Sundays are our favorite days. They are very different than those we spend together in Paradise but they are still filled with wonderful people, with church services and the Sacrament, and with inspiring messages. We go home tired at the end of the day but also filled with gratitude. It is such a blessing to be around young missionaries and strong seasoned leaders.
Sister Meyer, Elder Tuimauga, Sister Tokum, Sister Howes, Sister Lealaiauloto, Sister James Nila, Sister Taimani
These darling missionaries wanted a picture taken while I was looking up stories on the computer Sunday afternoon.
We have many assignments at the MTC some of which worry us. We give Sacrament Meeting talks, President Thatcher teaches in Leadership Council Meeting and conducts many meetings. We also have the assignment of teaching an evening Devotional on Sunday evenings. Our turn comes up every three weeks. We picture the great Devotionals given at the MTC in Provo and are thoroughly intimidated at the prospect. Also we watch President and Sister Howes teach and do Devotionals and are amazed at the power of their teaching. They know how to reach and lift missionaries and their knowledge of the gospel is profound. We always listen on the edge of our seats. Elder and Sister Briggs are great as well. Sister Briggs, who is amazing at Family History, teaches a Family History Devotional that is wonderful. The missionaries get so involved that they don't want the meeting to end as they are feverishly finding their family on family search for the first time and seeing the names of those they love come up in their family group sheets. President Briggs always teaches with the power of the Spirit. All the missionaries love him. In short we feel concern when our time approaches. That concern has grown because our first attempt was quite a flop. We didn't want to talk about it or think about it for days afterwards.
It was our turn last Sunday. Our assignment for the Devotional was 'The Book of Mormon'. We had no idea what to do. For 2 weeks Elder Thatcher has been studying and praying for help with this devotional. Ideas came to him. He would share them with me. I couldn't see it very clearly but he had been so faithfully praying and working that I felt he must be on track. He wanted to do it on Missionary Mottos and having the missionaries find their motto in the Book of Mormon. While reading through the section in PMG on the Book of Mormon, in the Ideas for Study section there is a line which reads: "Read Alma 26 and 29 as companions. Share how you feel about your mission." When we read the two chapters we were so inspired by the feelings of Ammon and Alma that we knew we should use those chapters.
Elder Thatcher decided that he would do the activity about choosing Missionary Mottos and I should do the beginning of the Devotional using the first Devotional we had done. Try as I might I just couldn't make it fit. So Friday night we changed my whole part of the presentation. The ideas began to flow and what usually would have taken me days came together rapidly.
Elder Thatcher thought it would be great if Mark and Emily would send us a picture of their family Motto or a video of the children saying it and Emily went to work for us and sent us this:
We were worried up until the presentation. I was looking up stories on line at the MTC in every spare minute on Sunday and just before the time of the Devotional Elder Thatcher and I let ourselves into an empty Senior Couples room at the MTC to have a final prayer for help.
I'll let Elder Thatcher's entry from his journal Sunday night tell the story. . .
10 Sept 2017
We just got home from the MTC. It is so nice to be home so we can relax. What a day it has been. This morning mom and I role played with the district how to help the Leaders set goals with their districts. It went well and I was very glad. Then I had to conduct Sacrament Meeting and that went fine.
Then this evening mom and I had our presentation on the Book of Mormon to present in the Devotional. We gave it on making a missionary Motto from Alma 29 or 26. We worked on it for over a week, maybe two weeks and at times like this you just can't thank the Lord enough for all His help. You fully realize that every step of the way the Lord was answering your prayers and He was even inspiring you to pray and what to pray for.
Kathy did the first part in a power point and did such a beautiful job leading up to the activity. Then President Howes printed up a sheet with the first 15 verses of Alma 26 and we gave each missionary a sheet so they could underline each potential motto, and also handed them a 3x5 card so they can write their motto on it.
We got a lot of participation after the 1st or 2nd verse and they learned what we were after.
President Howes after the meeting told us it was 'brilliant' and that we need to have that taught with every intake. He made us feel so good about it - he is such a great leader. I haven't seen a better one, at least that I have been privileged to work closely with. Even Sister Howes said it was excellent.
I think we must feel so grateful because our first devotional presentation we felt was such a flop and so disheartening for both of us.
One of the reasons it worked so well is that all the words for the mottos came right out of the Book of Mormon so they already have great spirit and power.
(Back to me - Sister Thatcher)
It truly was one of those times when you felt the power of the Lord helping you and were so grateful. One thing we are learning loud and clear here in New Zealand is that we are nothing without the Lord. To quote from Ammon in Alma 26:12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his Strength I can do all things. . .
Thank you Mark, Emily, James, Stephen, Josh, Michael and Rachel. The missionaries loved you.
Here are the paintings we used to tell some of the great missionary stories of the Restoration.
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| Dan Jones - Missionary to Wales |
Dan Jones was with Joseph Smith at Carthage Jail the night before the prophet was killed. As they lay next to each other on the hard floor, the Prophet asked his Welsh friend if he was afraid to die.
"Has that time come think you?" Dan asked. "Engaged in such a cause i do not think that death would have many terrors."
The Prophet then gave what would be his last recorded prophecy as he told Dan, "You will yet see Wales and fulfill the mission appointed you ere you die."
The next day Dan Jones left Carthage to deliver a letter from Joseph Smith to a lawyer. A mob thinking that Dan was going for help from the Nauvoo Legion went after him, firing bullets all around him. Fortunately Dan accidentally took a wrong road, and the mob did not catch him. The next day he learned of the death of Joseph and Hyrum.
Two months later he was sailing for his native Wales to fulfill a four-year mission and the prophecy. When he arrived there were about 250 members of the church in all of Wales. When he left there were 4000, and later after his second mission to Wales another 2000 had been added.
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| Heber C. Kimball and Brigham Young "Hurrah for Israel" |
During a Sunday meeting on June 4, 1837, in the year-old Kirkland Temple, Joseph Smith approached Heber C. Kimball, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. "Brother Heber," Joseph spoke quietly into his ear, "the Spirit of the Lord has whispered to me: 'Let my servant, Heber, go to England and proclaim my Gospel, and open the door of salvation to that nation.'"
Elder Kimball was stunned. He was painfully conscious of his lack of education and deeply intimidated at the thought of preaching to, as he viewed them, the much more cultured and sophisticated English.
When the time came for them to leave on their missions for England both Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball were very ill as were their families. Brigham left his wife sick with a babe only three weeks old, and all of his other children were sick and unable to wait upon each other. Not one soul of them was able to go to the well for a pail of water, and they were without a second suit to their backs, for the mob in Missouri had taken nearly all he had.
Heber was sick as well, as was his family, "Our trunks were put into the wagon by some brethren; I went to my bed and shook hands with my wife who was then shaking with a chill, having two children lying sick by her side; I embraced her and my children, and bade them farewell. My only well child was little Heber P., and it was with difficulty he could carry a couple of quarts of water at a time to assist in quenching their thirst."
"It was with difficulty we got into the wagon, and started down the hill about ten rods; it appeared to me as though my very inmost parts would melt within me at leaving my family in such a condition as it were almost in the arms of death. I felt as though I could not endure it. I asked the teamster to stop, and said to Brother Brigham, 'This is pretty tough, isn't it; let's rise up and give them a cheer.' We arose, and swinging our hats three times over our heads, shouted: 'Hurrah, hurrah for Israel.'
Vilate, hearing the noise, arose from her bed and came to the door. She had a smile on her face. Vilate and Mary ann Young cried out to us: 'Goodby, God bless you!' We returned the compliment, and then told the driver to go ahead. After this I felt a spirit of joy and gratitude, having had the satisfaction of seeing my wife standing upon her feet, instead of leaving her in bed, knowing well that I should not see them again for two or three years."
When their ship arrived at the docks in Liverpool England it is told of Heber C. Kimball that he leaped from the ship before it landed so his feet would be the first to touch English
soil. Thus, he was the first Latter-day-Saint to arrive in Europe.
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| Elder John Groberg and his departing companion Feki, "Hurrah for Israel!" |
Elder John Groberg served his mission among the Polynesian people. His first companion was named Feki Po'uha. Elder Groberg loved this companion who had so much faith in him. One time Elder Groberg asked,
"Feki, why are you so? Why do you have such faith in me?"
"Why shouldn't I? You traveled so far to teach us, what you say must be true."
"Yeah, but what if I lied to you?"
"You wouldn't lie, Kolipoki."
"But what if I did?"
"Then you've come a long way just to tell a lie."
"When I was a boy my father was a drinking man. He used to beat my mother. I wasn't strong enough to keep him off her. But the missionaries, they came and they showed him the truth. Only the truth was strong enough."
"One day I went to thank them for their sacrifice. And they just shook their heads and told me . . . of other missionaries who sacrificed much more. They were sick to death with the fever. As they left their families behind . . . to cross the sea to preach god's word. They stood up in their wagons and shouted: 'Hurrah for Israel!' Every time I see my father after that . . . every time he wasn't drinking, I think the same thing: 'Hurrah for Israel!' I think the same thing every time I hear you teaching."
After serving together for a long time Feki received word that he was to leave and go back home to construction - what he had been doing before the mission. It was hard for them to leave each other. As he was leaving he told Elder Groberg;
"I will build all your chapels. You will fill them Kolipoki."
Then the when his boat pulled out into the ocean, with his arms stretched to Heaven he shouted;
"Hurrah for Israel!
Hurrah for Israel!
Hurrah for Israel!
For Israel! Hurrah!"
Elder Groberg, from the dock answered back;
"Hurrah, Hurrah, Hurrah, for Israel!
Those are some of my favorite missionary stories. There are so many more stories of great missionaries and great missions served. We have many in our family. Maybe your fathers and mothers could tell you bedtime stories of when they served missions and the adventures they had.
When Elder Thatcher led the missionaries through Alma 26 it was like there was electricity in the air. The missionaries loved finding the phrases that Ammon had used to describe his mission and that they might like to take as their own missionary motto. I thought as I watched and listened that it was as if Ammon was there in the room. You could feel his great missionary heart as his words were carefully considered by these young missionaries. I think we all left the devotional wanting to be better missionaries - Missionaries with hearts aflame with testimony and filled with gratitude that we could serve in such a cause.
This is just one of the many times the Lord has come to our aid as we try to serve Him here in New Zealand. I should write this blog more often but I seem to run out of time and energy by the end of the day.
We hope all is well at home and that happiness abounds in each of your homes. You are always in our prayers. We love how you take care of each other.
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| It's always fun to have visitors at the hospital - Thanks Uncle Alex! |
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| Thanks to everyone who does things with Anna! |
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| Even Aunt Rosie has been staying at the hospital. So has Amy and Anna and I'm not sure who else. I know that Aunt Melissa has been helping with the other children as well. Thanks ever so! |
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| With Touch Football season starting Charlie is here demonstrating a proper Hike! |
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| And look at these nice visitors. Nothing more fun than spending time with cousins even if it is in the hospital. |
Be True and we will too!
Elder and Sister Thatcher
Mom and Dad,
Grandma and Grandpa
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