Week Ending Oct. 31, 2008 Week # 1

Here are our newest arrivals. They were picked up at the airport on the president's birthday, Oct. 21. We sang Happy Birthday and he blew out candles. They are an especially energetic bunch.

This was a week # 1 and we held our Zone leader’s Council. Because of a change in the upcoming zone conferences due to a visiting GA coming, we also started interviews.

Specifics for this week – ending 10-31-08

Saturday and Sunday we spent at the stake conference in Bend. We both spoke at the Saturday adult session, and I also spoke for 30 minutes in the priesthood leadership session. I was happy to see how committed they are to missionary work. The counselor who spoke before Sister Macdonald used almost everything she had prepared. It was fun to watch the spirit influence her so mush as she spoke without using any of her notes. The audience was so quiet – they could tell they were hearing inspired words. On Sunday all of Oregon had a regional conference via satellite. The drive up and back through the mountains was absolutely beautiful.

Monday we prepared for Tuesday's Zone leader’s Council. I am impressed with the level of maturity and leadership we have coming from such great young men. Unfortunately my time at Zone leader’s Council was regularly interrupted with a concern over a missionary. It was resolved successfully late that night, but it often took me away from the meeting. I hope that the zone leaders could learn from my absence the importance of saving the one and caring for him.

Wednesday I mostly prepared for upcoming meetings, travel, and a General Authority who will be visiting in mid November. I also called several missionaries on a variety of things. We had the Sisters over for dinner that night, and we learned that the local Elders get a bit jealous when we have them over. That makes us inclined to have them over more often. :>)

Thursday we drove out to Coos Bay for interviews there. Again the drive was beautiful and the interviews were largely uplifting – I know for me, and I hope for the missionaries.

Friday (which is Halloween) we have instructed our missionaries to be off the streets by 6:00 pm and have a district meeting that will lift and inspire them.

I am learning so much from all of our missionaries – but probably the most from the new ones. They come from very different back grounds – even if they may look the same to the outside observer. We live in such a world of abundance that it can be difficult to teach our children how to work hard when we also want them to have all we can provide for them. I find that those missionaries who come with the following three key things do well:


1: They are worthy and free of major sins,

2: They have learned how to work hard and are willing to do it,

3: They have a testimony of this great work.


All the rest can be taught on the job. The vast majority do great and it is fun to watch them grow and develop into wonderful servants of the Lord.

Week Ending Oct. 25, 2008 Week 6

These are the innocent bystanders at the Portland Temple who became our photographers. Such good sports! The young man just returned from his mission.

Another awesome group of faithful missionaries we will hate to see go. The Rosenthols joined us again and provided their family names. It was good to see them. It was also good to have the Strattons with us.

President's birthday had to include a joke on Elder Leet. Everyone is always looking for a chance to get even with him for some reason.

Elder Leet presents President with his birthday cake at the Lowry's Monday brunch. A memorably experience. "The Old Gray Mare, he ain't what he used to be."

Rick and Dawn Meeves came for a very short, but fun visit. We spent a day at the coast and hiked Spencer's Butte and of course, visited a lot.

This was a week # 6 and we greeted 19 new missionaries, sent home 11, and had a house full of activity.

Specifics for this week – ending 10-25-08

Monday our two assistants had a baptism in the early evening and we went to that. Elder Hall went home this week, so it was especially nice for him to be able to baptize a sweet sister who is around 70. Her daughter is a long-time member and she and her husband had the missionaries teach her in their home.

On Tuesday we sent home our first Elder with a medical problem. He had so wanted to stay and had in fact had surgery in the field three months ago, but the possibility of another surgery and the related recovery time mandated he go home. He called us a couple of days after he was home and told us he had seen a doctor and if all goes like he hopes it will, he will be back in a couple of months.

Later that day we welcomed in 19 new missionaries. They are great and full of life. We have 76 companionships of young missionaries and 41 missionaries who have only been out for 6 weeks or less. While it does make for a few challenges as we try to get trainers for all of these new missionaries - it is great to see their enthusiasm and all the life they bring into the mission.

Wednesday we took the departing missionaries to the Portland temple and had the traditional final day with them. I have determined this is perhaps my favorite day of the whole transfer period. The ability to quietly reflect in the temple with honorable young men and women who have faithfully completed their mission is truly a wonderful experience. Of course, I hate to see them go the next day, but that sweet moment in the temple is so rewarding. I will admit there is a bit of selfishness on my part as well, because I so enjoy the opportunity to be in a place where my cell phone doesn’t ring and I can have some quiet reflective time of my own.

Thursday morning it is so enlightening to me to be able to quietly study the scriptures with the departing missionaries for an hour or so before they go. It is a unique time as they are feeling the pains of leaving and in some ways wanting to stay, and also feeling the excitement of the next stage of their life. We also sent off my final trainer (the second of the two assistants who were serving when we got here) and it was sad to see him go.

Thursday and Friday I spent some time in the office and also in planning out the next few weeks. This weekend Mom and I speak at a stake conference in Bend, so we need to finalize talks and drive up there for a couple of days.

Week Ending Oct. 18, 2008 Week # 5

This was a week # 5 with Zone conferences and finalizing and making the leadership calls for transfers etc.

Specifics for this week – ending 10-18-08

Sunday I had a heart stopping moment over concern for one of our missionaries. I felt like I should go to a second ward, but Mom and I both felt impressed that we should come home after the first ward we went to. Shortly after I came home the phone rang and it was the home bishop of one of our Elders. He told me that he understood that our elder had been killed in a car accident the night before. I was shocked, of course, as I had heard nothing and couldn’t believe it was true. He told me The elder's mother had called him and told him her work had called and told her. She was wondering why she hadn’t heard from me. I quickly called the elder – who answered the phone. Obviously there was some mix up some where. I called the Bishop back and then the mother. My heart went out to her for the pain she had felt for that time between her first call me getting back to her. The truth was her daughter had been in a non-life- threatening accident but the wires got dreadfully crossed. I NEVER want to have a real version of that.

We had multi-zone conferences in Medford, Corvallis, and Eugene on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday respectively. The assistants put together a video that highlighted the good experience they had finding, teaching, and preparing a woman for baptism. She was found as the result of the combined fasting and prayer of Elders Payne, Hall and Leet when they were together as a 3-some. She will be baptized tomorrow right before Elder Hall goes home. The video was great and showed the right amount of humor and sweet spirit. Mom gave a great talk around Pres Hinckley’s quote found on page 94 of PMG. We did some role play on finding. I really enjoyed being the investigator and helping the missionaries learn how they can improve. We had the car man speak on winter driving and I related the experience I had above and encourage them all to be safe. My ending talk focused mostly on Pres. Uchtdorf’s Priesthood session talk about lifting where you stand. I emphasized that we should not seek leadership callings or run from them. Anyway the vast majority of these missionaries do just great regarding this. So maybe I spoke to the masses when I should have spoken only to the few.

After zone conferences we gained some information that suggested that a few of the proposed transfers needed to be changed. After that was completed I made leadership calls and the assistants called everyone else. Most of them go exactly as you would think they would – the missionary takes on the new assignment with humility and confidence that the Lord can help them through it. That being the case, it is funny when it doesn’t occur exactly like that. When I told one Elder that I wanted him to become a district leader he said “Oh Crap.” I asked him (with a bit of humor in my voice) if “Oh Crap” meant “Yes President Macdonald, I will do what ever you and the Lord would like me to.” He quickly got the point and had perhaps remembered that week’s zone conference and agreed to do what he could in this new assignment. I then thought that perhaps my talk to the masses was OK because it reached this one. I really enjoy the regular opportunities I have to teach correct principles to such a receptive group of the Lord’s servants.

Week Ending October 10, 2008 Week # 4

Perhaps the biggest news for us in missionary work this week had nothing to do with the Oregon Eugene Mission, but with our favorite missionary serving in the California Riverside Mission. Our son Clint who has been out 13 months was called to serve an English speaking mission and therefore had no Spanish training in the MTC. Although he had been in Spanish immersion in grade school, and took Jr High Spanish, and one year of Spanish in High school, he has not used or studied Spanish since then. And yes, he was transferred to be a Spanish speaking missionary this last week. We are glad for the confidence his mission president has in him, and pray that he will be blessed with the gift of tongues. At the same time he has been called to serve as a zone leader, so he will have his hands full.

Now on to the OEM.

This was a week # 4 with the remaining interviews being completed and the beginning of planning out the transfers and preparing for next week zone conferences.

Specifics for this week – ending 10-10-08

Some of the interview schedules are altered from time to time in order to be able to meet with Stake Presidents while in the area. This last Saturday we met with the Pacific zone in between conference sessions and with the stake president and the zone leaders just prior to priesthood session. It is good for me to get to visit directly with the stake presidents and feel their commitment for the work. They are great! I so enjoyed conference and the messages often seemed geared to missionary work or to a specific missionary that I am working with.

We ended up over-nighting in Coos Bay on Saturday so we could spend Sunday in Brookings and visit with the senior missionary couple there (who is leaving in a couple of months) and also with the Bishop and ward mission leader (WML) in that area. In between sessions of conference on Sunday Sister Macdonald and I met with the Bishop and the WML – who are so committed to the work and are working to have people prepared to be taught. Brookings is so far away from the rest of the missionaries that sending a couple there is the only thing that makes sense, and we have no more couples coming. I felt so bad to know how prepared the people are to be taught and then to have to tell the local leaders that I could not send anyone until more senior couples agree to come. We lose another senior couple in January where the story is exactly the same. That will leave us with only one senior couple out proselyting and we are supposed to have eight. The truth is we could use a lot more than eight!

From there we finished interviews over in Klamath Falls and then went up to Bend. We stopped in a little town called LaPine where the local leaders have requested missionaries (they found an apartment and have arranged people to be taught as well.) Again this area might be best for senior couples, but I plan to send the Elders there as it is closer to town and they won’t be all alone. Along the way I met with other great stake presidents who understand missionary work.

The end of the week I worked on transfers with the assistants and Sister Macdonald started working on the cooking required for the next couple of weeks. The transfer experience is both exhausting and invigorating at the same time. I know the Lord is very concerned about each individual missionary and the people they will interact with, so I try very hard to be a worthy tool in His hands.

I have now been here long enough that I feel like I know the area, have met several times with most of the stake presidents, and know a fair bit about these great missionaries. Each one is a unique child of their Father in Heaven and wants to do what is right. It is fun to see them be so willing to take on any new assignment, and also be willing to “lift where they stand.”

The weather here is starting to turn a bit colder and we are starting to see how everything stays so green here.

Week Ending October 4, 2008 & Week 3

Monday we had an activity with the Corvallis Zone to hike Mary's Peak. The hike was humid, but beautiful. We reached the top as dark clouds were gathering. It was beautiful and we were hungry.

I think they really enjoyed cutting up "Wilbur". Yes, they even named him.

It felt like we were on top of the world, but if you climbed a little further you could see the ocean--on a clear day--it wasn't.

They were so proud of their cooking. They had been at it since the wee hours of the morning, a real labor of love (boyhood adventure).

October 3, 2008

This was a week # 3 with the northern interview schedule.

Specifics for this week – ending 10-3-08

Last Saturday I was scheduled to go teach a lesson - while Sister Macdonald was at the relief society broadcast - with a trainer and his new companion and, as sometimes happens, they were not available when we got there so we went out and knocked on doors. It was enlightening to do that again. We found one good possibility that they will follow up with. It was fun to testify at the door and feel the spirit with them. The new Elder told me, “I don’t like to find, I like to teach.” ;>) I agreed with him, but told him until we find we can’t teach.

Sunday morning Sister Macdonald and I attended companionship study with another companionship and attended two wards. It is really great to have some one-on-one time with the missionaries.

Monday we went on a zone activity with the Corvallis zone and their zone leaders had roasted a pig and surprised everyone with a great meal. It was a lot of fun and delicious too. This is what all of the pictures above are showing off.

Tuesday and Wednesday I interviewed about 60 missionaries and visited with two stake presidents along with the zone leaders to discuss missionary work in their stakes.

Tuesday night while I was visiting with the stake presidents Sister Macdonald taught a lesson with the sisters and they both told me how good she did with her part and the spirit she brought with her into the teaching experience.

All-in-all another great week of trying to build the kingdom.

I pray that you have a great week as well. I look forward to hearing from any and all of you.

Love,