I don't know whether I am doing you a service by letting you know what I know, or not. If it is against mission rules to have this information about world conditions, please disregard it. The latest Kiplinger Washington Letter received this morning (11/19) says: "The situation in the Middle East is confusing to many readers. One day's headlines point to war...the next to a peaceful ending. Based on information, here are our judgments: We will most likely go to ward if Iraz doesn't get out of Kuwait by early '91. the buildup is NOT a bluff. [400,000 troops now] The stage is set. Dos that mean war is enevitable? No...Saddam might still budge for one reason or another. He's shrewd, may cut a deal with other Arabs that he'll put out if they come through with face-saving proposals. No matter what happens the U.S. will have a military commitment in that area for YEARS!"
November 25, 2012 - Interesting that 22 years later we are still having war signals from the Middle East.
AMMONITE CHRISTMAS MISSION!
We also organized the Ammonite Christmas Mission! Elijah Williams is the President with Kent Power, Scott Evans and Tyler Britt as his ZLs, Alicia Kelly for Secretary, Tye Springer, Grant Stock, Stephen Merrill, Dave Osborn, Danene Jarvis, and Tim Penrod as DLs, Robert Soza, Jodie Reed, Nathan Farnsworth, Clate Mask, Catherine Pitts, and Maven Tenney as TSs. Kayla Lane is Ammonite Records Specialist.
Many bore testimony that the new Mission was answer to prayer. I have taken a lot of flak from Brother Bowden about it. He was out of town at the time visiting this grandson who has been diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. It may have been a mistake doing it while he was gone, but Christmas is so closes and if you took a look at the Roster you would get weak in the knees at the lack of workers. Trevor and Vega concurred, so I went ahead. How it all came about?
Well, that Thursday evening I went with Curtis Nielson as he received his endowment and during the session I felt impressed that the Ammonite Mission should be resurrected. So, since I was taking Friday off because of my birthday, I called Elijah early in the morning and went by his house, had a long talk with him, he agreed to help and we got together later that afternoon and worked out the details. He was a Zone Leader last year in the ill-fated first Ammonite Mission and knew what to do and what not to do. Both Trevor and Vega agreed it should be done as quickly as possible in view of the fact that Christmas is so close.
Flake had helped with the first one, but there was no help with this one. So, all day Saturday I worked to get everyone called and we set up a meeting with the new ZLs on Sunday morning and explained to them what was going to happen. Boy, have I learned a lot about doing this stuff. Not enough yet, but each time is an education.
Making sure two missions keep running has been e xciting but a real physical and emotional drain.
TREVOR THE AWESOME
I want each of you on your missions to know that if you are Trevor Barrett's friend you have been wonderously blessed. If you aren't, take the opportunity to become so. He is the 11th President I have worked with and I firmly believe the Lord sent him to us to serve as a strong, righteous example and someone not afraid to point out our frailties. In a special meeting with the Directors, and in extreme kindness and forthrightness, he explained our shortcomings and then expressed his love for us personally.
What a GIANT of a man. You know, the Barrett many of you know is not the man who is now our President. I have really been surprised at the depth of his humility and the strength of his character. I love him with all my heart and promise you that the Youth Guide Mission will never be the same after his influence is fully felt. How many of you would have kept with the 'Program' if you had to drive 80 miles round trip to the Center? Each of you other ten Presidents can imagine the load he carries, and I hope you will pray for him. As an example, he said I want those Zone Leaders there for the Devotional and to stay the whole night. If it's too much, we'll get some more to do the work. And, I want to move some girls into the leadership positions. No sooner said, than done. they look up to him as a real leader.
TREVOR GOES TO THE TEMPLE
Since his father couldn't go to the temple when Trevor received his endowments last night (11/8), he asked me to be his Escort. He is number 44 or so of you guys and I was so honored. I tell each of you before you go that there is a temporal and a spiritual side of the temple and that it is run by old people who can't hear and get fuzzy brained sometimes. Well...the guy who was OUR escort was just in from the Sydney, Australia Temple and this was his first time working at the Arizona Temple. He said, "Well, this is MY first time, too, and they said I would have someone to help me."
I guess we were his helpers. I haven't done initiatory work for ten years. At least since I got fat. So, it was unfamiliar to me, also. That is one of the reasons I wanted to go, is for a refresher course.
I had Trevor on my left and another new guy on my right. It was like being between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. Trevor so intent and humble. the other guy giggled and...well, it was different.
BARZ and Tom Clifford (Ammonite from Tempe going to the New York New York Mission) were there in the session also and I couldn't get them all out of the temple later. They kept finding sealing rooms to investigate, when I did get them out of the Celestial Room. BARZ jumped up and down several times to let Scott Simpson and Jason Ross knowe knew they were below him in the Baptistry! No one but BARZ could have gotten away with it! We stood in the same corner where I stood quietly and reverently with Brent Pospisil and Craig Lutke as Craig, and Brent and I had a spiritual experience of friendship and commitment. This time it was Barret on the right and BARZ on the left...what a contrast. However, BARZ has settled down a great deal and I understand him a lot better now. What a good man.
Let's go back for a minute to the meeting Trevor had with us. I believe some of what he talked to us about was a bit blown out of proportion, but I am taking it very seriously. I believe that during the session last night the answer to a long-range solution came to me. We have been struggling with the old 'recognition' bugaboo since I came, at the very least. We are no longer an 'unknown' Mission. In fact, while sitting in the lecture before the endowment session last night, a young missionary across the room said to Barrett, "Aren't you an Ammonite or something?" He was from Tempe and had been to the Tr-Stake Fireside! Anyway, remember the letter Elder Ballard wrote to Don Flake about asking Elder Backman to investigate the Mission? Well, I felt impressed that it was time for us to get Elder Backman on the road. What we need is complete legitimacy in the Church. We need to have the Mission looked at carefully, and either have the current Directors sustained by the Brethren or replaced and the Mission run more closely along Church lines. I feel real good about it, but haven't decided how to go about it. I know that I cannot continue the way we have, and yet I feel there is so much more we can do if we keep up the direction we are headed. I don't want to quit after having just gotten us a new building and office and all.
In the whole session last night, that thought suddenly came into my mind and it was the only one not related to my role as Escort and making sure Trevor had the best experience he could have. Remember the commitment to attend the temple? Well, I again promise you that you will have answers to your challenges in life come to you in the temple and receive guidance directly from our Father. Take advantage of it as I have. However, I must confess that I missed attending on the same Saturday Trevor met with us.
That was the first week in 36 months I had missed going through an endowment session. I thought I could do it all. Sister Randall called and asked me to work the Switchboard at the temple for a couple of hours inn an emergency and promised I could get into the 9 o'clock session. Well, I quit in time but the crowd was so big that the chapel was filled and the line came out into the lobby area. I couldn't even find anyone to pull rank with. Now, in retrospect, if I had told them this would be the first week I had missed going to a session in 36 months they would have made room for me. I told Sister Randall, and she said, "Brother, you will still receive the blessings." And she is right. It is not where we serve, but how. I was the only person in the city who could work the Switchboard for that two hours. But it was still sad to have broken a perfect record established over 36 months. Please know that I tried. As a consolation, I slipped up the elevator to the Celestial Room and wept and thought for 30 minutes or so. It w as sweet, taking a few minutes to remember all of you and where we sat in the Celestial room and what we talked about.
The reason I couldn't go later is that we were having a meeting at 11 a.m. on the Tempe Tri-Stake Fireside and I had to be there to conduct it. Two duties, two good choices to make. You guessed it, I was about the only one there on time and the meeting didn't start until 11:45, which would have given me time to take the 9:30 session. I go into such great depth because as an experienced temple attender I know that if you are going to be serious about your commitment, you are going to have to make serious choices in order to keep it. I cannot enumerate t he lengthy number of blessings I receive from going to the temple weekly. If I told you all the events, changes and direction of the Mission I received in the temple you would be astonished!
Trevor and I are going to the 7 a.m. in the morning (11/10) if he can get a ride over. On the way home last night his truck caught fire on the freeway at Broadway Road and he had to stop and get a fire extinguisher from a construction site to put it out. (Les said he was probably going to fast it caught on fire! He has three speeding tickets already!) Afterwards we are going to the Sisters' Morningside hosted by Sister Kimball and Sister Tanner, the Asst. Matron at the temple.
