Conference, Fireside and another Death

Even though we were able to enjoy productive visits with many of the people we regularly schedule and see, the highlight this week was our Zone Conference in Appleton. It is always a pleasure to visit with President and Sister Jones and to see the other Elders, Sisters and Seniors we have come to know and love. Maybe it was the realization that this might have been our penultimate conference that sharpened our focus because the Spirit that was so strongly present profoundly affected both Sister Johnson and me. We were reminded that we are witnesses to the “hastening” spoken of in scripture and that our positions as full-time missionaries give us a front row seat, as it were, to the Lord’s hand in these things. Those truths were verified by that spiritual out-pouring. We also appreciated the focus on the meaningful involvement of the members in our missionary efforts and the ways available to us to make it happen. We will continue to strive to understand and employ the lessons learned and the commitments made at the conference. Our best take-away was this quote, "Serving full-time accelerates the assimilation of the gospel into our lives" President Timothy Jones

On Sunday Pres. Nishida, our branch president, introduced to the members the new Branch Mission Plan accompanied by Family Mission plans. The plans were well conceived with reasonable, attainable goals. He invited the Elders to speak along with him in our Sacrament meeting. The Elders and he gave great talks that, in a mostly indirect way, invited the members’ participation in the process. We were especially impressed with Elder Trout, he seemed to be very close to the Spirit. So…the stage is set to get the members involved in a way that hasn’t been happening up until now. Since the pool of active members and especially active families is very small we have encouraged the Elders to start with two or three and demonstrate to the branch some successes they and we can build on. After our meetings and the last Sunday of the month potluck, we presented our quarterly fireside. This time it was the video presentation of "His Grace is Sufficient" given by Brad Wilcox July of 2011. If you have not yet seen this BYU Devotional please watch it. It is especially good for the youth. Here is the BYUtv link:

http://byutv.org/watch/49475abb-10d4-4f45-a757-7000b9945468 

This one is for YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLXr9it_pbY

On a sad note another long time member of the branch has unexpectedly died. Br. Peter Frecchio was housebound by many physical problems and ailments but he was involved in branch activities as best as he could be. He was recently asked by the Elders Quorum Presidency to compile a list of member e-mails and to setup a branch Facebook presence to help bolster the abysmal home teaching activity in the branch. He will be missed. He and his mother were the only members in their family and he frequently spoke of a longing he had to be with her again. The cause of death looks natural but hasn’t yet been officially determined. We have also had another “good news, bad news” development. The young couple that recently became very active, she through her recent baptism, announced they are expecting a baby. The bad news…they are moving out of the branch to East Lansing, MI. We really feel the losses in a branch this small. If we could just member-nap the “inactives” from our wards back home, it would be a huge boost to these struggling units.

We know, this is Lord’s work and we are extremely grateful and thankful to be here and involved as His missionaries. Just continue to remember the struggles of these little outposts of the Lord’s work in your prayers.

Thanks, Elder and Sister Johnson

Here is a pic of our latest storm and the path we have to dig so that the mail will be delivered.
What ever happened to delivery in rain, snow, sleet or the dead of night?
P. S. We are embarrassed to show this dinky storm
considering the wild weather you're
experiencing in the West.

Mission Plan and Agoraphobia

With the presentation Sunday of a well thought-out and achievable Branch Mission Plan, Sister Johnson and I could see more clearly that we were sent to help hold this little branch together through some pretty serious events just prior to and just after our arrival.  Up until now there had been no mission plan.  Accidental deaths, deaths of spouses, chronic illness and even murder all combined to change the focus of branch members inward and not outward. From a missionary perspective, seeking out interested non-members was way on the back burner. That has now changed. Our recent baptism, our most committed pair of young Elders to date, a change in the Branch Presidency plus the passing of time has once again brought focus to the future and growth of the branch into the minds and hearts of the branch members. We see the hand of the Lord in the direction and inspiration that has come to us to prepare for this time as well. It has richly blessed us. When the Branch President demonstrated that through new investigators, reactivations, and increased dedication to Home and Visit teaching we could reach a Sacrament meeting attendance goal of 45%; individuals in the room became excited, you could feel it. The excitement came from the realization that, at the 45% attendance level, the building would be in line to receive a phase II addition, which would mean a “real” chapel among other improvements.

This past week was once again pasty making week. We have just four more pasty making adventures left before we return to Utah. Because of the flu we were short handed. But, in spite of really sore muscles and clothes and hands that smelled like pasties and onions, it is always a satisfying experience meeting once again with, and working with, this dedicated group of seniors. Some of these individuals have been making pasties 20 years and more. They will miss us and we them.

In our visits with members this past week we had some choice experiences. One family where the sister has agoraphobia (a fear of, or, anxiety around crowds) wants to take up our suggestion of attending church services seated in a room away from the congregation where the proceedings of the service could be transmitted and where they can still partake of the sacrament. We are making progress with the 9-year-old daughter of the Carlson family. We have been teaching the family by adapting and simplifying the standard missionary lessons. We are using a three ring binder we have named “Carlson Family Memories”. We have included pages the kids can color, pages with goals, pages with activities, simple directions to the parents of weekly concepts they can emphasize with small/short assignments for the coming week. For example this week the kids (her 10-year-old brother is already baptized) have been asked to tell us a story about a prophet from the bible. Our lesson will be about the necessity for prophets and the restoration of prophetic leaders for us today. It’s fun. We even had the father singing “Birds in the Tree” from the Children’s Songbook during our last visit where the lesson was about families.

The Carlson Family

Outside today it's sunny and -5 with a wind chill of -25 to -30, inside it’s 72. Who knew that visiting the U. P. during the Winter of 2012-2013 would be a warmer experience for some of you!

Today we are staying in…besides it’s P-day for us. 

With twice warmed hearts,

Elder and Sister Johnson

Fresh Salad and a BB Gun

 As I am sure you are well aware, there has been a lot of flu going around. This means we had some of the meetings we scheduled cancel outright (probably an excuse) while others moved to a future time. Ahh…such is missionary work. We did meet with two of the members with whom we have been working and committed the one who hasn’t yet come to church to attend. He replied, “you never know now that football season is about over”.

 It turned out that our major contribution this past week was assisting in holding a funeral for a 27-year-old member who decided to end his life. We had never met this individual although his mother and sister did attend church a couple of times after the branch moved them to a new apartment. It was reported to us by one of the long time members that this man, as a boy, was always getting his friends to come to church and testifying to them that he knew his church was the true one. Sad. The services were held in a local mortuary. Sister Johnson played two hymns while the chorister sang solos in front of the 100+ funeral attendees. Yes, they all had the words, it was just that nobody sang and we mean nobody. What an odd experience. It was the kind of crowd that probably doesn’t attend church. The Relief Society, with help from the family and members, prepared food for 150 people for an after the funeral lunch. We had around 80 come. Would you like some fresh salad…we have plenty.

 This afternoon we had an unusual request from the Mission President. It seems that previously one or two (since that is how they do it) of our local missionaries acquired a BB gun...no, I don't know if it was a Red Ryder and no, no one's eye was shot out (although Elder Young has lost his sight in one eye, he said it was from a hunting accident...hmmmm). The current missionaries found the gun hidden in the apartment and turned it in at their last interview. Subsequently they discovered a few dents in the ceiling tiles and on the white board missionaries use to keep track of their weekly activities. President Jones wanted us to visually inspect the "damage" and report back to him with suggestions. It is the church's policy to leave things better than they were when they were rented or leased. We found the damage to be easily repaired or in a couple of instances replaced with new tiles. We thought it unnecessary to inform the landlord of the mishap. A course of action will be decided upon and the situation rectified. If President and Sister Jones can just hang on five and one half more months they won't have "this kind" of silliness to deal with any more.

The white board being held as evidence. Notice the BB dents along the frame.

Inspector Trainee Elder and Inspector General Sister Johnson

A Blessed Week and a Baptism

 It has been a week of blessings. Although, due to illness (theirs), we were not able to visit a couple of the people we regularly visit. First off we were able to visit with President and Sister Jones during our New Year’s District Meeting. We always enjoy seeing and talking with them. They help us keep an important perspective on the work and in this case the conclusion of our assignments here in Iron Mountain (More on that in a future post). Their openness and frankness is very much appreciated. It is also good to be able to report our activities as it identifies areas where we are doing well and those where we can improve. In the vein of “doing well”, we can’t say enough good things about Elders Trout and Christensen. It seems that because of their youth, missionaries are often surprised at the results that come from their sustained righteous efforts. This is the case with these two Elders. They are enjoying success by simply applying Preach My Gospel principles with faith. It is a privilege to be a witness to the process. Their success is now reaching into the branch. With boldness they are challenging the branch members to increase their missionary efforts as well. It is working. The Branch’s attitude is, by far, the best we have seen it since our arrival.

The Iron Mountain District with Sister and President Jones center front.

 Next, at our regularly scheduled visit to the Carlson family we challenged the parents of their nine-year-old daughter to allow us to prepare her for baptism. We are now planning the lessons and as we “warned” the parents we will together select a date for the baptism to happen. In this family there has been resistance to getting her baptized although her ten-year-old brother is already a member. We used the fact that we only have a few more months to visit with them before we leave plus we were able to draw on the mountain of good will and trust we have developed since we first started regularly visiting them a year ago. You will be hearing more of our efforts with this family.

 We once again connected with the Winter family. They are the ones that called us for the phone number of the Branch President and when we asked how else we might help they requested missionaries to come and teach a non-member spouse and some of the older children. They were gone over the holiday season visiting family in Wisconsin but they are now back. Our first meeting is scheduled for this Thursday. The missionaries will be doing the teaching and we will help with the young children and be representatives of the Branch to assist and fellowship.

 Toward the end of the week we met with a fellow who has had a sad and miserable life. It started as a life of privilege and money but as Satan has influenced many of his choices his life devolved into pain, anger and bitterness. As frequently happens in these circumstances he unloaded all of that frustration and the much torment he feels on us, two proclaimed ministers of God, which we are. We will spare you the details and the language. He seems sorry and shed tears because of his life and actions. We had a short lesson on our Father’s plan of happiness and left a pamphlet he said he would read. We know if he will embrace the Gospel and specifically the Doctrine of Christ, he will be healed both physically (he smokes like a chimney) and spiritually. The atonement of Jesus Christ has the power to do that very miracle. We will be his guides as long as he wishes, but from here on out the important, life changing decisions are all his. Salvation from death is a free gift from God (1 Corinthians 15:22); salvation from the sin in our lives (knowingly doing things against God’s will or wishes) requires us to bring our lives into harmony with those of God and His son Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:48) and must be worked out over time.

 Finally the weekend brought us much happiness with the baptism of Matt Oslund. Matt attended the Mormons Next Door presentation we held at the local library on the first of December. Sister Johnson overheard his grandmother say that after he got home that Saturday he was excited telling everyone he really liked what he had felt, seen and heard. The missionaries did a great job answering his questions and assisting him in his desire to be baptized. There was good support from members, his friends and family and we are sure he will be an asset to the branch going forward. Coincidently a schoolmate, who came at his invitation, was already in contact with the Sister Missionaries in Marquette where she is attending college. It came as quite a surprise to her when she got a text from him that said, “I am going to join the ‘Mormon’ Church” and invited her to come.

Elder Christensen, Matt Oslund and Elder Trout with the baptismal font in the mirror.

 The Mormons Next Door presentation was so successful that we have set up two additional times and locations. On March 9^th we will have one at the small library in the community of Crystal Falls and on the 16^th we will repeat the presentation at the Dickinson County Library here in Iron Mountain. We will follow the same format in both places using members to read from the prepared script. They do a great job and it strengthens their testimonies. And yes, Matt will be one of our readers at this next presentation. We hope some of his non-member family will attend.

It is exciting being very small pebbles stuck to the side of the “stone…cut out of the mountain without hands” (Daniel 2:44-45).

Elder and Sister Johnson