Monday Devotional - Enduring Adversity

Elder Jeff Champlin of Public Affairs department gave the talk in our PAO Devotional this morning.  It was so powerful!   With his permission, I am sharing the full text of his message here:

Elder Jeff Champlin

“The dial on the wheel of sorrow eventually points to each of us”, said Elder Joseph B Wirthlin (Oct2008).

In April conference, Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Presidency of the Seventy asked “When difficult things occur in our lives, what is our response?  Is it confusion or doubt or spiritual withdrawal?  Is it a blow to our faith?  Do we blame God or others for our circumstances?   Or is our first response to remember who we are – that we are children of a loving God?  Is that, then, coupled with the absolute trust that He allows some earthly suffering because He knows it will bless us – like a refiner’s fire – to become like Him?”

Enduring or overcoming severe challenges ultimately comes down to surrendering , or sacrificing, our will and turning to the Saviour who has made the ultimate sacrifice.

Elder Jeffrey R Holland said it simply, “You can have something you want, or you can have something better”.

Choosing the Lord’s will – over our own will - is the essence of the Law of Sacrifice.

Our trials have an eternal purpose.  And they not only bless us, but our hardships endured well, bless others.

However the opposite is  also true.  Trials not endured well can have long-lasting negative impacts on others, most notably family.

According to President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “If you are injured but forgive, patiently and willingly endure the difficult sorrows and trial of life, or make difficult, seemingly unfair sacrifices, blessings flow, even unto the saving of families and the blessing of future generations.”

In 1923 staggering economic hardships meant the Turner family would need to give up their farm and move to the town of Corrine, in northern Utah.  Ida Turner searched the regional advertising section of the Salt Lake Tribune.  There, in the newspaper, misplaced among the list of “houses for rent,” was an ad that read: “Wanted, a home for a boy.”

Ida was deeply moved by the cryptic classified advertisement.  It reopened a deep wound in her heart.  Sorrows she had tried to suppress washed over her anew.

Her husband, Horace, resisted her.  After all, they barely had enough to feed and clothe themselves, their son and three daughters.

Ida wouldn’t, couldn’t let it go.

When her husband relented, she mailed a response to the advertisement.  There was no further correspondence.  Yet within weeks, the boy, Jack, age 9, accompanied by his father holding a small bag of Jack’s meager belongings, arrived at the farmhouse unannounced.

Jack’s father explained he was in the military and was frequently transferred from one army post to another.  This time they were sent from Florida to Fort Douglas, east of Salt Lake City.  Jack’s father said that where ever they had lived – which so far included 4 eastern states – they found a place for Jack, because Jack was disobedient to his mother, who had two younger children to raise.

That day was the beginning of what Jack described as the happiest days a boy could ever have.  He was loved, and for the first time felt like part of a family.

Over a year later, Jack’s father returned to Corrine, again unannounced.  He had come to take Jack.  He was discharged from the army and was moving his family back to Florida.

Jack and his foster family were devastated.  This news was especially painful for him and Ida.  She felt the hole in her heart open wider than ever as she watched Jack looking back at here out of the car’s rear window as his father drove away.

Weeks turned to months and months to nearly two years.  Jack moved from one foster home to another throughout Florida and Georgia as his father sought permanent employment.  Along the way, Jack wrote simple letters to Ida about being unhappy, lonely, burdened with excessive chores in the homes of strangers, and wondered why he couldn’t stay with his own family.  If given the chance, he wrote, “I will be a good boy”.

In one letter he mustered the courage to ask Ida to write his father and ask if he could return to Utah and live with her again.  Months later Jack, almost age 12, found himself on a train under the care of the Red Cross, returning to Utah.  He never saw his father again.

After his arrival at the Turner home, Ida told Jack about a little boy whose mother had died at his birth.  His father remarried and his new wife did not like the little boy, so he couldn’t live with his family.  She told Jack he was that boy.

Then was when Jack learned the angry woman he thought was his mother was not his real mother.  Ida also told Jack that she had a child who had died, how it had broken her heart, and caused her sorrow the depth of which only a mother could feel.  She told Jack her little girl, Alice, would have been his same age.

It is not much of a stretch to say that Jack and Ida lived happily ever after.  Jack was anxious to join the church of the Turner family: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He served as a missionary for 2 ½ years, fought in World War II for 4 years, and then returned to Utah, fell in love and married in the Logan Temple.

Together, he and his bride had 10 children.  I am their fifth child.

Our family, now 202 in number, has benefited down to the third generation, because of the choices made, the sorrows endured, the patience shown, and the faithful lives lived by a lost boy and a grieving mother who made him her own.

All of us have people like Jack and Ida in our lives, past and present.  Perhaps even someone we work with here.

Many have overcome, or are striving to overcome, unbelievably difficult things, some far grater than Jack and Ida endured – things for which their loved ones and us are, and will be, the blessed beneficiaries.

May we honour and be forever grateful for those whose sacrifices and sorrows – endured well – bless us and those we love.

And may we realize that our choices, made while under the pressures of life, impact not only ourselves, but those near us who need us to be faithful, especially our families – now and for generations to come.

Trusting, as Elder Wirthlin has said, “that the Lord compensates the faithful for every loss…and every tear today will eventually be returned a hundred fold with tears of rejoicing gratitude.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder Taylor as a Missionary to Louisiana

Jack during happy days in Corinne, Utah

Ida Turner, the woman who gave Jack a home

REFERENCES for Quotes:
Halstrom, Donald. April 2016.  “I Am a Child of God”.
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/i-am-a-child-of-god?lang=eng

Wirthlin, Joseph. October 2008.  “Come What May and Love It.”
 https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/come-what-may-and-love-it?lang=eng

Uchtdorf, Dieter. April 2016.  “In Praise of Those Who Save”
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/in-praise-of-those-who-save?lang=eng

Other great talks on same topic:
Halstrom, Donald. April 2010.  “Turn to the Lord”
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/turn-to-the-lord?lang=eng

Uchtdorf, Dieter. April 2012. “The Merciful Obtain Mercy”.
 https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-merciful-obtain-mercy?lang=eng

Ucthdorf, Dieter. April 2007.  “”The Point of Safe Return”.
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/04/point-of-safe-return?lang=eng

Auckland Family History Expo

 Today was the Auckland Family History expo held at the Fickling Convention Center in Three Kings.  It was a great success.  There were LOTS of people in attendance and everyone seemed to enjoy the event.  There was a great selection of vendors, speakers, clubs, etc all coming together to discuss various aspects of family history.   I gave a presentation on an overview of FamilySearch with Larry manning the computer to run the slides.  We had some good questions and many people said they enjoyed it and learned a lot.


Afterward we went upstairs to the computer area in the library to run a hands-on workshop to show people different skills for using the program.  We gave one-on-one help to several folks, some completely new to the program and a few with more experience who had questions.

Next we staffed a table in the main exhibition hall. It was loud and a bit chaotic with all the many people coming and going and seemingly everyone talking at once.  Still, we made some good connections with folks who came to our table with questions.  We showed several people how to build and edit trees and how to attach photos.  We answered lots of questions and generally did our best to represent FamilySearch.

We were on the go from 8AM till 4:30 PM. Doing this sort of conference is a big contrast from when we teach church members how to identify names for temple ordinances. It requires a completely different level of energy. By the time we left at the end of the day my voice was hoarse from talking and we were both simply worn out.  Nevertheless, we felt grateful for the opportunity to be part of this key community event.

Then tonight when we got home we went over to the Henderson's apartment for a celebration of Jim's 70th birthday.  It was so much fun!  The Streeters and the Lovelesses were also there, so we were surrounded by good friends.  We shared a yummy pizza and salad dinner with ice cream and homemade cookies after.  Then we played a rousing game of Rummy-O.   There was much laughter as we shared funny stories of our various experiences.  It was a wonderful way to end the day.

As we walked down the hall back to our apartment at the end of the evening I could not help but recognize that it would be times like this I would very much miss when our mission ends.  We work with such terrific people in the Pacific Area Office.  We have been richly blessed by the friendships we have gathered here.

Just 51 days left till we are on a plane back to America.  We are beginning to get excited about returning home and seeing our family again after our long absence.  Still, I want to hold on to every bit of this mission experience for as long as I can.

Over 2000 Burritos in 45 minutes

Larry and I got to help out again at Feed the Need.  This time Sister Graham went with us.  We worked with a team of youth to prepare over 2,000 burritos in just 45 minutes so they could all be packed up and delivered to the schools on time.   Our hands were FLYING!   It's a great experience to be able to give service, whether it is one-on-one to an individual or with an organization like this.  More sweet memories to add to our collection of all the many blessings we've had in this mission.

Tawharanui with Elder & Sister Loveless

We had a lovely Saturday with Scott and Cheri Loveless at Tawharanui Region Park.

This is what the brochure says about the place:

"Set on a remote peninsula, Tawharanui Regional Park boasts some of the Auckland region's most beautiful white sand beaches, rolling pastures, shingled bays, native coastal forest and regenerating wetlands. It includes the Tawharanui Open Sanctuary and the Tawharanui Marine Reserve which borders the northern coast line.  The 588 hectare regional park was New Zealand's first integrated open sanctuary (mainland island) where farming, public recreation and conservation of native species combine."

It truly is a lovely spot.

When we first got there it was spitting a bit of wet weather, but we braved the elements with suitable rain gear and were glad we did.  We watched the storm clouds tumble across the sky and then within half an hour blue skies came out.  We hiked a ways up the beach, enjoying the company of good friends and the beautiful setting.  By the time we headed back, the tide had gone out so we were able to walk through the caves that had been knee deep in water when we first arrived.

After our walk along the beach we went for lunch at the Puhoi Valley Cafe and Cheese Store where we shared a serving of what may have been the finest lemon yogurt I have EVER tasted.  SOOO creamy and good!  (The salad and sandwiches were pretty yummy too).

For our final stop of the day we took a brief time at the south side of Okura river.  Larry and I have often been on the other side when we go to the Okura Reserve bushwalk where we recently took Elder & Sister Streeter.  It was nice to see the view from the south side for a change.

South side of the Okura river at low tide

We got back to the apartment in plenty of time to finish up our weekend chores and do a bit of shopping.  We are grateful to make the most of these P-days while we can.  Most of our Saturdays for the rest of August are booked with various family history trainings.  We love the work, but also appreciate the chance to savor as much New Zealand beauty as we can before we leave.

New Area Presidency in the Pacific

Pacific Area Presidency - L to R:  Elder S. Gifford Nielsen; Elder O. Vincent Haleck, and Elder Craig A. Cardon;
 Photo from Mormon Newsroom.

We had a special devotional today to welcome the new Pacific Area Presidency.  All of us here at the PAO already know and love Elder Nielsen and Elder Haleck.  Elder Haleck is now the new President following the release of Elder Pearson.  The new counselor is Elder Craig A. Cardon.  It was great to get to hear both he and his wife speak so we could get familiar with them.

Elder and Sister Cardon are from Arizona.  As it happens,  he and Larry met before when they both were serving Stake Missions and were ordained at the same time by Sterling W. Sills in 1974.  Elder Cardon mentioned this in his remarks to the group.

I especially appreciated Sister Cardon's talk.  She spoke of their time in Rome, Italy when her husband served as mission president there.   It was a busy time for her with seven young children and many responsibilities as a mission president's wife.   She talked about the overwhelm and discouragement she sometimes felt when it seemed impossible for her to keep up with all that was expected of her.  Then she recognized that she really could not do it alone, but that with the Lord as her guide she was never alone.  She spoke of learning to rely on the Savior in all things, both in having discernment to know what things were needful and in having the strength to do whatever was asked of her.  Wise words! 

Afterward, when her husband spoke, he paid her high tribute as a woman of faith who abhorred conflict.  I thought about that a lot.  In today's world argument and contention are so common.  I thought about ways that I can be a peacemaker.

A group of the employees sang "I Need Thee Every Hour" and did a great job. Music truly brings a special spirit to our meetings. 

 At the close of the devotional Elder and Sister Cardon shook hands with every person there.Then we all gathered in the lunchroom to enjoy refreshments and visit.  Some of the staff and sister missionaries had spent the whole morning cutting up fresh fruit and veggies and arranging platters various hors d'oeurves and sweets.  It was quite a spread.

These special gatherings are times we will long remember of our service here in the Pacific Area Office.  We truly do serve with some great people.

(Note:  All photos, with exception of top one from Mormon Newsroom, taken by Elder Reed Spencer.  Thanks for sharing!)

Chinese Pass Along Cards

This morning we attended a "mission tour" training conducted by Elder and Sister Haleck and Elder and Sister Balli with many of the young missionaries as well as quite a few of the seniors.  This was the first opportunity since assuming his new position as Area President that Elder Haleck addressed all of us. There were three separate training scheduled so that all the missionaries could be included.

Mission Tour training 26 July 2016.
Larry and I left right after lunch so we were not there when the group photo was taken.

As part of the training each senior missionary served as a "listening partner" with two 
of the young  elders or sisters to give feedback on their role plays and discussion about 
how to teach effectively.  The two sister missionaries I met with relayed a story about 
finding a big stack of  Chinese pass-along cards in their apartment.

Pass Along Cards are "small picture handouts, which replaced almost all tracts provided by the Church for members and missionaries to give to those they feel might be interested in the Church.  About the size of an index card, the pictures usually have a photo or image on the front and a brief message inviting the recipient to request the item shown on the back and includes the image of the item offered.  The cards are distributed occasionally in the Ensign Magazine as well as in packets through Church Distribution Centers.  The cards usually focus around a topic, such as families, the purpose of life, or the Scriptures.  A card is also available for Christmas offering a video featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir."  (Mormon Wikki)

Apparently whichever missionaries had lived in the sisters' apartment before them had served in the Chinese branch and must have left these behind when they moved out.
Since neither of these two particular sisters spoke Chinese and they were serving among English speaking members and investigators, they initially planned to simply hand the cards over to the missionaries serving in the Chinese branch.  However, in their companion study they talked about how they could be more effective in teaching.  One of the goals they set was to talk with every single person they had an opportunity to meet - whether on the street, in the market or out tracting.   

In the past, whenever they encountered Chinese speaking people (a common occurrence here in Auckland) there would be a lot of confused head shakes and shrugging of shoulders as both acknowledged they could not understand one another, then the sisters would move on.  Both somewhat shy by nature, the two young ladies sometimes felt very awkward struggling with the language barrier, and were embarrassed not knowing what to say. That had happened so many times that these missionaries had begun avoiding approaching any Asian people they saw, which here in New Zealand means skipping over a whole lot of the population.

After talking about it some, they decided they would keep these pass along cards to hand out to any Chinese person they met who they could not communicate with.  Once they started doing this, they began having much more positive feelings about approaching ALL people. They found several English speaking Asians they would have otherwise missed.  They also had a way of leaving a positive message with those who did not speak English.

The sisters talked about overcoming their personal shyness and reserve to boldly greet more people than ever before.  We talked about gaining confidence in being messengers of Jesus Christ.  As our session ended I encouraged them to continue to look for other unexpected tools to help them overcome any obstacle they might face and trust that the Lord would give them what they needed when they needed it.

Working in the Pacific Area Office (PAO), we generally don't have much contact with the young sisters and elders serving in our mission.  This conference was a great opportunity to feel of their spirit and be reminded that we are all engaged in the same work.  While we seniors all have specific assignments other than direct proselytizing , ultimately all of us have the purpose of bringing others to Christ.

Link to article on new area presidency

Link to article about President & Sister Balli

Pot Luck at the Grahams

Tonight we gathered with many of the Senior Missionaries from Takapuna to enjoy an evening of good food and friendship for a pot luck supper over at the Graham's apartment.  It was a wonderful evening.

Elder Morris and Sister Winnie Graham

The Grahams live in Hawaii.  Morris is a psychologist and his assignment here is Mental Health adviser for the whole Pacific.  He does phone consultations with young missionaries all over the region. Winnie assists him with the intake files and notes, but also does other projects.  They are both delightful people.

The meal at their place had a Mexican theme, so there were several different batches of enchiladas, there were tacos and Winnie had made a huge crock pot of Cafe Rio and Rice which was absolutely delicious.  There were many desserts as well.  We have some great cooks in our midst, so there was no shortage of yummy foods.

But the real feast was the fellowship. Before and during the meal there was a lot of animated visiting going on.

Elder and Sister Collins

Left to Right - Sister Crane, Sister Jackson, Sister Spencer and Sister Garth

Then after, Winnie had us all sit in a circle and go around the room with each person taking just a couple minutes to share something about themselves or tell of a mission experience.  That part was powerful.

First we heard from Elder & Sister Garth (from Australia) who had some very tender words to share.   Sister Garth is needing knee replacement surgery so they will be headed back home to take care of that.  They work in the Mission Office and are both amazing people.  I got to know a little bit more about them both when I rode with Sister Garth to the special Sister's Conference that Sister Balli organized.  I've had tremendous respect for them both ever since.

Elder Pat and Sister Judy Garth from Victoria, Australia

Elder Scott and Sister Cheri Loveless from Provo, UT.

Elder Loveless told a story that reminded me all over again about how the Lord knows each one of us personally and is mindful not only of our needs, but of our heart's desires.  When Elder Loveless was a young missionary he served in Frankfurt, Germany.  He loved the people and had many wonderful experiences there.  Throughout his life he worked hard to retain his fluency in the German language.  He was hopeful that when it came time for he and his wife, Cheri, to serve a Senior mission together they might be called back to Germany where he could use those language skills again.

He said he was happy to go anywhere the Lord wanted them to serve, but there was some disappointment when he learned he would not be using his German on this mission.

Then, when it came time for them to go, there was a delay of them getting their New Zealand visas.  So they got permission to begin their mission in Hawaii, since that would get them part of the way here and they had family living in Hawaii they could stay with while they waited for the visas to arrive. This was a special blessing for them as they had a grandchild born there during the time they were staying there.  It gave them some special bonding time with that baby and the opportunity to be of service to their family at that precious time rather than waiting for almost two years to meet the new one.

While in Hawaii they wore their badges and did what they could to be of service in that area.  On one particular day they were at the visitor center at the Laie Temple when Elder Loveless overheard a conversation between the young missionaries who were trying to answer questions of a couple who had come through.  The couple spoke some English, but it happened that their native language was German. They were struggling both to express themselves in English and to understand the things they were being told by the young missionaries who were serving at the visitor center.  So Scott Loveless stepped in and was able to relay the story of Joseph Smith's first vision, tell them about the Book of Mormon and answer the questions this couple had in their own language.  The got quite excited when they had someone to talk to that they could converse with freely and were very appreciative of his time with them. As they left, they filled out a card saying they would like to have missionaries contact them in their home area to teach them more.  Their home happened to be in Frankfurt Germany.  Scott knew then that the Lord put him in exactly the right place at the right time to use the abilities he hand to touch a life for good.

There were many other experiences shared by members of the group  - here are just a few I want to be sure I remember:

Elder Maughan spoke about the man in Tonga night fishing to help feed his neighbors. Also his wife, Anne, told a very touching experience of finding an answer to a personal concern through the scripture "Oh that I were an angel..."  from Alma 29:1.

Elder David and Sister Anne Maughn from Richland, WA

Elder Crane told a story of showing up late for a church meeting and not wanting to stay since the meeting was already going.  At the prompting of his wife he relented, deciding to go ahead and go in.  At this meeting he met a young man who was preparing for baptism.  That man asked the question later what it meant to have a dream you were going to meet a certain person and then the next day at church to meet that very person he had seen in the dream.  The person he dreamed of was Elder Crane. Elder Crane talked about still not being sure what he was to learn from the experience, but knowing that the Lord's hand was at work.  

When Larry's turn came he shared the scripture that we chose for our mission plaque: 2 Nephi 29:7 which says:  "Know ye not that there are more nations than one?  Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea..."  He talked about the special love we have felt for the island people we have met and how we have seen the Lord's hand so many times throughout our mission.

                                           

                                                                               Elder Bennett and I enjoying the evening
When my turn came I said that my main high point of the mission has been the closeness I feel to the spirit when I help people identify family names to take to the temple.  I asked for anyone in the group that night who either of us had helped with FamilySearch to get a family name to please stand up.  I was astonished when I saw how many people there were!
                                          
Standing up together with us were the Spencers, Jacksons, SisterCollins, Praetors, Champlins, Sister Maughan, Lovelesses, Hendersons and Sister Olsen - 15 people in all!

There have also been quite a few other missionaries we have helped who didn't happen to be there that evening.  Then when you add up all the Stake Presidents, Bishops, and others we have worked with during our many training trips, plus the people back home we have done through email - we are up to well over 100 people who have had temple experiences with their family because of this mission.  That's a huge blessing in our lives.

I feel so humbled and honored to be serving here in this remarkable place with these good people.

Over and over in this mission I have felt the truth of the gospel in so many ways.  I have learned to feel the love of my Heavenly Father and the Savior more personally than I ever would have dreamed possible.

Feeling so very blessed!