Tag Archive for: listening
Walk and Talk
Never before have we lived so close to a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In Scotland, it is a 4 ½ hour drive to the temple in Chorley, Lancashire.
Today, we live only a short distance away in Leidschendam, a 20-minute drive from the temple in Zoetermeer.
Temples are different from the thousands of Church meetinghouses located around the world.
Meetinghouses are where Sunday worship services, youth gatherings, service projects, and other community events take place.
Temples have a more specific purpose.
They are places specially set apart for sacred service and ceremonies.
They are the House of The Lord.
The House of the Lord is the most sacred place of worship in the world — a place where heaven touches the earth, a place where marvellous blessings are bestowed, and a place where we can feel closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as we strive to become more like Them.
Temple Grounds
In recent weeks the temple grounds have become a favourite place to walk and talk.
The grounds are a place of beauty, serenity, and reverence.
The grounds attract many local visitors.
They have become a sanctuary to rest, to contemplate and to consider the deeper purpose and meaning of life.
The grounds have also become for me, a place to listen to, meet with, talk with, read with, laugh with, study with, walk with, pray with, reflect with, ponder with and counsel with our missionaries.
Learning
As we walk and talk, we learn together as our thoughts are elevated heavenward.
In my professional coaching career, I have also found that breakthroughs occur in our thinking more easily when surrounded by nature, open space, and a tranquil environment.
Walking and talking just make good sense!
My wife and I take time to walk and talk every day.
We take in the surroundings and breathe in fresh air. By so doing, we are using all our senses to be in the present and soak up the natural world.
“The sum of the whole is this: walk and be happy; walk and be healthy. The best way to lengthen out our days is to walk steadily and with a purpose.”- Charles Dickens
Imagine for a moment your favourite walking spot.
How does it make you feel when you walk there?
Councils
I was excited to receive the picture attached from my dear friend, Eelco Scheltinga, who serves as President of the Den Haag Stake (diocese).
He and I meet regularly to discuss all aspects of missionary work in his stewardship.
In addition, he also meets regularly (like the other Stake Presidents – Angelo Leman, Percy de Wilde and Jerry Bletterman) with his Zone Leaders (ZL’s) and Sister Trainer Leaders (STL’s), who are assigned to work with many missionaries in other wards & branches.
These 5 missionaries are an essential part of the leadership team in his Stake.
I love the fact that he is sitting with them at home, around his dinner table, welcoming them with warmth, love and understanding.
In addition, it’s clear from their smiles, they enjoy meeting with one another!
“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20)
Missionary Council
Meeting together as a missionary council, with purpose, in a spirit of warm-hearted cooperation, they listen to one another, discuss concerns, make plans, set goals and search for solutions to the problems of the day.
Working through councils is a very effective way to get positive results.
Having sat in many councils, I know that when free, open and candid conversation is filled with love, patience, kindness and respect for the differing opinions and points of view that are usually on hand, the council is always a success.
Sparks of inspiration come, and decisions are made to plan and coordinate missionary work.
Scriptures
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.”
I know that it is by reasoning together, that we strengthen one another.
“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)
It is clear the council system across our mission is alive and well, it is fully functioning and filled with vibrancy and enthusiasm, thus ensuring safety for each and every one of us.
M. Russell Ballard said those who learn to counsel effectively will “always end up with a better result, always end up with a better answer and, will always end up with a better spirit.”
How can counselling together bless you and your family?