A Day to Socialize!
Elder Hill conducted our district meeting today with respect for the others in attendance as well as for the topic. He has been out on his mission less than a year, and is a humble young leader. He loves and encourages his companion Elder Tshendabo, from the Republic of the Congo. He is respectful of everyone's opinions and efforts. As each participates, he is positive in his comments, and always urges us to be a little better.
The meeting ran slightly over an hour and a half. It was a good meeting. The last thirty minutes were about the upcoming baptisms. There are four for sure in December, and the possibility of double that. All four of the young missionaries want very much to contribute to the end of the year goal of 555 new members by the end of the year. They don't want to just baptize, but their sincerest desire is to bring strong new members in who will participate fully in all of the ordinances and who will be a strength and a blessing to the Oxford wards.
The entire mission is seized with that goal. The goal of "gathering" people into the fold of God. So they are careful to teach well and as thoroughly as possible before taking their friends into the waters of baptism. They have been bringing them to church, to Family Home Evening, to Institute and to all other ward occasions. Each ward will have their Christmas party this weekend.
We came from a ward in Gilbert which is warm and welcoming, but I haven't been in a ward like these two Oxford wards as far as enfolding visitors and new members in a warm embrace of welcome. There are so many who make it a point to go around to every person in the chapel to shake hands and introduce themselves.
After lunch they visited for awhile, expressed great hopes for the coming weeks in December, donned their gloves and coats and said their good-byes. They will meet in the town square tomorrow for two hours (and we will join them for the last hour) to pass out beautiful little cards giving information on how to tap into the marvelous "Light the World" program going on right now. The have a six-foot high poster about the new 18-minute film "The Nativity."
In the evening we had 8 YSAs here. Our teacher Brother Manning drove from Birmingham - an hour and a half drive to teach this evening. It is such a sacrifice for a father of young children, but he is an amazing teacher, and the feeling in this little apartment was beautiful. We talked about 1 John and 2 John, and it was entirely about love....God's love for us, the Savior's love for us, our love for each other. And that is where the YSAs were quite engaged!
I do believe it is not only a favorite topic, but also a topic fraught with anxiety. I am quite happy not to be in that position anymore. The decision about whom and when and where to marry must be overwhelming.
Our teacher displayed on his computer a painting I have not seen before that I fell in love with. It is by Julius Von Klever, and is called "Christ Walking on Water." Please look at it. It is beautiful.
https://i.redd.it/jwujx2a37l021.jpg
Time to work a little on my talk for Sunday. It's been a marvelous day, but this will be a sweet ending.
The meeting ran slightly over an hour and a half. It was a good meeting. The last thirty minutes were about the upcoming baptisms. There are four for sure in December, and the possibility of double that. All four of the young missionaries want very much to contribute to the end of the year goal of 555 new members by the end of the year. They don't want to just baptize, but their sincerest desire is to bring strong new members in who will participate fully in all of the ordinances and who will be a strength and a blessing to the Oxford wards.
The entire mission is seized with that goal. The goal of "gathering" people into the fold of God. So they are careful to teach well and as thoroughly as possible before taking their friends into the waters of baptism. They have been bringing them to church, to Family Home Evening, to Institute and to all other ward occasions. Each ward will have their Christmas party this weekend.
We came from a ward in Gilbert which is warm and welcoming, but I haven't been in a ward like these two Oxford wards as far as enfolding visitors and new members in a warm embrace of welcome. There are so many who make it a point to go around to every person in the chapel to shake hands and introduce themselves.
After lunch they visited for awhile, expressed great hopes for the coming weeks in December, donned their gloves and coats and said their good-byes. They will meet in the town square tomorrow for two hours (and we will join them for the last hour) to pass out beautiful little cards giving information on how to tap into the marvelous "Light the World" program going on right now. The have a six-foot high poster about the new 18-minute film "The Nativity."
In the evening we had 8 YSAs here. Our teacher Brother Manning drove from Birmingham - an hour and a half drive to teach this evening. It is such a sacrifice for a father of young children, but he is an amazing teacher, and the feeling in this little apartment was beautiful. We talked about 1 John and 2 John, and it was entirely about love....God's love for us, the Savior's love for us, our love for each other. And that is where the YSAs were quite engaged!
I do believe it is not only a favorite topic, but also a topic fraught with anxiety. I am quite happy not to be in that position anymore. The decision about whom and when and where to marry must be overwhelming.
Our teacher displayed on his computer a painting I have not seen before that I fell in love with. It is by Julius Von Klever, and is called "Christ Walking on Water." Please look at it. It is beautiful.
https://i.redd.it/jwujx2a37l021.jpg
Time to work a little on my talk for Sunday. It's been a marvelous day, but this will be a sweet ending.
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