I don’t think that our Prophet, President Monson, had the opportunity to go on a full time mission when he was young. He did experience the profound calling as a Mission President in Ontario, Canada. This great little memory of his demonstrates to me the creative side of missionary work…a perfect example of the value and the blessing of taking what is not working for us and “Beginning again.”
CHURCH HISTORY GEMS - 22 SEPTEMBER 2010
Kingston, Canada
"No one baptized in Kingston. Just ask any missionary who labored there. Time in Kingston was marked on the calendar like days in prison. A missionary transfer to another place—any place—would be uppermost in thoughts, even in dreams.
"While I was praying about and pondering this sad dilemma, for my responsibility then as a mission president required that I pray and ponder about such things, my wife called to my attention an excerpt from the book A Child's Story of the Prophet Brigham Young. She read aloud that Brigham Young entered Kingston, Ontario, on a cold and snow-filled day. He labored there about 30 days and baptized 45 souls. Here was the answer. If the missionary Brigham Young could accomplish this harvest, so could the missionaries of today.
"Without providing an explanation, I withdrew the missionaries from Kingston, that the cycle of defeat might be broken. Then the carefully circulated word: 'Soon a new city will be opened for missionary work, even the city where Brigham Young proselyted and baptized 45 persons in 30 days.' The missionaries speculated as to the location. Their weekly letters pleaded for the assignment to this Shangri-la. More time passed. Then four carefully selected missionaries—two of them new, two of them experienced—were chosen for this high adventure. The members of the small branch pledged their support. The missionaries pledged their lives. The Lord honored both.
"In the space of three months, Kingston became the most productive city of the Canadian Mission. The grey limestone buildings still stood; the city had not altered its appearance; the population remained constant. The change was one of attitude. The label of doubt yielded to the label of faith."
Thomas S. Monson, "Labels," Ensign, Sept. 2000, -
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My Comment on President Monson’s Mission story --
There is always a time when all else fails, or we go back to old habits, that, like the Bishop turns to a young Priest who has made a mistake in a Sacrament Prayer- He says, "Begin again"... sometimes that is all it takes. If he makes another mistake in the Sacrament, the Bishop gently responds- “Begin again.” Our good friend and now missionary Elder JJ Simonsen' often helped me fix my computer with one word- “Reboot” or in other words, “Begin again.” That is what the Lord wants us all to be able to do. That is the whole message of repentance...of the atonement. We have The opportunity to close down what we have been doing, and start fresh. From a person who makes many mistakes during the day, and often loses everything from keys to important calendared events- I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for this principle- this promise that we can begin again.
D and C 18: 13 Great is the joy in the soul that repenteth.
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Lessons Learning… January 30, 2011
We have been teaching the Adult Seminary class in our stake now since we returned from our mission. It has been about five months- a very fine experience.
When we were traveling home from Denmark, we stopped to visit the homes of some of our ancestors in Moss, Norway and Preston, England. One of my great grandmothers met the missionaries over 100 years ago in the town square of Preston, England. When she heard their inspired message she went home to tell her sons and asked them to see if they would check to see if they thought the missionaries were telling the truth. They all joined the church, but their father- who was a caretaker and grave digger for the local church- was fired because he had become a “Crazy Mormon.”
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Every weekday morning we gather with between 20 to 30 “crazy Mormons” at 6:30 in the morning to learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are studying the Doctrine and Covenants- a collection of revelations given mostly to Joseph Smith and other prophets during the past 100 years.
What a fun pursuit this is? We are driven. We love to learn, and teach each other. I have read the D&C many times but this time I have discovered lots of new things. It is a great way to begin the day…with a bunch of "crazy Mormons" who love to learn and study as much as I do.
I have promised to put some of our little thoughts online to remember the lessons that we are learning. Here are a few of our own Wilberg “Mormon Ads.” (to make 8 by 10 copies of these pictures- click to enlarge and then copy and paste into word or adobe photo shop or other photo files).
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Soon I will add some of the stories and ideas that I used as I taught these lessons from the amazing sections in the Doctrine and Covenants as well as the great stories from the history of the Church of Jesus Christ in the last days. It has been such a privilege to teach all of you who fill our classroom every day with such enthusiasm for learning. Love your strong spirit. It is my favorite part of the day.
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