Quotes of the Week

I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don't set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in life.
--M. Russell Ballard

Choose your love. Love your choice.
--Thomas S. Monson

If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.
--Thomas S. Monson

The rich Restoration gives us added ways to understand the dealings of God with His children.
--Neal A. Maxwell

The Van Aarles Arrive, Zone Conference Week

We were happy to have Pete and Patti Van Aarle join us for Sunday dinner after having recently arrived in the mission.

They are our newest senior missionary couple who will be replacing Don and Barbara Kopenhefer. He will be the vehicle coordinator and she will be the housing coordinator.

This decoration in a doctor's office had me laughing. Come on!! It's southern California!! Nothing frightful about it!!

Zone conference week was upon us once again. The Mission Leadership Council had decided which of the teachings we had received from Elder and Sister Wakolo they wanted the mission to focus on and then we had the zone leaders and sister training leaders doing trainings on those subjects.

I took a few minutes at the beginning to share a little bit about the Wakolos so our newest batch of missionaries would know who we were referring to as we continued on throughout the day.

I also shared with them the last part of a talk given by Spencer J. Condie at a BYU devotional in 2010 entitled "A Disposition To Do Good Continually" where he tells an experience he had with Elder Wakolo that demonstrates how Elder Wakolo has a true disciple's soul.

While serving in the South Pacific, I received a letter from the First Presidency with an assignment to travel to Fiji and deliver a letter to Taniela Wakolo, president of the Nausori Fiji Stake. After I handed the letter to him, he read aloud the call from the First Presidency to serve as an Area Seventy, and tears flowed freely from his cheeks and those of his lovely wife, Anita.

After discussing with him the nature and duties of his new calling, I observed the tattoo on Brother Wakolo’s large right hand. Now, tattoos are very common throughout the South Pacific, and long before he joined the Church, Taniela Wakolo had the back of his hand tattooed with a large, garish design.

I said, “Brother Wakolo, in your new calling as an Area Seventy, you are going to be speaking to the youth on many occasions. I would suggest before such meetings that you put a large Band-Aid on the back of your hand to cover your tattoo. It’s hard to discourage our youth from getting tattoos when the speaker has one himself.”

He smiled a broad smile, and with a radiant expression he said, “I’ll take care of it. I want to be a good example.”

A few weeks passed, and the next time we met, his hand was heavily bandaged as if he were preparing for a boxing match. I asked, “What in the world happened to you?”

He smiled with glistening eyes and said, “I followed your counsel and had the tattoo removed.”

“Was it laser surgery?” I asked.

“No,” he replied with a big smile, “they don’t remove tattoos with lasers in Fiji. I had it surgically cut out.”

A month later Elder Wakolo and I were assigned together to reorganize a stake presidency in American Samoa. As we met at the airport, I immediately noticed an unsightly scar on the back of his hand where the surgeon had removed several square inches of skin and then very crudely sutured the gaping wound closed. This had not been performed by a plastic surgeon.

I apologized for having been the cause of the large scar on the back of his hand. He responded with a radiant Christlike countenance: “Not to worry, President Condie; this is my CTR ring. Now the Lord knows where I stand! I’ll do anything the Lord asks of me.”

Elder Wakolo has become a disciple who keeps his covenants and strives to do good continually.

As we spent several days with Elder and Sister Wakolo, we could feel of their strong dedication and commitment to serving the Lord and doing all they can to magnify their callings as they are out and about ministering to the people they come in contact with each day.

I reminded the missionaries of how Elder Wakolo had ended the mission tour with his strong, fervent testimony as he stood a little taller and spoke with deep conviction when he quoted 3 Nephi 5:13.

"Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life."

Then he added, "That is what and who I stand for. And that is what makes me be careful for what I do and stand for."



ZONE CONFERENCE - DAY 1 - ESCONDIDO AND DEL MAR ZONES

The rotating training classes were all good, but I think I must say the highlight was the Christmas tree made out of the KFC boxes Elder Radford brought to us for lunch.

Every now and again, we have to provide our own lunch for zone conference. Sister Radford figures it out and then gets Elder Radford to pick it up and deliver it to us. These two Elders were so proud of their holiday display.

The Radfords even made the effort the night before to drive to Escondido to put some holiday decor on all the tables. They really go above and beyond when they are given an assignment!

ZONE CONFERENCE - DAY 2 - CARLSBAD AND VISTA ZONES

Some more wonderful classes taught by the zone leaders and sister training leaders.

We got to enjoy the leftover decorations from a previous Christmas activity which made the gym very festive for eating our lunch. 

ZONE CONFERENCE - DAY 3 - TEMECULA NAD MURRIETA ZONES

Yet again more wonderful trainings by our missionary leaders with a delicious waffle lunch the Temecula Stake Relief Society sisters always provide for us.

Glen finished up the zone conferences teaching the missionaries what Elder Cook had taught us at our last seminar. It comes from Preach My Gospel, page 20, "Learn what someone should know, feel, and do because of your teaching."

Doctrine is the know; baptismal interview questions are the feel; and keeping commitments is the do. He wrote know, feel and do in three separate circles. As each of those circles come together, the overlapping part of the circles is conversion. The more you know and feel and do, the more the circles intercept and the deeper the conversion.

When all three circles come together, to make one full circle, that is total and complete conversion. Christ lived all three fully. He is our ultimate example in everything.

Thankfully the fire situation did not affect our zone conference schedule. With all the fires in the area, the Church sent a truckload of cleaning buckets that the missionaries helped unload and distribute.

Christmas packages were overflowing from the mail area into Glen's mission office.

HO, HO, HO!!! Christmas was fast approaching!!!

Temecula Live Nativity

On one of our preparation day walks, we went to Double Peak in San Marcos. It gives a great panoramic view clear out to the ocean.

The Temecula stake put on a live nativity. This was the scene as we walked into the church foyer.

The side pews on both sides of the chapel were turned into a platform to display lighted Christmas trees and nativity sets.

There were many kinds of nativities from simple to very elaborate.

Beautiful Christmas piano music was being played as we walked around the chapel and then took our seats to wait. There were continuous 20-minute performances going on in the cultural hall.

The cultural hall had been transformed into a 3-sided stage for the re-enactment of the birth of the Christ Child.

The songs were so beautiful--especially the last one where the whole cast--including the many angels--were singing and and then bowing down to honor the Newborn King.

Loved it!!! We took a picture with Sister Allen who is the aunt of Elder Romney, one of our previous missionaries.

Someone else requested a photo of us with the missionaries as they were so appreciative of how much work the missionaries had done in helping get everything set up for the production. They were also going to be helping take everything down at the end of the performances.

Two rooms were decorated very festively in the back of the building where the refreshments were being served. 

We watched one of the missionaries fix the unlit lights on the ceiling which turned it into this twinkling wonder. The missionaries made sure to reload the cookie platters after each performance.

We had to take advantage of a great Christmas photo op.

It was a very sweet, special and sacred experience. We were so glad we had been able to attend again this year. The story of Christ's birth never gets old!

Quotes of the Week

Frequently we are too quick to criticize, to prone to judge, and too ready to abandon an opportunity to help to lift and, to save.
--Thomas S. Monson

There is a spirit attending the administration of the sarament that warms the soul from head to foot.
--Melvin J. Ballard

You are in His hands. Very good hands. Loving hands. Caring hands.
--Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Every person is different and has a different contribution to make. No one is destined to fail.
--Henry B. Eyring

Quotes of the Week

May the light of the gospel help us to see the great potential the Lord has blessed us with.
--L. Tom Perry

Love is what you go through together.
--Jeffrey R. Holland

Christs love will replace fear with faith.
--Dieter F. Uchtdorf

So much of our life depends on our attitude. The way we chose to see things and respond to others makes all the difference.
--Thomas S. Monson

FIRE!!! Missionaries Misplaced; Sisters Sleep Over

I spent time one morning rearranging Christmas decorations to try and get a good arrangement for a video my friend Jamie Jensen wanted us to do for her Relief Society lesson in our ward back home.

Glen was my guinea pig to see if this would be a good spot to make the video. We also need to video us, at some point in the near future, for our portion of the Christmas mission video.

Even though we didn't use this particular pose, and even though Jamie only used the video of me and not the one of Glen because I sent it later in the day and I don't think she saw it in time, I have decided I like having more red Christmas decorations in our formal living room--or the celestial room as we like to call it.

We had gotten notification of a fire burning near us and we could see the smoke moving in on us as we were driving to the mission office church building to have our second missionary follow-up meeting in the afternoon.

This is what the sky looked like when we pulled into the mission office parking lot.

I took this picture when we were halfway through our meeting.

At the end of the meeting, we had the missionaries pose for a photo on the steps like we usually do and then Glen broke the news to some of them that we had been notified they were in the mandatory evacuation area and they were to stay put in the building.

The fire was mainly in Fallbrook and some of Oceanside, but by bedtime Vista (where we were at the moment) was having mandatory evacuations as well. This included several of our senior missionary couples being uprooted late that night.

A carload of sisters and a companionship of elders had driven down from up north and the traffic was so bad and we didn't know if the road would eventually close for them, so we kept them at the building as well.

The fire was burning out of control and was headed our way.

We fed our ever-growing number of misplaced missionaries a pizza dinner before re-directing the elders to bunk up with other elders in safe areas.

I use the term "we" rather loosely as it was the assistants who were staying abreast of the road closures, the evacuation areas and assigning missionaries temporary places to go who had to evacuate all throughout the rest of the evening. They were cool, calm and collected manning "control central" as we were calling it.

They got this bunch of elders assigned out to stay with other elders and we sent the leftover pizza with each companionship to get them through the next day--or at least through breakfast if there happened to not be enough food where they would be staying.

We had the sisters come to our home. This was the group we initially thought was staying with us, but the numbers grew as the evening progressed.

A creative elder decided to illustrate what was going on in the Fallbrook area of our mission.

Our original group of sisters did not have anything with them except their study bag, so they went to the store to get toothbrushes, toothpaste and some even bought themselves pajamas.

The other sisters who joined us a little later in the evening had at least been put on alert to pack a bag and be ready for evacuation.

The sisters had been giggling and talking and having a great time for a while and then it got really quiet. When I walked by, I saw this scene which totally endeared all of them to me--which means they became even more dear to me as they were already extremely dear to me to begin with.

They were finding peace in the scriptures and enjoying the love and safety they felt being close to each other. Soon four more sisters joined in the slumber/scripture/prayer party before bedtime was upon us.

Here is the bonus of 14 sisters spending the night all crammed together in the mission president's house--FRENCH TOAST FOR BREAKFAST!!!!

We had the sisters who were shopping for toothbrushes pick up the necessary supplies to feed the whole bunch breakfast in the morning.

From the looks on their faces, I think they liked it.

The fire situation didn't look as bad in the morning since the winds had died down and it wasn't spreading our way any longer. Prayers were answered!!!

Looks like all the boxes of pass along cards and all the Christmas packages for the missionaries that are overflowing into Glen's office at the church are going to be safe. WHEW!! 

We learned most of our missionaries could return to their apartments by that evening. There were two sets of missionaries right in Fallbrook which were affected the most. They were homeless for several days. 

The good news is none of our apartments were affected. It was a huge relief to learn we would not have to find new apartments, replace furniture and re-wardrobe missionaries. Such a blessing!!!

Glen just keeps on repeating his favorite phrase (which one of the sister missionaries painted so beautifully on our bulletin board). Through thick and thin he has the same attitude...

Honestly, we are so thankful our paradise did not burn down. We are counting our blessings and naming them one by one...

• 160 missionaries were unharmed by the fire 
• all our senior missionaries are safe and sound
• the huge, double chapel mission office church did not burn down 
• no other churches in our mission were burned
• we lost no vehicles due to the fire
• our home was not in the evacuation area
• all companionships are now back in their own apartments
• etc., etc., etc.

We have even more than our usual allotment of blessings to be thankful for these days!!