Week Ending May 29, 2011 Week # 3

Oregon scenery as we travel.

The hillsides along the coast are covered with flowers. It was a beautiful day!

During the last couple of weeks we have had several reasons to call upon our Heavenly Father in mighty prayer in behalf of some of our missionaries and/or their families and friends. We had a senior sister diagnosed with cancer that required the couple to go home so she could receive treatment. As they were making hurried preparations to leave, they seemed to be more concerned about leaving their area without another couple to replace them than they were about their own well being. We had an elder who needed shoulder surgery, another who dislocated his ankle and broke his leg while playing basketball and needed surgery right away that required nine screws and a plate. Another couple of missionaries received sprained ankles while playing basketball. I would like to outlaw basketball. We have an elder serving here from Joplin Missouri whose mother’s home was leveled during the tornado there and she lost all her worldly posessions. However, her life was spared. Another one of our elders had his best friend from home, serving a mission in Chile, die of a heart attack while out jogging. In each of these cases the Lord sustained our missionaries and their families. We have been able to visit with each of these missionaries, and in some cases I have been able to give a blessing before their surgery. We also have talked with their families and found them in good spirits in spite of the significant challenges they were experiencing. I am grateful for a loving God who hears our prayers and cares for us and our wonderful missionaries.

This week we visited with our missionaries in the Corvallis, Salem, Eugene, and Coos Bay Zones. As we did last week, we focused on chapters 2 and 3 of Ether and enjoyed additional insights from all of the missionaries in these zones. The opportunity that we have to visit with these good young people regularly will certainly be one of the things we will miss the most in the years to come.

This week we received letters from the First Presidency, the Quorum and the Twelve, and the executive director of the missionary department thanking us for our service and extending our release. Our missionaries often tell us how they don’t like it when the office sends them information about their travel home, or calls them to clarify something about their return home, as it makes them face the reality. In the past we have always told them that these inquiries are normal and that they need to plan on returning and not feel bad about it. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, we know a little more about what they were saying and how they felt.

In the more calm moments that come every now and then, we are taking time to try and prepare information that we hope will help the Youngs have as smooth an entry into this assignment as possible. I am sure we will end up missing several things we should have included, but we hope what we have prepared for them will be useful to them when they arrive. We are also 100% convinced that they will do spectacular regardless of what we do or don’t do.

Week Ending May 22, 2011 Week # 2

President and Sister Stewart, in Klamath Falls, have been a great support to our missionaries and missionary work. We will miss working with them!

One last picture of the Temple Zone in front of the Medford Temple. It was chilly, but the sun was shining so everyone gets outside to enjoy it even if just for a picture.

This week we started with our final round of interviews with the missionaries in the southern and eastern parts of the mission. It was surreal for us to make this trip, but the Spirit was strong and we knew it was important for us to visit with these good missionaries. We could feel that we were helping them along their path to be better missionaries and better people. Prior to holding interviews we studied Ether chapters 2&3 with the missionaries in the various zones we visited. We focused on the different ways the Lord answers our prayers and gives us counsel. Although we have read and studied these chapters many times before in our personal studies and with departing missionaries, we gained many new insights as we counseled together with these good missionaries of ours.

It was also a week full of many “last suppers.” We enjoyed dining with President & Sister Lathen from Salem on Monday along with their daughter and her husband, with President & Sister Morris in Medford on Tuesday, with President & Sister Stewart (along with all of the Klamath Falls missionaries) on Wednesday, with Presidents & Sisters Rau and Palmer on Thursday, with the recently released Presidents & Sisters Perdue and Wright from the Redmond Stake on Friday, and with our Eugene Ward Bishop & Sister Salisbury on Saturday. We also had lunch with the Grants Pass Stake presidency and the missionaries in that zone on Tuesday. Each one of these meals and the related visiting was full of pleasant memories and gratitude for the good people in these areas as well as our missionaries that we have come to know and love. Because each meal was so good, it was also followed with some time on the elliptical and/or the tread mill to try and work off those extra calories.

On Sunday we had Presidents & Sisters Smith and Lowary over to our home for dinner prior to our presidency meeting. While the brethren and I held what we envision to be our last presidency meeting, the sisters enjoyed a wonderful visit. I am grateful for the sage counsel of these good men over these years, and for the counsel previously given to me by President Stewart, a former member of the mission presidency. We are better people for having known and interacted with them.

Still later on Sunday evening we had Larry & Pam Marriott, whom I had done some work with years ago, who now live in Grants Pass, stop by. Larry had come up to us after a stake conference last February where we had spoken and reintroduced himself. We were pleased that they ended up having the time to stop by and say hello. The gospel and our interactions within it sure can make the world seem like a small place.

Week Ending May 15, 2011 Week # 1

This time someone was pushed right out of the frame. The camera can only do so much. Can you tell that President and I were tired? The elders say they are tired, but look at them!

Our Zone Leaders are wonderful. They are so full of desire to do the Lord's work the Lord's way. They are hard workers with great big hearts.

We started Zone Leaders Council on Monday afternoon with a few discussions. I tried to set the tone of the meeting by having us read together Section 135 of the Doctrine and Covenants. After we read and discussed this section I reminded the missionaries that the Book of Mormon cost the best blood of the 19th century. As we discussed the significance of that fact, we all knew that we needed to recommit ourselves to doing all we could to bring the people of Oregon the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even with this serious discussion I knew we needed some diversion so we arranged for a barbeque that evening which President and Sister Lowary (my counselor and his wife) were kind enough to help Sister Macdonald prepare. Since all the missionaries had taken some of their preparation day in traveling to Eugene for our council, we enjoyed playing an hour of basketball after dinner.

Tuesday morning we continued our council and there was a sweet spirit at the meeting. I ended the meeting by reading Alma 31: 30-38, modifying it by replacing our mission’s name and our missionaries as leaders in appropriate places in the verses. Although we felt like we had started something that could improve the mission, there still seemed to be something missing. That night Sister Macdonald had a distinctive feeling that the missing piece was that missionaries had replaced baptism as their most important focus by a series of other “things.” She had noticed that instead of discussing who they were teaching at breaks at zone conferences and even zone leaders’ council, they were discussing their morning schedule and how much they were exercising, and that they were eating healthy, etc. While we are grateful that our missionaries are keeping the morning schedule by getting up on time and working out as they should, it shouldn’t replace our key focus of teaching and baptizing.

Missionaries at home may remember that we use to answer the question of “What time is it?” by replying “It’s time to baptize!” We reinitiated that practice this week. While this may seem a bit childish to some, we have seen that even by focusing on this for only a few days it has already reminded many of their purpose and has lifted the spirits of missionaries throughout the mission. We believe that as everyone recommits themselves to their purpose as missionaries, we will see better results.

This week we had some friends from Utah, Dave and Connie Slaughter, come for a short visit. We enjoyed renewing our association with them and showing them a few of the sites we have come to love here in Oregon. We had wanted to get back to Silver Falls State Park one more time and take the longer hike past 10 waterfalls. Their visit prompted us to do that. Again we are so grateful for the many friends and family members who have made the effort to come and see us and this beautiful place we have called home for the past three years.

On Sunday evening we were invited to dinner at the home of the Moss family in Corvallis. He serves as a high councilor over missionary work. Afterwards I attended a coordinating meeting in that stake and spoke at a priesthood leadership meeting there as well. While I was doing that Sister Macdonald went on exchanges with the sister missionaries serving in the Corvallis area.

Week Ending May 8, 2011 Week # 6

The Salem Zone dressed in their baptism clothing and went to the beach to make a statement. I love it!

Our new missionaries were welcomed with teasing sunshine. We haven't seen a day like this in F-O-R-E-V-E-R!

Two beautiful days in a row! What is going on?! Will it last? Of course not. However, in true Oregon spirit we will enjoy every second of it. It was a glorious day at the temple.



We had a wonderful time out to dinner and visiting with the Morgans, Dyches, and Brinkerhoffs one last time. We have enjoyed the opportunity to serve with them.

On Monday I took the opportunity to drive to Redmond the missionaries who were being transferred out that way. I also brought the missionaries who were leaving the Redmond area back to Eugene. It was fun to be with these good missionaries in an informal way during our drive and visit with them as we traveled. We also stopped by Sahalie Falls both coming and going and enjoyed seeing that beautiful site. I renewed my appreciation of the good members of the church who regularly use their time and efforts to transport missionaries far distances every transfer and sometimes in inclement weather.

I forgot to mention that last week during our leadership training I again asked each missionary to be the first one up this last Sunday in their respective wards and be the first ones to bear their testimony. I suggested that their testimony should take just a few minutes and consist of thanking the members for all they do for them, expressing their love for their companions, and testifying of Jesus Christ. As I have been reading their letters this week I often heard what a positive experience this was for them and for the meetings they attended. Many reported that the whole meeting seemed to be more focused on the bearing of true testimony. I had given them this challenge twice before (once about a year ago and once just over two years ago) and each time had received similar positive feedback. I hope that members and missionaries alike were reminded of the importance of bearing pure testimony.

This week I asked Elder Christensen, one of my assistants, to go on an exchange with each of the five companionships in the Klamath Falls Zone. This zone is the most remote of all of the zones in our mission and I felt impressed that there was a need for some hands-on teaching in each area in that zone. It turned out to be a very positive experience for each companionship there. Elder Christensen came back with greater insights as to things we could do to improve our teaching in more remote areas of the mission.

This transfer week also provided, as it always does, the excitement of having new missionaries arriving in the field, the reward of taking great returning missionaries to the temple in Portland, and a few tears as we said goodbye to these great young men at the airport. We also held a conference call with the trainers before their new companions arrived in the field from the MTC and one with the trainers and the new missionaries a couple of days after they arrived. It was good to get at least a light touch with each one of them and explain the importance of this great work and their role in it.

On Saturday evening, Elder Brinkerhoff, our Area Seventy, took us, the Dyches (the Portland Mission President), and his executive secretary and their wives out to dinner. It was fun to be with them for one last time. He was gracious as he thanked us for the service we had rendered during our time here in Oregon. He gave us both a picture book of Oregon and he had the stake presidents in our respective areas write a brief note in the book. This is a gift we will cherish.

This Sunday was Mother’s Day, and Sister Macdonald received a text from almost every missionary in the field wishing her a happy day. In church the sacrament meeting was about the atonement, so no mothers went home feeling guilty that they weren’t as good as the mothers that are often spoken of on that day. This ward has one smart bishop don’t you think?

Week Ending May 1, 2011 Week # 5

Our last four assistants were all together so we took a picture! Why not?

Lunch is always a highlight. The relief society sisters are so good to the missionaries!

Some of our sisters enjoying lunch. Look at the great center pieces!

The elders are so good to let me take their picture when they'd rather be eating.

This bunch wanted their picture taken.

We even had fancy flavor packets for our water bottles.

As you know new instructions were given to mission presidents last summer about how to train missionaries, including teaching a set of lessons called The Fundamentals of Preach My Gospel. In connection with these instructions there was a major shift planned for how missionaries in the MTC would be taught prior to arriving in the mission field. It was anticipated that this new curriculum would begin being taught in the MTC in May of 2011. At that time we charted a course that would have us teach these lessons often enough that all of our missionaries could have a complete understanding of these principles before we left (June 2011). This last week we once again gathered all the missionaries, rather than just leaders, to attend a series of leadership training sessions in Albany, Eugene and Medford on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday respectively. We taught again how revelation can be received through reading the Book of Mormon, and through church attendance. This was taught both from the perspective of the missionaries and their investigators.

In an effort to teach the same principle many different times and in many different ways, I assigned some of our best teaching missionaries who are not going home for about a year to teach these principle in each of our meetings. When I assigned these missionaries to teach I asked them to vary from the outlined lessons, but teach the principles included in those lessons in a different way. As Sister Macdonald and I participated in each of these classes and in role plays within them we were impressed with how well these teachers did, and also what good students all of the other missionaries were. I am sure that many, who were not assigned to teach this time, would have done a great job teaching as well. Although the date has shifted and this curriculum will now not begin being taught in the MTC until August 2011, I think the Youngs will be able to come to Eugene and find missionaries who know these principles very well.

In addition to teaching these lessons at three different locations, Sister Macdonald, President Lowary, two of our stake presidents and I had the opportunity to teach in each of these groups. I also asked several missionaries in each session tell how their efforts in their missionary work had improved by making a personal commitment to become low maintenance and high yield missionaries. We were pleased with the spirit in each of these meetings and enjoyed being with all of our missionaries again this week.

This weekend I attended the last of my coordinating council meetings. We held one in Medford on Saturday and one in Eugene on Sunday. Although we will see most of these stake presidents again, it was somewhat surreal to know that this is another one of our significant “lasts” here in Oregon.