Letters from The Duffer, CanWin Jensen, and Jeff at the MTC

GUIDElines - July 15, 1990 Issue Cont’d

Dear Bro. Parker – (no date)

Wow!  The MTC is awesome.  The days are long, the work is hard, but it’s rewarding.  My companion and I were up at 5:00 a.m. this morning doing our laundry.  I don’t get much free time even on P-Day or Pressure Day as we so lovingly call it.  I am serving as DL and loving it.  It’s hard to learn Portuguese and serve as DL.  It has caused me to rely heavily on the Lord.  My testimony has grown by leaps and bounds.  The Spirit is son strong here in the MTC.  I wouldn’t want to live here though.  Since two weeks ago last Sunday I committed to the Lord that I would only speak Portuguese and English only when necessary.  For the most part I have been doing this and in this I have been blessed.  I am learning the language at a fairly rapid pace.  The only suggestion I have for the Program is Unity and Boldness.  You must be united in purpose and bold in speech to preach the gospel.  The purpose of a missionary is to bring souls to Christ through the ordinances of baptism and confirmation.  Be bold in presenting the Gospel.  If the Spirit is there the people will accept.  When I arrived and went to my first class I found out how bold I never was and should have been.  The Church is true; don’t be afraid to share that truth.  Thank You for being such a great teacher and friend.  Give my love to the Program.

With Love and Faith, Elder Duffin

Duff:  The other night when we needed two more referrals I sent Mike Harter, Doug Carpenter and Doug Pospisil to ARBY’s, saying, “The Great Duffer could always squeeze a referral or two out of ARBY’s!”  FUN !  Of course, there have to be people at ARBY’s before you can get referrals, don’t there?  We miss ya, Duff…!

People who come to the (Visitors’ Center) are often pleased with what they learn and with what they feel.  And they want to request more information about what they have learned.  We make this possible when you fill out a guest card and on the bottom of this card there is a box that you can mark if you would like to request more information.  And we will send representatives like myself to your home to share more with you about the things we have talked about tonight!

            Sister Jensen

Dear      ! – 6/7/90

It was great to hear from you!  Things are going pretty good for me.  2 months ago I was transferred from Thompson, Manitoba to Regina, Sask., which is where I am right now!  It was about a 1,000 miles transfer (23 hour bus trip!).  Oh well, that’s life here in the Can. Win. (Canada-Winnipeg) Mission.

Thompson treated me real good, even though it was one of my biggest trials.  I will be eternally grateful for getting to serve there and for the things I learned, spiritually, about the world and myself in general.  Life in the permafrost belt sure was interesting.  When I came to Regina I went in one day from Winter to Spring.  Regina was very warm.  Only snowing once the first week of May but other than that things here have been great as far as the weather is concerned.  Everything is in bloom and it’s just beautiful.

Summers here do get very warm but right now you couldn’t ask for nicer.  My first companion here was a trial.  I spent many hours helping him try to see the importance of missionary work and that he shouldn’t go home.  Well, at best he’s still out giving it a try.  My new and present companion is great and I know we’ll do great things together.  I have had many neat experiences since coming to Regina, from praying with people on their knees and having them receive their answer right there, to giving members of my district blessings to help overcome a problem they might have.  One neat experience was when Elder Sutherland and I were harvesting (praying to know where to go to find the honest-in-heart).  He felt good about Area #1.  Well, we went to the church and thought no one was there but as we were getting ready to go—Sandra walks out.  Sandra is an investigator of the other missionaries here in the ward, that we were able to teach the 1^st disc. to.  Anyway, it was neat to hear her say that something had drawn her up to the church that evening.  So we gave her a tour of the Stake Center there and told her that what she was feeling was the Spirit of our Heavenly Father.  She said she knew that and committed to be baptized.  It’s a bummer not having her in our area because when a golden one like the is found it’s hard to give them up.  But as long as she is baptized it doesn’t matter.  I do love teaching though, it is the best feeling in the whole world.  Well, actually, feeling the Spirit while we’re teaching is the best feeling in the whole world.

We just got out of church today.  Had two investigators out, one of them, John, is deaf so we had a member of the ward who went on a sign language mission translate all the meetings for us.  It was missionary Sunday so we got to talk in Sacrament Meeting also.  It’s been really fun working w/John and learning the sign language a bit myself.  Hey, Leslie!, you won’t be able to talk in secret to Christie anymore (just kidding).  I don’t know it that well but it has been a special experience!

Thanks Bro. Parker for the GUIDElines.  They are fantastic, I really feel pumped up when I read about all the updates, etc.  I hope the Parker Family is still in rip-roarin’ shape, TAKE CARE and know that I am doing FANTASTIC!

W/Love Always, Elder Dave Jensen

DAVE:  I guess a form letter is better than nothing.  I guess……Bro. Parker

(Sorry this is so long)  They’ll never be like this again.

Dear Brother Parker – 6/20/90

I just received the June GUIDElines and I love it.  From that letter I felt so much love that I still feel it now one hour later.  It and the Guide Program have been in my mind for the whole time, too.  I can’t finish writing this because I can only write on Tuesday, but I need to get my feelings down before they leave me in 6 days.  (Today is Wednesday)  The GUIDElines means so much more to me than I thought it would.  It’s not just keeping in touch, but it’s sharing of the love and knowledge that we have.  I truly love and rejoice in the experiences and feelings we share and I thank everyone who assists.  It helps me and I love you for it.  Thanks.  I really feel honored to even be associated with you.

I also, right now, have a lot of thoughts directed towards the Guides.  I think there might be something called Tour Guide Home Sickness.  I know I’m not the only one to feel it, but I really miss the Guides and the Program.  The Program played a big part in my life and blessed me more than I can express thanks for.  A part of my heart was left there in the building when I was released as a Guide.  I’m so thankful for the opportunity to give tours and have choice experiences in the Gardens.  I owe a lot to the Program because it added so much to my spiritual growth and knowledge.

Brother Parker I don’t remember, but at the Rock I think we want to ask the NYMs 3 times to see the missionaries, and we might, I’m not sure, but we might be doing it too soon, right after the other.  They told us here in using the Commitment Pattern if they reject the invitation we have to go back and prepare them again and then invite again after they’re prepared.  I think we might be inviting them too soon after they say no.  But we can’t take too much time there and maybe I’m not even in position to say this.

I can’t believe how time is flying here.  I can’t believe it has been three weeks now.  In 2 Nephi 28:24-2 you can relate the warning to the Guides to never be content at their level of knowledge or spirituality.  I’ve found out I was kind of that way, but here I realized that we need to keep learning and studying because there is so much to do.

Lastly, just like the song “it’s money that matters,” well, here at the MTC it’s the Spirit that matters.  They stress that so much.  In D&C 50 and in the Commitment Pattern.  We were ordained to preach by the Spirit (verse 13 & 14).  Tell them to continually pray on their tours for the Holy Ghost to be with them.

Elder Crump, the Managing Director of the Missionary Department, who works closely with Elder Ballard and Elder Backman, gave the Fireside this Sunday night and talked on the Spirit.  He said we have to have a desire to have the Holy Ghost.  He quoted Joseph F. Smith as saying, “Men and women are often left to their own spirit of judgment.”  And it comes to us based on our worthiness and faithfulness (verse 24).  Those who need this undoubtedly know that.  But what I want to say about this after his talk I went up to talk to him and shake his hand.  I remember that Elder Backman was going to come down and I asked him about that.  He said he didn’t know anything about a visit but then he said something like, “That is an impressive program (the Tour Guides)” or he said, “We are impressed with that Program.”  That doesn’t mean it’s going to be incorporated into every Visitors’ Center soon, but it did make me jump and yell when I got to my room.  The Guides have got to be doing something right.

That is all the preaching I have.  I feel bad that I didn’t take Rob Stevens and Theron Quass on tours before I left.  Tell Kyle T. to keep in touch with Rob and tell Robin Roberts to keep in touch with Theron.  We were all “working” on them.  Tell Melissa Colby to continue to try to get in touch with Lois Baird, our referral from Easter.  I feel the missionaries couldn’t contact her and gave up.  Plus, tell Robin and Kyle to write me back ASAP and fill me in on everything.  Thanks very much.

Russell – I met the Yawneys – a couple which helped teach the language to you in the MTC.  They’ve left now, but have a note for you from me.

Thanks for helping me out Bro. Parker.  In the MTC, because of the Guide Program, I have more experience and knowledge than if I was not in it.  These and other tools I have received from the Program will be a great asset to me if I use them.  I really am happy to receive the GUIDElines.  I’m blessed to receive it.  Much Exito!

            Love, Elder Richardson

Bro. Parker, say Hi! to my brother for me and sorry my writing and spelling are bad.  I’m cursed like all missionaries.  (That’s why the stamps are included.)

(All over the back of the envelope he continued:  Bro. P. I just reread the GUIDElines and your comments to me.  I love them and I love you.  You have been one of the best if not the best examples of temple attendance and reverence on the temple.  I have never been embarrassed by you or anything.  I don’t know how you could have improved my time as a Guide either.  I probably could not have learned any more from you.  I have absolutely no regrets.  I love you and know you are one of my best examples and leaders in this Church.  Thanks!  Thank you also for taking my brother in so quickly.  I can’t ask anymore of you.  You have done so much for me and now my family.  Thank you!  Love, Elder Jeff.

I also love seeing other Guides and friends here.  It’s great to have this experience with them.

P.S.  Sorry there is no time and I’m’ not ? enough to fit this in, doesn’t need to, but 125 Mission Presidents were here and I go to meet mine, plus the last 2 weeks we’ve had talks from Pres. Monson, Hinckley, Ashton, Maxwell (this week), and Gene R. Cook.  It’s great!

Me and Aaron spoke with the new Tempe Mission President after the other Guides and he is sold on the Program.  He told Aaron and me if it did nothing than get us this excited for missionary work that the Program was worth it.  Exciting!

Jeff:  I feel really bad about not having written all of you guys in the MTC.  I apologize and promise that I will do better with the ones who leave from now on.  From what I get back, it looks like you are so busy that it takes all you can do to get it all done.  It is true that the sheer numbers of you, over 40 now, is getting to be AWESOME!  Leslie told me something funny this morning.  She and Kyle Thornton said, “It’s going to be so cool to get the GUIDElines.  Curtis Nielson said, What is that?”  You see, Curtis is just now waking up to all of this.  They acted like it was a big secret until he begged.  What fun!  With I could see you this Tuesday, but there is no chance unless I sever relations with my employer.  I couldn’t even get off to go to the temple with Todd!  Time marches on.  Just made a deal to release Bryan Lane on the 17^th so he’ll have a couple of weeks to get ready.  Trevor sends in his papers on Monday!  You just would not believe what Trevor is doing.  In a few months we’ll be talking about him as though he were a Porter or Lutke or Richardson or Driggs or…you get the drift.  A W E S O M E.  One guy said, “You mean Derek Seal was a Tour Guide?”  “The Derek Seal?”  He was in awe when I said he was probably the most organized President we ever had.  He said, “Joe Jensen in my idol!”  I told him Joe had two older, twin brother Zone Leaders who put little Joe to shame.  He just looked at me in a w e.  Guide legends are not made in a day, but in ten …?