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.