President Kimball is Smiling Down from Heaven

By Rodger Dean Duncan

With today's wonderful use of technology in spreading the gospel, President Spencer W. Kimball must surely be smiling down from heaven.

Back in 1974 he said: "I believe the Lord is anxious to put into our hands inventions of which we laymen have hardly had a glimpse." Then he spoke about devices not yet invented four decades ago that would enable church members to connect with each other immediately.

Such prophetic insight came even earlier. More than 150 years ago Brigham Young said, "Every discovery in science and art that is really true and useful to mankind has been given by direct revelation from God. We should take advantage of all these great discoveries and give to our children the benefit of every brand of useful knowledge to prepare them to step forward and efficiently do their part in the great work."

In a previous blog post (May 31) we mentioned that the Texas Fort Worth Mission would be getting iPads for all our missionaries. That has now happened, and the impact is exciting.

Most of today's young people are quite tech savvy. They've grown up with keyboards and smartphones. Social media platforms are second nature to them. So introducing iPads to their missionary work is a natural extension and use of skills that most them already have.

Here are just a few of the many things our missionaries are now able to do with their iPads:

• Maintain a digital version of teaching records, calendar, key indicators, goals, plans, to-do lists and investigator and member lists.
• Keep real time records of collaboration with ward and branch council members.
• Use social media (such as Facebook, Skype, Facetime) in reaching and teaching investigators.
• Download videos from Mormon.org for use in teaching situations.
• Keep a blog that’s focused on gospel subjects and missionaries activities.
• Sharing links from LDS.org, Mormon.org, MormonNewsroom.org, and MormonTopics.org. 

As you might expect (and hope), there are very specific "rules of engagement" in effect regarding appropriate use of this technology. There are also robust privacy directives.

This iPad program, which so far is being used in only 84 of the Church's 400+ missions around the world, is still evolving. The apps seem to get updated and improved on virtually a daily basis. Users are encouraged to provide feedback and suggestions.

Our mission is one of only four in the world where senior missionaries are using this technology. Rean and I are finding it to be comfortably user-friendly. We expect it will be quite useful in our work with the three congregations and the entire stake where we are assigned. It will also help us in coaching the younger missionaries on their activities.

Zone Conference

On Friday we had another Zone Conference. This time it was in Killeen, about an hour south of Waco. That's the location of Fort Hood, the most populous military installation in the world. As you might imagine, a significant percentage of our church members in the area are military personnel.

   Rodney and Kimberlee love our

   "Kermit game." Here's what we

   found in their shower. 

The Zone Conference started at noon, with instruction and discussion going up until dinner. The meal was provided by the wonderful Relief Society sisters of the Killeen Stake. To show our appreciation for their generosity, we (all 60+ of us) sang "Because I Have Been Given Much I Too Must Give" and "Called to Serve."

After dinner, our mission president and the missionaries from the Killeen area met with Killeen leaders for additional instruction. On Saturday morning, a similar meeting was help in Hewitt for leaders in the Waco Stake. A treat for us was a Friday overnight stay and Saturday breakfast with our good friends Rodney and Kimberlee Ames (he's our mission president). We love their visits with us.

The Girl in the Green Jumper

By Rodger Dean Duncan

Much of our mission work involves leadership development.

We're providing leadership training to nonprofit organizations in the community. We've done training at a Young Single Adult Leadership Retreat and a stake Women's Conference. We've helped train bishops and other priesthood leaders. We coach the younger missionaries in their leadership activities. And we've offered our services to the Waco Stake presidency in organizing and delivering a stake LeaderSHOP in the autumn.

Effective leadership is a key to effective covenant-keeping.

In our teaching, we emphasize that one of the great blessings of leadership is that we often draw strength and insight from the very people we're trying to serve.

We love the story told by our dear friend Ardeth Kapp, former general Young Women president in the Church. She received a letter from a participant of a Young Women's conference attended by several hundred mothers and daughters. (Bear in mind that during her years of service Ardeth met literally tens of thousands of young women.) The letter went something like this: "Dear Sister Kapp. I waited in line after the meeting and you gave me a hug and said some wonderful things to me. I was the girl in the green jumper on the second row. Could you please write and tell me what you said? I forgot and I want to write it in my journal so I can read it when I'm feeling down."

Now that's the tenderness of youth because this young girl didn't fully understand what happened to her. What happened to her is she felt the Spirit distill upon the occasion and she wanted somehow to reach back to that spiritual moment. She wanted to recognize and enjoy ... again and again ... the tenderness of her brief time with a great leader.

Isn't that really what great leadership is all about? Oh, they may say, "Do you remember me? I was the one in the green dress." But what they really mean is, "Help me feel again what I felt when we were together. Help me feel good about myself. Help me know that I matter. Help me know that Heavenly Father knows who I am and that He loves me."

When we allow ourselves to serve as instruments for righteousness in the Lord's hands, others among Father's children are comforted and strengthened. Their loyalties are not to us. Their loyalties are to the source that allows us to be part of the miracle. A great leader will always clarify that God is the true source of the love and light the people feel lest he (the leader) be guilty of holding himself up as the light.

During our nearly 48 years of marriage, Rean and I have been richly blessed to have served with and been served by some of the great leaders in the Church. We've learned so much by their examples. And of course because learning is a lifelong adventure, we continue to gain insights. Often from the very people we're trying to serve.

Crumbs in the Water Bottle

By Rodger Dean Duncan

Last week was a time for transfers for many of the young missionaries in the Texas Fort Worth Mission. That's when they move from one area to another and get new companions. For example, Elder Adam Petersen moved from Waco to Arlington. Elder Dallas Baker moved from Waco to Bedford. In turn, we got several "new" missionaries to serve with us in our area. (We feel somewhat like foster parents. We love these young people immediately, while realizing we'll have them with us for only a matter of weeks or months.)

There are several practical reasons for transfers. A transfer gives a missionary the opportunity to work with another companion. That means accommodating the "style" and personality of a new workmate. Missionary companions are with each other 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So if any "relationship issues" emerge, getting those issues resolved quickly and righteously is a priority so energy can be focused on the work at hand. Transfers also give missionaries the chance to get acquainted and work with different congregations of church members. This is helpful to both the missionaries and the members. Again, relationships are important, but the emphasis is always on the work. Transfers are also good for investigators (people interested in joining the church and who are being taught by the missionaries). It's important that investigators become attached to the gospel and the local members rather than to the missionaries.

Missionaries Teach, But They Also Learn

On the issue of companion relationships, yesterday at the request of our mission president I coached a couple of young missionaries and told them this story:

When I was a stake president, I welcomed home a young missionary who had served in Korea. I invited him to meet with the stake high council and report on his mission experiences. He began his report by saying "The first six months of my mission was hell." I told him he certainly had my attention, and invited him to continue.

He said his mission president kept assigning him to be a companion to the "problem elders," missionaries who wouldn't get up in the morning to study, who didn't want to teach, who lacked the discipline and commitment to do all the things required for successful missionary service. He said he had struggled to learn the Korean language and he wanted to teach the gospel to Koreans, not waste his time "babysitting" spoiled Americans. But at the six-month mark of his mission he had a spiritual "ah-ha" moment. He realized that he had been called to teach the gospel to God's children, not just those who spoke Korean. That realization, he reported, changed his whole outlook and enabled him to complete the remainder of his two-year mission with confidence and gratitude. Then this young missionary, with no accompaniment, favored us by singing a solo of hymn number 219, "Because I Have Been Given Much, I Too Must Give."

Now that is a powerful lesson for any of us who occasionally complain (even if only to ourselves) when we're asked to serve someone who is, shall we say, less than eager to be served.

That's Not My Job

At a recent Zone Council meeting we were discussing ways to help ourselves and others keep commitments. I told about my boyhood experience with the "water bottle." Like many families in the days before refrigerators had fancy water dispensers, we kept a community water bottle in the fridge. The rules were simple: (1) fill the bottle after you use it, and (2) never, ever drink directly from the bottle. As you can imagine, there were times when one might find the bottle with only a quarter inch of water (and even with bread crumbs floating in it). We took turns being the perpetrator. This always led to a parental tutorial on personal responsibility.

When we were raising our own children, we kept a poem on the family bulletin board. It's called "That's Not My Job." I shared the poem with the young missionaries here, and told them its lesson is a good reminder for us when we ask others (as well as ourselves) to keep commitments. As with many things in life, clear and honest communication is a key. And when we find "crumbs in the water bottle," we can always consider what we might do to be more accountable to agreed-upon standards.

We love our Zone Council meetings. We're surrounded by some of the best and brightest young people
anywhere, and we bask in their devotion and enthusiasm. The future of the Church is in very good hands.

Dayton's Legs

Finally, we encourage you to watch a brief and inspiring video called "Dayton's Legs."

It's the story of a wonderful young Mormon boy who exhibits remarkable Christlike love and empathy. It reminds us of the many good models that are all around us.

Click here to see the video.

Thanks to a couple of our our dear Liberty friends who
surprised us with a delicious loaf of cranberry walnut
bread. Yum!

This week brings a crammed calendar. We're hosting two dinner parties and a luncheon, attending multiple meetings, and following up on several public affairs projects.

The Texas heat and humidity are beginning to set in. It's possible to grow accustomed to this weather, but that's not the same as liking it.

We love you all. And we appreciate the blog comments and emails. Keep 'em coming.

Leadership for Saints and T.T.F.N.

By Rodger Dean Duncan

As reported earlier, we're assigned to the Waco Stake. In addition to supporting the stake leaders, we've been asked to work with three different congregations. We enjoy all of them and have made many good friends. The people here continue to go out of their way to say how grateful they are to have us here. It's more than Texas hospitality. They sense our love and appreciation for them, and they generously reciprocate.

Simon Dewey's wonderful painting of the Savior adorns the

cover of our book Leadership for Saints.

Teaching Opportunity

In the Waco 2nd Ward, I've been asked to teach the High Priest Group on the first Sunday of the next five months. They specifically asked me to teach from Leadership for Saints, the book I co-authored with Ed Pinegar more than a dozen years ago. I made it clear that I should not be regarded as an "expert" on leadership. But I am a careful observer, I've been blessed to work up-close-and-personal with some of the best leaders in the Church (ranging from local members to apostles and prophets), and I'm a pretty good reporter of what I observe. So with that caveat, I accepted the assignment.

When you think about it, virtually everything we do as covenant-keepers involves leadership. And of course really good leadership is less a function of position than of righteous influence.

Here's a small part of what I taught the high priests yesterday . . .

One of the great blessings of leadership is that we often draw strength and insight from the very people we're trying to serve. I love the story told by our friend Ardeth Kapp, former general Young Women president in the Church. Ardeth received a letter from a participant of a Young Women's conference attended by several hundred mothers and daughters: "Dear Sister Kapp. I waited in line after the meeting and you gave me a hug and said some wonderful things to me. I was the girl in the green jumper on the second row. Could you please write and tell me what you said? I forgot and I want to write it in my journal so I can read it when I'm feeling down."

Now that's the tenderness of youth because this young girl didn't fully understand what happened to her: she felt the Spirit distill upon the occasion and she wanted somehow to reach back to that spiritual moment. She wanted to recognize and enjoy, again and again, the tenderness of her brief time with a great leader.

Isn't that what leadership is all about? Oh, they may say, "Do you remember me? I was the one in the green dress." But what they really mean is, "Help me feel again what I felt when we were together. Help me feel good about myself. Help me know that I matter. Help me know that Heavenly Father knows who I am and that He loves me."

When we allow ourselves to serve as instruments for righteousness in the Lord's hands, others among Father's children are comforted and strengthened. Their loyalties are not to us. Their loyalties are to the God in heaven who allows us to be part of the miracle.

In our own small ways, Rean and I are blessed to be part of such miracles as we serve the great people of this area.

Yes, even baby sisters grow up.

Visit with Loved Ones

Last week we loved our visit with my sister Patricia and her husband Alan. They live in Terrell, east of Dallas. Being with them is always a treat, and staying at their place is like a trip to the spa. We hope to see them again soon. We share many fond memories with them.

While we were there, Rean and I visited my mother's gravesite. You'll notice that the bottom of her gravestone is inscribed "T. T. F. N." This was Mother's colloquial valediction "ta ta for now." The expression came to prominence during World War II, but Mother adopted it from Tigger in Winnie the Pooh. T. T. F. N. is a friendly goodbye, and for me it's a comforting reminder of the assurance of the resurrection. See, parents can continue teaching even after they've bid us a (temporary) farewell.

Thanks to you all who wrote to us last week. Just remember: Our operators are standing by.