23 December 2016
Merry Christmas!
When we had the special meeting this
past Sunday (18 Dec 2016), and it was announced that our mission name will change
from the Family and Church History Headquarters Mission to the Utah Salt Lake
City Headquarters Mission — and, then, the changes in organization and
structure were announced — I was impressed by the spirit of this change, and, with
how right it feels. (Elder Craig C. Christensen of the presidency of the Seventy, presided, and President Warren G. Tate, our mission president, conducted the meeting.) Previously, we functioned independently from the Missionary
Department, but, now, we’re under the Missionary Department ecclesiastically, (the
newest and largest mission in the Church – though one of the smallest
geographically) yet in our day-to-day endeavors most of us will still serve
under the Family History and Church History Departments.
Part of this change will enable us to
offer support to wards and branches in the area, as well as to provide
community service in the inner city. (It feels like they’re preparing us to
serve in the offices during the day and proselyte and give service on nights
and weekends.)
On the stand were three members of the quorum of the 70, the three men in our mission presidency, each of the branch
presidents (whose branches were dissolved as part of this change), and, the two
stake presidents involved. (Those of us who are full-time missionaries will
still attend church in two branches on Sundays, but now we aren’t part of any
stake and our branch presidents are Pres. Larson and Pres. Hansen, the two
counselors in the mission presidency.)
Our closing hymn at last Sunday’s
meeting was “I’m trying to be like Jesus” and I was struck with how amazing it
is to see a row of 10 strong leaders singing about being kind and gentle and
loving, like the Savior. Where else but in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ
would you see this?
Brochures were printed to explain the
changes. Zone leaders will now play a larger ecclesiastical role in ministering
to those serving in each of the 20 zones of the mission (especially to meet the
needs of the single, senior, sister missionaries) – and the brochure lists each
of the zones and zone leaders. So, Bob was named in the brochure as part of
this historic change — as one of the zone leaders serving under President
Hansen. (see below)
We also had our monthly mission
conference this week, and, at the conference, they had us perform the small
ceremony of officially moving our name tags from the right shoulder to the left
– as all other missionaries wear them. Somehow, it felt bittersweet to do that.
Ah, well. . . onward and upward!
This weekend we get to talk to
most of our family. Looking forward to that!
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