As I (Russell) heard the song, “I’ll be Home for Christmas” this last week, the last words, “If only in my dreams” didn’t seem so sad to me as it has some other times when I have been away. Upon reflection, perhaps it is because I can communicate with loved ones who are far away so much easier now. As a young 20-year-old in Semarang, Indonesia in 1975, it took six weeks for a round trip letter (three weeks each way). Zoom is an absolute miracle, it’s even free, and something I now take for granted.
Maybe it is just because I am getting older, but now, in addition to our home in Centerville, I find myself thinking of home as the place where my Father in Heaven is, where I believe my mother, sister, grandparents, and mother and father-in-law are. And I want to be there with them again someday. Although we celebrate the baby Jesus’ birth this time of year, it is His providing me (all of us) a way to get back home that I find myself celebrating the most. I am eternally indebted to Him for showing me the way and then making it possible through His atoning sacrifice. I need to murmur less and repent more.
We had zone conferences again this past week. Perhaps in part because it was Joseph Smith’s birthday yesterday, President Sommerfeld spoke about how worldly knowledge pales in comparison to heavenly knowledge. He then spoke about how Joseph Smith was tutored by the Father and the Son on multiple occasions and by over 50 other beings from the past. President Sommerfeld, quoting President Russell M. Nelson from a talk he gave to new mission presidents/mission leaders, said the reason Joseph had this privilege was because he was ushering in a new dispensation.
President Nelson also said, “We marvel how Joseph was able to accomplish all that he did in his abbreviated lifetime,” he said. “His amazing accomplishments were enabled by the miraculous and matchless power of Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and many other heavenly beings. His work was also facilitated and complemented by his dear wife, Emma. Her constant, capable support, and her faith, which she demonstrated time and time again, cannot be overemphasized.”
The spiritual atmosphere indoors during zone conference doesn’t always extend outside the church building. On Tuesday, I took one of cars that had been driven to zone conference by the missionaries to the body shop for repairs. I also had the unpleasant opportunity of telling the driver of the car that his driving privileges had been revoked by SLC (Church HQ) and telling his companion that I was revoking his driving privileges for waiting two weeks after the accident/incident to tell me about it. Even then, the story only came out in bits and pieces as they were faced with a situation that they could no longer avoid. It is a cold time of year for two young missionaries to be walking in rural Missouri, but very appropriate. A few days later, I got a call from a concerned member from their ward. He was trying to understand why the mission would restrict the number of miles the missionaries can drive in a month. He even asked if he could “buy” more miles for the elders. I couldn’t help from smiling a bit as I told the member that the problem was not that his ward’s missionaries didn’t have any more miles, but that they no longer had a car, something they had avoided telling the member.
I know the holidays are hard for many missionaries. For most, this is their first time living away from home. Two more sisters went home early this week. One sister, we thought was going to require an escort. Eileen was not looking forward to flying with her on Friday. Although Eileen, our mission president, and Missionary Medical all thought she needed accompanying, her parents and her stake president did not. Maybe it was a Christmas gift to all that the parents got their way.
Merry Christmas dear friends! We appreciate all of your great service!
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