Missionary Work and Blessings
I apologize. I did not take a single picture today, and there were so many times I wished I had my phone in hand to snap one, but it was never quite right.
We stayed in a hotel last night in Portsmouth, by the ocean. What a grand old city! We got to the stake center around nine o'clock. President Grant, the stake president conducted a meeting with all of the primary children of the stake and their parents. I'm sure there were a fair number who weren't there, but the ones who were well-rewarded.
President Grant told how Ed J. Pinegar, the London Mission President came to his stake when he was a boy and handed out missionary name tags to each child with a 1 pound coin to start their mission fund. (Today, a pound is equal to $1.25, so I am not sure how much it might have been worth nearly 50 years ago.) It inspired that little boy so much that he hit the ground running on his mission and I believe has served ever since. It has been his dream to do the same thing, and it became Dave's dream also.
After President Grant spoke, Dave and Deb stood. The stake primary president announced the name of a ward, one at a time, and the children, some holding their parent's hand quietly walked to the front and stood in line until Dave called their name. Deb presented them with a missionary badge with their name on it, and a verse from D & C about being called to the work. (The badges were from Salt Lake, but unless you are a called and set apart missionary, you cannot wear the name tag with the name of the Savior and His church on it.
We watched as they made their way back to their seats. They were clearly excited in a very reverent way.
Stake conference was excellent. I loved everything I heard, but I am pretty sure that I fell asleep a few times. I'm still confused about when to sleep and when to be awake! I did stay awake during Dave and Deb's talks, which were truly excellent. Both were geared toward missionary work. Deb shared with the primary children 12 ways they could be missionaries now. They were all within reach, such as praying for the missionaries, praying for missionary experiences, serving your neighbor, smile, etc. Dave told a very funny experience that happened to him, and then gave it a great gospel application. He bore his testimony about the miracles that have been happening in this mission and said that he has told all of his missionaries to call him any night between 9:30 and 10:30 to share any miracles they have seen today.
After it was over, we drove back to the mission home - through the rain! It was beautiful. We got home just in time for Dave to begin 6 half hour interviews with 6 young elders about new assignments, and for Deb and me to walk over the the historic Hyde Park chapel to attend a baptism o the newest member of the church in the England London Mission. He is a young man about 25 years old who was a Muslim. He will meet with the Young Single Adult Ward in London, a large active ward with enthusiastic young members. He bore his testimony about the Savior and it was very sweet.
As soon as the baptism was over, we came back to the flat (I like calling it that - makes me feel British! - not really) Deb and I came home and began working on dinner for the six elders Dave had been interviewing, and for Dave and Deb and SK and me. She set out the good china. The dinner was excellent, and I loved the dessert. Mixed fresh berries - which were awesome....they don't spray them with all kinds of stuff and as a consequence they rot more quickly, but they were soooo good.
Immediately after, Dave asked two of the young elders to teach us out of the Book of Mormon. They were given about 5 minutes or so to gather their thoughts and then they taught a masterful lesson about humbly trusting in the Lord. Each missionary contributed. One young man has a brother with cerebral palsy who is unable to do much of anything, and the elder feels like he is serving for both of them. Another had the opportunity (with his companion) to teach his twin brother, who has been baptized.
These young men are so earnest and eager, so good. And they are no more than two years out of high school. I'm so impressed with them. And impressed with Dave and Deb's patient tutoring.
It occurred to me that they are training the leaders of tomorrow.
So you see - there was little there in the day's experiences that would have been appropriate to take out my phone and snap a picture, but how I wish I could show you the beauties of this day!
SK just forwarded a picture he took. It just gives you a different view of the living room here. I was engrossed in a beautiful book by Brad and Deb Wilcox, about the life of the Savior, and illustrated with closeups of Tom Holdman's gorgeous stained glass window in the visitor's center in Rome.
We stayed in a hotel last night in Portsmouth, by the ocean. What a grand old city! We got to the stake center around nine o'clock. President Grant, the stake president conducted a meeting with all of the primary children of the stake and their parents. I'm sure there were a fair number who weren't there, but the ones who were well-rewarded.
President Grant told how Ed J. Pinegar, the London Mission President came to his stake when he was a boy and handed out missionary name tags to each child with a 1 pound coin to start their mission fund. (Today, a pound is equal to $1.25, so I am not sure how much it might have been worth nearly 50 years ago.) It inspired that little boy so much that he hit the ground running on his mission and I believe has served ever since. It has been his dream to do the same thing, and it became Dave's dream also.
After President Grant spoke, Dave and Deb stood. The stake primary president announced the name of a ward, one at a time, and the children, some holding their parent's hand quietly walked to the front and stood in line until Dave called their name. Deb presented them with a missionary badge with their name on it, and a verse from D & C about being called to the work. (The badges were from Salt Lake, but unless you are a called and set apart missionary, you cannot wear the name tag with the name of the Savior and His church on it.
We watched as they made their way back to their seats. They were clearly excited in a very reverent way.
Stake conference was excellent. I loved everything I heard, but I am pretty sure that I fell asleep a few times. I'm still confused about when to sleep and when to be awake! I did stay awake during Dave and Deb's talks, which were truly excellent. Both were geared toward missionary work. Deb shared with the primary children 12 ways they could be missionaries now. They were all within reach, such as praying for the missionaries, praying for missionary experiences, serving your neighbor, smile, etc. Dave told a very funny experience that happened to him, and then gave it a great gospel application. He bore his testimony about the miracles that have been happening in this mission and said that he has told all of his missionaries to call him any night between 9:30 and 10:30 to share any miracles they have seen today.
After it was over, we drove back to the mission home - through the rain! It was beautiful. We got home just in time for Dave to begin 6 half hour interviews with 6 young elders about new assignments, and for Deb and me to walk over the the historic Hyde Park chapel to attend a baptism o the newest member of the church in the England London Mission. He is a young man about 25 years old who was a Muslim. He will meet with the Young Single Adult Ward in London, a large active ward with enthusiastic young members. He bore his testimony about the Savior and it was very sweet.
As soon as the baptism was over, we came back to the flat (I like calling it that - makes me feel British! - not really) Deb and I came home and began working on dinner for the six elders Dave had been interviewing, and for Dave and Deb and SK and me. She set out the good china. The dinner was excellent, and I loved the dessert. Mixed fresh berries - which were awesome....they don't spray them with all kinds of stuff and as a consequence they rot more quickly, but they were soooo good.
Immediately after, Dave asked two of the young elders to teach us out of the Book of Mormon. They were given about 5 minutes or so to gather their thoughts and then they taught a masterful lesson about humbly trusting in the Lord. Each missionary contributed. One young man has a brother with cerebral palsy who is unable to do much of anything, and the elder feels like he is serving for both of them. Another had the opportunity (with his companion) to teach his twin brother, who has been baptized.
These young men are so earnest and eager, so good. And they are no more than two years out of high school. I'm so impressed with them. And impressed with Dave and Deb's patient tutoring.
It occurred to me that they are training the leaders of tomorrow.
So you see - there was little there in the day's experiences that would have been appropriate to take out my phone and snap a picture, but how I wish I could show you the beauties of this day!
SK just forwarded a picture he took. It just gives you a different view of the living room here. I was engrossed in a beautiful book by Brad and Deb Wilcox, about the life of the Savior, and illustrated with closeups of Tom Holdman's gorgeous stained glass window in the visitor's center in Rome.
Comments