The Candlestick

Recently, we discovered that the mission home didn’t have any candlesticks.
Our quest – find an appropriate one!
“What is Christmas without candles” we thought.
In town, we peered through the kringloop window.
Pointing to a Scrooge like candlestick, “I like that one…” I said.
And so, Monic and I walked inside the higgledy-piggledy tardis like little shop.
As we walked around, we gazed upon candlesticks of every size, shape, and material.
Eventually, we settled on the one that we admired in the window.
We purchased our favoured brass candlestick with another smaller one too.
Both were in need of a good polish.
We purchased some brasso and went to work on cleaning them, removing the dirt & grime of the yesteryears.
Why go to all this effort I hear you ask?

Powered by…

Our home, and Christmas tree are decorated with sparkling lights, all powered by electricity.
Jesus said to his followers, “I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” – John 8:12.
Wouldn’t it be much more powerful I thought, if each of our lives were powered and illuminated by Him, the light of the world?
In a like manner, each Christmas allows us to clean up, polish and rid ourselves of the dirt & grime of the year gone by focusing our heart and mind on the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, so we can enjoy the “light of life.”
He said, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16
The one thing our world needs more than anything right now, more than any other, is the 𝒈𝒊𝒇𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕.
The boundaries of darkness must be pushed back.
Remember, we are the candles of the Lord.
“The spirit of man,” as the scripture says, “is the candle of the Lord.” Proverbs 20:27
This Christmas time, as you turn the lights on at home, or light a flickering candle, remember to polish the light of your spirit, with the great eternal light, even 𝕵𝖊𝖘𝖚𝖘 𝕮𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖙.

My Finest Friend

Forty years ago this week, my missionary companion trainer (Kelley Gray) and I were serving together in Shepherd’s Bush in London.
We’d moved there in the first week of December 1983.
We were two bright eyed and bushy tailed young missionaries resolute on finding success.
Christmas was fast approaching, and we were determined to find new ways to share our message of Jesus Christ.
A couple of years earlier, the church had produced a new Movie, “Mr Krueger’s Christmas”.
Video recorders were still new, and not too many people had them in their homes yet.
We decided that we’d borrow a huge reel to reel projector (we’re talking massive) from the mission office in our Hyde Park Chapel, transport it to our area, and then use it to go door to door, offering everyone we met a wonderful at home Christmas movie experience!
Whacky idea – Yes! Creative – Yes! Successful – Yes!
We transported the projector by tenaciously balancing it on the centre bar of our bicycles and vividly remember my companion nearly crashing and burning on a couple of occasions!
We also ingeniously, used an OAP’s shopping trolley to pull the projector from neighbourhood to neighbourhood and door to door.
I cannot recall exactly how many people’s home’s we got into, but it was lots!
We watched that movie so many times. Even now, I can recite the words and songs of the movie almost perfectly.
Great times, never to be forgotten.
This year, I may well watch “Mr Krueger’s Christmas” once again.
In one scene, Jimmy Stewart who plays the lead role in the movie, as Willie Krueger, steps towards baby Jesus and says “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. As long as I can remember you’ve been right by my side. I’ll never forget when you walked with me right in those first few hours after I lost Martha.”
“I’ve always been able to count on you when I’ve felt dark inside” Krueger says.
As he kneels before the Christ child he says “I love you. You’re my closest, 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅. And that means I can hold my head high, wherever I go.”
Forty years have passed since that Christmas experience.
In between, I’ve come to know the Light of the World, Jesus Christ, even more, much more personally.
Just like Willie Krueger I can say “I love you. You’re my closest, 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅. And that means I can hold my head high, wherever I go.”
I hope you find Him too this Christmas Season.

To a Mouse

When missionaries stay at the mission home, I love to share something of my Scottish heritage with them.
I introduced our national bard (poet) Robert Burns, to our last visitors and read his classic poem “To a Mouse.”
In it, he shares his remorse at destroying the nest of a tiny field mouse with his plough, whilst considering the futility of planning for a hopeful future in the face of unforeseen consequences.
And so, off I went…“Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim’rous beastie…”
Their bewildered and perplexed faces were a delight to behold, as they struggled to understand a single word!
Today, I want to focus on one line of the poem; “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men/Gang aft a-gley.”
In other words, no matter how well we prepare, our plans can often go astray, unfolding in unexpected ways.
Remember the familiar phrase “Life is what happens to you when you are making other plans”.
Just like the tiny mouse, all of us are subject to unforeseen events and must adapt accordingly.
By doing the best we can, we have to prepare even for what we are unprepared for.
Goal setting and planning are an essential part of everyday missionary life.
“He, who every morning plans the transactions of the day and follows that plan, carries a thread that will guide him through a labyrinth of the busiest life.” – Victor Hugo
When we plan our days to fill a purpose, rather than just fill them to keep busy, we become more productive, especially when we adapt to the unexpected.
Plan to expect the unexpected.
Life’s lessons often come unexpectedly!
M. Russell Ballard said “A goal is a destination or an end, while a plan is the route by which you get there…. Goal setting is essentially beginning with the end in mind. And planning is devising a way to get to that end.”
Remember the old cliché, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”.
Many essays have been written on “To a Mouse”.
However, like the “wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim’rous beastie…,” I suggest it’s always best to prepare for the here and now.
As you plan today, what do you want to make happen?

Biographies

At our Mission Conference in Brussels on Friday, I shared some of my favourite church leader biographies and a scripture too.
Biographies – “the story of a real person’s life.”
Our theme was “Looking for Christ”.
The Lord says in D&C 88:83, that “He that seeketh me 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚, shall find me and not be forsaken.”
What does it mean to seek Him, 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚?
It could mean to seek Him early in life.
Or another possibility could be to seek Him, every day, early in the morning.
Even another possibility could be to look for Jesus Christ before it is too late.
However we understand this verse, the message is the same… now is the time to look for Jesus Christ.
Not tomorrow, but today.
I love reading biographies, as they can give you a close-up view of a person’s life.
When you read a biography, you are not just reading any book; they’re like time capsules, understanding decades of thinking, life’s lessons, including struggles and successes.
My experience of reading so many, is that each one shares a personal story, as they look for and discover Jesus Christ, early, then choose to follow Him.
In every generation, every individual needs to discover and obtain their own knowledge and testimony of Jesus Christ.
Looking for and finding Jesus Christ is a very personal matter.
The scriptures are our primary source of biographical stories.
Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, David, Solomon, Ruth, Isaiah, Mary & Joseph, Peter, Paul, Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, Alma, Helaman, Mormon, Moroni and Jesus Christ.
On Christmas Day 1977, I received a now treasured gift, my first journal.
It was early in my life. I was 12.
Early in the morning on January 1st, 1978, I began my journal, my own biography and haven’t stopped since.
I began writing before it was too late.
This Christmas, why not begin to write, discover Jesus Christ – the Light of the World and your eternal identity.
How can you find Him, “𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚” today?

Too daunting?

Have there been moments in your life when you didn’t achieve your full potential because the task at hand seemed just too daunting?
Daunting: “making you feel slightly frightened or worried about your ability to achieve something.”
For many, to serve a mission is a daunting task!
After a few days in the mission field, as the new arrivals look forward to the next 18 or 24 months of service, the challenge ahead, the future before them, can look very daunting!
Discouragement can come as quickly they realise the difficulties and challenges of a new culture, a new language, and new daily routines.
Trials, obstacles, tribulation, and opposition are daily occurrences for every missionary!
That said, time and time again, I have experienced that these young men and women are more than equal to the task!
Day by day, step by step, the daunting task ultimately becomes achievable.
As they search for their best selves, their hearts begin to change.

Adjusting

Adjusting to missionary life takes time.
What may appear initially to be a daunting challenge, becomes easier to manage over time, as each missionary consistently strives to adjust and change, eventually overcoming their insecurities.
It may not come as quickly or in the format they desire, but answers come, and change happens.
“That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed but that our power to do has increased.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Perseverance is a positive, active characteristic, it is vital to any endeavour.
And how do they change?
It comes from deep inside and an increase in faith through personal religious habits such as, obedience, discipline, prayer, scripture study, and service as they draw closer to Jesus Christ and put their trust in Him.
And of course, with great help from their trainers! Sometimes even vice versa!
In time, each missionary moves forward with a greater conviction and vitality, determined to succeed as their attitude also changes.
“Remember, a good attitude produces good results, a fair attitude fair results, a poor attitude poor results. We each shape our own life, and the shape of it is determined largely by our attitude.” M. Russell Ballard
How do you overcome something that appears to be daunting?

Try Again!

Learning something new and making changes in your life can bring its challenges.
Are you yearning for improvement or growth?
Have you tried, failed, and then tried again?
Why me? Again?
Well, I don’t know ‘why you’. But, if it makes you feel any better, it happens to me too!
Sometimes, things just go wrong.
One of my favourite poems on this subject was written by William Edward Hickson
‘Tis a lesson you should heed–
Try again;
If at first you don’t succeed,
Try again.
Then your courage should appear;
For if you will persevere,
You will conquer, never fear,
Try again.
Once or twice though you should fail,
If you would at last prevail,
Try again.
If we strive, ’tis no disgrace
Though we did not win the race–
What should you do in that case?
Try again.
If you find your task is hard.
Try again;
Time will bring you your reward,
Try again;
All that other folk can do,
Why with patience should not you?
Only keep this rule in view,
Try again.
As we try, persevere, and help others to do the same.
“Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible—and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
Perseverance and not giving up is not some monumental, herculean act, it is simply a series of baby steps that you just keep taking, every day.
The picture is of Emma Bair, teaching me a new pose, whilst waiting on our new arrivals at Schiphol.
I think she found me quite trying!? 😉
What do you need to keep trying at today?

Chargé d’affaires

On Friday evening, Monic and I attended a “Light the World” dinner in the European Quarter in Brussels.
The annual event is attended by Ambassadors and Diplomatic representatives from all around the world.
To my left, sat the Chargé d’affaires of Libya.
To my right, sat the Chargé d’affaires of Belarus.
Both head up their diplomatic missions to the European Union.
I was dressed in my kilt, and they were taken by my attire.
They had many questions.
I hadn’t worn it for a while. Somehow it was a little smaller!? 😉
As we settled into the evening, we discussed many things, enjoyed some delicious food and appreciated some delightful music.

Christmas Traditions

Both of my new friends shared stories about their families, their Christmas traditions, and their diplomatic missions to the European Union.
Representing their nations affairs, they shared with me the difficulties, and challenges of conflict, having experienced much adversity in recent years.
Our conversation turned to the reason for our gathering.
“𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭”
I felt a real longing from both of my new friends.
A longing for more light, in a darkening and difficult world.
They asked about my faith.
I spoke of Jesus Christ, and that He is “𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅”.
“We want the world to know of the peace that comes from following Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Let us follow Him as we try to light the world and share the light of Christ in our own small ways this Christmas season.” – Elder Quentin L. Cook.
Jesus Christ is literally the Prince of Peace.
He can bring peace to all who are ravaged by war.
His message is peace on earth and goodwill toward men.
Departing, each guest received a special candle to light this Christmas season.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, may I invite you this Christmas, to share His light by letting your light shine in all that you do.
How can you let your light shine?

Heaven’s View

They came.
One by one.
Hesitating for a moment.
Apprehensive.
Nervous.
Suddenly, it was time.
The departing interview.
How could it be?
Instantly, in the blink of an eye, 18/24 months had passed by.
Genially, I invite them into the office, “come into my den of tears!”
A prayer is offered.
We reflect upon times past.
We talk about the present moment.
And we consider the future.
From our first to final interviews – everyone changes.
They’d submitted and given their “heart and soul” to the Lord.
They’d grown wiser and matured.
Sometimes, I shared a scripture.
“Treasure these things up in your hearts and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds” (D&C 43:34).
Implying that we forgo having other things “rest upon our minds” by putting the things of God at the forefront of what we think about, as they’d been doing daily.
Life looks much different from the 𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏 and eternity.
Each realise that they cannot handle life without help, particularly 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩.
We ponder about the eternities.
Treasuring up those eternal truths in our hearts.
Our understanding of our position as children of God changes everything!
Consider the Apostle Paul, in Colossians 3.
“When you make choices, I invite you to take the long view—an eternal view. Put Jesus Christ first because your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement.” – President Russell M. Nelson.
A Priesthood blessing is given.
Words are spoken, insights are given, feelings are touched, and tears of joy are often shed.
A loving embrace brings our time to a close.
Closing one chapter, a new adventure is set to begin.
With a new perspective they move forward taking 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.
How can taking 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏’𝒔 𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 change your perspective?

Don’t Compare!

Some years ago in the UK, there was a very popular tv advert, for a financial services company with a Welsh tenor Wynne Evans, who played a fictional Italian opera singer Gio Compario.
His dulcet tones and the catchphrase “Go compare” to this day reverberates through my head.
“GoCompare, GoCompare! We provide the know-how so you can get the price down. You’ll thank your stars that you went to GoCompare!”
It is my experience however, we do too much comparing ourselves with others.
It is a growing global obsession.
We can fall short when we are sucked into the idea of comparing our worst to others best, our weaknesses to their strengths.
“But they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”— 2 Corinthians 10:12
“When we compare ourselves to others, there can be only two results. Either we will see ourselves as better than others and become judgmental and critical of them, or we will see ourselves as less than others and become anxious, self-critical, and discouraged. Comparing ourselves to others is rarely productive, not uplifting, and sometimes downright depressing. In fact, these comparisons can be spiritually destructive, preventing us from receiving the spiritual help we need.” – Vern P. Stanfill
Social media can especially be misleading.
A friend’s social media persona may look perfect, but guaranteed they’ll be struggling with things too.
Me included!
No-one is perfect.
When you compare your life to the life you think your friends on social media have, you will almost always come away feeling despondent and discouraged.
Mark Twain once said, “Comparison is the death of joy.”
And Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
Comparing ourselves never brings joy.
In short, by comparing yourself to others, you are holding yourself back.
Remember, each of us are uniquely different.
You’ll find yourself much happier when you – Don’t Compare!
Instead, start celebrating the differences that make you uniquely you!

Questions of the Soul

The autumn winds of seasonal change are blowing.
Leaves are whirling and twirling, falling to the ground.
It was a chilly wet morning in Rotterdam on Wednesday.
Monic and I were already in the church, snug in a comfortable room, busy with coaching conversations.
Upon finishing one conversation, I went to find the next missionary.
And there they were.
Resting.

Chilly

The Sister Missionaries were a little tired and cold.
Huddled together, wrapped in their jackets, they were warming themselves, comforted by the toasty radiator.
All week long, like their colleagues, they’d been boldly sharing messages about the Book of Mormon, outside on street corners, busy high streets and in parks filled with fallen autumnal leaves.
Physically, their hands and feet may have been a little cold, yet spiritually, their hearts and souls were glowing, filled with a flame of fire, burning brightly, fuelled by their faith in God and their knowledge of Him.
Thawed by the radiator and warmed by our conversation, they were ready to start all over again.
Doing what, you may ask?
Providing answers.

Questions

Daily, missionaries are asked lots of questions about life – 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍.
• Is there a God? (Alma 22)
• Does God know me and care about me? (2 Nephi 26:24)
• Does God answer prayers (Enos 1)
• Why is life so hard sometimes? (1 Nephi 17:3)
• How can I find peace and joy? (Mosiah 2:41)
• What is the purpose of life? (Alma 34)
The Book of Mormon addresses all of these questions and more.
It is my witness that The Book of Mormon brings warmth and comfort in times of difficulty.
Perhaps you are whirling, twirling, tired or cold, physically or spiritually?
Are you in search of an answer?
Then speak with a missionary today and read the Book of Mormon.