District Meeting in Breda

August 19, 2014 President and I took a road trip down to Breda to attend District Meeting with the Elders and Sisters.  It was great to join them for the morning and Elder Nielsen did a great job with his class discussion.  We love you all for all your work and diligence.  Your commitment to the Lord is showing through everything you do.  Fun and Work!!

 Sister Rosenlof, Elder Sudweeks, Elder South

 Sister Rosenlof, Elder Sudweeks, Elder South

 Elder Shelton

 Elder Leon

 Elder Nye, the chef for the day!

 Elder Price and Elder Nye

 Sister Morris and President Robinson

 President Robinson and Elder Womeldorf

 Elder Bonney and Elder Rudolph, Eindhoven Zone Leaders

 Elder Womeldorf

Elder Nielsen, District Leader

Swan at the Mission Home

We usually don't see the wildlife that venture up the canal in back of the Mission Home, because we are rarely home.  However, one day I hear noises of excitement coming from our neighbor across the canal.  I stepped out to see the family of Swan coming down the canal toward me.  I guess they figured I has something for them to eat--sorry.  It was a great opportunity to get pictures.

Maybe it was an 'enjoy nature' kind of day, but the clouds looked great also.

Sometimes we come across the more unique and quaint houses, gardens, canals and it helps remind us we are in Europe.  This is just a charming little 'cottage' in Alkmaar Netherlands that we pass on the way to the church.

Not long ago, as we were traveling the A4 from Amsterdam to Leidschendam, we enjoyed watching the sunset.  

Love nature, love the Netherlands, love Belgium!  We don't know how we qualified for the blessing to live three years in such a beautiful spot on earth, but we are grateful and thankful for the experiences we have every day.  The greatest blessing is living here with 160 wonderful Elders and Sisters. We could not be happier. 

The Johnson's and Romig's Arrive

We are blessed and our prayers have been answered.  We have two new Senior Couples now serving with us in the Belgium Netherlands Mission.  The Mission has been down to only three Senior Couples--The Winmill's in the office, the Romig's in Groningen and the Klejn's in Deventer.  Senior Couples are the gears and energy that make this mission go forward.  They are a great support to the young Missionaries, to President and me, to the Church members where they serve, and the people they meet and invite to Come Unto Christ.

The Mission Department has given the Belgium Netherlands Mission a Senior Couples compliment of seven--meaning we can and should have seven Senior Couples serving in our Mission.  We have be desperately understaffed for a year.  But, things are starting to turn around and we are received two more Senior Couples in August.

August 6, 2014 we received word that Elder and Sister Johnson had finally arrived after having their flight cancelled and being stranded in Chicago O'Hare Airport for 24 hours.  We were never so glad to see them and we believe they were very glad to finally get to the mission.



Elder and Sister Johnson will serve in Rotterdam YoVo Centrum and work with the Rotterdam Stake Young Single Adults and all that entails with Family Home Evening, Institute and Pathways program.

Welcome Elder Johnson and Sister Johnson

Sister Johnson was born in the Netherlands and immigrated to the US as a child.  What a blessing for her to return as a missionary.  Elder and Sister Johnson have been to the Netherlands on numerous occasions to visit.  We are thrilled to have them serving with us.

And the blessing continues…………..

August 16, 2014 we welcomed another Senior Couple to the Mission, Elder and Sister Romig.  Yes, our second Senior Couple with the same last name.  Elder Romig in Groningen and Elder Romig below, are brothers.  

President Robinson, Elder Romig, Sister Romig.

Elder Romig served as a young missionary here in the Belgium Netherlands Mission.  He and Sister Romig will be serving in Den Haag at the JoVo Centrum.  They are replacing the Seiter's that returned home the first part of July.





President and I testify with sure knowledge that Senior Couples are the heartbeat of a mission.  We depend on our Senior Couples 
for so many many things.  They are invaluable in their influence, 
their service and their impact on the lives of all they work with and teach.
 The remarkable blessing is that when these Senior Couples go home, 
their lives will have been eternally changed for the better and their testimonies of the Gospel and the divinity of Jesus Christ will have been strengthen.  
We serve missions with faith and love of the Savior, Jesus Christ.  

Thank you Elder and Sister Johnson and Elder and Sister Romig.  
We love you and are so very glad you are here.  

President's Weekly Letter #103

Presentation Skills

I wrecked my dad’s car when I was 17 years old.  I had slowed quite rapidly to turn at an intersection in Fillmore, Utah when a school mate driving behind me plowed into the back of me.  Actually, I was unaware someone was following so close.  I received the ticket for a reckless turn.  My dad took things calmly and was glad no one was hurt.  But, in his patented, calm but firm demeanor, I knew he was unhappy with me about the accident.  I think it was my respect for him that resulted in my always learning without his lecturing or raising his voice.  He then suggested we protest the ticket because there is never a time someone can ram their car into a car in front of them and blame the driver in the front vehicle.  It was, in his opinion, an open and shut case of the other driver driving too fast for the conditions.

At the court hearing, the judge asked me to approach the bench and explain what happened and to answer his questions.  I remember leaning on a table and looking at the floor while talking.  I never addressed him as “Your Honor” and I slouched as I walked, talked and leaned.  As we left the court house, my father let me know that my presentation skills were horrible and disrespectful.  He explained what I should have done.  I never forgot my lesson and tried from then on to have poise and respect when presenting.  We won the case, by the way.

Years later at Sunrise Engineering, out of necessity, I continued improving my presentation skills.  Much of our work came from doing projects for clients who selected their engineering firm for each project by requesting written proposals from interested firms.  They then short-list 3 firms from those who submitted to present themselves before a selection committee which decided on a winner and negotiated a contract.  It was raw competition with one winner and the rest losers.  Winning our share was critical because we could not stay in business without contracts.  I learned that presentation was everything.

Studies have shown the overall communication process for an average person is:

  7% Words Spoken

55% Visual

38% Voice

I call the combination of the impact of your words, visual and voice your presentation skills.  

Everyone makes prejudgments about people based on first impressions.  We are told not to pre-judge but it is an instinct that has always been part of human nature.  It follows then that people we meet pre-judge us based on their first impressions of us.  From the moment you walk into a room with a selection committee or a room with an investigator, you are being judged.  Immediately, your presentation can either enhance or distract.  We have only one chance to make a good first impression.

Likewise, in missionary work, you present the gospel to people every time you teach.  It would be a shame if, after all the effort you make and have made to be here, you mess up your presentation of the gospel when the chances come.  Your presentation of the gospel is a gift to them and it is vitally important that you win.  Good presentation skills are life skills as well.

If you are serious about what you do, you must strive to improve your ability to effectively communicate.  Words spoken are only 7% of your communication, yet you may spend (and probably need to spent) most of your practice time on the words you plan to speak.  But, should you not also, at least, be aware of and work to improve these other parts of presentation that represent the remaining 93% of communication?  I know the spirit teaches and converts but good visual and voice give the spirit a better chance to testify because your investigators will not be distracted by poor presentation.  Good presentation will enhance their experience with the spirit.  

VISUAL.  The visual content of communication is essentially the body language of looking confident and eliminating distracting habits that people see on our countenance and in our presentation.  This consists of posture, stance, gestures, eye contact and facial expressions.  Good posture can best be remembered by:  tuck you rear, roll your shoulders back and lift the imaginary string tied to the top of your head.  Your stance should be attentive.  Arms and hands at your side or in a natural place but not folded.  Do not play with keys or coins, pick at your face or use other nervous releases.  Hand gestures from the head signal intellectual, from the chest signal heart-felt and from the lower chest signals trust.  Genuine and reasonable facial expressions make you interesting to listen to.  Good posture, lifting your chin, cheerful, smiling, natural gestures and steady eye contact are always a must to look confident and present effectively.  

Be who you are; do not try to be who you are not.  You do not need to be some Hollywood actor, but many of you can develop more animation with the 5 components of visual communication which would greatly enhance your effectiveness in preaching the gospel.

VOICE.  Voice content includes:  pitch, pace, pause, inflection and volume.  Nobody likes to listen to a monotone or a high pitch or pitch and inflection that indicate a question after every sentence.  In music, pitch is tone.  Points can be greatly reinforced if pace is fluctuated.  Pauses are powerful.  Pauses give you time to collect your thoughts, your investigator time to think and feel and pauses give points time to sink in.  Inflection makes you more interesting to listen to and changes the whole meaning of sentences.  For example, the statement, “I notice people look at me where ever I go,” takes on different meanings if stated with pride or with paranoia.  Volume variation emphasizes points.  Adding your dramatized version while reading children stories is a great way to develop the 5 components of voice in communication and would enhance your effectiveness in preaching the gospel.

The sons of Helamen, Nephi and Lehi, preached:

“…with great power, insomuch that they did confound many of those dissenters…Nephi and Lehi did preach unto the Lamanites with such great power and authority, for they had power and authority given unto them that they might speak, and they also had what they should speak given unto them.  Therefore they did speak unto the great astonishment of the Lamanites, to the convincing them…”  (Helaman 5:17, 18-19)

Teaching is your presentation while communicating doctrine for conversion.  

“Our purpose is to teach the message of the restored gospel in such a way as to allow the Spirit to direct both the missionaries and those being taught.” (PMG p. 29)

I cannot visualize members of the Quorum of 12 Apostles or Nephi and Lehi preaching with success while using sloppy or distracting visual and voice presentation quirks and habits.  You need to become good at what you do and what you have control over.  You cannot control the spirit, but you can learn the PMG lessons, purify yourselves so you are eligible for the spirit and work hard.  The hard work should include improving your presentation skills to enhance your effectiveness in teaching.

Follow-up at Sunrise Engineering after presenting at a selection interview often went like this:  “Your team came in with 3 or 4 ideas that really wet our whistle by showing us what could be done with our project.  Congratulations, you are hired.”  What this statement really says is; your presentation is about them not you.  You need to blow their hair back.  People need to understand that they can receive forgiveness of sin and begin walking the path that brings lasting happiness here and in the eternities by receiving the fullness of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

President Robinson

President's Weekly Letter #102

Smart Teaching

You have to be smart in life if you want to achieve the success that you desire.  This applies on your mission as well.  One of John Wayne’s famous movie quotes is, “Life is tough, but it is tougher if you are stupid.”  The quote is a bit coarse but I have pretty much found it to be true in my life. 

My life changed dramatically one day in 1961.  I was sitting in Mr. Wasden’s current events class in the Fillmore Junior High School.  That has been changed and is roughly equivalent to the Middle School now days.  I was in 7^th grade and 12 years old.  To set the story straight, based on my performance, I was an average to below average student.  I got along well with my friends and tried hard, but I really did not see myself as smart or talented.  I was one of the many farm boys in our school and had plenty of interesting things to do when I went home every afternoon besides studying.  My favorite was hunting with a B-B gun.  The truth is, I did not apply myself very well to school work, and I had the grades to prove it.

Mr. Wasden’s class was 7^th period and that particular day, it was warm and spring had sprung.  Frankly, I was looking out the window, day-dreaming of the things I planned to do when I would get home on the bus.  Even today, I could have shown you the spot where I was sitting that spring day, except the Millard School District tore down the building a few years ago.  Something prompted me to look around the class room at the other students.  My eyes focused on Jim Dallas.

He was sitting on the front row.  He was leaning forward in his chair with good posture, pencil in hand and taking notes on the paper lying on his desk.  He had eye contact with Mr. Wasden and I could see he was listening intently.  Everybody knew that Jim Dallas was the smartest kid in the school.  I will never forget the alien thought that came into my head.  Never before had a thought impacted me so hard.  I was dumb-founded.

“Hey, I’ll bet that is why he’s so smart!”

For some strange reason, I wanted a piece of that.  I decided to do the same thing.  The rest of class that day and every class from then on found me no longer naive and mediocre.  The first row usually had plenty of empty desks so that part was easy.  The listening, leaning forward, good posture, eye contact and note taking was not all that difficult either.  The transformation was amazing, if I say so myself.  Getting good grades became easy.  All I had to do was study my notes before each test.  My notes contained all the test questions!  It was almost like cheating.  Strangely from then on in High School, my self-image did not change much, but I knew I was spanking it with pretty good grades.

As a side note, a few weeks before my High School Graduation, I was called out of class to report to the office.  I walked down wondering what I had done wrong now.  Jim Dallas and a few other students jointed me in the Principal’s office to be informed we were the valedictorians of the graduating class.  My first thought was that they had made a mistake with me.  But, eventually I realized that I had been doing things in a smart way and deserved the honor.

It is time for us to do smarter teaching and you do this with smarter study and preparation.  During the next transfer starting 17 September 2014, the mission training schedule topic is Chapter 2 of PMG, Effective Study.  Your learning will focus on improving your ability, through study and preparation, to teach with clarity and power so you can reduce leakage of investigators out of the funnel that leads to baptism.  It will require the attributes that I learned in High School, and what you probably already know, of focus and paying attention to what you are trying to accomplish as you prepare.  Assisted by the Holy Ghost, you will get good results by studying and preparing to teach the lessons.  Your specific plans, focus, use of scriptures and frequent testimony will be the key while you teach.

Success will come when you use faith, do the study and preparation and expect the Lord will not let you down while you follow-through with teaching.  It all begins with effective study and preparation.  Remember this segment out of the Mission Vison:  

“Each missionary, in the missionary force supporting the 5 Stakes, will be an effective and highly skilled missionary, who has repeatedly practiced, studied, exercised and re-trained to have internalized his or her skills.  Each will excel from his or her thorough knowledge and use of Preach My Gospel.  Each will understand and master the basic techniques to effectively work with people.  Each will be personable, diligent, obedient, hard-working and humble servants who are in tune with the spirit.  Each will teach clearly and testify convincingly to motivate all with whom they come in contact.”

I am impressed with Ammon’s faith when he stayed focused and taught smart to reap his success.  He was called to repentance by an angel and subsequently went on a 14 year mission to the Lamanites which would today essentially be equivalent to serving as a missionary in Iraq.  The Lamanites were a blood thirsty and wicked people who murdered Nephites.  Ammon’s father received a promise from the Lord to deliver Ammon and his companions out of the hands of the Lamanites. (Mos. 28:7)  Ammon also received assurance from God that he would be an instrument in God’s hands for the salvation of souls.” (Alma 17:11)

But, people still die in the service of God.  I would imagine that it still took mighty faith on Ammon’s part to do what he did.  When the King’s sheep were scattered, Ammon thought, “I will show forth the power that is within me.” (Alma 17:29)  That would take some courage.  You know how it could have been.  The promises and assurances were likely feelings from the spirit.  When he was actually taking the risk for real, he may have been thinking, “I hope this works.”  He was in the real world but just went forward taking care of business with the hope and faith that his end goal would be reached.   After he gathered the sheep, again I think it would take faith, regardless of the promises, as he went to contend with those who scattered the sheep.  (Alma 17: 33-35)  Ammon stood forth, slew 6 men with the sling plus 1 with the sword and cut off the arms of others, “and they were not a few.”  (Alma 17: 38)   

So you are embarking through effective study and preparation, to be a smarter teacher.  I invite you to find the faith to learn the material and follow-through so that you do smarter teaching.  I know the Lord will bless you with more success.

President Robinson

President's Weekly Letter #101

The Tool Box

When my partner and I began Sunrise in 1983, my vision was to build a company that would last by organizing it for long term growth and stability.  To do this, I broke an important rule taught by experts.  Engineering is a highly competitive business.  To be successful, most experts say companies must specialize in one thing.  Find a nitch that you are good at and then claim unique expertise for projects needing that specialty.  You thereby become the top rung on the ladder.  After all, a buyer wants the best for his project.  Then you only have to be price competitive in your specialty and buyers will reward you with contracts.  Experts counsel to be narrow and deep with experience and expertise. 

My business model was to diversify.  At the time, we provided civil engineering services for water development and water treatment projects plus land surveying.  When I retired we operated 15 independent business units that specialized in a broad spectrum of engineering and non-engineering services.  Our bread and butter was still the original civil engineering, but we also offered such services as electrical engineering, materials testing, building and safety inspections, natural gas compliance services, land survey using satellite and laser technology, hydroelectric design, etc.  This diversification really helped us to ride out various economic cycles, but it made business development difficult.  We appeared broad and thin with experience and expertise.  Buyers do not generally want a “Jack of All Trades” so they could easily perceive us as weak.

One of our marketing methods to combat this perceived weakness was the “Tool Box.”  We compared Sunrise, the company, to a Tool Box.  We described how when doing a mechanical repair, one opens various drawers of a tool box to use the specific tools they need.  Our Tool Box had 15 drawers representing our business units or specialties.  Each tool represented specific capabilities and people in each business unit.  We showed how our Tool Box made us stronger to do their project but the client only paid for the tools he used out of a specific drawer, and so forth.  You get the idea; it was a great metaphor.  Business development always includes the need to differentiate yourself from your competitors and show your unique strengths including: expertise of people, experience, approach to the work and value.  We would often give a tool to each members of a selection committee, to begin our presentation before their decision to hire an engineer.  We definitely were remembered and clearly differentiated ourselves. It was fun.  

The Tool Box concept has several interesting comparisons to missionary work.  I want to compare it to your teaching.  So our Tool Box has 5 drawers representing the 5 lessons you must teach from Chapter 3 of PMG.  Each tool represents each concept taught in each of the 5 lessons.  Your job is to assist each progressing investigator to use, understand and value each tool in each drawer in our Tool Box.  PMG states your duty as a missionary regarding teaching out of the Tool Box:

“Your responsibility is to teach clearly and powerfully so they [investigators] can make a correct choice.” (p. 10)

“The [5] lessons (found in chapter 3) contain the baptismal interview questions, commitments, and doctrines that you are to teach.”  (p. 19)

“Make sure that you teach all the doctrines in these lessons.  Unless directed by the Spirit, you should give the full content of each of the first three lessons in the order in which they are written.  (p. 30) 

Therefore, you must teach the lesson concepts as outlined in PMG with clarity and with power.  The concepts are normally taught in the order in which they are written and not an impromptu buffet to pick and choose.  Personal inspiration is honored here but teaching concepts out of order from the lesson should rarely occur.  Investigators make sense out of what you are teaching, by attaching the new information back to what they already know.  For example, why would you teach the 3 degrees of glory, for example, when the investigator does not understand or has not begun growing a testimony that God even exists? 

The apostle Paul said:

2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. (1 Cor 3:2)

We must improve teaching for better understanding.  Remember the parable of the sower, the seed that fell on good ground and produced many fold, was, “…he that heard the word and understood it…”  (Matt 13: 23)

I go back to the funnel theory we use in the mission.  Imagine a funnel with the wide entrance on top with the narrow exit on the bottom.  The top width represents the number of contacts you make.  You try to make the funnel entrance as big as possible counted by the 100’s of contacts you make each week.    As people move from top to bottom through the funnel, they go through a process of qualification.  People transition from a contact as they enter the funnel, to a potential, to receiving a lesson, to an investigator, to a progressing investigator, to an investigator keeping commitments, to baptism.  The funnel narrows from top to bottom due to leakage.  Leakage is people dropping out of investigation.  Finally the number of baptisms as people move out of the funnel at the bottom are counted by 1’s and 2’s.  

Once your spiritual performance is properly set, there are 2 ways to increase your currently mediocre baptism success.  You increase the width of the funnel with new potentials so, given a set leakage rate, the odds are that the baptism width at the bottom will also be wider.  The other way to increase baptisms is to improve your ability to teach with clarity and power thereby reducing the leakage.  Reducing leakage assumes some investigators who would have dropped out make it to baptism because of improved clarity and power in teaching.

Many missionaries have challenges to consistently teach with clarity and power.  To fix this, you must be more focused during each lesson on the specific concept or commitment that the investigator must know, feel or do because of your teaching. PMG p. 20

During the next few weeks, I will outline the necessary modifications to the Mission Tool Box so you can improve your ability to teach with more clarity and power and realize reduced leakage and more baptisms.

President Robinson

Missionaries Leave Full-time Service of the Lord

August 6, 2014 eight missionaries arrived in the Mission Office to go through their final check-out.  We are always amazed at how quickly two years have gone by for these missionaries.  We remember these missionaries arriving--we are sure that is was just 9 or 10 months ago we were greeting you in the mission.  It can't be time for you to leave!!!

 To a wonderful group of Elders, we love you--thank you for your service and your leadership.

 Elder Suckow, Elder Eastmond, Elder Lind, Elder Swingle, Elder Nelsen, Elder Pitts, Elder Sumter, Elder Ipson

President and Sister Robinson

Elder Eastmond's parents come to the mission to pick up Elder Eastmond.  They spent the evening with us and it was a pleasure for us to meet them and share the evening.

  Brother Eastmond, Elder Eastmond, Sister Eastmond

The next morning we were off to the airport to get Elder Swingle, Elder Suckow, Elder Nelsen, Elder Pitts, Elder Ipson, and Elder Lind on their flight home.

 Elder Suckow, Elder Lind, Elder Ipson, Elder Nelson, Elder Pitts, Sister Robinson, President Robinson Elder Sumter, Elder Swingle, Elder Eastmond

We say goodbye at Passport control to Elder Suckow, Elder Lind, Elder Pitts, Elder Ipson, and Elder Nelson.  

 It is hard for the missionaries to say goodbye to each other--we have lived with each other for two years and no one knows the next time we will meet--so, our hearts are happy, but are heavy.

 Elder Suckow, President Robinson, Elder Lind, Elder Ispon, Elder Sumter

 It is a good thing they have to catch a flight, or they would stay together a little longer.

 To all…..tot volgende keer!

Then down to British Airways to say goodbye to Elder Swingle.

President Robinson, Elder Swingle, Sister Robinson

Elder Swingle and President Robinson

Back to the Mission Office for Elder Eastmond to meet him parents and continue on with a wonderful week touring the mission and visiting with all the fast friends Elder Eastmond has made during the past two years.

 Goodbyes are just hard things.

 I leave all my 'motherly' love and council!

Sister Robinson, Elder Eastmond, President Robinson

We delivered Elder Sumter home to his family in Hengelo

Sister Robinson, President Robinson, Elder Sumter

President and Sister Robinson with Elder Sumter and his family.

Elders we wish you the very best in the coming months.  Enjoy your new chapter of life and thank you for your commitment to the Lord and your service to Him and the Mission.  You leave behind eternal friends who wish you success.

Tot volgende keer…...