Letters – Heaven Sent

I’d like to share a short story about a treasured possession.
Days after being called as a young Bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, my nana (dad’s mum) passed away. In jest years earlier she’d said that I should speak at her funeral service and now it had become a reality.
As the appointed time for the funeral service quickly approached, my thoughts on what to share hadn’t settled at all. I’d sought guidance and inspiration in prayer, but alas despite lots of nice stories and anecdotes, nothing really settled in my mind.
Then it happened.
Early, on the morning of the actual service, a very clear, strong impression penetrated my thoughts to look in my parents loft. Why the loft I thought? As I made my way to my parents home and climbed into the loft, it then became clear. I recalled that as a young missionary, nana had regularly sent me letters.
As I entered the loft, my three folders filled with hundreds of letters came to my attention. I was immediately drawn to one of the folders. On opening the folder, the very top letter was from my nana. It was as if it had been placed there for me to find.

Nana’s words

As I read through her words, there was the precise message that I was to give on her behalf that day. You see, in that letter she shared her feelings specifically about the Saviour Jesus Christ. Let me quote just this one part… “I always feel so very sorry for those who do not believe, they miss so very much, and in this world He is the only one we can hold on to…… I still love my Lord and know He is always with me, He is everything… may He bless and keep you safe until I see you again.” From the other side of the veil, it was if nana was making explicitly clear, that she wanted everyone to know how she felt about her Saviour Jesus Christ.
And so, I shared the letter with those in attendance that day.
I treasure her letter and keep it safe in my scriptures, as a constant reminder not only of nana’s love for Jesus Christ, but also that when we call upon our Heavenly Father in times of need, He always listens and answers too.
I know that you too can #HearHim, if you simply accept His invitation that he shared on so many occasions to “come follow me”

Mission Leadership Council

Every six weeks, the leaders of the mission gather together to counsel about the relevant matters of the day.
Our topics yesterday included:
– Study Your Language (SYL) – daily!
– Teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ
– Drawing on the Powers of Heaven
– Being united, knit together as one
– Dealing with constant Change
– Hot Chocolate and Sifting – see Luke 22:31-32
– To the Rescue – Ministering to the one.
– Christlike attributes
– Team work
– Communication Skills
– Social Media and Content Updates…
These are very special days, never to be forgotten.
As missionaries come and go in the mission, gaining an understanding of leadership and counselling together, is such an important part of their growth and development.
Oh – and we also like to have a little bit of fun too!
The pictures capture just one of our lively learning activities of the day!

Touched – First Hand

Many years ago, shortly after graduating from University, I was working in a sales role.
One day, my colleague and I visited a key client.
We had been trying to close a large sales opportunity for a while.
It was proving to be difficult to reach agreement with our client.
Weโ€™d negotiated on a whole range of different requirements, yet more objections kept arising.

Reaching out…

Finally, having answered many questions, and sensing there were even more coming, I leaned across the table to the main buyer, I touched her subtly on the wrist, looked her straight in the eye and said, โ€œEverything is going to be just fine.โ€
In the moment, it just felt like the right thing to do.
It was a risky manoeuvre! Probably even more so today.
Yet โ€“ it changed her.
The message was simply โ€œtrust me.โ€
She was comforted and reassured.
In response, she took me by the hand, looked me in the eye and said โ€œDeal!โ€
Touch is a powerful sensation, a universal language, and that day, was quite profound.
Being touched physically is one thing, but to be touched in your heart by the power of the Holy Ghost, is quite another.
It is a powerful sensation, a universal language that is always subtle, quite profound, comforting and reassuring.

Touched – when?

I have felt the touch of the Holy Ghost first hand, on many occasions in my life.
– When I kneel to pray
– As I study and ponder the scriptures
– When a missionary shares their witness of Jesus Christ
– As I listen to beautiful inspiring music
– When I partake of the Sacrament
– Upon visiting the House of the Lord
– Giving a blessing to someone for comfort, counsel or healing
– Attending a baptismal service
– Through a kind act of compassionate service
– Teaching a lesson with the missionaries.
โ€œAnd by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye can know the truth of all things.โ€ โ€“ Moroni 10:5
The tender touch of the Holy Ghost softens your heart and soul.
He can touch your heart too โ€“ first hand.
Ask the missionaries to help you understand the universal language of the Holy Ghost.

At the Front Door

10 seconds into your car journey, you get that sneaky feelingโ€ฆ
You recognise the whispering thought, before it was too late!
Did I forget anything?
Did I remember to close the windows at home?
Did I turn the lights off?
Is the door locked?
Is my passport in my bag?
Do I have my house key?
You turn around just to make sure, only to discover that you have everything after all!
Relief, happiness and joy fill your heart having endured a few challenges and moments of doubt.
It wasnโ€™t too late, to make sure and be certain.
Fast forward, to that event, that all of us will face one day.

At Death’s Door

Many years into lifeโ€™s journey, you get that sneaky feelingโ€ฆ
You recognise the whispering thought, before it was too late!
Did I forget anything?
Did I remember to open the windows of heaven?
Did I turn those spiritual lights on?
Have I unlocked my heart to the enticings of the holy ghost?
Sacred covenants – did I make, keep and honour them?
Is my temple recommend current?
You reflect back just to make sure, only to discover that keeping covenants means you have everything after all.
Relief, happiness and joy fill your heart, having endured many challenges, by staying firmly on the covenant path.
It wasnโ€™t too late, to make sure and be certain.
Our covenants with God did not start here and will not finish here โ€“ they are eternal in nature.
Making and keeping covenants are the key to eternal life, just ask a missionary โ€“ they can help.

Cheerleaders

As an 11-year-old, I recall trying out for the school football team.
I was a little anxious that day about playing at my best and afraid that I wouldn’t make the team, like my brother had some years before.
As I unpacked my kit bag, I found a little note from my brother inside my boots, with a few simple words.
It said, “๐’€๐’๐’– ๐’„๐’‚๐’ ๐’…๐’ ๐’Š๐’•, ๐’š๐’๐’–’๐’๐’ ๐’ƒ๐’† ๐’ˆ๐’“๐’†๐’‚๐’•!”
That’s all I needed, I played well and was selected for the team!
Roll the clock forward several years, to 2013.
Starting out in business on your own is risky, challenging and can be a little frightening.
How grateful I am for my wife, who provided the love, encouragement and instilled within me the self-belief that I could make a success of setting out on my own journey.
Then onwards to 2021.
Serving as Mission Leaders in Belgium and the Netherlands has been a huge stretch!
There have been many ups and downs on our journey and likewise no doubt in your own journey through life.
Are ๐˜๐Ž๐” a cheering section?
Yet, I know there are those pulling for us to succeed, including parents, partners, children, brothers, sisters, relatives, friends, work colleagues and now missionaries past, present and even future.
My message is, hopefully, clear, every person in this life has a cheering section.
It is composed of those all around us who sometimes silently and oftentimes vocally, cheer us on to succeed.
Who is on the sidelines in your cheering section?

Time Heals

Our time on earth is limited, yet the things to be done with our time are limitless.
Itโ€™s been six months today, since I broke my collar bone playing silly games at Zone Conference in Breda.
Actually, it feels just like yesterdayโ€ฆ
That time has come and gone.
Physical tests come to us because of our mortality.
Iโ€™d never broken any bones before, and that day I became aware of so many different things.
I discovered lots about new physical aches, discomfort and pain.
In the first few days, time passed slowly and each day I had many ups and downs.

Healing

At times, I literally had to ๐’๐’†๐’‚๐’ on others to help me.
The miracle of the human body is that it went to work and self-repaired itself.
Today, I have healed.
Healing happens through the process of living and taking action.
Yet, the timeline of healing is different for everyone, one day at a time.
We cannot save time.
We cannot call it back.
We cannot re-use it.
We simply spend time and then itโ€™s gone.
Yet, time does much โ€“ ๐’Š๐’• ๐’‰๐’†๐’‚๐’๐’” โ€“ it softens pain and sorrows too.

Enduring

We donโ€™t know what we can endure until we have to.
Yet there is one who truly endured all things.
It is through developing faith in Jesus Christ that accelerates and magnifies all healing.
He took upon Himself all โ€œour infirmitiesโ€ (see Alma 7:11-13/Luke 5:15) so that He can come to us โ€œwith healing in his wings.โ€ โ€“ 2 Nephi 25:13.
Jesus Christ always stands ready to save us from the pain and sorrows of our wounded souls, no matter how much time it may take.
He places His healing balm on our wounds and binds them up.
๐‘ณ๐’†๐’‚๐’ on ๐‡๐ข๐ฆ.
Jesus Christ heals all wounds, and He can heal yours too, through time in small and simple ways.
He has for me.
And He can for you too.

Confronting ourselves with ourselves

How often are you confrontational with yourself?
A couple of weeks ago, I asked some confrontational questions on the subject of pride and humility in our missionary zone conferences.
It is my experience that itโ€™s human nature to see faults in others, and yet much more difficult to see faults in ๐’๐’–๐’“๐’”๐’†๐’๐’—๐’†๐’”.
Most people run away from confronting themselves because it can hurt.

Call your Mum!

A good place to start, is by calling your mom (mum!) โ€“ she loves you and knows you well enough to really help!
We need to find enough humility to be willing to confront ourselves.
It is extremely important to be willing to admit and confess your sin, weakness, and failure.
I am a witness to the fact that there comes a time in life when confronting ourselves with ourselves is obligatory โ€“ a time when one must concede or confess the error of oneโ€™s way.

Yield

Ultimately, it starts to occur, when a prideful heart, yields to humility and meekness, and is โ€œwilling to submit to all thingsโ€ โ€“ see Mosiah 3:19.
Departing from former ways, one begins to understand Psalms 51:10 which reads; โ€œCreate in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.โ€
It is always the penitent, who know the seriousness of their sin, who approach God humbly and say, โ€œI have nothing to offer but a broken and contrite heart.โ€ (Psalm 51:17)
It is then and only then, that the battle with ourselves is on its way to being won.
Henry B. Eyring said; โ€œDaily repentance is the pathway to purity, and purity brings power.โ€
Self-confrontation allows us to see ourselves as we really are, rather than what we want to see.
Even though it can be agonising, it allows us to grow and expand into a fuller, more settled version of ourselves.
Confronting ourselves is not about berating or criticising ourselves.

Asking Questions

Itโ€™s about asking difficult questions and committing to the process of self-reflection and self-inquiry.
โ€œConfront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength.โ€ – August Wilson.
Itโ€™s about holding yourself accountable.
Am I becoming the person I want to be?
Am I doing what I said I would do?
If youโ€™re seeking to make progress in your life, learn to confront yourself.
What do I need to confront myself with today?

The Road to 200…

โ€œCan it be done?โ€ asked the missionary.
โ€œThatโ€™s a stretchโ€ was the reply.
Nevertheless, the goal was set.

Finding

Every week, finding new people with which to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is a challenge.

Missionary work is finding people, teaching them and helping them to come unto Christ.

Since 2017 in Belgium and the Netherlands non-religious people have been in the majority.

Indeed, recent censuses show that those following no religious belief is increasing.

Its tough out there!
And yet we try.
Our previous best, 10% shy of the new goal, was achieved with a seasoned group of experienced missionaries.
Things change, our mission is now made up of youthful inexperience, yet aflame with a fire of faith.

Impossible?

The scriptures are replete with examples where the Lord employs the unlikely to achieve the impossible.
Could it happen again?
โ€œAnd he said, the things which are impossible with men are possible with God.โ€ โ€“ Luke 18:27
Faith is a principle of action and power.
I know that struggles yield learning and growth.

Momentum

And so, with obedience, prayer, inner belief and frankly, a lot of effort, the missionaries went to work, with all their heart, might, mind and strength.
Momentum started to build.
Hour by hour, day by day, miracles happened.
One by one, clutching a Book of Mormon, missionaries spoke with everyone they met.
Hereโ€™s just one example.
By mid-week, I received a message from Kate, Emily, Anna and Grace.
Theyโ€™d been working their socks off all day in Amsterdam and online.
The result, that day, they found 32 people themselves.
By Friday afternoon the mission goal was done.
By this morning, it was completely smashed.
A remarkable week! How could that happen?
President Russell M. Nelson taught that as we increase our faith in Jesus Christ, focus on eternity and build our strength and courage in Him, miracles happen as we acknowledge the Hand of the Lord.
And they did!
How have you seen the hand of the Lord in your life?

Hope

Recently I was asked “How do you build hope?”
There are many compelling reasons to lose hope at the moment.
We may lose hope because the future for the world in general or for ourselves personally – looks increasingly bleak.
We can lose hope because it seems there are no solutions, there is no way out, or perhaps no escape from the challenges ahead.
Is that your reality?
I believe there is great hope for everyone…
Hope is “the anticipated fulfilment of a desire, to expect with confidence.”
For me, hope is the antidote for despair.
Working with missionaries every day I find that when we have hope, we trust in Godโ€™s promises.
Dieter F Uchtdorf said: “Hope is one leg of a 3-legged stool, together with faith and charity. These three stabilize our lives regardless of the rough or uneven surfaces we might encounter at the time. The scriptures are clear and certain about the importance of hope. The Apostle Paul taught that the scriptures were written to the end that we โ€œmight have hope.โ€
In a recent Zone Conference I used a 3-legged stool to reinforce this principle even further.
See Moroni 7:33, 40-43, 47-48 in the Book of Mormon.
Hope will always lighten our load and it strengthens our resolve to succeed.
Here are some ideas to build hope…
– Work on your self-discipline
– Focus on the positive
– Identify and challenge any negative beliefs
– Take care of yourself -physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually
– Surround yourself with hopeful people and environments
– Celebrate even the smallest of victories.
How are faith, hope and charity like a 3-legged stool?
What do you need to do to develop them?

Missionary WORK

โ€œThis is hard work,โ€ said the young missionary.
โ€œYes, it is,โ€ I said, โ€œbut isnโ€™t it great!โ€
๐–๐จ๐ซ๐ค: โ€œan activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.โ€
We held Zone Conferences in Antwerp and Zoetermeer this week.
There was insightful instruction given throughout each session.
For a large portion of my time, I chose to focus a lot of my direction around one wordโ€ฆ. โ€œ๐–๐Ž๐‘๐Š!โ€
Today, many have forgotten the value of work and look upon it as something to avoid.
David O. McKay said, โ€œLet us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, that power to work is a blessing, that love of work is success.โ€
I learned the value of work through my parents example, they were certainly unafraid of hard work.
In the summer of 1977, when I was 12 years old, I started a daily early morning newspaper round.
By 5.30am, I was in the newsagentโ€™s sorting out the newspapers for early morning delivery.
Frequently, Iโ€™d head off on my round on my bicycle.

Dynamo’s

In those days my lights were powered by a dynamo on the wheel.
The output of the dynamo was determined by how hard I pedalled.
If I pedalled hard, the lights were bright.
Pedalling softer, the lights were dimmer.
If I stopped there was no light.
And so, it is with all of us in life, especially in missionary work.

Pedal hard

You have to keep pedalling and working hard to have light in your life.
Itโ€™s my experience that industry, devotion, and hard work lead to enlightened progress.
There is no substitute to hard work.
Gordon B. Hinckley said โ€œNothing happens unless we work. You never will plough a field by turning it over in your mind. You have to get out and take hold of the plough and go to work. Work is what makes things happen.โ€
In Missionary work, the requirement is ๐’˜๐’๐’“๐’Œ!
It became part of me a long time ago.
Let it become part of you too.
It is through the discipline of work, that we determine what we become.
What role has work played in your life?