October Again Already!

The Pioneer Memorial Museum (also known as DUP Museum) located at 300 N Main Street in Salt Lake City, Utah, houses the world's largest collection of artifacts on one subject. There are a huge number of photographs - they are on every wall and fill the stairwells (of which there are many)  and they have an index if you want to look for your pioneer ancestor http://www.dupinternational.org/dyn_page.php?pageID=45  Our amazing TIPS leaders got them to come in after hours for us, we had the actual international president/director lead us around on a quick one-hour survey.

This time we attended Music and the Spoken Work in the Tabernacle, where they perform during the less-busy times of the year - We heard it is amazing there but where we sat we heard the orchestra over the singing so we think you need to be in the center of the balcony, we will try that next time.

Seeing the fall colors coming in near the Bountiful Temple. My sister told us of a much nicer route where we have a view and are not dealing with the freeway.

So many pioneer photos in the DUP museum, these are of doctors and nurses. Many don't know that very early on women were sent off to train as midwives, nurses, and even doctors.

One of two eagles made for the Eagle Gate, you can still see one over the road 

Display of sericulture, when the women were asked to care for silk worms and spin and weave. The silk worms had to be fed pretty constantly and the munching got really loud

You get a program that has the text of the spoken word part

Our giant Relief Society group! maybe 80-100 sisters and they have mic runners

Elder and Sister Wier are finally going to get to go to New Zealand. He was about the only person around the office when he first came, the only IFR in every day, while they waited for visas. We really enjoyed his stores about the Marshall Islands as well as working in the Mideast, etc. They will get to do their last 11 months in New Zealand. The IFRs that work overseas are like missionaries, the ones in the office are employees. 

Sister Cisneros got us to drive her to Santaquin for a mission reunion for a former mission (she's done 9, one previous in the US) and Durk enjoyed speaking lots of Spanish and even some Portuguese -one missionary brought his sister who served in Brasil. We saw gorgeous views clear across the valley.

twice-weekly zone devotionals are on Zoom, here are some of our buddies. We sometimes end up answering phones or doing other things during the devotional so I don't always go on-camera.

General notes about the mission:

President Parker pointed out in his departure message that for most of us, the "mission experience" is in the connections with people around us. Forget about the tediousness and work for/on your friends. We have found that just like President Holmes talked of the conference room where we met a visiting authority had become a sacred place to him when he was in the General YM Presidency, the small conference room we usually eat lunch in sometimes is a sacred space for us - conversations with our friends can turn into a testimony meeting in "natural ways". The mission is a lot like a Zion society with a few hundred dedicated saints - we even had Sacrament Meeting start five minutes early one week since everyone had been there for a while, all very reverent and listening to the music and ready. Some call it the "mission bubble". We also work in an area where everyone is very positive and enthusiastic, helpful and encouraging. And we get to meet amazing people like Sister Robison from South Africa. And Doneal White is a substitute IFR who is leaving to take a group and open the Cook Islands for missionary work. 

We are losing our manager and two other IFR's to be MTC presidents (South Africa, Philippines, Brazil). 

The mission has a total now around 900 but 2/3 of those are service missionaries meaning live at home and work 8-20 hours a week usually, the others are full-time. Big moves are going on from Garden apartments to others, we are glad we already moved. Too many problems of security and other things so they had a committee searching hard for new places, hoping to have groups together so they can be in a bit of a community of missionaries. Many or moving into a new Harvest apt. bldg. on 600 North.

Someone said instead of "trial" they think of adversity as a "construction zone for blessings"

I kept posting street views in Brasil so it seems fair to post some of the places we often pass here in  Salt Lake

Mission devotional - local connections to help schools help children to read, partnerships with communities and school - in many cases they bring the funding and we bring people - volunteers - 

My Hometown Initiative

At this past  devotional, there was a presentation given on the My Hometown initiative to help improve and beautify local neighborhoods in the SLC area. 

The Mission continues to refine their Vision/Values statement to reflect the concept of finding power through unity and to stay centered on Christ

We had our zone devotional at the Holme's home. Its a gorgeous house in Farmington. One of the great things happening around the church is more people are doing well and retiring early while they have the energy and health to serve for many years to come - and the willingness to serve full-time.

President Holmes let a wonderful discussion on the Holy Ghost - in 3 Nephi when the people wanted Christ to return, they prayed for the thing they wanted most - it was the Holy Ghost they asked for.

“Speaking from the perspective of eternity, eternal life is the greatest of all the gifts of God. But narrowing the perspective to this life only, the gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift a mortal can enjoy.” Bruce R McConkie

 

“Nothing in this life is of greater worth than the supernal gift of the Holy Ghost. It is the source of joy, peace, knowledge, strength, love, and every other good thing. With the Atonement, it is the power by which we may be changed and made strong where we are weak. With the priesthood, it is the power by which marriages and families are sealed together eternally.  It is the power by which the Lord makes Himself manifest unto those who believe in Him.  Every good thing depends on getting and keeping the power of the Holy Ghost in our lives. Everything depends on that.” Elder Lawrence Corbridge (The Way, November Ensign 2008)

 

“The Holy Ghost is a Revelator: he is a Sanctifier; he reveals truth, and he cleanses human souls. He is the Spirit of Truth, and his baptism is one of fire; he burns dross and evil out of repentant souls as though by fire. The gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest of all the gifts of God, as pertaining to this life.” Bruce R McConkie

Elder Deardon spoke before leaving for home - he has been through a lot with mission housing and all the moves. He said he began to enjoy his  mission when he realized that the Lord will work out everything every day, things will work out so let Him do it. It was a big day when they went into an apartment in Garden and all the electric actually worked. Another sister worked the reception desk as people enter the COB - she said it felt mundane but she heard through the Spirit "you are right where I need you to to be doing important work"

Training Zone - people come from all different backgrounds --  the mission is focused on doing the Lord's work in gathering of Israel. 

Family Search had visitors from Slovenia who were on a tour, people able to help them were here serving while being blessed to be able to somehow care for their home, aged parents, and special needs daughter. "to be blessed with increased capacity we must take the 1st step"

Suddenly there was grass! and a few hours later there were flagpoles!

Zone Devotional - Hope is a gift of the Spirit. The smallest glimmer of light cuts through the darkness

We've been getting a lot of new missionaries and a lot of visa waiters. 

President Holms said when he was called by Elder Cook and set apart by Elder Eyring they said they had spent a lot of time trying to figure out what all this mission does :) They felt the presidency needed to help people feel like they are on real missions not unpaid workers, but Pres. Holmes said he already sees that in the missionaries. He feels they can concentrate on lifting even higher, a unique opportunity to create a Zion-like experience to lift discipleship to new levels, become new creatures in Christ and it will flow through to families and wards and departments we work in, one manager said the missionaries in his area lift the whole department. Bednar - the essence of the gospel is pressing forward and improving.  

We don't "make ourselves patient" or develop charity by ourselves, it is a gift but we must do all in our power to ask, desires, try,. We manifest through our actions how much we want to do this with a pure heart, trying shows desire to really have patience, charity, etc.

CS Lewis - what a man does when he is taken of his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is" - how do you react when caught off-guard? (discussion of Bednar "Character of Christ" talk)

Mere Christianity p 140 

Zone Devotional about Scrooby Church and the group that left on the Mayflower after still being harassed by the Church of England after moving to Holland. They made a covenant to obey and serve God. (Given by Johnsons who had relatives in the group)

We got to host Bethany for a birthday dinner along with Glen's crew, chicken filets and all the trimmings, and Bethany chose to make her own coconut cake. 

The TIPS group did a game where you dropped a small thing in bag and we guessed whose it was and learned about each other - Elder Winder gave everyone a really powerful little flashlight! We usually go down to the cafeteria after eating lunch and make a sandwich to take.

We've been trying to get to the temple more often while we are here, have been to Bountiful several times now, slipping out of work early. That should be easier as the new assistant starts work soon.

Our biggest frustration at work remains the visa issue - so hard to get information and keep track and get missionaries back to other countries efficiently. And things are changing rapidly in some countries with how the visas work.