This past Wednesday we had
zone conference for the senior missionaries who serve in the Europe Area
Office. We have zone conferences three
or four times each year. When missionaries
are getting close to being released and going home we usually have the
opportunity to hear from them and learn of some of their experiences during
their mission. This conference we heard from five senior missionaries who spoke
to us.
Elder and Sister Malcom
have been serving with the Records Preservation department. Their mission has
involved obtaining records (birth, death, baptism) from throughout Europe and
digitizing them. Members of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints use family history records to perform
sacred temple ordinances; such as baptisms, eternal marriages and sealing of
children to parents; for deceased family members who were unable to perform the
rites themselves during their lifetimes. This gives deceased ancestors the
opportunity to accept and benefit from these ordinances.
Elder and Sister Jensen
have been serving as Area Legal Counsel and Senior Missionary Concierge. Elder Jensen is one of several missionary
attorneys in Frankfurt making sure that everything the church does in the
Europe Area is legally sound. Sister
Jensen has helped new missionaries become familiar with shopping, restaurants,
and the metro system.
Sister Lovell has been
working with individuals who have accepted loans from the Perpetual Education
Fund. The
Perpetual Education Fund (PEF) loan program helps members of the Church of all
ages get an education that leads to a self-reliant job. Most of those she has
dealt with started the program in a developing country and have moved to Europe
after the loan was initiated.
Listening
to Elder and Sister Sabin speak was the highlight of the zone conference. Elder
Sabin is a Seventy and a counselor in the Area Presidency. Sister Sabin spoke about recently being in
Berlin and told the story of "Hal"
Halverson, a former pilot in
the United States Air Force. He is best known as the "Berlin
Candy Bomber" who dropped candy to children during the Berlin airlift from
1948 to 1949. What started just as
giving two sticks of gum to a few children mushroomed into literally tones of
candy being dropped by airplanes for the children of Berlin. Sister Sabin reminded us that many times we
cannot foresee the wonderful long-term effects of our current efforts.
Elder Sabin addressed the
importance of always reaching out to those around us. He said everyone has
problems, most of them we just can’t see.
Perhaps saying hello to someone or finding something good about them and
sharing it with them could make a total change in their day. Elder Sabin also
talked to us about our families we have left while serving missions. He said he believes that angels are sent to look
after and help our loved-ones while we are away, particularly during their most
difficult times.
Elder Sabin also fielded
questions from the senior missionaries.
In answer to the question, “What do you think is the greatest problem
confronting the Church today?” he said it was the lack of commitment on the
part of most Church members. He reminded
us of his recent talk in General Conference, Stand Up Inside and Be All In
(April, 2017), view talk at link below. His talk caused me
(Russell) to think even more carefully about what I should be doing following
our release from this mission in the fall.
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| Our zone of senior missionaries, Elder and Sister Sabin are in the middle of the front row |
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Russell and I talking with Elder Sabin
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