October 2, 2015
New Beginnings.
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Ecclesisates 3:1
I started a garden today. It is only a small patch of ground in a corner of the Mission Home yard but there is room for things to grow. The soil is fertile and if I weed it and tend it carefully it will bring forth a good harvest in its season.
One of my favourite quotes is about gardens –
‘The touch of the sun for pardon
The song of the bird for mirth;
One is nearer God’s heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.”
As Mission President and Wife assigned to the Vanuatu Port Vila Mission, Paul and I have been blessed to have the opportunity to labour for three years in this corner of the Lord’s garden.
It is a new beginning for us, a new time and a new season in our lives. If we work diligently and seek the Lord’s help in all that we do we are hopeful of building on the good work that has gone before us.
Our greatest responsibility and priority during our Mission is our young Missionaries. Nothing will be more important than their well- being and success. Each of them comes to us with unique talents and gifts. They come from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances. These young people range in age from 18 years to 26 years. They have come from countries all over the world in answer to a call from a Prophet of God to share the message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Each young missionary desires to be the very best Missionary he or she can be. They have amazing confidence and energy. They come with the love, hopes and best wishes of all their families and friends back home. For each of them it is a new beginning, the start of an exciting new period of their life, an adventure and a challenge.
Time in a Mission is marked by Transfer cycles. Each Transfer period of six weeks we welcome new Missionaries who have come to serve in this Mission for a period of 18 months for young women or 24 months for young men.
Each arrival means a trip to the airport to stand waiting in the Arrivals area as the Reggae Welcome band play their tunes.
As we finally see them come through the door they are immediately recognisable, not just because we have looked at their photos on our transfer board in the office for so long, but because they look so much the part of a Missionary in their smart clothes and very new missionary name tags which proudly bear both the name of the church they represent and their family name.
There are hugs and handshakes as we welcome them. Many have travelled a long way and they are weary. Sometimes their confidence is a bit wobbly now that they realise they are finally ‘on their Mission’. Sometimes there is lost luggage to deal with.
We have amazing Assistants (a young Missionary companionship who are assigned to assist the Mission President) and they help us get the new arrivals sorted and loaded into the Mission transport along with their luggage for the very bumpy and potholed ride to the Mission Office in town.
There is usually much craning of heads out of the windows as the new Missionaries try to see everything at once. For some the surroundings are very exotic and unfamiliar. They are excited and a bit anxious all at once.
The first order of business is to get each new arrival settled in to somewhere to stay for the night. For those assigned to companions on the Island of Efate, where the Mission Home and Office are, they will meet their very first companion/trainer straight away and go straight to their first Missionary apartment. For those assigned to serve on another island in Vanuatu, like Santo, Malekula, Tanna, Gaua or Ambae, or those assigned to serve in one of the other countries in our Mission such as Solomon Islands or New Caledonia, they will be billeted temporarily with a companionship on Efate until they can travel to their assigned area.
Once all the expected new Missionaries have arrived for that transfer an orientation is held for them to give them an overview of our Mission and help them understand any policies and information peculiar to this area, the people and their culture.
And of course there is an Arrivals Dinner. This is held at the Mission Home complete with a home cooked meal , sharing of stories and backgrounds, musical items and the giving out of pillows. Each Missionary receives a brand new pillow with their name written on it to keep throughout their mission….just for them.
If we are lucky, the resort at the bottom of the hill will put on some fireworks to add to the festive occasion.
We have each Missionary sign our Welcome mat. We take a lot of photos. We also take video of each new missionary introducing themselves. This is added to a Missionary Movie we have made of all the missionaries in our Mission. When we travel around for Zone Conferences we show each Zone the movie with all the newest Missionaries added as well as all the current Missionaries. It is a great way for them to keep unified in a Mission where we can never get all the missionaries together in any one place and where some missionaries who are assigned to Solomon Islands or New Caledonia will not come back to Vanuatu again during their Mission except for the week they leave to go home.
We are grateful for these young missionaries and their enthusiasm. We remember what it felt like to finally land in our Mission and go through the sometimes overwhelming process of orientation and adjustment. It is amazing and inspiring to watch them step out with faith and confidence . One of our Mission songs ends with the words :
‘With faith in every footstep, we follow Christ, the Lord;
And filled with hope through his pure love, we sing with one accord.’
Faith in Every Footstep. Words and music by K. Newell Dayley. Copyright 1996 LDS.
We love each one of these great young Missionaries and make sure to tell them whenever we can.
New Beginnings.
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Ecclesisates 3:1
I started a garden today. It is only a small patch of ground in a corner of the Mission Home yard but there is room for things to grow. The soil is fertile and if I weed it and tend it carefully it will bring forth a good harvest in its season.
One of my favourite quotes is about gardens –
‘The touch of the sun for pardon
The song of the bird for mirth;
One is nearer God’s heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.”
As Mission President and Wife assigned to the Vanuatu Port Vila Mission, Paul and I have been blessed to have the opportunity to labour for three years in this corner of the Lord’s garden.
It is a new beginning for us, a new time and a new season in our lives. If we work diligently and seek the Lord’s help in all that we do we are hopeful of building on the good work that has gone before us.
Our greatest responsibility and priority during our Mission is our young Missionaries. Nothing will be more important than their well- being and success. Each of them comes to us with unique talents and gifts. They come from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances. These young people range in age from 18 years to 26 years. They have come from countries all over the world in answer to a call from a Prophet of God to share the message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Each young missionary desires to be the very best Missionary he or she can be. They have amazing confidence and energy. They come with the love, hopes and best wishes of all their families and friends back home. For each of them it is a new beginning, the start of an exciting new period of their life, an adventure and a challenge.
Time in a Mission is marked by Transfer cycles. Each Transfer period of six weeks we welcome new Missionaries who have come to serve in this Mission for a period of 18 months for young women or 24 months for young men.
Each arrival means a trip to the airport to stand waiting in the Arrivals area as the Reggae Welcome band play their tunes.
As we finally see them come through the door they are immediately recognisable, not just because we have looked at their photos on our transfer board in the office for so long, but because they look so much the part of a Missionary in their smart clothes and very new missionary name tags which proudly bear both the name of the church they represent and their family name.
There are hugs and handshakes as we welcome them. Many have travelled a long way and they are weary. Sometimes their confidence is a bit wobbly now that they realise they are finally ‘on their Mission’. Sometimes there is lost luggage to deal with.
We have amazing Assistants (a young Missionary companionship who are assigned to assist the Mission President) and they help us get the new arrivals sorted and loaded into the Mission transport along with their luggage for the very bumpy and potholed ride to the Mission Office in town.
There is usually much craning of heads out of the windows as the new Missionaries try to see everything at once. For some the surroundings are very exotic and unfamiliar. They are excited and a bit anxious all at once.
The first order of business is to get each new arrival settled in to somewhere to stay for the night. For those assigned to companions on the Island of Efate, where the Mission Home and Office are, they will meet their very first companion/trainer straight away and go straight to their first Missionary apartment. For those assigned to serve on another island in Vanuatu, like Santo, Malekula, Tanna, Gaua or Ambae, or those assigned to serve in one of the other countries in our Mission such as Solomon Islands or New Caledonia, they will be billeted temporarily with a companionship on Efate until they can travel to their assigned area.
Once all the expected new Missionaries have arrived for that transfer an orientation is held for them to give them an overview of our Mission and help them understand any policies and information peculiar to this area, the people and their culture.
And of course there is an Arrivals Dinner. This is held at the Mission Home complete with a home cooked meal , sharing of stories and backgrounds, musical items and the giving out of pillows. Each Missionary receives a brand new pillow with their name written on it to keep throughout their mission….just for them.
If we are lucky, the resort at the bottom of the hill will put on some fireworks to add to the festive occasion.
We have each Missionary sign our Welcome mat. We take a lot of photos. We also take video of each new missionary introducing themselves. This is added to a Missionary Movie we have made of all the missionaries in our Mission. When we travel around for Zone Conferences we show each Zone the movie with all the newest Missionaries added as well as all the current Missionaries. It is a great way for them to keep unified in a Mission where we can never get all the missionaries together in any one place and where some missionaries who are assigned to Solomon Islands or New Caledonia will not come back to Vanuatu again during their Mission except for the week they leave to go home.
We are grateful for these young missionaries and their enthusiasm. We remember what it felt like to finally land in our Mission and go through the sometimes overwhelming process of orientation and adjustment. It is amazing and inspiring to watch them step out with faith and confidence . One of our Mission songs ends with the words :
‘With faith in every footstep, we follow Christ, the Lord;
And filled with hope through his pure love, we sing with one accord.’
Faith in Every Footstep. Words and music by K. Newell Dayley. Copyright 1996 LDS.
We love each one of these great young Missionaries and make sure to tell them whenever we can.