Week Ending December 26, 2010 Week # 5

This is the tree that has been in the Mission Office. The Watsons and Campbells (our office couple missionaries) decorated the tree with much work, creativity and love. Every missionary's picture is on the tree. Christ is the gift beneath the tree. A picture of President and I is at the top. The tree is beautiful and has inspired many questions and remarks by those who come and go through the office, some of whom are not members.

Most of my “mission president” type work this week was been behind-the-scenes work. I worked with the assistants to plan out next month’s mission president training and, since one of them will be traveling with us on this round of missionary visits, we also determined which one would go to which zones, and which one of us would be teaching which part of the fundamentals of preach my gospel. I also caught up on reading letters to the mission president and did more office work than usual. Sister Macdonald caught up on the photo portion of our history here and prepared for future cooking needs etc. The two of us delivered Christmas fudge that she had made for neighbors and some of our friends in the ward.

Wednesday was Sister Macdonald’s birthday and almost every missionary (and many former ones) texted her, or called her, wishing her a happy birthday. Many sang to her as well. It is obvious she is loved by her current and former missionaries.

Thursday morning I called each of the missionaries who will be training or taking on a new leadership assignment and encouraged them in their new duties. On Friday morning we had a conference call with all of the zone leaders to tell them of all the details of transfers. This was the first time we had all the zone leaders together for a conference call to announce transfers, and I think it answered more of their questions by doing it this way.

On Thursday evening we traveled to Roseburg and had dinner with Pres & Sister Smith prior to attending a baptism in Myrtle Creek. The Smiths have become great friends while we have been here and we always enjoy our time with them. It is always good to go to a baptism a little farther away from Eugene as people don’t expect to see the mission president and his wife there. This particular baptism completed a family as the husband had been baptized a few weeks back, and the wife received her witness a little later that she too should be baptized. Now her husband was able to perform the baptism.

On Friday, Christmas Eve, we enjoyed a dinner with the two office couples at the Watsons home. It was great to be with them and everyone’s cooking was excellent! Later that evening we had just over 20 of the missionaries serving in the Eugene area over to the house for snacks and some scripture study. Many of the missionaries shared what they had studied recently regarding the birth of the Savior or His teachings. We then read through Luke chapter 2. These missionaries often tell us how much they learn from studying with us, and while that may be true, we too gain so much from hearing their insights.

On Christmas Day we enjoyed talking with our children, various family members, and several current and former missionaries. One of our missionaries has no family and so we called him and had a nice casual visit with him, like he may have had if he had called home. Later that day we attended another baptism of a new member who wanted to be baptized on Christmas Day. It was good to see so much ward support there on a Christmas day.

On Sunday our youngest son and his wife (Clint and Tava) flew in to spend a few days with us. That evening Clint came with me to the baptism of four people in the Spanish branch here in Eugene. Since he served a Spanish speaking mission, he understood what was going on, and I could feel of the spirit and happiness that was there.

Week Ending December 19, 2010 Week # 4

The relief society sister who provided lunch at one of the zone conferences, set up a sugar cookie decorating station for the missionary's dessert. They really had fun decorating their cookies. What a great idea! Thanks sisters!

Cookies and ice cream! What more does a hungry elder need?

This is a storm we watched roll into shore. Such beauty even in a storm.

Some of you parents have commented on the Christmas present your elders and sisters received from us. Here is a picture of it.

The biggest news for the missionaries this week was that I received notice that they could Skype home for Christmas. Some had already asked and I had told them they couldn’t Skype. Everyone is happy with the change in the rules. The biggest news for me for the week was that Sister Macdonald made it home again. As I was talking with Elder Patrick Kearon of the Seventy last week, he joked that I should let him know if she disappears and doesn’t come back. I was happy to report when I spoke to him on another matter this week, that she did come back and that the mission was sure to run better with her here. She returned late on Sunday and we left early Monday afternoon to get to the first zone conference in Medford.

On Monday evening we were invited to have dinner at the home of the Johnsons who live in Central Point. They had served as full time senior missionaries in Brookings until October 2008. They also invited the senior couples, who would be coming to zone conference, serving in Lakeview and Brookings as well as the Idiarts. The Lakeview senior missionaries didn’t end up coming over as they were fearful of driving in potentially bad road conditions (which thankfully didn’t materialize) but we had a delightful time getting to know the Higginbothams who are currently serving in Brookings.

At this round of zone conferences one of my counselors spoke first and started the meeting with a Christmas message. They were followed by Sister Macdonald who wove a Christmas message into a parallel of the Sons of Helaman and the fact that they carry their mother’s heart with them, and she did a great job. I led two discussions in the morning. During the first discussion we made a list of things that lead some to believe the gospel is not true, and another list that leads people to believe the gospel is true. As we discussed the differences, we concluded that the Spirit can and will direct us to the truth, if we are open to the belief that the Lord does live and that he will direct His children to the truth. During the second discussion I showed a picture of a horse pulling a heavy load and we discussed how that applies to each of us in our duty as missionaries. The insights the missionaries shared were so wonderful. I was impressed with their wisdom and sensitivity to the spirit.

The assistants then led a great discussion entitled “finding through mining.” They showed ways for the missionaries to find new investigators through referrals like Elder Evans had taught us over a year ago, and through other ideas recorded in Preach My Gospel. The afternoon was split between testimonies from various missionaries and some closing comments from me including sharing the story “A Brother Like That.” I later commented to Sister Macdonald that I had felt the spirit more during these three days than I had ever felt in any other three day period of my life. I enjoyed leading these discussions and testifying of the Savior over and over again.

At the end of the week I received a pleasant call from the Leucks who own a place out in Depoe Bay. They asked if we would like to use it. I had work to do on Saturday, so I mostly stayed in and worked (with the BYU football game playing in the background) but we had the office senior missionaries with us and they hit the town and saw the sights. On Sunday we went to Sacrament meeting in Lincoln City, and to Priesthood and Relief society in Newport. We enjoyed seeing the missionaries and members in both wards. It was also nice because Sister Macdonald’s nephew lives in Newport and we enjoyed seeing his family. One sister told Sister Macdonald how much one of her talks in a previous stake conference had meant to her, which made them bond instantly.

Sunday evening upon our return to Eugene, one of our great missionaries, Elder Crandall, stopped in for a visit with his sister and some friends who were traveling with him. It was great to see him and feel great feelings of love for him and all missionaries we have come to know over the past few years. He reminded us again of the long term benefits that come from our service here.

Week Ending December 12, 2010 Week # 3

"Will we be on the blog?"

"Please go away."

Yes, they look natural.

Show offs!



Some do love a camera.

Some are totally unaware of the camera.

Some are very cooperative. "Yes, the blog!" "Hi Mom!"

Sister Macdonald was out of town this week. We don’t have much time apart on this mission, so this has been very different for me. She has been home once before for our youngest son’s wedding. This time apart was for another happy event in our lives. We have had two granddaughters born in the last month or so, and while I was talking with my general authority contact, he quickly authorized, and even encouraged her to go home and see the two of them. We have had two grandchildren born previously and she didn’t go home for either of their births, so we called around to all of our children to make sure there would be no jealously about her making a trip to see these new ones. We quickly got enthusiastic support from all of the children and so I booked her trip. Last Saturday she left for Texas to spend a few days and was able to witness the baby blessing there. Then she headed to Utah for a visit and another baby blessing the next Sunday. With the baby blessing in Highland, I was able to watch via Skype. I am so glad that she has had such a good time, but I do look forward to her return later tonight.

I was able to interview the missionaries in the Corvallis and Capital zones on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sister Macdonald made sure she had prepared beforehand the homemade goodies for these missionaries. They enjoyed the goodies but missed having Sis. Macdonald there. During this trip to the northern zones, I was also able to visit with stake leaders of two stakes who are planning to divide their Spanish branch. I needed to see what support they may need and if they will need additional missionaries in those areas. We have already needed to increase the number of Spanish missionaries assigned to this mission once before, and it looks like we will need to increase that number again.

Although this is only week three, my assistants and I worked a little bit on transfers. Since we make transfer changes in Burns when they come in for zone conferences (as Burns is over five hours away) and since we have moved zone conferences up to week four, we needed to get an earlier start on them. Anyway, that was a long lead in to again say that the Lord’s presence was felt in determining who goes where and who they go with.

On Thursday evening I enjoyed a dinner with the Watsons. I am lucky to have good people who try to make sure I don’t starve while Sister Macdonald is gone. She actually has taken really good care of me by having several meals in the freezer before she left, but I loved both the meal and the company at the Watsons. On Friday afternoon I attended a district meeting. That evening I went out teaching with two missionaries in Eugene and enjoyed the opportunity I had to be involved in teaching the gospel on the front lines. Saturday I tried to go to another baptism in Santa Clara, but I had heard the wrong start time and missed it by two hours. I was able to go to that ward on Sunday and witness their confirmations. Saturday I went out to dinner with the Lymans, and Sunday I enjoyed one more dinner out, this time at the Salisbury’s who have also become good friends. We will miss so many good people here in Eugene who have become so dear to us, when it is our time to go home.

Week Ending December 5, 2010 Week # 2

Two pictures of the variety in beauty that we take in as we travel through our mission. It often takes our breath away. The same roads traveled are new as weather and seasons change. What a beautiful world we are blessed with.

This was the week of our long drive. It gave us an opportunity to see our missionaries and the stake presidents in Roseburg, Grants Pass, Medford, Klamath Falls and Bend. Each day we visited with and interviewed twenty or more missionaries and each evening we had dinner with one of the stake presidents and their wives. We see these missionaries and stake presidents quite often and each time we do see them it seems like it has been a while and there is so much to catch up on.

The church provides mission presidents with a vehicle, and we are on our second one. We took delivery of this car 11 months ago and have over 30,000 miles on it. We have learned to make good use of the driving time by listening to books on tape, conference reports, mission president seminars, etc. Sister Macdonald is always working on a baby blanket for our newest grandchild while we drive as well. It has been a blessing to have this “forced” time together and we have found we enjoy this extra time together. We have made a commitment to find a way to spend more time with each other when we go back home and get involved with life there.

On Saturday of this week we had our first Zone Leaders’ Council over the phone. The assistants and I were a little concerned about how this would work, since we would not be in the same room, but it went surprising well. We had scheduled two hours for the call, but thought we would only take an hour or so. However, we ended up using all of the time available. This is not a replacement for getting together, but when our normally scheduled council (which we usually hold on week one of transfers) isn’t near the first of the month, we will hold an extra meeting by phone – so in a year’s time we will be together for nine and hold three by conference call. The obvious trade offs are the loss of personal interaction, and Sister Macdonald’s cooking of course, versus significant time savings as most of the zone leaders require a night here in Eugene and about two days away from their area.

On Saturday afternoon I also stopped by the home of one of the High Priest assistant group leaders and watched a part of the Civil War. It was fun to interact with them for a quarter or so and see their enthusiasm for their Ducks. Sunday I enjoyed a dinner at the home of President Barnes while Sister Macdonald was out of town (more on that next week) and went to a baptism for the Cottage Grove Ward. There were so many people there supporting the young lady being baptized that I couldn’t get a seat. I stayed for the baptism but left before the program was over. It is a nice problem to run out of room at a baptism.

Week Ending November 28, 2010 Week # 1

Here are the Watsons and the Campbells. Without them Thanksgiving dinner wouldn't have happened and the office couldn't function.

Here are the Johnsons. Without them nothing around here happens. She's my angel and he is hers. We love them both.

They made me get in this picture and I was brave (or stupid) to put it in the blog. These sisters are beautiful inside and out. We had such a good time decorating the tree.

Happy Thanksgiving. We enjoyed having the two office couples, the Watsons and the Campbells, along with Erda and Jerry Johnson over for Thanksgiving dinner. We also invited a fairly recent convert, but he got sick and wasn’t able to come. We were also the back-up plan for any missionaries in the area, but they all ended up being taken care of by are good members. Anyway, we had a great time with the eight of us here for dinner.

Since we held zone leaders’ council a couple of weeks ago in connection with our leadership training, we were able to start interviews this week. Sister Macdonald continued her tradition of making homemade fudge and short bread for interviews in the transfer that includes Christmas. The missionaries love her culinary skills and the touch of home memories it brings to them. This week we held interviews in Eugene and Coos Bay. After visiting with the missionaries in Coos Bay I enjoyed visiting with that good stake president. I am impressed with him, like his peers throughout the mission, who are dedicated to their assignments, and their Savior.

The material we reviewed prior to interviews as our gospel study time together was the conference issue of the Ensign. I am impressed with how much our missionaries learn from general conference and how they apply it to their teaching and their lives. If they continue to do this after they go home, they will be strong, contributing church members throughout their lives.

On Saturday morning we had a set of elders come over and help us set up the Christmas tree and later in the afternoon we had a set of sisters come by and help decorate the tree. They were each here about an hour. We certainly could have managed with out them, but it was fun to interact with them and let them have a taste of the holidays too. Later in the day I went to the baptism of a wonderful family in Santa Clara, while Sister Macdonald continued her cooking for next week’s holiday treats.

This week we don’t have a lot to report on, so I will just say how grateful we are for all of our missionaries, those in the field and those who have gone home. So many of them make the effort to stay in touch with us after they go home. This week we have heard from several of them just saying hi, wishing us a Happy Thanksgiving, or sending their wedding announcements, etc. We are thankful that they continue to do good things and that they include us in their joy. We wish them all the very best.

We are also grateful for our family. They are so wonderful in the way they continue to support us spiritually and emotionally from home. We couldn’t do this without them. We love them.

Week Ending November 21, 2010 Week # 6

A beautiful Fall day in Oregon to welcome yet another group of fantastic new missionaries. What a GREAT day!

The very next day and it is pouring rain--a typical Fall day in Oregon. Good thing the atrium at the Portland Temple is beautiful and dry. We had a very relaxed, beautiful session.

This was the week of transfers. We had six new missionaries come in on Tuesday and seven go home on Thursday. It was a very light transfer compared with some weeks in the summer when we had over 20 coming and going. Sister Macdonald and I commented again how one group will differ so much from another group. It isn’t because we think one is better than another, just their interest and personalities vary so much. We love them all and are thrilled they were assigned to this great mission.

A unique thing happened with transfers this week. After transfers were completed and called out, I had two missionaries call me with concerns over transfers, which is very unusual. Even more unusual is that I altered transfers to accommodate their concerns. My normal impression when a missionary suggests that I should change transfers is to tell them they are where they need to be and that they should see what the Lord would have them learn where they are. In both of these cases, I felt impressed to make a change. To put this in perspective I don’t think I have had five missionaries mention a concern to me in the 20 other transfers I have been involved with before this one and I didn’t make a change in any of those other situations. So to have two concerns raised in one transfer and to actually make a change is very unusual. If you are like me and wonder why things would happen so differently this time, let me tell you what I learned – I don’t know, except that I do know the Lord is in charge. I believe my assistants and I listened to the Spirit as carefully this time as we have other times, but to have the Spirit confirm that the change in assignment was still His will, regardless of where the idea came from, was a great learning experience for me.

This week I also take my hat off to one of our great district leaders. This district leader is also training a new missionary who was a little homesick. He worked with his new companion and helped him through his concerns. When I talked to their zone leader on another issue I found out about the concern after the fact. I was impressed that our leaders are doing what they can to solve the problems in their districts or zones and only coming to me when they may need extra help. This principle of learning to fulfill the stewardships that they have will help them throughout their lives.

We enjoyed a nice dinner with the office staff on Friday evening and it was good to see them all a bit healthier, and learning their assignments so well. I also talked with the other senior missionaries and enjoyed hearing the good work they are involved with. Sister Macdonald and I ended the week by going to a baptism in Salem, and associating with our missionaries who were there.

Week Ending November 14, 2010 Week # 5

President and I have run out of poses--but not these fearless leaders! They make me tired sometimes.

This part if easy. Just smile!



The camera setting must have been off for the next two--slightly blurry and squatty. Sorry about that. At least we can see everyone. It was a wonderful leadership training meeting. These missionaries are amazing!



Ditto!

Since our zone conferences were held in week 3 when Elder Kikuchi was here, instead of week 5, it freed up some of the week and allowed us to schedule both a zone leader council near the beginning of the month, and a second mission-wide leadership training conference. As part of the direction given to the mission presidents during the summer of this year, we were asked to train our leaders (zone leaders, district leaders and trainers) in some new lesson formats that are called the Fundamentals of Preach My Gospel.

Our zone leaders’ council was held early in the day on Tuesday. We started the leadership training conference in the afternoon. Since transfers are happening next week, and we had all of the zone leaders coming together, we also made the zone leaders’ transfers and some of the district leaders’ transfers effective during this conference. I was excited to see them leave with their new companions ready to immediately implement what they had just learned. I have said this many times, but I will say it again, these zone leaders continue to make significant contributions to these meetings and are truly making a big impact on their zones and the mission!

It was good to again have all of the missionaries that were invited to the leadership training together on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday to train them and watch them teach each other. Since all of the missionaries have heard me teach most of these eight new lessons, I had them spend most of the time teaching each other. I believe that this hands-on approach improves their teaching and comprehension much quicker than hearing me teach them. On Wednesday afternoon, I taught a session on using the Book of Mormon more effectively in their teaching.

Sister Macdonald and I were invited to go to Depoe Bay on the coast with President and Sister Rau, the Bend stake president, and spend two days in a condo with them. Since our preparation days have been nonexistent that last few weeks we were glad for this opportunity to socialize with these friends. We tried some stunt kite flying (which President Rau is good at) and relaxed. We drove out on Wednesday at the end of the leadership training and came home on Friday afternoon. Our phones rang a little, and we stopped in on our missionaries in Newport. It was good to see them. We were very grateful for the opportunity to recharge our batteries.

On the weekend we attended a couple baptisms, and I had two meetings with two of the local stake presidencies and the district and zone leaders assigned to their stakes. I also released Elder Bauer as an assistant and called Elder Groskreutz to take his place. One of the unique things about missionary leadership is how often the changes take place. These constant changes keep me ever mindful of the need to teach, train, and lift these good young men and women.

Week Ending November 7, 2010 Week # 4

Here is baby Bree, angel #9. We are so excited she has arrived. Isn't she beautiful?!

We enjoyed dinner out with President Cryer and his wife, Cathy. They are wonderful and we really enjoy spending time with them.

The big news for the Macdonald family this week was the birth of another grandchild. Our second child, and oldest son, and his wife added a new girl to their home on Monday, November 1, 2010. All went well. That brings their total to three girls, and our grandchildren count to nine in total with eight granddaughters and one grandson. Four of these beautiful grandchildren have been born while we have been on our mission. We love them all, and have been grateful for the technology of Skype that allows us to see and hear them even when we aren’t able to be with them.

This week I worked on transfers with my assistants and we prepared for our Zone Leaders Council and Leadership Training to be held next week. The work of transfers this time was a little bit lighter as we only have six missionaries coming in, and seven going home. Also, with Thanksgiving and Christmas falling into this next transfer period, I felt prompted to make fewer changes so that the missionaries and ward members would know each other better during the holiday season. I hope this will increase the number of referrals the members will be willing to give to these good missionaries of ours.

During this week we also looked at some potential new office spaces. Our current lease is up for renewal and while the location is great, the office is located in a basement and difficult for our senior missionaries to get in and out of. It is also difficult to handle the constant coming and going of supplies. So while we may end up staying where we are, we are also looking at some other options. Initially the Church thought they would build some office space onto the church building on 18th Street, but in the end it was not cost feasible, so we have been looking at existing spaces. This has been interesting for me to be on this side of the negotiations for leasing of space (for those who don’t know, we own commercial real estate back home and there I would often be involved in lease discussions with potential new tenants). I hope we can find something that is both economical and functional for the office staff.

On the weekend of November 6th and 7th there was an Oregon wide regional broadcast from Salt Lake City for the Sunday portion of stake conference. Sister Macdonald and I had the opportunity to speak in the Saturday evening adult session in the Eugene Stake. It was nice to not need to travel and to be given a chance to share our testimonies once again. We know that our chances to be able to testify of our Savior in a public setting will be much more limited after we are released from our mission next summer, and we truly look forward to these opportunities to speak.

At the end of another week I have become more and more aware that it is truly His work and His glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. We are grateful to be able to assist our Savior in His work.

Week Ending October 31, 2010 Week # 3

The sisters welcomed us dressed in old ties and suit coats they found hanging in the closet of their apartment. They are so much fun!

Elder and Sister Kakuchi were delightful!




President and Sister Wright have always got our backs--whatever we need in the Medford area. They are wonderful, dedicated and a lot of fun.

Camrie, you look beautiful! What an exciting day for you. Wish we could be there, but how blessed we are to live in the time we do. Skype is such a blessing. We are so proud of you!

We started this week on Tuesday and Wednesday by finishing another round of mission president training as we taught in the Corvallis and Capital Zones. We loved seeing all of these good missionaries. We also had the opportunity to have a lovely dinner and visit on Tuesday night with President & Sister Sherry (he serves as a counselor in the Corvallis Stake.) Later that evening I went out to the Monmouth Stake with the Capital zone leaders and we visited with the stake president there, President Petersen. Both of these stake leaders were very willing to discuss how they could help the church grow in their stakes. It was also good to visit with the zone leaders in route.

On Wednesday afternoon, after we finished the training in the Capital Zone, we traveled back to Eugene and made final preparations for the mission tour with Elder & Sister Kikuchi. Sister Macdonald made a lovely dinner for the Kikuchis and the Dyches from the Portland mission as they were bringing the Kikuchis to Eugene after they finished touring their mission. They were originally scheduled to arrive at 6:00, then 7:00, and finally arrived at 8:00. By then they did not want a large meal and only had a bowl soup. They all said the soup was good. We have untouched leftovers for a future meal. ;> Elder Kikuchi and I visited that evening about things our mission needed and reviewed how the mission has done over the last couple of years.

On Thursday we held a zone conference in Eugene for all the missionaries north of Roseburg. We would normally hold this in two sessions of zone conference, but it worked out great this way. Elder Kikuchi is fairly direct and he taught the missionaries powerfully that although this mission has already been blessed with more baptisms in a single year than the mission has ever seen since it was organized, the windows of heaven would only fully open after ALL the missionaries were being completely obedient to the morning schedule. While most of the missionaries are already obedient in this area, the principle he taught is the power of us all being united and doing all that we should. After we finished our conference in Eugene, we drove to Medford to be ready for our conference there on Friday.

On Friday Elder Kikuchi taught basically the same things he taught in the North. He did so with a lot of energy. I am sure he has taught this same principle in many other missions this year, but he still maintained a very high level of energy and enthusiasm and the missionaries received it well in both locations. That evening we enjoyed a meal at President Wright’s home in Jacksonville and we were joined by the stake presidents and their wives from the Medford and Grants Pass Stakes. I think these stake presidents enjoyed the opportunity to have an informal meeting with a member of the seventy.

Saturday morning, while Elder Kikuchi visited with and released the Medford temple president, we had a wonderful family experience. Our oldest grandchild was baptized in Utah. Since we were serving here, our son-in-law received special permission from their stake president to allow us to watch the baptism via Skype. We didn’t hear the talks or see the confirmation, but we were able to see Camrie become a member of the church. We felt so blessed to be able to have this opportunity. Later that day we attended a convert baptism in the Medford area and then drove back to Eugene.

On Sunday (which was Halloween) we encouraged our missionaries to be in by 7:00 pm and do their studying that they missed on Sunday morning as they are at leadership meetings at the church. Since we were home and available that evening, we invited the missionaries serving in the Eugene and Santa Clara districts to come by for some impromptu studying from the scriptures. We ended up having 13 missionaries come over and we enjoyed our time with them.

All in all, we had a great week and since we were very tired at the end of it all, we think we might have come close to doing all that we were supposed to.

Week Ending October 24, 2010 Week # 2

Our assistants, Elders Jestes and Brauer, have been extra busy lately helping President do mission president training in all the zones along with taking care of their own area. They are a big help.

They took a quick hike to some falls to break up a long drive...and to see some beautiful waterfalls. Like the shoes?

On Sunday, October 17, 2010, we needed to call our good friends who preside over the Oregon Portland Mission to coordinate the timing of the exchange of Elder & Sister Kikuchi who will be touring both of our missions next week. When we spoke to them we found out that on Saturday the 16th they had a tragedy in their mission. One of their elders died from a brain aneurism. You can read about it on their October 18, 2010 entry to their blog at: http://www.oregonportlandmission.blogspot.com/ . We share their grief and sorrow over this tragedy and add our prayers to theirs that this family, the missionary who was with him at the time and the rest of their mission will be comforted at this sad and difficult time. We are so grateful that we have not experienced this type of challenge in our mission and I am sure that Sister Macdonald and I both have prayed even more fervently this week that our missionaries would be watched over and protected.

This week we were pleased to once again have a round of mission president training (instead of a round of interviews) as we taught in the Eugene, Coos Bay, Klamath Falls and Cascade Zones. Sister Macdonald was over her illness from last week and was able to again travel with me. This was a welcome addition to Elder Bauer and me traveling alone last week. In addition to training the missionaries in these zones, Sister Macdonald and I determined that it would be helpful if she would visit with all of the new missionaries and as many of the other missionaries as she could while I trained the missionaries. We felt like this worked out much better as she could give some counsel to them and also determine if any of them needed to be interviewed by me before we left and headed to the next town.

Again this week, Elder Bauer headed out to Coos Bay on Monday night so that he could go on a couple of exchanges before we arrived. He also did an exchange in Klamath Falls and in Prineville (which he really enjoyed as he started his mission in this town) which is in the Cascade zone. While he was on these exchanges, Sister Macdonald and I had dinner and visited with the stake presidents and their wives in Klamath Falls and Bend. I am grateful for our regular contact with these good leaders, and I am confident that our regular meeting with them has been a large influence in their additional commitment to the spirit of missionary work.

This training cycle we have been teaching the importance, as emphasized in Preach My Gospel, of using our time wisely. I think having Sister Macdonald visit with the missionaries, and having one of the assistants with us who drove some of the time while I worked on reading letters and made calls etc., helped us practice what we preached and use our time more effectively as we traveled. Since the assistants have another elder serving with them this transfer, it also didn’t slow down the work in their area.

The missionaries were so kind to me this week. I had my birthday this week and most of the letters to the mission president included some kind birthday wish, the zones we visited sang happy birthday to me, and I received many calls from current and former missionaries and friends as well. I definitely felt the love – Many Thanks!

On Saturday I went to a baptism in Corvallis with Elder Jestes, my other assistant, and he stayed there for the weekend to go on a few exchanges. We will meet up with him when we travel there on Tuesday to train in that zone. Elder Webster got a ride back to the area as he had taught the young man being baptized and I had the opportunity to drive him back to Eugene. I always enjoy any one-on-one time that I can get with any of our missionaries.

On Sunday our ward had their primary program and we enjoyed imagining our grandchildren doing theirs and also thinking back to the times when our children were young. We enjoyed many pleasant thoughts. We were also invited to do a fireside for the youth in our Eugene ward. It was great to be with the youth and feel their excitement for life and for the gospel.

Week Ending October 17, 2010 Week # 1

Elder Orgill came by for a visit and brought two of his nephews. They were so cute. Boy do they love their Uncle.

Here he is with his parents. It was so good to meet them. We had a nice, but way too short visit. His nephews and I were just getting out the toys.

Sister Wood came by for a visit too. We had a great time visiting with her. I do wonder if we'll get visits when we leave Oregon. I sure hope so.

Since this transfer cycle had “week one” close to the beginning of the month, we held our zone leaders council, as we have historically done, on this week, right after transfers. I think that is the best way to do it, as the companionships know they will be together for the next six weeks and their goals are set for the next transfer. We only had three new zone leaders this time, which is fewer than usual. The new ones fit in so well that we had very cohesive discussions as we met. The zone leaders do so much more sharing of ideas than they use to. I think we are preparing them to work well in church and business councils that they will be a part of in the future.

This week we also started a round of mission president training (instead of a round of interviews this transfer cycle) as we taught in Roseburg, Grants Pass, and Temple Zones. Sister Macdonald was not feeling well on Thursday morning, so she did not make the trip with me. My assistants and I had already planned that one of them would go with us to each zone that we taught in and would assist me in the teaching. This transfer we assigned an elder to be with the assistants in a three-some so that they could still work their area while the other one was traveling with me. That way they could do some exchanges with the missionaries in each area as we traveled. This week Elder Bauer went to Roseburg on Tuesday following zone leaders’ council and I met up with him on Thursday morning when I arrived there. I was glad for the company this week and to have him assist in the teaching. He did great.

On Thursday afternoon we met with the stake presidency in Grants Pass for their monthly lunch with the missionaries and then taught that zone. That evening we traveled to the Medford area and Elder Bauer did an exchange in Ashland. I followed up on letters from the missionaries and made various calls etc. On Friday we taught the missionaries in the Temple zone and I was able to meet that afternoon and evening with the stake president in the Medford stake and then the Central Point stake president. Afterwards I attended a baptism of a very good man the sisters had been teaching in the Central Point 1st ward. It was good to have a chance to visit with him and see the excitement of this new member, and also to visit with another man and his family who have a date to be baptized in a couple of weeks. As I shared my testimony with this investigator he shared his with me. He too will make a great new member.

On Saturday and Sunday I attended the Correlation Council Meetings in Medford and Eugene with the area 70 and the stake presidents. Since I meet with most of the stake presidents so often, this meeting is primarily a review of issues I have previously covered with them.

One thought that was shared in our council meeting was that when we are tested and we are asked to do something that is hard, our testimony can either shrink or grow into a true conversion. As I read the scriptures and hear of the experience of early members of the church I see this happen to them. I pray that I can make that same transition.

Week Ending October 10, 2010 Week # 6

Elder Hardwick stopped in for a quick visit. It was so good to see him!

These new elders arrived on an amazing Fall day in Oregon. They were so excited to be here and wanted to get to work. We fed them and sent them off.

Such a beautiful day to be at the temple. The grounds were beautiful and peaceful. We could have stayed there all day. But alas, hunger will set in so we loaded up the cars and headed toward Eugene for (a snack) a testimony meeting and dinner.

On September 6, 2010 we received three missionaries who were awaiting visas to go to Brazil (to two different missions) and one to Portugal. In the last week, on three different days they were all able to depart for their assigned missions. We will miss all three of them and believe that the training they received here will help them in their missions.

We were at the airport awaiting our 15 new missionaries. We saw them coming down the escalator when Sister Macdonald leaned over to me and said, “Wow, can you feel it? This is a good group of missionaries.” As we visited with them we could feel that this group has great promise and a lot of enthusiasm. They will do much to build the kingdom here.

It was good to go to the temple with the nine departing missionaries and with the Campbells from the office. Only four of this group had been to the Portland Temple before. It was fun to be with them as they saw the beauty of this temple, and more importantly felt the spirit of the house of the Lord. Sadly, the day after one of our missionaries went home his brother-in-law died a tragic death. When our missionary reached out to us there was such a bond of love between us and we sorrow with him and his family as they mourn. We pray the Lord will support them at this time.

On Saturday there was a mission wide meeting for local leadership (not missionaries) with Elder Bowen of the 70 regarding missionary work in the wards and stakes. I was so impressed with the large number of people that came to the meeting. I say this because the meeting was an extra meeting that was just called a couple of weeks ago. Most of these same leaders were invited to a meeting when Elder Bednar was here last month. Their travel commitment is so significant. The meeting was good, and could only help with our missionary efforts. Later that night we went to a baptism in Salem and to a dinner meeting with about a dozen LDS doctors and their spouses in the area. It was good to be able to thank them personally for all they do to help with our missionary health needs.

Sunday I met with two of the local stake presidencies and the zone leaders assigned to their stakes. Again, these good men understand the responsibility they have to welcome all into the kingdom. At the meeting on Saturday Elder Bowen called all of the local leaders full time missionaries, and me a part time missionary because I will go home after three years and they will stay on to build the kingdom for years to come. This perspective really drives home who has the long-term responsibility.

I will close with a bit of irony, last week I mentioned that we needed to send a missionary home who had been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. In this incoming group of 15 missionaries, three of them are diabetics. So I am confident that once our elder who went home gets stabilized, this will be a great place for him to serve.

Two Weeks Ending October 3, 2010 Weeks # 4 & 5

Our newest granddaughter. Thank goodness for Skype. We could see her and hear her, just couldn't snuggle her. Isn't she beautiful?!

Bart and Renae taking a look at Heceta Head Lighthouse from a distance and the sealions down below in the rain and wind. The umbrellas collected more rain than they repelled. Not the best day for a trip to the coast.

President started walking fast when he saw I had the camera, but I got him anyway. The Pinnacles at Crater Lake were amazingly erie. We had never seen them before. Glad we took the time.

Dad, Mom, Necia & Lyle with us at Sahalie Falls. There wasn't as much water coming from them as we are used to seeing, but they were still worth seeing. Koosha Falls were beautiful, mostly because of the leaves turning colors all around them. So glad we took the time to walk to them.

It was great to get out in week four and visit with our missionaries in the south and the east, and also to see the stake presidents in those areas. Specifically we traveled to Roseburg, Grants Pass, Medford area, Klamath Falls, and Bend. We enjoyed having dinner with the stake presidents and their wives in the stakes of Grants Pass, Central Point and Redmond, and I also met with the stake president in Bend. Each of these stake presidents are so committed and trying hard to build the kingdom in their stakes. We are, of course, implementing the new plan that calls for interviews only once a quarter, and then we do other specialized training by the mission president with the missionaries in the other two months. We have remained committed to visit every zone at least every transfer to make sure we get some face time with every missionary every six weeks, and hopefully more often. Due to moving a few things around in the last two transfers to accommodate Elder Bednar’s schedule and the mission president’s seminar, it had been eight weeks since we had seen some missionaries more than just briefly at the mission conference, and just over three months since we had sat down with some of them in an interview setting. For most that was not a problem, but for some we definitely needed to visit them and help steer correctly, and give direction. I am sure that some of this is just expectations, as I seldom saw my mission president while I was out. However, this experience showed me the importance of regularly checking in on everything that we really care about. I hope that in my prayers and my important family and other relationships I “check in” as I should. In week five my assistants and I worked on transfers and some specialized training that I will be doing in October on "using time wisely". Once again the transfer process was a revelatory experience for me. An elder asked if working on transfers was similar to how Elder Bednar explained the assigning of missionaries to individual missions. I assured him it was. While the Brethren have 340 missions to choose from as to where a missionary should be assigned, I have only about 85 areas. Otherwise the process is much the same. I was again grateful for the Lord’s quiet promptings, and sometimes not so quiet promptings on what should happen. As in all things these two assistants of mine, Elders Bauer and Jestes, are like the other assistants I have had – great. They do so much behind the scenes to help the work move forward. They never seem to care if they get any credit; they just do as the Lord would have them. We just love them and all of our other missionaries. On Saturday, September the 18th shortly after we returned home from the mission president seminar, Sister Macdonald’s brother and his wife, Bart & Renee, came up this way after spending some time with one of their children’s families in southern California. We enjoyed seeing them and had a nice couple of days with them. We have been blessed that this great mission we have been called to is so close to our home. It has allowed dear family and friends to come and spend a little time with us. We love each of them and their efforts to keep in touch. Just over a week later one of her sisters, Necia and her husband Lyle, came by for a couple of days and brought Sister Macdonald’s parents with them. Again it was great to see them. They were so kind to allow me to work on transfers while they enjoyed a day trip in the area without me. These two siblings had both mentioned wanting to get up here while we were here. Since our time here will end next summer, it made their trips close to each other, and we loved seeing them! At the end of week five we made an extra trip to the southern part of the mission as we were invited to go through the Medford Temple with a woman who was baptized in Klamath Falls in 2009. We were also able to attend the funeral for my counselor’s wife’s father in Klamath Falls. He had also joined the church in Klamath Falls within the last couple of years while in his mid nineties. It was great to see how strong his family is. They had six children all of whom were married in the temple and are active in the church. Although he wasn’t a member until very late in life he supported his children in their church attendance. His late wife must have been a great influence in that family. A temple endowment and a funeral, two crowning events for two good people who are living and have lived their lives as they should, remind me why the gospel is so important. While we were traveling to these two events, one of our elders was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. We were so blessed that he was in an area near our mission doctor and that he could be seen so quickly. Our doctor got him stabilized, and took great care of him. Although this was not life threatening, he went home on Saturday, October 2, 2010 so that he could get this disease under control and stabilized. I was grateful we were back on Friday night so that I could take him to the airport and go through security with him as he had only traveled by plane once before, to come on his mission. Then I was able to spend some time with him at the gate and insure him he had done a great job here. Hopefully he will be able to come back to us in a couple of months.

At the tail end of this week we received the await call that a new granddaughter had joined the family. Evie Rain Macdonald was born October 2. As you can see, she is beautiful. She is also healthy. Her big brother is anxious to be the big helper. We are so blessed.

Week Ending September 19, 2010 Week # 3

A beautiful day at the San Diego Temple. It was chilly outside, but the sun was shining and the sky was blue. This is something we hadn't seen in Eugene for a while.

The Mormon Battalion Visitors Center was really a great place. The sister missionaries there did a very good job and it was fun to visit with them.




President was "selected" to be the model for the battalion gear. The cameras were flashing every where!



We had a visit from the remaining cast of District 2. Many of the mission presidents and wives had questions for them. Their personalities really came through. It was fun to spend some time with them for some "behind the scenes" information.

This was the week of our annual mission president’s seminar. The dates of the seminar were the 15th through the 18th (Wednesday through Saturday) and it was held in San Diego. This was the same city we met in for our first seminar in 2008. Although the actual location was different, we followed the same format of having in attendance the 17 missions in the west area (which includes the California & Hawaii missions) and the 9 missions in northwest area (which includes the missions located in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and one Canadian mission). Elder Clayton presided at the meetings. In the past the annual meetings were presided over by a member of the twelve, but I understand that policy is changing. Of course we would have been richly edified if one of the twelve had come, but we came home lifted and wiser. That being said, this seminar didn’t lack any in the companionship of the spirit and we were able to learn much in some of the “how-to-dos” of running a mission.

The things we learned are included in our personal journals and are centered on the fundamentals contained in Preach My Gospel. In addition to Elder Clayton, Elder Bowen of the 70 and Stephen Allen of the missionary department came. Brother Allen was able to teach much about what is happening now and also some things that are being tested in various areas of the church. These tested items related to reaching people through internet, texting, and advertizing campaigns and other more modern, nontraditional missionary methods. These approaches have resulted in more hits to Mormon.org and more media referral last month than ever before in a month.

It was good to be there and be instructed, but also somewhat melancholy to see some of the mission presidents and their wives for the last time in the mission field. While I will see the Northwest mission presidents at the midyear seminar in the spring, this was the last one to be attended by Sister Macdonald and the other mission president’s wives in our class. Some of the people we will miss seeing include the Dyches from Portland, of course, with whom we have grown quite close, the Reeves in Riverside who was our youngest son’s (Clint) mission president for the second half of his mission, and Keith and Ada Wilson in Everett, Washington who have been friends and co-workers for many years, as well as all the presidents we came through the MTC with. There were hugs and feelings of love expressed, and times that will not soon be forgotten.

Associated with these gatherings is an activity or two. This year we went to the Mormon Battalion visitor center in old town San Diego and also enjoyed a short dinner cruise in a boat made to look like an old time paddle boat. The food was wonderful, the atmosphere was fantastic and the company was better than both.

Most of our missionaries didn’t know we attended this meeting, but their obedience and hard work made it easy for us to be gone with only limited phone calls back and forth. We are so glad they are doing so well and are easy to lead, motivate and love.

Week Ending September 12, 2010 Week # 2

While waiting for Elder Bednar to arrive, our missionaries waited in their positions for pictures and sang hymns together.

This is the first time we have had our entire mission together. When they sang our "Oregon Mission Song", it was amazing!

Elder Bednar was entering the building as they were singing "Called to Serve". What a thrilling and proud moment. We couldn't have planned it any better. (They didn't know he was there.)

We quickly moved into position for each of five group pictures. Our photographers were so patient.

This was not a normal week two for the Oregon Eugene Mission! We started the week on Monday by welcoming three missionaries into our mission on a temporary basis. Two of them are trying to get to Brazil (to two different missions) and one to Portugal, but they have been delayed for an indeterminate amount of time due to problems getting their visas. We had the normal welcome lunch with them and a very abbreviated introduction into the mission and then assigned them to three different companionships in the Eugene area. They were, of course, surprised to be coming to Eugene instead of to their assigned mission. However, when they heard that Elder Bednar was going to be speaking to the missionaries in this mission on Saturday, any potential disappointment seemed to fade away, and at least for now they are excited to be here. This is the first time we have been asked to host missionaries on a temporary basis in our mission. If they are all as good as these three, we would be happy to do it any time.

The next three days were normal enough for week two, and we enjoyed holding interviews in our three largest zones – Corvallis, Capital and Eugene on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday respectively. As I mentioned last week, we are studying articles written by Elder Bednar as we visit with our missionaries prior to holding interviews with them. We were impressed by how well the missionaries had studied these articles and understood the principles of faith captured in the articles. We believe that their faith has increased as they have focused on these subjects, and that their ability to teach and testify on the doctrine of faith has also improved.

On Friday I spent a bit of time on the phone with Sister Idiart who has been a god-send in handling so many of the details with the conference on Saturday with Elders Bednar, Ringwood, Malm and Area 70 Brinkerhoff. She has been coordinating rides with members for missionaries coming in from the far off places of the mission, as well as arranging with photographers to take pictures, and she and her family volunteered to make sack lunches for all who were coming – about 225! Yes you did read that she was released from her mission last week, but she was kind enough to take this assignment to completion rather than trying to hand it off to someone else.

Friday evening I spoke to Tim Dyches, the Portland mission president, and found out how things went there. They had the same type of conference on Friday night with the same leaders in attendance with their missionaries. He was, as always, a big help in letting me know some of the things that worked well logistically in Portland, and I make no apology for regularly copying many of the good things he does.

On Saturday all the preparation paid off and things went off without a hitch. The missionaries all arrived before the cut-off time of 8:00 a.m. Since none of them stayed over in Eugene the night before, many of them had very early departure times. The two photographers also arrived early and took some test photos so when Elder Bednar arrived all went smoothly. We were even able to start our meetings a few minutes early. Elder Bauer, one of my assistants, conducted the meeting and it was a good experience for him. Elders Ringwood and Malm took a few minutes to bare their testimonies and then Elder Bednar spoke and asked and answered questions (He sometimes had Elder Ringwood or Malm answer a question). I was so proud that our missionaries didn’t ask any foolish questions and in fact, asked inspired questions. The three hours seemed to go by very quickly. At the end of the meeting each of the visiting brethren bore a brief testimony and Elder Bednar offered an apostolic blessing.

During the meeting when one of the others were answering a question, I leaned over to Elder Bednar and asked him if he would have time to greet one of our missionaries, Elder Lopez, since he already told me he would not have time to shake hands with all of them. I explained that this young elder’s mother had passed away a few months ago, and that his father had met Elder Bednar recently at a stake conference in Texas. He said he would be happy to. When Elder Lopez came into the room where we were visiting, Elder Bednar told him “You can do this.” After visiting with him he gave him a big hug and Elder Lopez wept. As he was leaving Elder Ringwood also told Elder Lopez that he could do it. This was a great lift to him. We were so happy to see this ministering to the one that the Savior did so well.

The rest of Saturday we were privileged to enjoy lunch and dinner with the visitors as well as attend a young single adult fireside that evening. I also attended a meeting in the afternoon with all of the stake presidencies and bishops from the 15 stakes in our mission. These meetings followed a similar format as our missionary meeting with a large portion being Q&A. Elder Bednar did well with all of the questions even though some of the questions asked by the young single adults were clearly not as inspired as the questions our missionaries asked. Again I was impressed with the local leadership who are so willing to travel great distances to listen to an apostle. Saturday night we were pleased to have President and Sister Wright from the Central Point Stake stay at our home so they wouldn’t have to travel home late. We enjoyed visiting with them and are grateful for their friendship.

On Sunday the three visitors each went to a different stake and held a two hour meeting in the morning. Elder Bednar went to Roseburg with Elder Brinkerhoff, we went with Elder Ringwood to Monmouth, and Elder Malm went to Corvallis. We enjoyed our time with Elder Ringwood and that good stake. Afterwards we met back in Salem with Elder Bednar and Brinkerhoff so that they could take Elder Ringwood with them to the airport in Portland. They arrived at the designated chapel meeting place a few minutes before us, and since the timing was right Elder Bednar went into the sacrament meeting and bore a brief testimony. I am sure that will be a pleasant memory for those members.

In our personal journals, and many others I am sure, are recorded many thoughts and feelings related to all of these meetings we attended. Most important, I am assured that there are modern day apostles and that this church is led by inspiration. I pray that I will lead this mission through inspiration and that Sister Macdonald and I will both lead our lives the way the Lord would have us.