NOTE: Almost all of the posts so far, and in the future, will be taken from a book that Craig saved of everything I sent him on his mission. That’s why there are more letters to him than to others. – Bro. P.
June 19, 1990
Dear Craig:
Hope you have gotten the GUIDElines for this month and have enjoyed reading a little about the brethren around the world. I got your card on Saturday, too late to add to the June issue. That’s okay. You’ve promised me more before the July issue goes out.
Yes, I did enjoy hearing about the rain and window incident. However, this isn’t getting it. I really do need to have you guys all in a room here and talk to you. We have been trying to decide what has happened…why we don’t have the Guides with as much dedication as you guys had before you left. Leslie thinks it is just the year. She says the year behind hers in school was always less committed and she thinks they are just now getting the leadership positions in the Program. Take last Saturday night. We ended up with no Zone Leader, he had to go to a stake function, and no District Leader, he was at the cannery and just didn’t get a sub or show up. So, we had Emily Good, as the TS and Brian Buell and Steve Boren as GTs, and me! Well, after the Devotional I went in to use the phone and called the President and told him the sad tale. If it had been you or David or Marlin or any of a dozen other former leaders, you would have cancelled whatever you were doing and came to the Visitors’ Center. Nope, he called his secretary, Catherine Pitts, and she called Shaleigh Kimball from Tempe and Debbie Miner to come down. So, we had nothing but girls (albeit awesome girls) and GTs!!! The girls are good, but we need dedicated boys (Priesthood). Laurie came down the last time this happened, about 3 weeks ago, and helped out even though she had something planned for the night.
I am just going to ramble on for a while. Hope you don’t mind. I have to do Paul’s Blessing this week before his Farewell on Sunday. He is one of the last of the original group I kind of started with. Geoff Willis is having his Farewell this weekend also. Paul has been a good temple buddy. He is always willing to go, but he doesn’t have the same awe that you and some of the others have. His father having been a Stake President, Mission President, and now a Sealer at the temple, may have taken some of the edge off of it. Not that he isn’t respectful, even though he sleeps, but he just doesn’t seem to have the same deep and abiding love for the temple that you do. I miss having you guys with me in the Celestial Room. I had envisioned that my correspondence would be so different with each of you than it is. It seems that by the time I get the GUIDElines done, there isn’t time for anything else each month. I think I may try something different next month, in not putting whole letters in but in editing them and putting in condensed versions. Don’t know whether I will. Probably not. The only real consideration is expense. It was almost $15.00 to Xerox and $14.00 to mail this month. I really don’t mind the expense, because I really have nothing else that I spend money on. Where was I? Oh, yeah, I wanted my communication to be so much more cerebral and thoughtful and spiritual, but I find that just isn’t me.
I had a wonderful vision in the temple last Saturday. I am real selfish and have asked the Lord to give me something really special in each session I go to and so far, He has. I have been trying to figure out just what it looks like on the other side of the veil. I have had the impression on the way to the Visitors’ Center one evening that there was a large amphitheater of sorts around the Gardens with a huge congregation of spirits there to cheer us on all the time. That was interesting. Of course, I have told you about the times my mother has visited me. Well, I wanted to know more and during the session, the best way I can explain it is that my “mind’s eye” was opened to a vision of a beautiful gleaming white city that stretched off away from the temple towards the northeast as far as the mountains. It seemed to be in the same place as the present Mesa is, but not necessarily the same street pattern. In fact, it appeared as though the temple was the hub and like Washington, D.C., all the streets radiated out from it in all directions. But the impression was that it was not just an ordinary city, but a city especially associated with the temple and the work being done there before and after people receive their endowments. It was a large city and seemed to take up the whole area from mountain range to mountain range. Now, I don’t know if this fits in with gospel doctrine, but it was the vision of my mind’s eye. We have been told that the work on the other side goes on at a feverish pace and that there is lot of organization. Since this temple is the temple for 69 stakes in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, then it has a large work to do. Of course, it may not compare with other temples, but it was a special vision for me at any rate.
So, when next you are able to see the Chicago Temple, if you do, stop for a minute and close your eyes and envision the brightest Arizona sunshine day with the sunshine gleaming on a beautiful white city stretching out wide and far. I tried to explain this vision to the Guides in the meeting Sunday night, but it didn’t come off very well. Oh, I discovered these two little sealing rooms. You know Room 4 is downstairs? Remember the old guy I always waived at that sat just at the entrance to Room 4? Well, behind him was a stairway and I never really knew where it went. So, this last Saturday I asked if I could go up there. I did and found two small sealing rooms, one to the left under the Terrestrial Room and one to the right under Room 1. Between them were two easy chairs and a table and lamp. It was just a wonderful little discovery. They were different than any of the other sealing rooms and seemed very special and intimate. I have the feeling that my temple is so plain in comparison with the others in Utah and elsewhere that people are disappointed when they come here. I know that President Kimball thought it was the best, but he was an Arizonan! I guess it really isn’t what it is physically, but what it is spiritually. When you and Brent and I chatted for a while it was grrrr8! I’ve had one of those with Jeff Richardson and just recently with Paul and Geoff Willis. It has also been like old time to go by myself once in awhile. I get much more inspiration when I do.
Work is the pits! I am using a word processing system that is so bad I couldn’t even get it to paginate today (make a new page) and finally had to give up and do a two page letter on the typewriter! Pits, pits, pits!!! But, I pretty much have control over my time all day and I work from 7 until 4 so it seems like the day goes real fast. Then, if I get home at lunch and one of the guys has written it really perks things up.
I’m getting kind of bone tired. You know I haven’t missed a meeting in 16 months now and with all of the stress and everything it’s really a wonder I am still around to gripe.
Craig, you know I think you’re awesome. With everything else going on we haven’t corresponded about what you are really doing on your mission. I would appreciate it if you would take a little time and recap and let me know what you have learned and now that you have learned that, what your goals are. It will be over all too soon and we will sit in the temple and say, “What’s next? before you know it. I wish I felt I had the time to really sit down and write a good letter to you. Until then, know I think of you daily and pray for your welfare and success. Write when you can. I know you are busy and your time is taken up. Just consider me one of your charity cases, like I am sure David does, and keep me posted.
I wonder what awesome stuff will go in the GUIDElines in July.
Yep, love is the word, my brother…Bob
July 11, 1990
Dear Craig:
Got your letter and it couldn’t have come at a better time, unless it would have come last Saturday. Thanks.
I am getting ready to start the GUIDElines for July this week. Well, actually, I have got a couple of pages done. The Program is taking up gobs of my time now getting ready for the New Era reporter to come next week. We also have a referral goal of 50 this month, which as you know will be a tough one. So far we have 19, which puts us a little ahead. I believe the Guides are better trained at the ROCK now and get more referrals that way, but who knows.
Last night was a typical night for how things have been going. The District Leader, Doug Pospisil, was late and had assigned the Devotional to Heber Allen. There were so many substitutes I didn’t see how we were going to have an effective night. But, we talked for a few minutes and had a Devotional on Teaching with the Spirit, prayed and went into the Gardens to be confronted by a huge dust storm and lightning, and …. So, after a half an hour or so we decided to come in and see Labor of Love. Then, after that was over and I came back from doing some Xeroxing, they were out in the Gardens again giving tours! I caught up with one at the ROCK, which turned into 4 referrals from some Czechoslovakians (sp?). Later, Mike Harter had the gal check the box before she wrote her name. It turned out to be an AWESOME night!!
I was at the down and could just die and enjoy it stage over the weekend. UB and I had a 3 hours discussion about directions of the Program and my direction in particular. I quit; he fired me, and this week we’re working like nothing happened! It’s a crazy life.
Well, just came home and had a few minutes and thought if I didn’t write you now I wouldn’t get to until the GUIDElines go out next Monday.
We are doing a Sacrament Meeting in James Boddy’s ward on Sunday the 22nd for the gal from the New Era. We are also having a big Mexican Dinner at Brother Vega’s house that Saturday and I thought we were going to be able to change the Presidency that Sunday, but Troy wants released this week. I strongly want Trevor Barrett as the next President, but I think UB is going to overrule me in favor of Tim Penrod, Keith Bacon, Trent Allen, or someone else just to prove he is in control. However, Trevor has been awesome. He has referrals every Monday night now for 6 Mondays in a row, has turned in reports, is now the DL on Monday night and has just been a model of what he should be doing. I won’t give up without a fight. I guess I like you “outa towners!” He deserves it…and I am not sure the others do. Gotta Run. Love ya!
Bob
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.