Not the Normal Routine

Nov 7-8, 2013

The Temple and "Homemaking Night" 

We took a sister from White Plains 2nd Ward with us to the temple on the 7th.  It was fun to get to know her a little better on our hour drive.  That night we attended White Plains 1st Ward's weeknight Relief Society meeting or whatever title they give that meeting these days, which we had signed up for the previous month when we were working with their ward.  Sister Boone made a holiday jar and I attended the crème brulee (burnt cream) class.  I don't know what interested the sisters more, tasting this heart-stopping custard (ingredients heavy cream, egg yolks, and sugar) or playing with the torch to burn the sugar on top prior to eating it.  When I got home, I looked up the nutritional information and confirmed my suspicions; this is not something I want to become addicted to.  A 1/2-cup ramekin (custard cup) contains about 400 calories, 19 grams of saturated fat and 285 mg of cholesterol (calculations varied by source).

Conference Call With Pres. Cooke

How We can Hasten The Work

Sister Boone and I left before Homemaking meeting ended so that we could be home in time to call in for another conference call with President Cooke and the other senior missionaries.  He told us about the Washington D.C. North Mission's increased focus on "hastening the work of salvation".  I feel like we are living in a historic time as far as missionary work is concerned.

A few months ago (just a short while before I left for my mission) a special broadcast (Hastening the Work of Salvation) by the Church was presented in which our leaders shared with us how each one of us could take part in this important work to share the gospel message with the whole world.  Pres. Uchtdorf said "There is a way for everyone…to participate in this great work.  We can each find a way to use our own particular talents and interest in support of the great work of filling the world with light and truth." 

This broadcast explained the responsibilities on different levels for the ward leaders, stake leaders, and missionaries and how they work together as one.  Here are a couple of quotes.

"Stake presidents and bishops exercise priesthood keys for missionary work in their units. Mission presidents exercise keys for missionaries and convert baptisms. When priesthood keys are exercised in unity, leaders serve together and the powers of heaven can bless their work."

"Under the direction of the bishop, ward council members fully engage to help each investigator and new or returning member progress. The ward mission leader directs and coordinates these efforts with the full-time missionaries."  I didn't really get the full impact of this message when I listened to the broadcast the first time."

President Cooke told us in our conference call that no longer is the vision and mission of the Church separated into three parts:  Proclaiming the Gospel, Perfecting the Saints, and Redeeming the Dead.  It is all one work, and it will be most effective when everyone is working closely together.  We have had a great surge in the number of full time missionaries over the last year, but no longer is missionary work to be viewed as a great effort by full time missionaries assisted only at times by ward members when they can find time to help.  Now the keys of missionary work are in the hands of the Stake and Ward leaders, and the full time missionaries are here to help them.  Additionally, (and I find this part really exciting) there is greater emphasis on introducing family history work to investigators and members alike.  This can be a powerful way to fulfill the responsibility of redeeming our dead while at the same time building and strengthening testimonies of Jesus Christ and his gospel and thereby bringing others to Christ.

On Friday, Sister Beckes and Sister Divine, the other Women Auxiliary Specialists in the mission, called and asked if they could visit with us about the new emphasis in our mission, which they feel has basically put us out of a job.  They were concerned that the shift to have the Wards and Stakes be responsible for the missionary work would take away their assignments of finding and teaching, and they wanted to know what we have been doing in our Wards and see if they have just been focusing on the wrong thing to this point.  They drove down from Silver Springs, and we sat and visited for about an hour.  I think they left feeling like they have not been doing things all that much different except that their Stake Relief Society President has not worked with them to the same degree that Sis. Ramon has with us in giving us assignments and helping us see how we can serve the Wards.  Their Stake President actually said to them when they contacted him with a question "I didn't think you were still here."  That made them feel rather unappreciated.  We told them that we plan to continue to receive our assignments from the Stake Relief Society President until such time that we are given different directions by our Mission President.  Although some days we wonder if we are making a difference and if we are really doing what the Lord expects of us while we are out here, I'm sure that there is a purpose for our service, and as we serve faithfully and prayerfully we will be blessed and so will others.

A Fun Visit

November 11-14, 2013

On Monday and Tuesday, the 11th and 12th, Sister Boone and I had appointments with a few of the sisters who work in the Primary that we don't get to know at church or had previously not been available for visits.  Each visit was enjoyable and uplifting for us.  Mollyanne is one we had tried to see previously, but she and her husband travel a lot.  She grew up in the Episcopalian faith and married a Catholic boy.  A few years later she was baptized, but her husband was not.  Still, there is such a spirit of love and faith in that home that was uplifting to us as we visited with her and her sweet mother.

The first time when we stopped by when she was out of town, we saw their beautiful big house on the banks of the Potomac and knew we would just have to come back and see her another day

Mollyanne's husband is a toy train and old toy collector and she also has some collections (bears, tea sets, and odds and ends).  He does way more collecting than she does.  They go to train shows all over the world.  I wish I could have had the same degree of tolerance for Verlin's hobbies as she has for her husband's affinity to spend large amounts of money on his hobby.

First thing when we arrived, Mollyanne asked her husband if he would take a few minutes to show us his train collection while she finished getting lunch ready for her mother who stays with them sometimes.  He has a room that is almost completely full of trains (these are the old electric train sets).  Three and a half walls are covered with shelves full of trains, and under the train table are 130 boxed sets that have never been used.  Then he has more than that in another room, and even more in the attic.  We had to get a couple pictures before we left.  

The most interesting piece to me, yet a little disturbing, was this life-size kangaroo that Mollyanne brought home from one of their trips.  (I had to make these pictures a little larger to appreciate their total awesomeness!)