– An Early Mission, Why & How or Another Chapter in the Diary of a Slow Learner
December 27th, 2009 - Southern Estates Ward
I was helping my grandson Kason get dressed for church last Sunday. After putting on his belt and tucking in his shirt I looked down at his boots and said: “Now you look like a real cowboy!” To which he replied: “I not a cowboy, I a missionary Pa Pa.” We have been called as Agricultural Church-service Missionaries to the Deseret Cattle and Citrus Ranches in Florida. We will be living at the ranch headquarters 35 miles south of Orlando 25 miles from anywhere else. This church owned property ranks as the nation's top cattle producer and cradles the future water supply for thirsty Cities across three counties in Central Florida. My Dad was a cattle rancher so I knew that Leo Ellsworth from Mesa was the first ranch manager in the early 1950’s, Deseret Ranches covers nearly 500 sq. miles and includes a 44,000 head cow & calf ranching operation with several thousand acres of citrus, sod and potato farms.
My grandson got it right; we will be missionaries in every sense of the word. I have received a clear understanding that the Lord does not need a water professional at His ranch volunteering his time, what he needs is missionaries who have a desire to serve and are willing to commit all their might, mind and strength to building the kingdom as He clearly states in Section 4 of the D&C.
On what some people would call a whim, I woke up one morning almost 4 years ago and said I am going to use this frequent flyer ticket to visit the Church ranch in Florida that I have heard about all my life. I visited Scott Larson, a water engineering professional from Phoenix, who was serving a mission with his wife Laura at Deseret Ranches. Curiously, Scott had taken a sabbatical from work to serve a mission while in his 50’s. We spent several days together reviewing water issues, attending meetings and touring the ranch facilities. I said to myself: “Nancy and I are destined to be here some day. But early in life like the Larson’s, not likely.”
Last spring when our first inkling that we should serve a mission came into focus the Bishop and I had a long talk late one night while we were up irrigating. The idea seemed to resonate with Bishop. So I pursued that avenue like you would pursue a job opportunity only to have the door slam shut with an abrupt message something like: “Follow the counsel of the Brethren and go get a job.”
For me it appeared to be final—it was a priesthood leader, Elder Bretzing, in charge of all agricultural service missionaries who had delivered the message--this was not the path to follow. I went from feelings of this feels so right to you’ve got to follow priesthood direction, even when it hurts.
Now let me take a moment here and say a word about Bishop Ellingson. We served together for three years and my love and admiration for him grew during that time. However, the special relationship that has blossomed during the course of this mission call has created new dimensions of gratitude, respect and understanding of the office of Bishop. He has become a friend, a confidant, an advocate and will forever be one of those counted as a Savior on Mount Zion to Nancy and I..
Last summer Bishop came to me and said he still was getting strong impressions that the Lord needed us in Florida. There he said, I discharged the obligation that has been on my mind for some time, now the ball is in your court. Thinking that I knew where the bottleneck was I suggested that he call Elder Bretzing, which he did in valiant fashion. Bishop explained to Elder Bretzing the situation in his best Bishop talk regarding spiritual impressions and how the handling of temporal matters of concern would be taken care of. Now what would you predict would happen at this point? To my way of thinking this should have done the trick. Not so.
Listen to the Lord’s word to his missionaries in D& C 4:
1 Now behold, a amarvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.
2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the aservice of God, see that ye bserve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand cblameless before God at the last day.
3 Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are acalled to the work;
At Thanksgiving Nancy related her experience talking with her sister Sheri Bennett. I had a similar experience with Curtis Bennett who is serving as a Bishop in North Salt Lake. Curtis was relating experience after experience where families struggling financially were coming to him for assistance and counsel. He was bemoaning the fact that time and again his clear and direct counsel was being ignored with devastating outcomes. I said to myself, I have a Bishop that is giving clear direction to me and I do not want to be one of those that would ignore a Bishop’s counsel. Curtis also observed that if you submit your missionary application through your Bishop it can’t be ignored and something will happen.
Later that day Bishop Ellingson and I had a talk in the back yard where I explained to him the problem I was having getting clear directions on which path to follow. For so much of the time I am in a spiritual fog and only a bonk in any direction. Now job openings I had been tracking for months and was well positioned for were due to come out any time now. Yet Nancy and I both were reconsidering a mission. It was confusing. Bishop suggested that I take the question to the Lord: “What do I really want?” The answer came through loud and clear: “I want to serve.” Now this added somewhat to the confusion since the shortly to be announced job openings were with the Indian Health Services, public service position for the government. Previously I have only worked in the private sector.
At last on the Sunday night following Thanksgiving, Nancy and I made the decision, we are going on a mission. We don’t know where and we have many concerns about how, but we are going. Met with Bishop on Monday morning to tell him our decision. He was delighted and immediately went to his computer and put us into the senior missionary application system. Now it was perfectly clear that we going to serve where ever the Lord called us and it felt right. I hesitated calling Deseret Ranches because we were on a new path and I wasn’t sure I wanted to visit an old path that had already failed twice before.
It was Wednesday when I called James Payne and told him we were going on a mission and that the Bishop has us in the system filling our papers. James said in typical cowboy fashion: “I guess I better get busy before your Bishop sends you to Kasakhstan.” Yep, I guess you better, I said and left it at that.
On the following Monday morning, Dec. 7th, Elder Bretzing calls to say the Lord wants you and your wife to serve a mission at Deseret Ranches in Florida. He explained: “We need you to be in Salt Lake City on January 7th for one day of training and at the ranches by January 11th. Fill out this two page form and FAX to me ASAP. Your call will come from the Presiding Bishopric. We finally received our call letter this past week.
Shortly after we decided to serve where ever we are called, I was talking to my son-in-law Dave Bowman about our decision. A couple of hours later he called back a little perplexed and asked: “But what if the meantime you find a job?” At that point it was very difficult for me to articulate what I knew was right, so I simply said: “Mission.” He said: “Oh” and we left it at that. The fact is my kids and grandkids have been and continue to be our most ardent supporters on this mission.
The lesson we are learned from this experience is that absolutely nothing was happening in any direction until we finally submitted to the Lord’s way of doing business. As he so clearly defines in Section 4, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work. It took complete submission and a willingness to serve where ever the Lord calls to activate a mission call and that is not all that was activated.
As you would expect, knowing the Lord’s ways, the most desirable of all potential job opportunities is advertised the very week we made our decision. In addition, the activation of adversity began, including Satan’s power over things was turned up full blast and became very annoying, such as: cell phone breaking, computer crashing, car battery dying, new tires needed, traffic ticket, etc. etc. At first I remember punching the air in the kitchen saying: “Is this the best Satan can do, these annoyances, bring it on, we will stand firm no matter what.” However, after a week of the onslaught I found myself pleading—“Father, these annoyances have got to stop because we have much bigger issues to deal with.” We are learning that the sacrifices and consecration required for a mission call are much greater than either of us anticipated.
However, I have regained my vision of the future and the channels of spiritual communication are working better than before. Together we are learning by experience that sacrifice and blessings go hand in hand. During times of great withdrawals on spiritual reserves we require strengthening from time to time. This strengthening often comes from others. We truly do strengthen one another. The other morning I waited for Bishop to come out of his home on the way to Bishopric meeting to receive some strengthening. Phillipians 4:13 reads: I can do all things through aChrist which bstrengtheneth me.
Time will not permit us to relate the many tender mercies and flat out miracles extended by a loving Father in Heaven in our time of need. Many times Our Father in Heaven has comforted and strengthened us replacing emptiness with life and despair with hope.
I like Nancy feel that talks given at General Conference and articles in the Ensign and been a lifeline throughout this year. In particular Elder Pearson’s talk on Faith last April Conference delivered a poignant message to us, I quote:
“If we desire more faith, we must be more obedient. When we teach our children by example or precept to be casual or situational in obeying God’s commandments, we prevent them from receiving this vital spiritual gift. Faith requires an attitude of exact obedience, even in the small, simple things.”
“As patterns of obedience develop, the specific blessings associated with obedience are realized and belief emerges. Desire, hope, and belief are forms of faith, but faith as a principle of power comes from a consistent pattern of obedient behavior and attitudes. Personal righteousness is a choice. Faith is a gift from God, and one possessed of it can receive enormous spiritual power.”
“There is a quality of faith which develops as we focus all of our heart, might, mind, and strength. It is seen and felt in the eyes of a great missionary, a valiant and virtuous young woman, and righteous mothers, fathers, and grandparents. It can be seen in the lives of individuals young and old, in every land and culture, speaking every language, in every circumstance and station in life. It is the “eye of faith” spoken of by the prophet Alma (see Alma 5:15–26)—the ability to focus and be steadfast, continually holding fast to true principles, nothing wavering, even when the mist of darkness confronting us is exceedingly great. This quality of faith is exceedingly powerful.”
A picture in our home contains a quote by Mother Teresa which says: You can do no great things, only small things with great love. I believe there are important things for us to accomplish on our mission. My hope is that the plan for our mission will unfold and that eventually, over time we, each of us both Nancy and myself will come to understand the Lord’s purposes in sending us to Deseret Ranches in Florida. However, until that time comes, if ever, we will be like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, we will continue to cultivate our “eye of faith by serving with all our might, mind and strength, come what may. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment