Supply Clerk's (And Family's) Invitation Through Music

The Missonary Purpose can be found in the beginning of

the "Preach My Gospel" personal study booklet.

It begins this way:

Our purpose is to bring others to Christ by inviting them . . . 

One of my duties in my assignment in the Mission Office

of the New Hampshire Manchester Mission is

to order and manage printed materials that

the missionaries use across our three-state mission.

This process begins when those missionaries text me on

either my personal cell phone or on the "supplies" cell phone,

or call or walk into the office with their requests.

Mostly, this is very clerical and straight forward.
It has been interesting to me, therefore, that one of

my first more identifiable "missionary experiences" has come

through that role. The Exeter Elders texted me to request

that I order in a copy of the Children's Song book and 

companion CD format for someone they are teaching.

Their request indicated that this single mother has young

children, at least one of which is on the autism spectrum.

She often had indicated her success/relief using music as

the "chill out" solution when everything else was falling apart.

There were other things they needed as well.

As I confirmed that I had received their message,

I also had to convey that, unfortunately for this situation,

those were supplies that the Mission would not be able to provide,

due both to budgetary watchfulness, but more importantly

because it is viewed generally as an opportunity for ward or unit

members to get involved in the teaching and fellowshipping.

It was a difficult message to key into my phone, 

because of the broad experience I have had in teaching

Primary children these wonderful, pure, doctrine-filled

and remember-able songs (and also playing at the piano 

as they learn and sing). And further, because of

the music connection to the Glissmeyer family's

conversion story, as previously noted in a different blog post.

More than half of my heart, therefore, prompted me to include

an added message: If the ward is unable or not interested

in filling this request, please let us know and we would

personally order and provide the two items to their "friend".

Within 10 days or so, they returned a message that indicated

they would appreciate our help. So I placed the order, and

charged it to the Warner household credit card.

In the spirit of previous experiences of penning a personal

testimony to place inside the front cover of a copy of

the Book of Mormon, my mind began to formulate a plan.

I would write a letter that described our family story about

the "O My Father" hymn heard in Germany so many years ago,

and also my experience with and love of the Primary music.

Then another prompting came. Since this is a shared

 music legacy, I should invite my siblings and their "direct line"

descendants to participate. I reached out to them to respond to

my request to think about, select and write a little about

their favorite song included in that song book.

They would need to get those messages back to me during

the ten days it would take to get the shipment here.

I would transcribe and temp-tape them to the pages

of the music, so they (and I) could convey our own testimonies

that the musical messages evoke.

During phone communication with the Elders, we had offered to drive

the 30 minutes or so to Exeter to deliver the music gift in person,

if that would be helpful. The Elders were excited about this,

but were cautious because they said the investigator was

a bit shy. They would let me reach out to her with my careful

explanation and let her call the tune about contact.

Accordingly, I first "met" Andrea through texting. First, her

responses were welcoming but brief. But quickly she

was the one initiating. When I texted to let them all know

that the music had arrived, we made arrangements to visit

the Canterbury Ward nearer our home base on the next Sunday

to meet her and her family, and hand off the music.

That is what transpired a week ago. When I finally saw this

wonderful young mother directly eye to eye, my first reaction

was how much she reminds me of our daughter Kenzie.

She was very pleased with the gift, and we chatted before

and after the meeting briefly with her fiancee Mike and

the little boy.

I have asked Andrea to let me know what her experience with

the music is, but to date have not heard any thing directly.

(She often works on Sundays and was not at Church today.)

The Exeter Elders report that she is very pleased with the music

and has enjoyed having it.

Regardless of what may or may not happen following

our "invitation", my lamp has been filled by the testimonies

and messages, and gracious assistance from my family.

Musings on the Interesting Nature of Blessings

This wonderful photograph was NOT taken by me, since

we have not been near enough to the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial

during winter months (yet). Thinking about the life of Joseph Smith

has returned my musings to the interesting nature of blessings,

a favorite topic in quiet times of reflection.

I share some of those musings here with this post.

We were there in Sharon, Vermont (now called South Royalton)

a week ago with the incoming "batch" of newly arriving young elders

and sisters, where the Mission President, Companion,

Assistants to the Pres., and Sister Training Leader Trainers (sisters)

teach and share with the new missionaries and their trainers.

It is a wonderfully inspiring place, and the weather was beautiful.

This special visitor center has been until now part of the NH Manchester 

Mission, but is being separated as its own operation.

President and Sister Ferguson are "hosts" to visitors, along

with a couple of hosting senior couples, and a crew of site

caretakers who do landscaping, and help with the December

lighting drive-through event that draws visitors from many states.

Sister Ferguson was careful to show us the exact spot where

the shiny granite stone of the monument reflects the sunlight.

 The following small portrait is of Dr. Nathan Smith,

a physician who was a professor of medicine

at Dartmouth College in "nearby" Hanover, NH

not far from Lebanon where the Smith family had moved.

When typhus fever rampaged through the village,

and several members of the Smith household suffered

from the disease, Joseph was one who caught it.

It settled in his shoulder, then in his left leg and ankle.

Drs. Smith, Jones and Perkins traveled to Lebanon

to perform what at the time was experimental surgery,

being the only team in the nation who at the time 

could offer this relief.

Also while at the Sharon memorial site, we learn about

the rather miraculous episodes that brought the huge monolith

 monument to the site for the centenary of the Prophet Joseph's

birth. Church leaders felt inspired to commemorate

the life that began in Sharon. They made plans, appropriated

"sacred funds", etc. It was a huge undertaking.

The obelisk was quarried a distance away, then brought

by large horse team and wagon. At least one bfridge had to be

reinforced to handle the weight being carried.

Near the end, the muddy roadway of late autumn proved to be

an insurmountable obstacle. But the prayer by a faithful member

in charge to some degree of the transport resulted 

in a deep freeze overnight which hardened the boggy road,

 allowing the transport to cross to its destination. 

Now to my point:

I often get to this conflict in my head about blessings.

I believe Heaven answers prayers and provides blessings --

blessings in differing forms and degrees. I sometimes ponder

about the faith it might take to bring about the BIG blessing,

whether it was prayed for specifically or hoped for more generally.

For instance, Joseph Smith's young life needed to be spared so that

he could fulfill his prophetic calling. So the BIG blessing would

have kept him from catching typhus fever altogether. INSTEAD,

the necessary family move (prompted by a weather pattern change

resulting from a volcanic eruption on the other side of the globe)

brought him into proximity to a surgeon who could save his

life and also his leg - for times when he needed to escape mobs.

Next for my examples here, the ground could have been made

firm through a freeze long before the horse hooves and wagons

were getting stuck. Or even the availability of a different route. 

Instead, someone needed to express faith

in a way and with timing that demonstrated God's power and will.

We have our own interesting "Mission" blessings that we can

cite, too. As we prepared to make ourselves available, and

then get ready to be trained and then to travel to serve,

I personally faced a major challenge regarding dental situations that

would have impacted my ability to talk and chew and perform duties.

We were praying and hoping for a "decent" outcome.

The BIG blessing would have been that these dental developments

did not even surface. Or that they had been evident on

a timeline that presented more options. Instead, as I agonized about

possibilities, we decided to ask our MTC District Leader to assist

Vince with a Priesthood blessing that things would be OK, and that

inspiration would come to the dental specialists involved

during exploratory appointments that week.

Within a 24 hour cycle, my symptoms had subsided to the point

that discussions became only a "preparatory plan" that was placed,

instead of the extraction of multiple teeth and temporary bridge.

Another Mission blessing involves the health of son Cory,
who has suffered for several years with knee pain in both legs
that resulted from skateboarding stress and a motorcycle accident.
He has consulted with a handful of physicians who time and again
offered "stopgap" solutions, indicating that surgery was NOT needed.
Within the first few weeks of our Mission start, Cory tried once again
to consult with a physician -- his knees as they were could not support
his furniture making profession, nor probably his role as property manager
for us as we served far away in New Hampshire.
The BIG blessing would have been that the need for surgery went away
on its own, or was not necessary in the beginning, or that
it was diagnosed at a time when we were there to help care for him.
Instead, the "blessing" has been that he finally found a surgeon
who correctly diagnosed the damage, and suggested
cartilage repair for BOTH knees. Both surgeries have been
completed, three weeks apart. (And the blessings for us and him
have been that many people around him there in Lehi have reached
out and connected with him to help him cope and survive.)

One more example of the exchange of BIG possible blessings

was "formalized" this past week. It involves the blending

of two families who have each lost a parent.

These wonderful people in the photo are: Caroline, Paul

and Eric (my brother), Rebekah (new sister-in law)

and her daughter Mary. We are all now connected

through marriage as family because of a HUGE blessing.

But it is still a difficult mental balance to think that,

IF Heaven can dispense blessings (and I know God can),

why can't we just get the BIG blessing, in this case

that the beloved spouses, (mother of Caroline and Paul;

father of Mary) could have been spared their life-taking illnesses

to complete a standard-length lifetime.

God teaches us a million things about Him,

faith, life, humility, hope, reliance, accepting help,

waiting on the Lord, etc., etc. While I mostly wish

things were easier in this life as part of mortality's passport,

I also get those spiritual nudges that help me know

that "God is in His Heaven", and that the Plan will play out.

This week my lamp has been filled by all of these people,

(and by a thoughtful sister Elana who helped me participate

in the activities long distance via FaceTime, videos and photos).

Burning strong here!

Assume Good Intent: Arrival of New Mission President

We have now had a full two weeks with our new

Mission President and Companion, and we have

witnessed their commitment to serve thoroughly

and well, their careful leadership style,

and their support and love for the missionaries -

including us who work from the NH Manchester Mission office.

As the departing President and Sister Blair described

the process in the few weeks leading up to their handing over

of the reins for this important and dynamic work,

"This train is coming into the station and it is NOT

going to slow down."

This was President Blair's way of telling them and us

that the daily work, finding, ministering and operations

of the Mission would not allow for any kind of transitional period 

that would allow time to "get used" to things in their new form. 

"It's leap, grab hold and hang on!"

Pres. Beck, Assistants, Pres. Blair, Sister Blair

The Becks arrived on a Friday,

stopped into the office to say hello to the staff there,

then were sequestered into the President's Office

to get "connected" via internet to Salt Lake "trainers"

who assisted the electronic transition for them.

An hour later, (or perhaps after their dinner together)

President Blair handed over the Mission affairs,

and that hour of information sharing is about all there was.

Of course, the Blairs assisted with pre-mission field arrival

questions, but it certainly is not a long face-to-face

training period.

(This Mission President service is NOT for weaklings!)

Four days in the week that followed their arrival,

President and Sister Beck set up "Meet and Greet"

appointments with each of the 7 zones on our mission -

from Vermont to New Hampshire to Maine - (phew!)

where they met each missionary, introduced themselves,

and asked the missionaries to tell them about

the NH Manchester Mission 

("what do you want to be known for?" 

or

"In the NH Manchester Mission we (fill in the blank)".

As part of their introduction to help us all know them,

they bore powerful testimonies of their own conversion

stories that helped them "come unto Christ."

Sister Beck talked about a conversation she had 

as a young girl with her mother

 who was converted to the Restored Gospel

when they lived in northeast Salt Lake valley.

In response to her daughter's inquiries, she firmly told her

that she needed to find out for herself, and to ask the questions

she had directly to her Father in Heaven.

President Beck spoke of his testimony foundation beginnings

as being similar to the account in the Book of Mormon by Nephi.

He was born of goodly parents, and learned and had

Gospel truth confirmed as he grew up under their influence.

They both bore witness of Christ's Atonement,

the Book of Mormon and prophetic mission of

Joseph Smith.

During remarks to the group we attended with in Nashua,

Pres. Beck said something that impressed me and

put oil in my lamp.

As I recall, he was talking about communication, camaraderie,

and cooperative efforts among all of us serving here together

as we try to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Referring to something from his hospital administration work

(from which he recently retired), he said they made an effort to always

"ASSUME GOOD INTENT".

Split away from it's business buzz word framework, 

this phrase embraces many of the attributes advocated

in D&C Section 4 that the NHMM missionaries recite 

whenever they meet as a group 

(and which I chant as I walk in the mornings

so that I can learn it at the speed they recite it!):

. . . patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility . . .

I am committed to repenting (changing for the better)

with this in mind.

Eat Your Food and Go To Bed

This post is about a couple of fun and

inspirational "farewell" messages that were presented

during the recent Nashua Stake Conference meeting

by our former Mission President Thomas Blair

and his companion Sister Heather Blair.

Since this blog is intended to share things we

experience or observe that touch our hearts

and replenish oil in our lamps, those messages qualify!

Sister Blair shared a past conversation she had by telephone

with a granddaughter who is attending a pre-school

near her home sponsored by another religion.

In grandmotherly fashion, Sister Blair asked the child about

the highlights of her day, and what she had learned.

Her innocent response was at first baffling,

but then it turned instructive.

"They need to learn more about God," she said.

"Oh? What are they teaching you?" was the followup question.

"Eat your food, and go to bed."

After winding off the story, Sister Blair talked about how

this summary really does cover some Gospel essentials.

In 2 Nephi 32:3, we are told to "feast upon

the words of Christ." In 2 Nephi 9:51, the admonition changes

to become "feast upon that which perisheth not."

And in Jacob 3:2 comes the invitation to "receive

the pleasing word of God, and feast upon His love."

As for the second part of the pre-schooler's paraphrase,

Sister Blair directed us to read Christ's message 

of comfort in Matthew 11:28 

"Come unto me ye who are heavy laden, 

and I will give you rest."

Paul reports in Hebrews 4:3 that 

"we which have believed do enter into . . . rest."

In Alma 12:34, we are promised that "whosoever

repenteth shall enter into my rest."

President Blair framed his message around the slogan

found on the New Hampshire license plates.

"LIVE FREE OR DIE"

This statement is attributed to General John Stark 

back on July 31, 1809, who was New Hampshire's 

most famous soldier of the American Revolutionary War.

This battle cry was intended to rally forces for war, 

but it could be laid out also as a distilling 

of the Gospel of Peace, according to President Blair. 

He quoted scriptures from 2 Nephi to help make his point:

2:27 Men are free to choose liberty and eternal life

through the great Mediator of all men,

or to choose captivity and death.

10:23 Remember that ye are free

to act for yourselves -- to choose the way

of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.

2:27 Men are free to choose liberty and eternal life,

or to choose captivity and death.

Effective speaking that engraves images of

remembrance upon the mind!

Now I find myself recalling these scriptures

when I see cars around us on the highways

with the New Hampshire plates,

or when I sit down to eat my meals.

Thank you, President and Sister Blair!