Tag Archive for: counsel

The Mission Presidency

“What’s the function of the Mission Presidency?” – I was asked.
Arriving during covid times in June 2021, it was November before counsellors were appointed.
Over those few months, after discussions with several candidates and after taking it to the Lord in prayer, it was abundantly clear that I should have Chris Kleijweg and Jurgen Hoole serve as my Counsellors.
Both Chris and Jurgen have a wealth of knowledge and experience of the church throughout Belgium and the Netherlands.
Two counsellors are always called to assist a mission president with his responsibilities.
We meet regularly, usually weekly, either using technology or in person, to counsel about missionary work, and talk together almost daily.

Counselling

The wise writer of Proverbs tells us that “in … counsellors there is safety.” (Prov. 11:14.)
Counselling together with one another is constant.
When problems arise, when difficult decisions face us, it is wonderful to be able to talk together in confidence and trust.
When the three of us unite in prayer to discuss a concern, we seek the impressions and direction of the Spirit. We counsel together in order to reach a united conclusion, to help us know that the decision is in harmony with the Lord’s will.
We each have specific responsibilities including teaching, finding, social media, office administration, working with local leaders, service missionaries, finance, leadership, youth, young adults, new members, senior couples etc.
Each of us have a sense of responsibility for the whole mission.
We are united.

Service

Over the last 18 months we have developed strong bond of friendship. We are very different, with different family situations and life experience, yet we love being together, especially at Zone Conferences!
We laugh, we cry, we help, we support, we travel, we share, we teach, we interview, we listen, we problem solve, we attend meetings, and we are always on call 24/7, prepared to drop everything at a moment’s notice and go and assist missionaries wherever they are.
Interestingly, in the church, we have a lay ministry.
Chris, Jurgen or I never sought out these assignments, we were simply asked by a church leader to serve, giving many hours voluntarily every week. It’s wonderful!
We invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.
In summary, the function of the Presidency is to prepare, counsel, teach, minister, and lead the Belgium Netherlands Mission.

Counselling Together

“In the abundance of council, there is wisdom” – Dallin H. Oaks.
Yesterday, we met in our mission leadership council. It was a wonderful opportunity to discuss and counsel together.
Not everyone gets the chance to lead in the mission, so it is a privilege for each of the young missionaries assigned, to serve in a leadership role.
We discussed behaviours of a good leader, including self-awareness, collaboration, respect and influence.
Then, we posed the question…”𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮?”
With a leadership role there is a responsibility, to come prepared and be ready to share.
“When we can work together cooperatively…, we can accomplish anything. When we do so, we eliminate the weakness of one person standing alone and substitute the strength of many serving together.” – Thomas S. Monson
In our counselling together we discussed objectives and concerns of the mission, with mutual understanding and a shared vision being the ultimate goal.
Encouraging everyone to express their feelings was key.
It was clear that counselling together required everyone to listen as much as they spoke.

What is a SWOT Analysis?

We introduced everyone in the council session to a SWOT analysis and we used the model to address some of the challenges we face.
In essence, we are the problem-solving team of the mission.
The active participation of missionary zone leaders and sister trainer leaders, broadens the base of their leadership experience and understanding, which in turn leads to better solutions and improves communication throughout the mission.
As Russell M. Ballard said; “People who feel ownership of a problem are more willing to help find a solution, greatly improving the possibility of success.”
He also taught that it was important to “Lean upon them. Learn from them. Love them. Listen to them.”
In the Old Testament, the Prophet Isaiah said; “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18). And in our day, we read in Doctrine & Covenants 50:10; “Let us reason together, that ye may understand.”
Ultimately, we came to some conclusions that everyone agreed with, and then noted some appropriate actions that they had to follow through on.
Russell M Ballard said that he has maintained all his adult life, (stemming from his background in business,) that “if you want to improve something, you’ve got to counsel about it.”
What do you counsel about?

Stay in the Boat

“Let’s get in the boat” I said.

However, it wasn’t quite the trip the Mission Leadership Council (MLC) members were quite expecting!

It reminded me of a talk given by Elder M. Russell Ballard some years ago entitled “Stay in the Boat and Hold On!” I highly recommend it.

In his talk Elder Ballard said, “In searching the scriptures and the words of past and current apostles and prophets, we should focus on studying, living, and loving the doctrine of Christ.”

Staying true to Jesus Christ is like staying safe in a boat.

Yesterday we did embark upon a few adventures of our own and held on!

We welcomed five new members to the MLC.

The mission home was filled to capacity.  We loved having everyone here.

Counselling Together

In our council session, we spent time understanding the doctrine of Christ, discussed the Lord’s timing and completed a team building activity on balance, to strengthen our collaboration together.

In addition, we also learned about earnest fasting, searching the scriptures, supplication in prayer and looking smart in our missionary endeavours.

Oh, and lunch was delicious too.  Echt lekker 😊

Working with the missionaries is not only a spiritually edifying experience, but also a lot of fun too – the pictures below testify of that!

We laughed, we cried, we talked, we listened, we played, we counselled, we prayed, we sang, and we learned lots together.

Our discussions were like the essential supplies, safety guidelines and instructions required to make our way down the river of life to our final destination.

There is nothing quite like these gatherings, frankly, they are an inspiration.

You can depend upon the missionaries.

If any one of you have fallen out of the boat, or want to get into the boat, we will do our best to find you, minister to you, and pull you safely in.

Why not join us and jump on board “Old Ship Zion” – you’ll love the journey!

#HearHim #ldsmissionary #ldsmission #LetGodPrevail