Tag Archive for: preparation

Small Swarms, Big Lessons

Yesterday, I set out to walk the 13-mile trail around Loch Leven as part of my training for next month’s West Highland Way adventure and Mary’s Meals.
I’d never walked this far before in one go.
However, it didn’t quite go as planned!
About a mile in, I reached for my phone to take a photo… only to realise I’d left it in the car.
The choice was simple: press on without it or turn back… I turned back.
So, before I’d even really begun, my 13-mile walk had become a 15-mile one.
Lesson #1: preparation matters.
Back on track, the next surprise wasn’t the rain or the wind, but the sky, it wasn’t blue – it was black, with swarms of tiny flying creatures.
At first, I thought they were midges.
But a kindly old gentleman wearing a midge net (he came prepared!) informed me they were in fact Mayflies, millions of them.
They got everywhere: in my nose, ears, eyes. Yuk.
Soldiering on, my baseball cap became my swatting device, fending off thousands.
The first three miles and the final three were the worst.
The “in-between” parts of the walk were very enjoyable, filled with beautiful spots and moments of peaceful bliss.
By the time I got back to the car, nearly 5 hours later, I had discovered a new pain in my left foot, a good measure of all over stiffness, and a few unexpected memories.
But I had done it! Fifteen miles under my belt, and another step closer to being ready for the West Highland Way.

Lessons Learned

Reflecting on the day, I was reminded of a scripture:
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9
Sometimes our efforts are met with unexpected swarms, setbacks, and small irritations.
And sometimes in life, the walk is longer, harder, and more uncomfortable than we had planned.
I kept walking and in the middle of the struggle, there were beautiful peace filled moments, and I found a new strength I didn’t know I had.
My hope is that as we keep walking, through all the swarms and setbacks, we’ll become a little stronger, a little more patient, and a little more prepared for whatever lies ahead.
How do you handle life’s unexpected swarms?
PS Donate here for Marys Meals… https://www.marysmeals.org.uk/fundraising…

Many More Miles

This week I’ve walked – a lot!
Up and down hills, along quiet trails, through rugged country park tracks, and even across many miles of noisy city centres footpaths in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
My legs have been a wee bit tired, my boots are now well-worn in, and I’ve gone through a few snacks, but I am so grateful for my health.
I’ve also met a few people and had some interesting conversations on my journey too.
One of the highlights was a lovely walk with Monic around part of Loch Leven.
We weren’t in a rush – just walking, talking, and soaking in the stillness.
It was one of those slow, steady walks that grounds you, body and soul.
With every step however, I feel a little more ready for the West Highland Way in May.
It’s taken effort, daily discipline, and a lot of desire to keep going.
Right now, there’s a real focus in my life – a reason to lace up my shoes and get out the door, even when the weather’s been a little chillier or the route ahead feels long.
As I’ve walked, I’ve thought a lot about how this kind of preparation mirrors something spiritual too – especially with General Conference weekend here.
Just like a long-distance trail, the journey of faith requires daily effort.
We don’t prepare for big spiritual moments overnight.
It’s the small, consistent choices – prayer, scripture study, quiet service, that build our spiritual endurance.
General Conference is like a pleasant rest stop on that path.
A time to refill, realign, and refocus.
It doesn’t replace the journey; it helps us stay on it and grow stronger.
And just like how training for the West Highland Way has helped me feel more capable and more clear-headed, taking time to prepare spiritually helps me get more from the experience.
One verse keeps coming to mind:
“Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” – Hebrews 12:1–2
This journey, both physical and spiritual, isn’t about speed.
It’s about steady progress, and keeping our eyes fixed on where we’re going.
So, here’s my question:
What are you doing right now to stay spiritually ready for the path ahead in your own life?

Miles that Matter – Milngavie

Yesterday, I spent some time in Milngavie, standing at the very start of the West Highland Way.
It was the warmest day of the year so far, and as I walked along the High Street, I could feel the anticipation rising.
In just eight weeks, I’ll be back there – this time with a large group of returned missionaries from Belgium and the Netherlands who are traveling from all over the world – ready to begin our 96-mile journey along this iconic route in Scotland.
We’re walking not just for the challenge, but for a cause close to our hearts: Mary’s Meals.
This charity provides life-changing meals to children in some of the world’s poorest communities.
Every penny we raise goes directly to feeding children, because each of us taking part is covering our own costs.
Yesterday gave me a glimpse of what lies ahead, and reminded me why we’re doing this.
If you haven’t donated yet and are able to support us, please do.
It makes a real difference.
Click on the link below.

The Blessing of Waiting…

When a mother is expecting her baby, the anticipation grows with each passing day.

For our daughter Megan, now overdue with her first child, the wait may feel endless.

Much like pregnancy, life itself is full of waiting periods that test our faith and refine our patience – a hot topic in our recent conversations!

The Lord’s Timing

Yet this period of waiting and preparing mirrors a gospel principle we are all called to live by: faith in the Lord’s timing.

Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we learn that God’s blessings come according to His divine timetable, not ours.

In the scriptures, the word wait means to hope, to anticipate, and to trust.

The scriptures teach us: “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Hebrews 10:36)

Pregnancy, like life itself, reminds us that much of our joy comes from learning to trust that the Lord knows when blessings should arrive.

Preparation

Just as Megan has prepared her home, her heart, and her body for this new baby, we, too, are asked to prepare spiritually while waiting for answers, blessings, and miracles.

In our home, we have a beautiful painting depicting the Saviour’s parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13).

Five were wise and made the most of their waiting time, ensuring they had enough oil for their lamps.

Similarly, waiting for a baby – just like waiting for any of God’s blessings – is a time to spiritually “gather oil.”

For Megan, the waiting has certainly allowed her to grow in patience and hope, enduring her final quiet and sometimes uncomfortable moments, before life changes forever.

For us in life, it’s about staying spiritually ready, trusting that the Lord’s promises will be fulfilled in His way and time.

The baby’s arrival—whether today, tomorrow, or in a few days—will happen at the exact moment God has lovingly planned.

The scriptures teach that God’s timing is always perfect: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Just as birth happens on God’s timeline, not ours, so do the blessings we seek in life.

And when they finally come, the waiting and preparing make the joy that much sweeter.

In this life, we are all “waiting” for the ultimate promise: to return to our Heavenly Father and be reunited with our eternal family.

When Megan holds the baby in her arms for the first time, I’m sure the waiting will be but a memory, a beautiful reminder of the blessing of trusting in the Lord’s perfect plan.

What blessings have you discovered during your own seasons of waiting?

Gathering

These are days never to be forgotten.
On Monday, approximately 60 missionaries gathered in Spijkenisse.
It was a day of community outreach to find and teach many new people about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Local Missionaries, Miles Cummard, Turner Edelman and M Nathaniel de Jong, along with other local members in the area, had already done a lot of planning and preparation for everyone’s arrival.
After gathering for instruction, a few one-on-one interviews, a lovely lunch together, and after a prayer, filled with faith, they headed off to work.
It was most certainly a blitz – “a sudden concerted effort to deal with something”.
Over the course of the next few hours, the missionaries literally spoke with everyone they met.
Missionaries love to share thoughts and ideas with others, especially about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
They invite people to:
Come and See – the blessings that people can receive through Jesus Christ and His Gospel.
Come and Serve – others in need.
Come and Belong – as members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ.
Missionary work is finding people, teaching them, and helping them prepare for baptism.
On Monday, they extended 100’s of invitations to many people.
And the result?
The local missionaries are now exceptionally busy, visiting with lots of new friends.
If you’d like to know more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, then simply stop and speak with one of our missionaries today.

FSY

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend FSY Nederland-Vlaanderen in De Beukenhof, Biezenmortel.
For the Strength of Youth (𝐅𝐒𝐘) conferences are five-day events that include activities, devotionals, and classes designed to help strengthen faith in Jesus Christ and provide opportunities for youth to grow spiritually, socially, physically, and intellectually.
My co-facilitators were 5 of our missionaries, Libby Wilcox, Averi Hanny, Christian Adams, Luk Vanderlinden and Dallin Doxford.

Workshops

We had the opportunity to run 4 workshops, attended by in total, 100+ Gen Z participants, aged between 13 – 18 years old.
Our topics –
– Preach My Gospel – 2nd Edition.
– The Benefits of Serving a Mission.
To begin, we ran some fun icebreakers on communication, change and observation.
I retired the first edition of Preach My Gospel, and everyone received a hard copy of the second edition.
We used it to teach some key principles about technology and sharing the gospel via social media.
Technology allowed us to connect to the Missionary Training Centres (MTC’s) in Preston England and Provo, Utah.
We were joined by former missionaries Joey de Sousa and Nathanael Strickler who teach at the MTC’s.
They facilitated a discussion with missionaries who were enjoying the first few days of their MTC experiences, and fielded questions from our participants in the room.
Four of the missionaries online, will be arriving in the Belgium Netherlands Mission in 5 weeks’ time.

Expert Panel

We followed up with an expert panel of our own missionaries, who have served from 13 – 22 months in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Questions came freely from the workshop participants.
They listened intently to the answers from our missionaries.
What’s been the most difficult thing in the mission field? Do you have any fun? What do you do all day? How long do you serve in an area? Is it hard work? What is it like to be with your companion 24/7?
It was fun to be with everyone.
Somehow, we managed to engage with our Gen Z digital native friends for around 50 minutes at a time!
And we even managed to share a fun Instagram post together!
Please invite us again! 😊

Prepared

Missionary Zone Conferences arrived again this week, in Antwerp and Utrecht.

The first hour of our morning is a familiar one…

Group photo, welcome, hymn, prayer, motto, standards etc.

Then, it’s time for the most anticipated moment of every conference…

The surprise “toespraak” or talk/address, in Dutch.

The theme for their 5-minute talk, shared a few days earlier was 2 Nephi 31:20 – “How can I be steadfast in sharing the Gospel?”

The Assignment

The assignment, simply come prepared to speak!

Many choose to follow a well-known verse “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30)

Others are prone to take a few unnecessary risks!

No-one is safe.

I sat looking at all the young missionaries.

Some make eye contact with me, and I give them a little wink.

Others keep their heads bowed and are anxious not to make eye contact, just in case!

There is a real sense of uneasiness and tension in the air, mixed with a little excitement too.

With a sense of foreboding everyone awaits!

Then, we invite at least 2 missionaries, to give their surprise toespraak.

Their faces are always a picture to behold.

Apprehension fills their entire being as they rise to the podium to speak.

Taking a deep breath, they compose themselves and launch into their talks.

For those who remain seated, nervous anxiety is instantly replaced with a sense of relief, so much so for many, that it swiftly fills the entire room.

In Antwerp, we heard from Averi Hanny and Luk Vanderlinden

In Utrecht, we had more time and heard from  Alyssa Walker, Ian Schwab, Jelle van Vriesland and Emily Hodder.

All did really well.

Experience has taught me that the best preparation for tomorrow, is by doing your best today.

Later in the day, 1 or 2 departing missionaries, mentioned that they’d “escaped” their entire mission, and despite their regular periods of anxiety, were noticeably sad that they’d never had the opportunity to speak!

“Sorry you missed out” I said. “But I hope you kept all of those prepared talks up your sleeve, so that you can give a talk at a second’s notice.” “Oh yes” they replied, “I’d never thought about that!”

How has being prepared helped you succeed?

Are you prepared

Are you prepared?
In my 16th year, my dad and I embarked on a memorable journey together. Actually, it was more of an adventure for us both. We took the train to Inverness and for the next 5 days, we leisurely cycled the 160 miles or so back home.
In between, we camped at a few scenic spots by some beautiful Lochs and stayed in a couple of Youth Hostels along the way. I’ll never forget the camping because of dad’s snoring! It really was bad…!
I have very fond memories of those days, including the heavy rain and beautiful warm sunshine on one particular day in Spean Bridge.
I recall visiting, for the first time the Commando Memorial there. The monument commemorates the British Commando Forces who trained in and around the Lochaber area during WWII.
As I recollect looking at the memorial, I thought about how well prepared and fully equipped those soldiers were with all of their military gear at the ready.

Preparation

I can also remember thinking about how dad and I had prepared for our trip together. The careful attention to specific details that we’d considered to ensure we were safe by carrying the essential equipment that we’d need on our cycling journey together.
Looking back now, the pannier bags on our bicycles were filled to maximum capacity with all kinds of essentials, because we were fully equipped for any eventuality that could potentially arise – and simply stated we didn’t want to be caught out in the middle of nowhere!
Dad passed away in 2005.
Unbeknown to him now, he sowed the seeds of a little tradition in our own family. As each of our children entered their 16th year, we embarked on planning and preparing for a special trip…..with dad. My time with Kyle, Megan and Cristi are days I will cherish forever.
Time is never for sale; it is a commodity that cannot, try as you may, be bought at any store for any price. Yet when time is wisely used, its value is immeasurable, just like those days with dad, all those years ago.
We live in challenging times…
Are you prepared?

Expect the Unexpected!

Things don’t always turn out the way you planned!
On Tuesday, we waited at the arrivals gate at Schiphol Airport for our 5 new missionaries, arriving on three different flights from the USA.
“Are you sure its gate 3?”
A careful check (again) of the arrival gates clearly showed that 2 new missionaries arriving on different flights, would arrive at Gate 3 and the other 3 missionaries (on the same flight) would arrive at Gate 4.
Time passed….
No missionaries.

Hmm?

Then a message from Eldon McClure.
“Hey, President Watson? I’m at Schiphol, just got through customs. Who is going to pick me up, and where do I meet them?”
We concluded he’d arrived at gate 4, not gate 3, passed us by and arrived at the information point.
Off I went to pick him up. One down, four to go.
Back to gate 3.
Still no further missionaries.
Our Assistants go to gate 4 “just in case” for the next arrival due at Gate 3.
A few moments later they walk back to gate 3, with our new arrival Alexandra Williams.
Two down, three to go.
A check again of the arrivals board.
Yes, they are all due in at Gate 4.
So, in turn, all of us head to Gate 4.
Time passed.
“Are you sure its gate 4?”
“…Yes, take a look yourself…!”
“We’ll go to gate 3, just in case…,” said the Assistants.
More time passed.
Then a call from the Assistants, our final three Janessa Anderson, Jaislyn Kimball and Emerson Randle arrive at gate 3!
Our reactions… to the confusion?
We all laughed, hugged and chatted away.
Welcome to the Netherlands! 😆
Over the last 15 months, my new philosophy on things in general (and especially at Schiphol) is this,
…to be constantly aware of the reality that most things aren’t going to turn out how you expect!
𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝!
What do you do when things don’t go as you expect?

Cramming!

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲?
Cramming – “to study intensively over a short period of time just before an examination.”
For many I know, these last few weeks has been cramming season.
The date of the exam is looming.
It can become a state of panic for many.
Its all about stuffing a lot of information into our short-term memory for that up-and-coming exam.
However, during cramming season, we try really hard to quickly absorb some lessons which should have been learned a long, long time ago.
Admittedly there are on many occasions’ success, followed by an abiding forgetfulness of those things just crammed in!
As to the process of cramming, not only do we see it in schools and universities – we see it in life too.
Like students, many people neglect, postpone, and procrastinate things that we should be doing every day.
Just like school or university, there always comes of course a time of examination for all of us in our life.
Life brings frequent trials, tests, and choices.
Don’t procrastinate the important matters of life, remember 𝐧𝐨𝐰 is the time to prepare!
Don’t end up in a state of panic….
It is essential to be diligent in doing what should be done now – while it is called today.
What should you be doing every day?