President's Weekly Letter #67

POWER AND AUTHORITY OF ORDINATION

Every one of you had hands laid on your head and was set apart as a missionary by your Stake President who holds keys to do so by virtue of his ordination via a General Authority.  Your ordination brought with it power and authority.  PMG p. 4 teaches spiritual power comes from and is contingent on your prayerful and worth exercising of your authority.  Worthiness shows itself in many ways but may be best stated as we are, “…set apart from the world to a higher plane of thought and activity.”  This is more than just obeying the commandments. With this power and authority, you have the responsibility to make a difference in God’s kingdom and to be a tool in the hands of the Lord.  

On Thursday 21 June 2012, I entered the office of Elder Quinton L. Cook of the Quorum of 12 Apostles in Salt Lake City to be set apart to serve as Mission President in the Belgium Netherlands Mission.  As a member of the 12 he holds all keys necessary to operate the kingdom of God on earth except the presiding power is active only with senior Apostle and ordained President of the Church, President Monson.  I had been called by President Monson and confirmed by the Quorum of 12 and Elder Cook was acting under their authorization.  Elder Cook had previously suggested I bring with me any close family members.  My three children, their spouses, my mother and mother in law and my wife were with me.  Elder Cook is a fascinating and engaging person.  He did most of the original heavy lifting in writing Preach My Gospel along with Elder Ballard and Elder Holland.  Also present was Elder Patrick Kearon who assisted and set apart my wife.

We visited for 40 minutes while Elder Cook gave me sound council.  He then laid his hands on my head and set me apart as a mission president; he gave me keys for my responsibilities and spoke a blessing from the Lord that is personal to me and powerful.

I have since reflected may times on DC 112 which was given to Thomas B. Marsh.  Marsh was then the president of the quorum of 12 apostles, as Elder Packer is today.  Joseph, Sidney and Hyrum had other assignments so Marsh was chosen by the Lord and authorized by the Quorum:

 16 … to hold the keys of my kingdom, as pertaining to the Twelve, abroad among all nations—…

 21 … whosoever ye shall send in my name, by the voice of your brethren, the Twelve, duly recommended and authorized by you, shall have power to open the door of my kingdom unto any nation whithersoever ye shall send them—

Elder Cook literally did with my ordination what is commanded here of Marsh.  This section contains great instruction, commandments and blessings for mission presidents but is also applicable for all full-time missionaries.  The Lord begins and ends with the most encouraging words we could hear:

“2 Verily I say unto you, there have been some few things in thine heart and with thee with which I, the Lord, was not well pleased.

 3 Nevertheless, inasmuch as thou hast abased thyself thou shalt be exalted; therefore, all thy sins are forgiven thee…

19 … and I will be with you; and in whatsoever place ye shall proclaim my name an effectual door shall be opened unto you, that they may receive my word.”

DC 79 was written to us as missionaries as well as to Jared Carter. The verses contain the classic format of presenting a principle of doctrine, commandments, and promises.  The doctrine teaches us much about the power of our ordination.

“1 Verily I say unto you, that it is my will that my servant Jared Carter should go again into the eastern countries, from place to place, and from city to city, in the power of the ordination wherewith he has been ordained, proclaiming glad tidings of great joy, even the everlasting gospel.

 2 And I will send upon him the Comforter, which shall teach him the truth and the way whither he shall go;

 3 And inasmuch as he is faithful, I will crown him again with sheaves.

 4 Wherefore, let your heart be glad, my servant Jared Carter, and fear not, saith your Lord, even Jesus Christ. Amen.”  (DC 79:1-4)

To go with power and authority, He commands us to be faithful, to be glad and to fear not.  I equate that to choosing to feel optimism and enthusiasm in our work.  Finally, the promised blessings include receiving truth and guidance by the Comforter and being crowned with sheaves.

It requires faith to be glad and fear not.  Faith is a gift, but you must choose to nurture it and seek after it in order to possess it.

“Faith is not only a feeling; it is a decision. He would need to choose faith.”  (Niel L. Anderson Oct. Conf. 2008, Is It Enough)

PMG ties power and authority to receiving personal revelation and then ties personal revelation to prayer and scripture study.

“As you learn to receive personal revelation, you will teach with power and authority.” (PMG p.90)  “Pray about and ponder the scriptures.  The scriptures open the window to revelation.”  (PMG p.95)

For several months we have studied each week on a rotating basis one of the 9 attributes of Jesus Christ contained in PMG Chapter 6.  We have learned together as one member of each District taught and lead the discussion about the assigned attribute each week in District Meeting.  Christ said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt 4:19) This invitation means to learn of him, follow his example, and seek to incorporate or internalize his attributes into your own life.  This increases your spirituality and in turn the power and authority of your ordination.

I think it is important to possess Christ-like attributes because the final judgment will be more about who we are than what we have done.  Elder Oaks stated:

“The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.”  (D. Todd Christofferson  (April 2011 Conference)  “Quote: Elder Dallin H. Oaks)

You cannot possess the attributes of Christ by studying the attributes of Christ.  You develop the attributes of Christ by internalizing them through your daily conduct. 

Therefore, in the future we will still discuss an assigned attribute in District Class but will study passages where Christ displays the attribute and relate experiences in our own lives during the past week that shows we are learning to possess the attribute.

The following questions put in perspective the difference between learning about an attribute and internalizing the attribute:

How do you treat people who don’t matter to you?

When you receive trials, difficulties and adversity do you feel optimistic or pessimistic?

Is Jesus Christ really your friend?

Do you lift hands that hopelessly hang down?

Where are your inter-most thoughts?

How do you react under pressure?

Do you rely on the Lord or yourself?

In what part of your life do you extend persistent, steady and consistent effort?

What is your first consideration when you choose a behavior?

President Robinson

President's Weekly Letter #66

RESULTS

At the end of my career before serving as mission president, I had become fairly well known and I knew community leaders and people in other public and private organizations throughout the Western United States where Sunrise Engineering did business.  Most observers would consider my wife and me as successful.  I was the founder, President and CEO of Sunrise; my wife was a professional educator. 

We would occasionally hear people explain how they felt we were so fortunate.  I always felt such statements were actually sort of disrespectful.  Starting and operating a small business was difficult.  The 70 hour weeks, seldom being home with the family at night, risking all our assets for the chance of a better tomorrow, worries, stress and financial setbacks that came along with earning success was a far different reality than earning success because I was fortunate.

The following outlines one of the main secrets of my success.  It is, in large part, the foundation for any successes that I might have or had in my life.  It is simple.  It was and is my attitude, or my “come from,” as I face every day events in my life.  

Your Results.  Each of you live in a personal world; that only you experience. For each of you, that world is the summation of what is happening to you in your life at the moment.  I call this your “results.”  Your results are the honest, actual results not just good intentions, hopes or dreams. 

I am 100% Responsible.  How I view my results in my personal world can be condensed into the following statement.  It sounds brutal, but it is the core attitude about my personal accountability regarding the results I experience in my life:

“I am:–100% accountable for–100% of the results in my life – 100% of the time.”

You are Responsible.  If you adopt this statement for yourself, it will give you the key to take control of your life and will greatly improve your successes, satisfaction and sense of fulfillment in your life experiences.  In this statement you acknowledge that you are responsible for all the results you are experiencing in your life.  Your free agency is in play here.  Your results stem from choices that you have made or are making.

Your results should not be an abstract concept.  For example your results might be feeling fulfillment or discouragement, success or unproductiveness, you love it here or you sometimes what to go home, confidence or lack of faith, etc.

A Victim.  When you want different results, you either accept full responsibility for your results or you blame outside influences or actions of others for creating the results in your life.  When you blame, you cease to view yourself to be responsible and you become a victim to outside circumstances.  You surrender to the concept that outside influences are causing your results.  If you think this, it follows that you can do nothing to change your results until the outside influences change.  You give up your power.  The world is full of victims.

An example of this is the story of Nephi when he broke his bow of fine steel.  What did his brothers do?  Did they say, “Oops, I chose not to bring a back-up bow,” or “I must now construct a better bow or starve to death.”  No, they blamed Nephi and became angry victims. (1 Nephi 16:18)  If you think about it, that is really unintelligent problem solving.

As a missionary you make yourself a victim (the ultimate self limiting belief) when you make “because” statements such as:

“I am discouraged because the language is difficult.”

“I am unproductive because my inappropriate behavior is caused by my personality.”

“I want to go home because I don’t enjoy the work”

“I lack faith because I am scared to contact and teach people.”

                                                           

Empowerment.  But, if you refuse to be a victim, you always ask yourself:

 “What am I doing to create these results in my life?”

Think about it, instead of saying, “I am late because the traffic was bad.”  You will say, “I am late because I chose not to leave early enough for the possibility of bad traffic.”   Instead of, “You really make me mad because you …,” you would say, “You do not have the power to make me angry, and I choose not to be angry.”

Liberation.  By asking this question you are saying: “I am responsible for my results in my life and outside influences are not responsible for my results.  You will feel exhilaration and liberation because this attitude gives you power to choose different results in your life. You no longer need to wait for outside influences to change so the results in your life can change.  You simply need to make new choices.

Agency.  The agency of man is the doctrine that supports this concept.  Our agency comes from the very foundation of the purpose for this life.  Satan sought to destroy the agency of man.  Agency was protected by our Father in Heaven to the point a war in heaven was fought over our agency and 1/3 of His children rebelled and were lost. (Moses 4:3)  Nephi taught that men are free forever to act for themselves and not to be acted upon and all things are given to man that are expedient unto man. (2 Nephi 2:26-27)  We teach: 

“Agency, or the ability to choose, is one of God’s greatest gifts to His children.”

“Accept full responsibility for your efforts.  Never blame others for difficult circumstances or lack of progress…Accountability does not come only at the end of your mission.  It is a principle that influences how you begin, how you think and feel about the responsibility the Lord has given you, how you approach your work, and how well you endure.”  (PMG p. 48, 151)

Because of the agency of man, I believe we have a choice in everything.  If you are in a crashing airliner you are not a victim, you knew the risks and accepted the consequences when you chose to get on board.  If you lose a child at birth, knowing the value God places on agency, I am guessing you chose in the pre-existence to have that experience to help you learn and grow or to be that child’s parents.  I hope that missionaries from our Mission never go home and pray, “God, who should I marry?”  It does not work that way.  You are here to act and not be acted upon.  You are responsible for your results.  God has given you the responsibility to make your own choices. 

While you eliminate the tendency to be a victim in your life and take responsibility for your results, look to God in all you do and be grateful to Him.  Stay close to him with faith and He will guide you to make right choices.  With God as your partner and your accepting personal responsibility for your results, there is nothing you cannot achieve.

President Robinson

President's Weekly Letter #65

WE ARE ALL ENLISTED

I graduated from Utah State University in 1974 with a Bachelors degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. I loved my 5 years at the University in Logan, Utah, but it was also a happy day to leave the University and begin working in my chosen career.

I joined a small private consulting firm named, Horrocks Engineers, Inc. and began working in their office in American Fork, Utah.  At the time, Horrocks was joint-venturing with a regional firm, John Carollo Engineers, designing and building wastewater treatment plants in northern Utah.  That happened to be my school specialty so I enjoyed learning the engineering business in that situation.  My wife and I had the opportunity to live in Walnut Creek, California for a year doing project design in one of Carollo’s offices.  It was a great experience and really launched my technical engineering abilities.  After 5 years, I had become a licensed, Professional Engineer and became a young partner at Horrocks.  I then quit engineering to fly airplanes as a corporate pilot.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed it, things did not work out exactly as planned as a pilot, so after 1 year of flying, I re-entered the engineering business working for the firm Creamer and Noble Engineering in St. George, Utah.  After 2 years there, I relocated in 1982 to Millard County, Utah and founded Sunrise Engineering, Inc. in Fillmore and my life changed forever.  My business partner, Jim Cox and I had a few employees and a few contracts as we set out to seek our fortunes.  I could tell many stories of the business struggles and successes over the years since 1982 but at the end of my career in 2012, my life changed forever again, I sold my remaining shares at Sunrise to serve as Mission President in the Belgium Netherlands Mission.  Sunrise then had 160 employees working in 12 offices in the western United States and operated 15 separate business units and business specialties.

At Sunrise, I went through many ups and downs.  All the employees that I hired over the years brought with them unique talents and abilities.  Some of the ugliest downs were when I laid-off employees.  Our employee turnover rate at Sunrise was extremely low but still lay-offs occasionally occurred including some partners and good friends.  My philosophy as President and CEO of Sunrise was to do all I could to help people be successful at Sunrise.  I always agonized over lay-offs because it affects human beings, families and frequently resulted in relocation, and assorted other tough challenges for the former employee.  It was essentially voting, "you die" or "off the island," to someone who I liked.  I always felt responsible as their employer for failing them in not giving them the right seat on the bus for a winning situation.  I still feel somehow dirty for having made those tough calls for what I perceived to be the necessary, higher good.

A lay-off does not always come when the employee’s problems flair up.  It usually comes when there are blue skies and things seem settled down.  Then the work load changes or something else triggers the hard decision to strengthen the company by cutting the guy that was at risk.  It usually takes them by surprise; sometimes no surprise.  But, either way they walk out of the office just as devastated.   Having lived it from my side of the table, it haunts me how many people were someone’s son or daughter that I did that to.   For the record, I also felt a strong responsibility to the other employees in the company who needed the company to be strong without the drag of employees that were not performing or no longer needed.

It is interesting how similar the Mission is to Sunrise.  Like employees, every missionary is different, but thankfully in the Mission, no one gets laid off.  After all, we are all volunteers.  Each of you has your own strengths, weaknesses, styles, likes, dislikes, etc.  Each of you can contribute to the overall work in your unique way because of your unique talents and who you are.  This diversity makes us stronger.  For every personal weakness someone has an off-setting personal strength.  The group as a whole is therefore much stronger than an individual or a group of clones.  The Lord said through the Prophet Joseph Smith:

“106 And if any man among you be strong in the Spirit, let him take with him, him that is weak, that he may be edified in all meekness, that he may become strong also.

 108 Behold, this is the way that mine apostles, in ancient days, built up my church unto me.

 109 Therefore, let every man stand in his own office, and labor in his own calling; and let not the head say unto the feet it hath no need of the feet; for without the feet how shall the body be able to stand?

 110 Also the body hath need of every member, that all may be edified together, that the system may be kept perfect.”  (DC 84:106-110)

Because all of you are different, one of the great blessings of serving a mission can be realized.  In companionships, you can learn to get along with people who are different than you.  You can learn to like your companion and at least develop a good working relationship with your companion even if the two of you may never become best friends.  A transfer is a sort lay-off and is seldom the answer to companionship problems. You are here to learn to solve problems and a transfer would rob you of that opportunity.  Frankly, the unlearned skill of getting along before the transfer would only follow you to the new companionship.

In our church, we have to learn to get along with each other because we do not just go hear a preacher every Sunday and then go home.  We work full time with each other as members of this church.  So my theory is; the Lord puts us in odd situations so we can learn and grow.  This skill of getting along is also needed in business, families, civic and other relationships.  It is worth learning here in this incubator we call a mission.  Paul taught it best regarding our attitude as missionaries serving together:

“12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

14 For the body is not one member, but many.

15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

 18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

 19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?

 20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.

 21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the ahead to the feet, I have no need of you.

 22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:

 23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

 24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:

 25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

 26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

 27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”   (1 Cor. 12: 11-31)

This is not a business.  There are no layoffs.  In fact, all are welcome to serve and salvation is free.  The workers in the vineyard are very diverse and are all paid the same wage regardless of when they start their labor and how well they produce.  For the most part, I think we do well in capitalizing on our differences to be stronger and we do a pretty good job of effectively working with each other despite our differences.

President Robinson

New Missionaries

Early on the morning on November 26, 2013 seven new missionaries arrived from the MTC in Provo.  Six Elders and one Sister.

Welcome to the Belgium Netherlands Mission, we have been waiting for you and you join a mighty work.  We are involved with the 'Hastening of Salvation' and building of a 5th Stake.  We are happy you are here to help move the work forward!  You are so very needed!

 President and Sister Robinson, Sister Jones, Elder Paur, Elder Torniainen, Elder Schmidt, Elder Eby, Elder Hills, Elder Reynolds.

Waiting in the train station for our return trip to Leiden Centraal.

This will become second nature to them during the next 18 months-two years.

 Getting all the paper and legal work done in the office.

Even after an all night flight, they are happy to be here--and we are happy the are here!

Then off to Lunch in Oude Leiden for pannenkoeken!

 Elder Taylor, Assistant; Elder Eby

 Elder Pimentel, Office Elder; and Elder Torniainen

 Elder Schmidt and Elder Suckow, Office Elder

 Sister Jones, Elder Van Komen, assistant; Elder Hills, Elder Reynolds, President Robinson, Elder Taylor, assistant;  Elder Eby, Elder Pimentel, Elder Torniainen, Elder Suckow, Elder Paur

 Sister Jones, Elder Reynolds, Elder Torniainen, Elder Hills, Elder Eby, Elder Schmidt, Elder Paur

 Yes, they really are in the Netherlands!

 Elder Schmidt

 Elder Paur 

 Elder Torniainen

 Elder Eby

 Elder Reynolds

 Elder Hills

 Sister Jones

 Elder Paur

 Elder Torniainen

 Elder Eby

 Elder Schmidt

 Elder Reynolds

 A great group of new missionaries!

 Now we see who they really are!!!

After a two hour nap, it is time of dinner and our fireside.

 Elder Reynolds and Sister Jones

 While the seven new ones were sleeping, we had Elder de Bisschop arrive from Belgium to join us.  Welcome Elder de Bisschop.

 President Robinson with Elder Reynolds

 President enjoys his salad.

 Elder Reynolds, Sister Jones, Elder Hills

 Elder Taylor and Elder de Bisschop

 Elder Paur and Elder Schmidt

 Elder Eby and Elder Suckow

 Elder Hills, Elder Torniainen, Elder Eby

After our testimony meeting, they opened their call letters telling them where they will first serve and who their trainers/companions will be for their first transfer.

 Elder Paur will serve in Arnhem with Elder Pouwer as trainer.

 Elder Reynolds will be serving in Leuven, Belgium with Elder Douglas as trainer.

 Elder Torniainen will be serving in Enschede with Elder Alston as trainer.

 Elder Hills will be serving in Spijkenisse with Elder Rudolph as trainer.

 Elder de Bisschop will serve in Ijmuiden with Elder Carter as trainer.

Elder Schmidt will serve in Almere with Elder Lyman as trainer.

 Elder Eby will serve in Rotterdam with Elder Enslow as trainer.

 Sister Jones will serve in Haarlem with Sister Omozopkia as Trainer.

Next Morning they met their new companions!  That is the best part of transfers!!

 Sister Jones and Sister Omozopkia

 Elder Reynolds and Elder Douglas

 Elder Carter and Elder de Bisschop

 Elder Eby and Elder Enslow

 Elder Schmidt and Elder Lyman 

 Elder Schmidt will be trained by Elder Lyman, who was trained by Elder King.

 Elder Hills and Elder Rudolph

 Elder Pouwer and Elder Paur

 Elder Alston and Elder Torniainen

Our new Assistants--Elder Lewis and Elder Van Komen

It is going to be a great transfer!!