CONSECRATION

Last Monday we listened to Elder Paul Johnson (Europe Area Presidency, 1^st Councilor) speak to the Church employees and senior missionaries in Frankfurt.  His talk was broadcast to all the employees in the Europe Area and Eileen arranged for the Humanitarian missionary couples in their various countries to be able to listen to it also.

Elder Johnson thanked the employees for their efforts in filling roles that furthered 
the building up of God’s kingdom but that were perhaps not those that got much attention.  He also thanked the senior missionaries in the Area office for filling roles that otherwise the Church would have to hire additional employees to fill.  He pointed out that while we may view our jobs as clerical or temporal, that to the Lord 
all things are spiritual.

Elder Johnson then related the story of one of his ancestors.  This ancestor was a "carpenter who was with Joseph Smith during the early days of the Church.  He related how his ancestor wanted to serve a mission preaching the gospel but that was asked by the prophet to instead build a storehouse.  His ancestor was faithful in obeying the will of his priesthood leaders throughout his life, utilizing his carpenter skills in what many would consider temporal support roles. 

As I (Russell) was listening to Elder Johnson, I was torn between not wanting to hear again how I should be happy serving as an accounting clerk, and thinking, “you should really be listening to this – it applies directly to you!” 

On this mission and our last mission the majority of what I have been doing has been clerical in nature and not what I had envisioned when I retired to serve a mission.  Even in Indonesia where we were humanitarian missionaries, on one instance after spending two weeks working with us on the visit of the Mercy Ship to Manado, Indonesia, one of my fellow senior missionaries told me, Elder Healy, you don’t have a normal missionary role; what you have is a job - you’re just not getting paid for it.

Up until this last week as I pondered Elder Johnson’s words of how I should be willing to use my talents to serve the Lord in whatever way the Lord directs, my thought has been that this would be the last mission I would serve in a clerical/temporal type role.  It is a lot easier and enjoyable to hear your priesthood leaders say over the pulpit what you want to hear rather than what God wants you to learn.

Saying you will do, say and be what God wants you to do, say and be is easier said than done, especially once you learn what roles God wants you to labor in.

With all of our travel plans it has been a little challenging for me (Eileen) to schedule visiting teaching and to be visit taught.  This past week I made arrangements with my visiting teachers to come during the noon hour. I had an appointment right up until the time we were scheduled to begin. I came home and found that Russell had created a lovely lunch for us (me and my visiting teachers) to enjoy.  I appreciate the many ways he offers his support to me.

Caprese salad made by Russell

Sister Rueckert and Sister Bateson-my visiting teachers

Friday and Saturday we went to the Freiberg temple with the David and Paula Thomas, another senior missionary couple.  We were planning on staying in temple housing but were notified at 11:30 a.m. on Friday that our reservation had fallen through. I checked online and found that most of the hotels in Freiberg were full. Elder Thomas was able to use his German language skills to contact a hotel directly and arrange rooms for us. We definitely have gained an appreciation for having a temple in close proximity to our home back in the U.S.  Right now we can go to one of three temples, all of which are a five to six hour travel time each way.