Tag Archive for: inspiration

Information leads to Inspiration

โ€œ๐†๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ฌ ๐›๐š๐ฌ๐ž๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.โ€โ€“ Russell M. Nelson
Serving as mission leaders, our time is planned around a โ€œtransfer cycleโ€ of 6 weeks or 42 days to be precise.
This last transfer cycle has been unquestionably the most active of our mission thus far.
With mission conferences, meetings, travel, tours and sadly a period of sickness this transfer, time was always, extremely precious.
During the transfer, every missionary has a 1-1 interview.
Each interview provides us with good information.
In preparation for the next transfer cycle, Iโ€™d normally sit down about 10 days in advance to pause, reflect and study things out in my mind, all of the necessary moves required to accommodate the arrival of new incoming missionaries.
This transfer was different.
New arriving missionaries werenโ€™t confirmed until very late in the process, plus with only 5 days left in the transfer cycle, we were still completing the last of our interviews.
Subsequently, the information gathering process was hampered.
This last week, we met together to review the transfer moves and did our best to complete the exercise of new assignments and moves.
Admittedly, we felt a little discomfort, that stretched our spiritual capabilities.
Life has taught me that you cannot force or compel spiritual things, you just have to let things develop, nurture them, and allow them to grow in their own time.
A couple of days later (Friday, only 2 days ago) interviews were completed.

Listening

And then I stopped to really ๐’๐’Š๐’”๐’•๐’†๐’.
As yet I still donโ€™t fully comprehend the working or wonder of it all, but pausing once more and studying it out in my mind again, vivid impressions came.
I wrote out the thoughts, noted my feelings and followed through with the actions I was prompted to take.
Reassignments and moves for the next transfer cycle were completed and shared yesterday.
My experience is simply thisโ€ฆ
I have complete confidence now, that good inspiration can only come from good information.
How does good information, help your inspiration?

Transfers

โ€œ๐€๐ซ๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ฒ ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ž๐š๐œ๐ก ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ?โ€
It’s a question Iโ€™ve asked myself a lot recently.
Transfers in the mission field come around every six weeks.
And they come ever so quickly!
They are always on my mind.
In our missionary service, this is already our 10th cycle, of 27.
Questions to consider includeโ€ฆ
What area should they serve in?
Who should be their companion?
What do they need?
Will they bring out the best in each other?
You simply donโ€™t know all the factors that determine who should serve with whom.
Preparing for and planning for transfers in the mission field is time consuming.
There are a lot of moving parts and factors to consider, but ultimately it is a spiritual process.
Prayer is a constant.
It is always the best solution.
Seeking the guidance of the Holy Ghost is critical.
Remembering that it is the Lordโ€™s transfer of missionaries is vital.
I am comforted by a verse of scripture in Matthew 6:8 โ€œ for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.โ€
Considering the needs of each missionary and thinking about each of them, one by one, is also key.
Information precedes revelation.
Regular interviews and weekly communication really help.
Hence the question โ€œ๐€๐ซ๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ฒ ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ž๐š๐œ๐ก ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ?โ€
Life moves so swiftly.
In the lasting things of life, do we help each other to be at our best?

Agile Thinking!

“It’s okay” I said, “I’ll pop down to the car for it….”
Let me explain.
Recently whilst staying overnight in a hotel in Belgium, annoyingly, one of the elasticated ear straps broke free from my face mask. Walking to dinner later proved a little bothersome, with one strap fixed behind my right ear and the other side of my mask being propped into position with my left hand for a good wee while…
After dinner, it was time to resolve the matter!
We were sure that we had another face mask in the car. At that point I suggested that I’d go back to the car and look for it. Monic proceeded to give me some idea where it may be.

Then we hit another problem.

We had only been given one hotel entry card for the room and it was inserted into the light system to keep the power on. Removing the card would mean Monic would be in the dark for a few minutes whilst I walked back to the car to hunt for another face mask.
“Hmm, now what I thought?”
Hunting for a solution, I had a flash of inspiration…. “Aha” I thought, and duly inserted my name tag into the switch.
The lights remained on!
These first 3 months in the mission field have been filled with such moments – regularly!
This little experience, captures in a nutshell our initial period of service.
– A little challenge arises
– We consider solutions
– Something else usually happens to make things even more irksome and challenging
– Then somehow, from somewhere – we adapt, flex our thinking and with cheetah like agility we are able to move forward as the issue unravels itself with a little gentle coaxing.
Daily, each of us may face little challenges, irritations, problems that given time, can become even more difficult to resolve.
What do you need to do to adopt a more agile way of thinking?

My witness of The Book of Mormon

In my daily study of The Book of Mormon this year, I have arrived at Moroni Chapter 10 (again) – the final chapter, this morning, page 529, only 2 more pages.

Early Years

As a boy growing up in Scotland, I struggled to read the Book of Mormon and would start many times, then reach some of the Isaiah chapters, lose interest and would give up. I recall my parents encouraging me to read from its pages, but my heart wasn’t really in it.
Through my teenage years in daily seminary, I began to understand a little more. Serving as a missionary in London, I studied and taught from the Book of Mormon daily.

Later Years

Throughout my 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and now into my mid 50’s I have re-read, studied, prayed and considered many, many times the value and purpose of The Book of Mormon.

My Conclusion

It is the most significant witness of our Saviour Jesus Christ, written for our day by Prophets who lived long ago. It’s pages are filled with remarkable stories of many individuals and nations who have faced a multitude of struggles, yet through it all have known of and tasted of the goodness of God. It helps us to meet the daily challenges of living in the world today and will draw you closer to God.

You can know too

If you wonder whether the Book of Mormon is true, then read it. The test to know if it is true is in this very chapter – Moroni 10. Read it, pray about it and there will come into your heart, as it has mine, that it is true.
If you choose to embark upon this journey then a literal fulfillment of the words of Moroni, through his promise to all of us who read it “๐’˜๐’Š๐’•๐’‰ ๐’‚ ๐’”๐’Š๐’๐’„๐’†๐’“๐’† ๐’‰๐’†๐’‚๐’“๐’•, ๐’˜๐’Š๐’•๐’‰ ๐’“๐’†๐’‚๐’ ๐’Š๐’๐’•๐’†๐’๐’•, ๐’‰๐’‚๐’—๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐’‡๐’‚๐’Š๐’•๐’‰ ๐’Š๐’ ๐‘ช๐’‰๐’“๐’Š๐’”๐’•” can and will happen for you, as it has for me – that it is true!
I have a testimony of the divinity of this book having read through from cover to cover once again, and so can you. Go on, give it a go!๐Ÿ’•

Optimism

Life constantly sends us challenges to test our positivity, and to be able to look towards the future with optimism, in spite of such difficulties isn’t always easy.
Recently I was reminded of the story of the two buckets that went down the well; as the one came up it said, “This is surely a cold and dreary world. No matter how many times I come up full, I always go down empty.” Then the other bucket laughed and said, “With me it is different. No matter how many times I go down empty, I always come up full.”
Much of life is dependent upon your attitude and how you respond to situations. Our attitude makes all the difference.
“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
In the ups and downs of life – what attitude will you choose today?