Hold on

It was a simple example…
Last week we met with our Mission Leadership Council in our home.
It is always a powerful experience as we talk, share and counsel together.
A few themes emerged in our session.
Followership and Discipleship were two of them.
The flip side of leadership is followership.
Powerful followership is not about being blindly obedient or passively compliant; it involves active engagement, participation, constructive thinking, shared responsibility, taking direction and to 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒐𝒏.
It matters – a lot!
With the help of one of the missionaries, I used a teaching exercise that captured an insightful message.
I asked Brigitta Broadbent to stand and extend her hand a few inches below my own hand.
Then, I invited her to follow the movements of my hand from side to side and up and down.
I moved my hand rapidly and unpredictably.
Although Brigitta did well, it was evident for all to see that as the follower, she often fell behind.
I asked Brigitta and the others how could she do better?
Their response…?
It was simple really…
Trusting me, she clasped my hand and held on.
We tried again.
The result?
It was easy for Brigitta to follow my hand movements with exactness and precision.
Similarly, every missionary, as a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ, works tirelessly to be as close to Jesus Christ, by holding on to Him.
Daily, they place their nametags next to their hearts, as a constant reminder as to who they follow and cling to.
Part of following Jesus Christ is leading others to Him.
Neal A. Maxwell said: “We cannot lead or draw others to Christ unless we stand closer to Him than they do.”
How can you be a better follower?

Handwritten

“Thank you” I said.
I was moved by another handwritten note.
It contained a thoughtful message of love, gratitude, and appreciation.
What is it about receiving a handwritten note?
There is something so special and powerful about it.
It is a labour of love.
Knowing that someone has sat down, taken time, crafted some words, written by their own hand, and then either posted it or given it to you.
Seeing actual words, penned in their own writing, somehow conveys feelings in a much more powerful, intimate, and personal way.
It indicates a deeper investment of time, in you.
The words used, can speak volumes to your heart, conveying deep meaning.
Such as, “I can’t even express…” or “You won’t even know…”
It is something unique.

I care

It also says something about you, that you care enough to make a genuinely personal gesture.
Recently, I have counselled with a few missionaries about taking time to craft a handwritten letter to a family member or friend.
In our digital world that feels increasingly disconnected, and impersonal, a handwritten note, really can make all the difference.
In fact, these notes grow rarer, day by day.
Each handwritten note, says “𝓘 𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓮.”
A handwritten note may seem like a small gesture, but I know it can have a huge impact on both the sender and the receiver.

They’re all about love

They are special messages for you and me.
I’ve kept all of the ones I’ve received in the mission field.
When I’ve felt a little low, I’ve reread many.
They act as a powerful reminder that others love and care.
All I have to do is open them and start reading.
In a similar manner, the scriptures are like special handwritten, crafted messages from our Heavenly Father for you and me.
All we have to do is open them and start reading.
In the Book of Mormon, we read in Nephi 4:15 “I write the things of my soul…”
Consider your feelings…
Craft a handwritten note, by sharing some things from your soul.

Groundhog Day

Every six weeks, Monic and I return to Schiphol Airport.
In the beginning of our mission, the pattern was arrivals on a Tuesday and departures on a Thursday.
Now, departures and arrivals all happen on the same day, a Friday.
We’re often there in between, for many other reasons too.
Regardless, we have a deep familiarity with Schiphol and our 42 day, six-week cycle.
Over these last 2 ½ years of consistent practice, we have learned many lessons.
Do you remember the 1993 movie Groundhog Day?
In the movie Bill Murray’s plays a cynical weatherman, who for some reason gets stuck in a repetitive time loop.
Repeating the same cycle over and over again (that was our 23rd last week) reminds me of the story line of the movie.
In the movie, through consistent practice, Bill Murray’s character Phil Connors, learns how to be remarkably resourceful by turning a challenging day into a great day.

Changes

During the course of the movie, he 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔.
The lesson?
The more you focus on others by serving, being grateful and appreciative, the happier you will be.
In real life, through consistent practice, each missionary learns how to be remarkably resourceful by turning many challenging days into many great days.
Each missionary 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔.
Likewise, their final day, is also a challenging one.
Transformed, these young men and women depart for home having become some of our dearest friends.
We all struggle to say farewell.
Departures are emotion filled, with tears of sadness and hugs aplenty.
In between their arrival and departure, we’ve experienced so much together – we’ve all 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝.
Moments later, the arrivals are also emotion filled, but this time the tears are filled with joy, wonder, excitement, and hugs aplenty.
The journey ahead will transform them too.
Every time is the same, but different.
What am I learning over and over again?
We create our own reality, by living to learn and learning to live.
Over and over again, we have the choice to make today, and every day, either sad or happy, dull or inspiring, meaningless or fulfilling.
What will you choose today to make it great?

Divine Passports

Travelling to a foreign land?
A passport verifies your identity and nationality.
If you don’t have your passport, then – you won’t get in!
On Friday we were at Schiphol (again).
We were eagerly awaiting 8 new missionaries.
6 of the missionaries arrived, then I received a message from Bentley Lorimer…
“Hey, so I think I left my passport on the plane, me and Aliyah Oliveira will be out a little later than everyone else!”…
Then… “We are pretty sure they found it, and they are just taking us to get it.”
Time passed…
15 minutes became 60, then 90!
They’d gone to security, then back to the arrivals gate, then back to security and subsequently directed to lost & found.
Bentley’s anxiety levels reached record levels!

Lost and Found

Finally, lost & found said that Delta flight staff had located it and she needed to come and collect it.
Reunited with her passport, and her identity confirmed, she made it safely through security feeling ever so discombobulated!
We were delighted to eventually greet them both.
Passports are critical, allowing us to travel safely through countries.

The first passport

In the Old Testament, the book of Nehemiah records the first ever mentioned passport.
In Nehemiah 2:7 we read that he asked the king for letters to be able to pass through specific lands on his way to his destination.
Those letters were his traveling papers. Today, we’d call them a passport.
His true identity was confirmed by the seal of the Kings letters and travelled safely towards Judah, and home again.
In a like manner, an understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ is just like a divine passport that confirms our true identity and nationality.
In Romans 8:16-17, we learn that we are the literal spirit offspring or children of God our Father.
You are indeed a child of God.
Divine passports are critical, allowing us all to travel safely through life and onwards into eternity.
For the next 18 months, Bentley’s mission is to help reduce others anxiety levels in Belgium and the Netherlands, by helping them find their divine passport and return safely home.
Look out for her – she’ll be passing your way sometime soon!

It is a Privilege

Privilege: a special right or advantage that a particular person or group of people has.
In the course of my daily responsibilities, I feel extremely privileged.
I recognise the divine privilege of loving and serving one another.
Humbly, and boldly, I have the privilege of representing Jesus Christ as a disciple, every day.

Missionary Service

I have the privilege to lift and serve missionaries.
It is a continuing privilege to have worked with them daily, for 2 ½ years.
I have the privilege of interviewing each of them 1 by 1, every few weeks.
It is an honour and privilege to be associated with each of them.
This week, I have the privilege to interview 8 departing missionaries for the last time and 9 arriving missionaries for the first time.

Priesthood Service

I have the privilege of holding the priesthood of God and bestowing blessings.
I have the privilege to officiate in the temple.
I have the privilege of a temple marriage, being sealed to my companion for time and all eternity.
I have had the privilege of raising three wonderful children.
I have the privilege of being born at this time when the gospel has been restored to the earth.
I have the privilege to frequently testify of the reality of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel.
I have the privilege of travelling throughout Belgium and the Netherlands to meet with so many wonderful people both in an out of the church.
I have the privilege of associating with so many incredible leaders of the church in these nations and regularly counsel with them.
I have the privilege of seeing so many new members join the church, week in week out.
I have the privilege of choice, to determine what I want to do every day.

Family Service

I have had the privilege of being born of “goodly parents.”
I am grateful for the privilege of being a husband, a father, a son, a brother, and friend.
What an honour and privilege it is to be living here and now.
Privilege might feel like a difficult word to discuss, but it doesn’t have to be.
With front row seats on the world stage, in these last days, let’s not be spectators, but participants in the two great Commandments of loving and serving one another.
What a wonderful privilege.
What privileges are you grateful for?

I’m grateful

Reflecting this morning on 2023, I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude swelling in my heart.
I am thankful for so many wonderous things.
I am grateful for the gift of life.
I am grateful for my noble parents and wonderful siblings.
I am grateful for my incredible wife on our eternal quest and remarkable children entrusted to our care.
I am grateful for my extended family and friends.
I am grateful for the hundreds of missionaries that I’ve come to know and for their devotion.
I am grateful for the blessings of service.
I am grateful for the beauties of the earth.
I am grateful for the lifting power of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, for Him, His Atonement and my testimony of those truths.
I am grateful for Preach My Gospel!

Recollections

I recall an experience from 28th and 29th June this year.
Preach My Gospel – 2nd Edition had just been published online.
Those two days of Zone Conferences, in Antwerp and Utrecht, were revelatory.
Our printers rushed through hard copies for everyone.
All the missionaries only had an online access for 4 or 5 days.
In the meetings I asked if anyone would like to come forward and share anything that they’d learned in those few days, from the new version.

One by One

One by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one….. they came forward unceasingly.
I wept.
Something powerful, something unique, something inspiring, something unifying happened that day to all of us, together, as we learned about the Power of Preach My Gospel – the nuts and bolts of missionary work.
Quotes from my journal entries those days “special” “great” “wonderful” “exhausting.”
We all changed.
Those were just 2 of 365 remarkable days of 2023.
Unashamedly, unabashedly, honestly – I am a man of faith.
I am grateful for all those one-by-one experiences that strengthened my faith once more.
What are you grateful for?

Christmas Eve

It was noisy.
Then it changed.
Missionaries arrived.
Our focus changed.
Beautiful melodic music filled the air.
Cellos.
Piano.
Singing.
Joy. Love. Peace.
Together.
Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ the Saviour is born!
Christ the Saviour is born
Silent night, holy night!
Son of God love’s pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Angelic. Glorious. Inspiring.
Thank you, dear missionaries.

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?