation for the gift of discernment. We can only hope to obtain that supernal gift of discernment and its light of protection and direction if we are quick to observe-if we both look and obey."

New missionaries can be described as Mormon. They are anxious to learn their place and to obey the rules of the mission. They serve as a reminder of what God expects of His missionaries. They are quick to observe. Mission life can be hard and discouraging. We can all learn from Mormon; he remained true to the end wading through a difficult life with unrighteous people surrounded by war. We all have things to learn from our new missionaries as well. They feel unsure of themselves as they begin their work, but if we look beyond their worry, we see great warriors and if we allow them to, they can change all of us making us better. Thank goodness we need only wait six weeks! (Check the Life with Missionaries page for more pictures.)

New Missionaries

We also sadly said goodbye to some powerful missionaries. Their presence and influence will be greatly missed. Saying goodbye is always bitter sweet. We try to help them understand they have come and served and now it is time for the next chapter in their lives. It always leaves us feeling a little unsteady as we carry on without them. For those who serve with no regret, their conversation and love of God is evident in their countenance. They can with clear eyes and a full heart answer Alma's question: "I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances?" 

Departing Missionaries

A Shot In the Arm

Learning together in Zone Conferences is always a spiritual shot in the arm. Seeing the missionaries eagerly engaged in the learning process gives us hope for the future. We always have a question and answer session at the end of the conference. We learn a lot from the questions they ask. I often get surprised at the spiritual depth these young missionaries have. I always have said there are those among us who are "old souls." They are those who seem to have wisdom far beyond their years. I think it must have something to do with their experiences in the pre-mortal world. We have many of those in our mission; it is a blessing to be taught by them. 

Upolu Central, Apia and Southeast Zones

Upolu Northwest and Northeast Zones

Savaii West, North and Southeast Zones

Tutuila West and East Zones

The Beginning of the Good News

We met with our Mission Leadership Council this week. As always, it is my favorite day of the month. I love these leaders. We do a variety of things during our meeting. We council together about how to improve and how to better support the missionaries.

We developed a new Standard of Excellence this week. Our missionaries will be participating in five service experiences per week. The Samoan people are incredibly generous and do so much to care for our missionaries. They very seldom will allow the missionaries to perform service for them. We decided as a council to watch for spontaneous service opportunities--help someone pull weeds, help someone take their wash off of the line. These service moments don't have to be long. We decided together these kinds of service experiences will bring greater joy for the missionaries and build trust with those they serve.

In an effort to begin to spread the good news. I wrote down some comments from MLC so you can see what remarkable leaders are serving the Lord in Samoa. Each month, the zone leaders study their zone statistics, report on their strengths and weaknesses, and then choose a chapter in Preach My Gospel to focus on for the upcoming month. We asked if they thought these chapters and focusing on them for an entire month were making a difference. Their comments included:

• "Focusing on a Preach My Gospel chapter helps our missionaries break down the work so it is manageable."
• "We use Preach My Gospel to address a specific problem. Every missionary question is answered in Preach My Gospel. We need not turn to other sources." 

We talked about helping our missionaries who are struggling. The discussion was full of hope and help and love. Comments by our leaders included:

• "You can look at leadership as a burden or as an opportunity to serve. When we look at it as an opportunity to serve, the Spirit helps us know exactly what our missionaries need."
• "In order to give advice, you have to be living it!"
• "One-hundered percent of the time we have to maintain a higher standard of love, patience and respect for our missionaries."
• "I love how there is a chapter in Preach My Gospel just about how to become like the Savior. Studying that chapter will help us know how to help our struggling missionaries."
• "A struggling missionary needs to know he is never alone."
• "We have to provide the opportunity to change. We also need to allow others to change."

We also asked each zone leader companionship to talk about one missionary in their zone--what have they seen them do that they appreciate and admire? They said:

• "We saw him and his companion riding their bikes in the rain one day. When we asked them why (because it had been raining all day), he said 'there are people to see!' He is never afraid to stand for what is right."
• He has a great desire to be a great missionary. He is always trying to use Samoan although he is still learning."
• "He inspires others by the way he fulfills his calling as district leader."
• "She is very teachable."
• "He never complains. He is always enthusiastic. He is getting a great start to his mission."
• "He has embraced a difficult companion and is making a difference for him."
• "We have been inspired by how prepared he was to serve a mission. He is quiet and humble, but powerful."
• "He is positive in every situation and is eager to learn what it takes to become a good missionary."
• "He is always asking, 'How can I help?' He takes charge as a leader."
• "He is conscientious about his studies. His area is very hard, but he never complains."

So, you see the good news is everywhere. These leaders teach me and lift me. I am grateful for what they see and how they want to help. They love the missionaries they serve. They embody the statement made by President Uchtodorf recently, " God loves us deeply, perfectly and everlastingly." Because they see other missionaries through His eyes, they see the love that He has for them and, with that understanding, serve them the way He would serve.

Mission Leadership Council May 2015