Another week has passed, and so very quickly. We continue to have many of the same experiences with the missionaries and with the happenings of the mission, but there were a few new ideas that we shall pass along.
We now have three Assistants to the President who work out of the Mission Office, and we had them to dinner last week. Elder Paul Jentzsch is from Leipzig, Germany. His family has been members for four generations. His great grandfather was in France with the German army in World War I. He had a sergeant over him who was a Mormon. This began a relationship and an introduction to the Book of Mormon and doctrines of the Restoration. The great grandfather went on leave and introduced the gospel to his family. They all eventually joined the Church and remained faithful, and now Elder Jentzch has over 40 cousins all active in the Church, with many serving on missions. Leipzig was in East Germany after World War II, behind the Iron Curtain, and the Jentzsch family had to go underground with their religion. They were friends with President Monson in his many activities behind the Wall, and they took part in the process for obtaining permission to build the first temple in Germany in Freiburg, which was in the East Zone. My, what a heritage! And as I questioned him about getting his genealogy and these things written, Elder Jentzsch said it has already been written and is a priceless heritage of his family. And now this fine young elder, who so very good and kind and exemplary will be completing his mission this summer.
Elder Guy Morley, another of the Assistants, was born in Coventry, England, not too far outside of the mission boundary towards Birmingham. He is from a part-member family--his mother is a member and his grandmother also. He said he was not much interested in the Church and was a typical English teenager. He went to church with his mother, but didn't have a testimony of the truth. He was baptized when he was 18 after being influenced by a friend, a young woman about his age, who gave him a Book of Mormon for Christmas with her testimony written inside, with the challenge for him to read it. He read it, prayed about it and that started him on his way to total activity in the Church and now on a Mission. He says he will never be the same and was very appreciative of that Christmas gift which changed his life. He looks forward to having talks with his father, who is not a member and who was not very supportive of his going on a mission. He hopes the changes in himself will help his father see the results of the Gospel in Elder Morley's life.
Elder Tyler Monk is from Southern California. He was the "junior AP" when we arrived in the England London Mission. We have seen him grow into his position as a responsible and capable Assistant, trainer, teacher, and leader of missionaries. He grew up in the Church and is a fine example of years of dedication to the Gospel and gospel living. The three APs work well together. Each contributes his own talents, strengths, and ideas; each adds to the whole. Their personalities provide balance. Having three APs is a temporary arrangement: as soon we have another elder come to the mission Elder Monk will be released and each companionship / teaching area will have two-person companionships.
We have 113 single young missionaries. We have 11 senior couples and 1 senior sister. The single sister will finally have a companion as we have confirmation of the companion's arrival on 20 Feb 2010. We are told that our numbers will decrease. We will eventually have 90 elders and 18 sisters, so the men will decrease and the women will increase. One senior couple have extended until July. Two senior couples will go home at the end of February. We have no news as yet of their "replacements." We have been working with the Mission President to give accurate dates for departing missionaries so that Salt Lake can send an accurate and timed component of missionaries to London.
We have 113 single young missionaries. We have 11 senior couples and 1 senior sister. The single sister will finally have a companion as we have confirmation of the companion's arrival on 20 Feb 2010. We are told that our numbers will decrease. We will eventually have 90 elders and 18 sisters, so the men will decrease and the women will increase. One senior couple have extended until July. Two senior couples will go home at the end of February. We have no news as yet of their "replacements." We have been working with the Mission President to give accurate dates for departing missionaries so that Salt Lake can send an accurate and timed component of missionaries to London.
We are impressed with the Gospel Principles manual this year and the doctrines being taught in church about the creation, the Fall of Adam, and the need for the Atonement. All good basic missionary subjects.
We petitioned the area president for permission for our senior missionaries to have a temple trip as a Family Home Evening activity in February. Because temple attendance has been strictly limited for those in missions where there is no temple, we were uncertain of the response. Gloriously, we have received permission to attend the temple quarterly as long as we use public transportation [due to safety concerns w/private vehicles]. We are humbled, grateful, and are feeling very blessed. And our FHE temple trip is scheduled for 6 February!
We petitioned the area president for permission for our senior missionaries to have a temple trip as a Family Home Evening activity in February. Because temple attendance has been strictly limited for those in missions where there is no temple, we were uncertain of the response. Gloriously, we have received permission to attend the temple quarterly as long as we use public transportation [due to safety concerns w/private vehicles]. We are humbled, grateful, and are feeling very blessed. And our FHE temple trip is scheduled for 6 February!
We are fine, except for the aches and pains of being over 60, and not feeling as energetic as we once did. Still, the Lord sustains us, and we are grateful for the balance and rejuvenation of a good night's sleep! And for our double-decker, red, chauffeur-driven ride to/from the office! We are pretty good with stairs of all sizes and lengths. We had a few to climb to get on the "tube" (subway) this last Saturday and go out to Wembley, a suburb of London to the west, and where we spent the day with another missionary couple. Elder and Sister Miles are from Centerville, Utah and are working in the Watford Stake to help in activation. We went with them to see a large Hindu Temple that was having a open house and was open to the public. It was beautiful and ornate having been hand-carved from 75,000 pieces of Italian marble shipped to India, carved there, and then reshipped to England and then assembled in Wembley. There is a prayer hall [2-3x the size of our largest recreation halls], the entrance, and other side rooms made of ornately carved wood, but the temple itself is made entirely of marble [no wood, steel, etc.] Even the roof and domes are made from marble. They believe in reincarnation and can go from all these deaths and births into many of 8,200,000 species. Once they have progressed enough spiritually they can then to be released from these births and deaths into the presence of God. They believe in non-violence to any creature ( hence they are vegetarian) and put forth peace and duty and good works and service to mankind. But I did not feel any Spirit of the Lord in their temple. They worship idols they have made which are symbols to lead them to God. Good people in need of the Gospel and Christ.
Hello to all our family and friends. May the Lord bless and keep you, we are having a great experience. All able senior couples should plan ahead and serve a mission or missions. There are many blessings and much to be accomplished by this service. As they say "it is better to wear out than rust out". Some days we relate to the "wearing out" part.
No comments:
Post a Comment