President's Weekly Letter #110

Lights Along the Shore

A number of years ago I was an active private pilot.  I was working for an engineering company in St. George, Utah.  The firm was a small regional firm and every week I would generally be off to do business using a single engine Cessna airplane.  I was one of the senior engineers with the responsibility of managing assigned clients and projects.

On one occasion, I had to fly from St. George to Callio, Nevada, pick up the Mayor of Callio and then fly to Carson City, Nevada near Reno. We were presenting an application to a State funding agency for financing a project we were planning in the city of Callio.  To be on time for the early meeting, I left St. George at 4:00 am.  The night was dark but the weather was clear so I was flying visual flight rules.  I held an outbound course to Callio using the ADF navigation instrument tuned to a local St. George AM radio station.  With no wind, I figured the course would get me close enough to Callio to see its airport beacon before I lost contact with the radio station.  I was looking out the wind screen at pitch black except for the brilliant Milky Way in the perfectly smooth air as I slid across that classic southern Utah sky.  That is peaceful, to say the least.

The flight plan worked perfectly.  Seeing the familiar blinking white and green beacon at the Callio airport, I knew the exact direction to my destination.  Soon, I saw the lights of the city which completely oriented me to land safely.  The waiting mayor, climbed on board and after a short taxi we were off again from that uncontrolled airport, climbing to my planned altitude.

My navigation plan to Carson City was even more primitive.  I planned to navigate dead reckoning using the directional gyro on a course direct to Carson City.  Dead reckoning is subject to cumulative errors but I knew when it became light, I could stay on course using land marks until I could pick up navigation aids using the ADF or Reno VOR.  I set my course and began visiting with the Mayor.  After 20 or 30 minutes I saw a flashing airport beacon ahead of us.  I could not believe it.  There is nothing along that route through central Nevada, but I continued flying toward the beacon.  Finally, the lights on the ground told me the truth.  I recognized the city of Callio.  Woops, I had become distracted while visiting and drifted a complete 180 degrees off course and had returned to where I had earlier taken off.

A beacon is a conspicuous device designed to attract attention from far away to a specific location.  Beacons help guide navigators toward their destinations. However, the lights on the ground in the city are equally important.  They orient the navigator and show him the details of the correct way.  This experience was a real life allegory to me comparable to the words of hymn 335, Brightly Beams our Father’s Mercy:

            Brightly beams our Father’s mercy,

            From his light-house ever more.

            But to us he gives the keeping

            Of the lights along the shore.

            Dark the night of sin has settled;

            Loud the angry billows roar.

            Eager eyes are watching, longing,

            For the lights along the shore. 

            Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;

            Some poor sailor, tempest tossed.

            Trying now to make the harbor,

            In the darkness may be lost.

            Choir:

            Let the lower lights be burning;

            Send a gleam across the wave.

            Some poor fainting, struggling seaman,

            You may rescue, you may save.

Jesus Christ is your beacon, but it is your example through actions and attitude that are the lights along the shore.  Therefore, while you work with stake and ward leaders and members, “…seek to be a blessing, not a burden” to them.  You will develop relationships that will last the rest of your life (PMG p. 217).  The Lord said:  “… let your light so shine…”  (3 Nephi 12:14)  The following are a few specific items that may help you let your light shine:

An Elder in our mission recently sent this email to a member who forwarded it to me.

  “Dear [Member]…I want to thank you for the privilege it has been to get to know you and your wife.  Thank you for your good example.  I am being transferred to ______.   We will see each other in the future.  Greetings, Elder ______”

I am here to tell you, this missionary gets it.  That member told me all the good he sees in this Elder who learned the names of the children of the members in the ward and talked to them every week at church.  He learned the members’ names and served them and he cared enough to offer this personal thank you when he was transferred.  This Elder is a giant in the eyes of those ward members.  His light shines.

Line up and complement members for a job well done after they give talks and teach lessons.  You will become a hero in their eyes.

After you go home, keep your Facebook posts appropriate and remain an example.  You are on a pedestal to the members here, they see your posts and they know what is degrading.  Be careful making promises and keep your promises after your mission.  The example you set is your light on the shore and has an enormous effect on the members.

Make a lesson plan for member dinner appointments.  Remember, connecting with people is the key to success on missions and in life.  Develop your people skills and teaching skills.  Be sensitive and do not push in where you are not welcome, but remember every member has a wayward kid, not enough money, troubled marriage, poor health, not enough time, etc., etc.  Understand them, help them with their problems by teaching an appropriate message.  Encourage their youth.  That will endear you to them and you will be a light on the shore.

Be a master finder every day.  Plan your day with a variety of finding methods complete with time duration and locations such as:  door knocking, area book look-ups, 2-2-5, part or inactive member visits, street contacting, travel contacting, referral calls, etc.  Then work your plan.  You will be on a schedule, in a hurry, on the move and busy with a variety of activities instead of the alternative, a day of door knocking.  Members know and respect master finders and your willingness to do this will be an important light to them. 

Stay in the mainstream with your work.  Avoid odd behavior and attitudes thinking it shows faithfulness.  Skipping meals, skipping general conference, skipping all companionship study to get out and work is not smart.  Be steady and balanced in your work and life.  Remember, being a successful missionary has nothing to do with leadership calls.

Your priesthood has the authority and power for the ministering of angels. (D&C 84:26)  A friend of ours said after winning a bout with cancer, “I could not have made it without the help of my guardian angels who helped me through it.  They were living angles.”  You may very well be a living angel to those members who see your light on the shore. 

President Robinson

President's Weekly Letter #109

The Rescue

My mission president was Peter Dalebout (1968-1971).  He was a native Dutchman who immigrated to the USA when he was just a boy.  He started his new life in America as a dirt poor Dutch kid not even knowing English.  But, he had big dreams and worked hard.  He eventually owned and operated a steel fabrication plant in Long Beach, California.  He reportedly made a lot of money as a steel tycoon.  He was tough and expected exact obedience.  He motivated me.

The Netherlands Mission boundaries then were the same as they are today.  If I remember correctly, there was 1 Stake in the mission covering the Rotterdam and Den Haag area.  The rest of the units of the church in the mission were wards and branches grouped into a number of member Districts.  President Dalebout administered not only to the affairs of the full time missionaries but he also administered, equivalent to a Stake President, to the affairs of the member Districts.  One of his councilors in the mission presidency was Jacob de Jager, a terrific missionary and leader.  He understood the Lord’s admonition:

“And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts.” (D&C 29:7)

I knew him and loved his stories and friendship.  Jacob de Jager was a personable and dynamic leader who traveled the world working as a top director for Phillips Electronics.  He was later called by President Kimball to serve as a Regional Representative of the 12 and later a member of the first Quorum of 70.  He was the first Dutch general authority in the church.  I heard him on a few occasions tell the following story:   

“You never know whom you will save. To illustrate my point, I would like to go back in thought to my native Holland where six generations of my father’s ancestors lived in the little village of Scheveningen at the seashore. They were fishermen or had other related vocations, like fishing-boat builders, sail makers, or fishing-net repairmen. Many of them were also involved in the voluntary but hazardous task of lifesaving. They were stouthearted, experienced men who always were ready to man the rowing lifeboats to go on a rescue mission. With every westerly gale that blew, some fishing boats ran into difficulties, and many times the sailors had to cling to the rigging of their stricken ships in a desperate fight to escape inevitable drowning. Year after year the sea claimed its victims.

On one occasion during a severe storm, a ship was in distress, and a rowboat went out to rescue the crew of the fishing boat. The waves were enormous, and each of the men at the oars had to give all his strength and energy to reach the unfortunate sailors in the grim darkness of the night and the heavy rainstorm.

The trip to the wrecked ship was successful, but the rowboat was too small to take the whole crew in one rescue operation. One man had to stay behind on board because there simply was no room for him; the risk that the rescue boat would capsize was too great. When the rescuers made it back to the beach, hundreds of people were waiting for them with torches to guide them in the dreary night. But the same crew could not make the second trip because they were exhausted from their fight with the storm winds, the waves, and the sweeping rains.

So the local captain of the coast guard asked for volunteers to make a second trip. Among those who stepped forward without hesitation was a nineteen-year-old youth by the name of Hans. With his mother he had come to the beach in his oilskin clothes to watch the rescue operation.

When Hans stepped forward his mother panicked and said, “Hans, please don’t go. Your father died at sea when you were four years old and your older brother Pete has been reported missing at sea for more than three months now. You are the only son left to me!”

But Hans said, “Mom, I feel I have to do it. It is my duty.” And the mother wept and restlessly started pacing the beach when Hans boarded the rowing boat, took the oars, and disappeared into the night.

After a struggle with the high-going seas that lasted for more than an hour (and to Hans’s mother it seemed an eternity), the rowboat came into sight again. When the rescuers had approached the beach close enough so that the captain of the coast guard could reach them by shouting, he cupped his hands around his mouth and called vigorously against the storm, ‘Did you save him?’

And then the people lighting the sea with their torches saw Hans rise from his rowing bench, and he shouted with all his might, ‘Yes! And tell Mother it is my brother Pete!’”  (Jacob de Jager,  (Oct 1976, Ensign, You Never Know Who You May Save)

Elders and Sisters, you are serving full-time missions for a short period of time.  You never know who you will save.  It may be one tossed by tempests on life’s billows or one missing with parents desperately praying for a rescuer.  In any event, it is your brother or sister from the pre-existence.  Use your time wisely.  To accomplish this consider the following quotes from Elder Ballard when he visited us on 11 September 2014 in Zoetermeer:

Always be the #1 finder.  The missionary’s role is always finding even with your Facebook project.

Teach the doctrine of lesson 1 to everyone.

You must be master teachers and know the doctrine.  People must feel what you teach.

Conversion always starts with what a person feels.

We are at war.  It is a spiritual work, we are dealing with the spirits of the children of God.  This means we must touch their spirit.  They need to feel it.

Redding Boots (Rescue Boats) are a rich tradition in the Dutch culture.  They were run by brave men with compassion driven by duty and determination to rescue their fellowmen.  If I were to characterize the legacy of President Thomas S. Monson at this point, it would be his continued call for the saints to engage in “The Rescue.”  No surprise, one of President Monson’s favorite paintings depicts the rescue by redding boots symbolizing your task to rescue people by bringing them to Jesus Christ.

President Robinson

President's Weekly Letter #108

Negative Self-Talk

The story is told of a man driving across the country on a deserted highway.  He was essentially alone except for the occasional farm house he passed along the road.  As luck would have it, he heard and felt a familiar thump, thump, thump.  He had a flat tire.  He stopped on the side of the road to inspect the damage and to replace the flat tire with the spare. Upon digging in his trunk, he discovered he had no lug wrench, so he could not remove the lug nuts.  He decided to walk back to the nearest farm house and ask if he could borrow a lug wrench.  While walking he began thinking about the farmer he had not yet met.  Talking to himself, he imagined the farmer would probably be unfriendly and try to charge him money for using the wrench.  He told himself what he would say when the farmer sneers and refuses to lend the wrench, etc.  When he finally knocked on the door to the farm house, he had become so upset with this negative self-talk that before the farmer could say hello, the stranded motorist said, “I don’t care what you say, I wouldn’t borrow your wrench anyway,” and spun around and stalked off.

It has been said a negative mind will never give you a positive life.  I believe that, to some degree, most people are guilty of occasional negative self-talk.  But, many people wallow in it.  If you are a negative self-talker, you may not even be aware of it because after years of doing it, it becomes second nature to you.  You probably do not notice your negative view or slant on everything.  But, it affects how you live life, how others react to you, how the spirit works with you and it keeps you from enjoying the best of life.  I have called it, “Self Limiting Beliefs.”  Those who do it see themselves as victims and powerless to be accountable for their actions.  Griping, criticizing and complaining drives people away.  Negative self-talk is usually directed either at yourself or at other people and situations.

Examples of negative self-talk about yourself are:  I am not good enough.  I suck at everything I do.  I am not going to get better at this.  I am an idiot.  I have nothing interesting to say.  I’m going to fail for sure.  I didn’t play well.  I’m hopeless, etc.

Negative self-talk about others and situations is equally debilitating such as:  I could have done a better job than he is doing.  That hypocrite always condemns me for doing to her what she is doing to me.  It is too complicated.  There is no way it will work out.  No one bothers to communicate with me.  God answered my prayers too late, the damage is all done, etc.

Negative self-talk is evidence of lack of faith.  You pray for good things to happen to you.  Then when your life is not always blissful or you hit a bump in the road, you immediately focus on the, often inaccurate and exaggerated, negatives of the situation.  You do not choose to have the faith to look for the good, realize there is a blessing for you in this turn of events and cheerfully move on.

One big problem with negative self-talk is that your body and your subconscious mind do not know that your thoughts are not reality.  Your mind gets carried away replaying shortcomings or negative ideas.  Your body and mind may even react by feeling physically ill or emotionally depressed, angry, anxious or upset.  What is more cynical, it is possible to live in negativity and never see the destructive results in your body, your mind and your life.  Happy people learn to put their bad days behind them.

The affect my negative self-talk has on me is a sort scornful pleasure to have a sour attitude toward myself and others.  I lose faith and trust in the Lord and fail to acknowledge his hand in my life.  I become over critical with a steady diet of criticizing everything.  I look for the negative first and point it out.  I am not internalizing faith in Jesus Christ, hope, charity and love, virtue, patience or humility.

Consider these admonitions in the context of what God thinks about negative self-talk:

33 Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward.

34 …do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.  (DC 6:33-34)

7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…  (Proverbs 23:7)

“Many voices in the world compete for your attention, and they can easily drown out spiritual impressions if you are not careful.”  (PMG p. 96)

13 …I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;   (DC 11:13)

9 Be patient in afflictions, revile not against those that revile. Govern your house in meekness, and be steadfast.  (DC 31:9)

23 And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness.  (DC50:23)

34 Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion…  (DC64:34)

What to do?  Take a day and monitor yourself.  Do not say to yourself or to anyone else one criticism or limiting thing about anything or anybody.  Simply look for the good with patience and humility.  Compliment others.  Missionaries should line up at the podium after every sacrament meeting or class to congratulate and thank every speaker or teacher.  That alone would put a brighter spin on your day.

See the difference it makes in how you feel.  Then go do it another day.  It takes time and practice to think about things in a more realistic and productive way.  After 3 weeks, you will have a new habit.

President Robinson

President's Weekly Letter #107

Pattern for Success

In June 1968, I had just turned 19 years old and began serving a 2 ½ year assignment in the Netherlands Mission.  That was a tough and long time to be away from home as a missionary.  There were no phone calls, no Skype two times per year, no email and no Facebook.  I communicated with my family and friends by writing a letter once a week by hand, placing a stamp on it and sending it “Air Mail”; a skill few people know or understand now days.  Each letter was written on a piece of light blue paper that folded into an envelope.  My mother would typically not hear a thing from me for several weeks, then miraculously the US Post Office would deliver several weekly letters from me to her, all neatly tied together with a string.  What made it so ironic, I received the same excellent service from Nederland Post.  I guess this proves the post office does need to raise the cost of stamps – to pay for storage.  My mother states she eventually wondered if she really had a son and if her dimmed memories were only a dream.

I returned home just before Christmas 1970.  The home coming started with the excitement of meeting my family at the airport.  That is a feeling one never forgets, a feeling of satisfaction, having done something difficult, love and reunion with family members.  I felt confident and optimistic.  I was eager to start my regular life.  My home seemed huge and plush.  The towns had not changed which was somehow comforting.  The streets were wider than I remembered.  People over 30 years old looked the same.  Those who were younger than 12 years old when I left had completely changed.  I did not recognize them.  About a month later at Utah State University, the newness of being home wore off and I really fell into home sickness for the little country on the shores of the North Sea that I loved so dearly and I realized I was not going back.  Full time missionary life was over.

We have a large surge of missionaries going home in the next few months and eventually everyone will go home.  Each of you will have your own experience of that homecoming and getting on with your normal life.  I want to outline the pattern for success that the Lord has given, as you now pick your way through the mine fields of regular life.  It is a road map for success.  This pattern is found in the book of Moses and comes with the backdrop of Father in Heaven’s expectation for each of you to be an agent not an object and to act and not be acted upon in this life. (2 Nephi 2:14, 26)

1 - Dress and keep the earth. “And I, the Lord God, took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden, to dress it, and to keep it.”  (Moses 3:15)  You are given dominion over the whole earth and commanded to subdue it.  I believe we have a responsibility to care for the earth and prohibit pollutions and waste, but still develop and use its resources as we strive to raise our standard of living.  Remember before you join some radical environmental campaign dedicate to destroying our economic system, there is enough to spare.  The Lord said:

17 For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves.  (DC 104:17)

2 – Get Married. “And the rib which I, the Lord God, had taken from man, made I a woman, and brought her unto the man.”  (Moses 3:22)  Marriage and family are central to God’s plan for your eternal destiny.  Do it when you know you have found the one.  Do not over engineer your life and intentionally delay marriage after you have found the one.  Single life is intended in most cases to be short term.   

3 – Cleave unto your spouse. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.”  (Moses 3:24)  To the unmarried this may seem automatic to accomplish.  But, cleaving to one another is to always adore one another and let it be seen.  Also, infidelity does not suddenly happen out of the clear blue sky.  It comes as a scheduled airline.  Early signs of weakening such as flirtation, looking elsewhere with fondness, viewing pornography in any form, etc. are the early signs of weakening and eventually will result in a scheduled disaster.

22 Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else.

23 And he that looketh upon a woman to lust after her…[and]

24 …he that committeth adultery, and repenteth not, shall be cast out.  (DC 42: 22-24)

4 – Use your God given agency and make choices.  What this really means is you are accountable in your life. Our Father in Heaven paid a huge price to give you your agency; 1/3 of his spirit children were cast out of heaven so you could come to earth and experience accountability.  “…because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him… I caused that he should be cast down;”  (Moses 4:3)  Remember your world of opportunity is wide open as you exercise your agency:

26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward. (DC 58:26-28)

5 – Work to earn your bread.  This includes receiving as much education as possible. “By the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread…”  (Moses 4:25)  You must make choices and experience accountability for the consequences of your choices concerning education and career.  Be loyal for whom you work.  Cowboys say, “When you work for the man, you ride for his brand.”    Adam was told it was for his sake, it was a blessing, that the earth was cursed to cause him to sweat to earn his bread.  A productive and responsible citizen is a self-reliant citizen through the labor of his own hands.

6 – Have children.  “And Adam knew his wife, and she bare unto him sons and daughters, and they began to multiply and to replenish the earth.  (Moses 5:2)  Most couples have difficulties of one sort or another with child birth.  It is not always automatic.  The Lord said, multiply and did not qualify it with, “after your education,” or “when you can afford to give the child a better life.”  Modern prophets have repeatedly counseled to not delay raising a family, but to experience the difficulties of raising a young family before you have made it in life.  It will be a blessing to you. 

7 – Offer sacrifices to the Lord.  “And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.”  (Moses 6:6)  We offer a broken heart and contrite spirit to Christ each sacrament meeting.  This is called repentance and enduring to the end.  You are also required to sacrifice to serve your fellow men.  This is always expected and is almost never convenient.

8 – Be grateful.  “And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters.”  (Moses 5:12)  Their degree of gratefulness moved them to teach their children.  Gratefulness is also closely tied to obedience and the Christ-like attribute of humility.  “[Humility] includes gratitude for His blessings and acknowledgement of your constant need for His divine help.” (PMG p. 120)  And, the Lord said,

21 And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.  (DC 59:21)

So there you have it, a pattern for success.  Follow this pattern while personally doing daily prayer and scripture study, weekly partaking of the sacrament and regular temple attendance and you will greatly improve your chances to enjoy fulfillment in your life.

President Robinson