The most wonderful mission presidents in the northwest area along with Elder Clayton and Elder Arnold
This picture includes the area seventies for the northwest area. They are a great help in working with stake presidents.The highlight of the week for me was attending the mid-year mission president seminar Thursday through Saturday in Bellevue Washington. This seminar is a day or two shorter than the annual seminar and, unfortunately, it is just for the mission presidents. At the annual seminar the wives join us and it is ALWAYS better to have Sister Macdonald with me. Since it was held relatively close (a five hour drive straight up the I-5), I drove to Portland and picked up President Dyches who is presiding over the Oregon Portland Mission in route. We had a very pleasant discussion on the way up and back. Sister Macdonald and I have really learned to admire and love him and his wonderful wife. We enjoy any chance we have to be with them.
This seminar was presided over by Elder Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy. Also in attendance were Elder Arnold of the 1st Quorum of the Seventy and Brother Allen who is the director of the missionary department along with the nine mission presidents in the northwest area. On Friday evening the area seventies in the area joined us as well. Often times the missionaries will tell me how much they enjoyed zone conference and how much it lifted them. I felt the same way as I was coming home from this seminar with all of these good men. I was lifted, renewed and had clearer thoughts about where I should be heading and what I should be doing. I pray the Lord’s spirit will guide me to be able to implement the instructions and promptings that I received in an appropriate way.
One thing they always emphasize at these meetings is the need to make sure you maintain a great relationship with your wife and family, and to never allow the pressure of this calling (or any other calling for that matter) to interfere with being first and foremost a good husband and father. Although we all know intuitively that the level of our service will never rise above the level of marriage, sometimes we can let things that matter least take precedence over things that matter most. It was great when I got home on Saturday to go out to dinner with Sister Macdonald and catch up on things that happened while we were apartfor a few days. She truly is my best friend and a great missionary companion.
Before leaving for the seminar my assistants and I enjoyed the influence of the spirit as we made transfer decisions. These will not take effect for another week and a half, but with zone conferences next week and the seminar we needed to nail down most of the decisions before I left. After zone conferences I will make last changes to the transfer board and then we will let missionaries being affected know the end of that week.
All in all it was a great week where I felt the spirit of the Lord in rich abundance. In some organizations the more interaction you have with those in senior positions the more you wonder how it operates as well as it does. In the Church, the more I get to know the senior leaders, the more secure my testimony is and the more I know that the Lord runs this Church.
This seminar was presided over by Elder Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy. Also in attendance were Elder Arnold of the 1st Quorum of the Seventy and Brother Allen who is the director of the missionary department along with the nine mission presidents in the northwest area. On Friday evening the area seventies in the area joined us as well. Often times the missionaries will tell me how much they enjoyed zone conference and how much it lifted them. I felt the same way as I was coming home from this seminar with all of these good men. I was lifted, renewed and had clearer thoughts about where I should be heading and what I should be doing. I pray the Lord’s spirit will guide me to be able to implement the instructions and promptings that I received in an appropriate way.
One thing they always emphasize at these meetings is the need to make sure you maintain a great relationship with your wife and family, and to never allow the pressure of this calling (or any other calling for that matter) to interfere with being first and foremost a good husband and father. Although we all know intuitively that the level of our service will never rise above the level of marriage, sometimes we can let things that matter least take precedence over things that matter most. It was great when I got home on Saturday to go out to dinner with Sister Macdonald and catch up on things that happened while we were apartfor a few days. She truly is my best friend and a great missionary companion.
Before leaving for the seminar my assistants and I enjoyed the influence of the spirit as we made transfer decisions. These will not take effect for another week and a half, but with zone conferences next week and the seminar we needed to nail down most of the decisions before I left. After zone conferences I will make last changes to the transfer board and then we will let missionaries being affected know the end of that week.
All in all it was a great week where I felt the spirit of the Lord in rich abundance. In some organizations the more interaction you have with those in senior positions the more you wonder how it operates as well as it does. In the Church, the more I get to know the senior leaders, the more secure my testimony is and the more I know that the Lord runs this Church.
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