July 4th celebration
Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert
At the MoTab concert with Elder Perkes
Changing of the guard -- the Packards to the Millers
Hey all,
A quick update from up here in Boston, where the sweat is starting to fall as real East Coast summertime begins. This week doesn't have quite the stories as last week, but I'll give you the skinny.
The main event of the week was Mission Leadership council, President and Sister Millers first! I can't really imagine their feelings going in (well they told me they were nervous and excited and etc but who really knows what that's like) but they were pro from the get-go. On Tuesday we sat down to plan the meeting and it was awesome to see the vision come together. The goal was a true council discussion where the Lord's will could be made manifest. So we planned things that way.
Our job was a training on how to begin teaching, but really on how to envision our purpose and our relationship with those we teach, and how to help them understand that relationship and the true purpose of commitments. When we started our planning we just could not get it to work, and we could feel it, so we stopped until we could really figure out what the Spirit was trying to tell us to prep. And after a while (fairly late at night haha) it finally clicked, and from there, the planning was easy. Not giving up until you get it right is something I definitely have learned in these past few months.
The meeting on wednesday was great. The leaders were early and has prepared beforehand, so our discussions were powerful. We talked about how obedience and accountability help us to build Zion. What it truly takes to retain our people. How to prepare the minds and hearts of investigators to receive truth through our first few minutes together. The greatest takeaway for me was a fusing of the vision the Packards had with the new vision of the Millers. They were not replacing each other, but rather standing on the shoulders of each other. This is weird, but my mental image was like a totem pole, where the vertical progression tells the history of the mission. Each section depicts the vision of a mission president, and the next does not destroy but builds from it. The Packards section on the totem pole was pretty unique and very visible, and the Millers will be too.
The other funny but true comparison that came to mind during a welcome conference was comparing the style of each to an apostle. The Packards were kind of like the Hollands, in approach and manner and vision. Plus they referenced the Hollands often, and he visited here twice. And.... the Millers are a lot like the Bednars! Well, really, Elder Bednar, since I've never met his wife. But their approach, vision, mannerisms are so much like how Elder Bednar teaches: bold, simple, straightforward, organized, commitment driven, yet filled with love. President Miller doesn't beat around the bush, but he's the real deal. And strangely enough, the Millers quote Elder Bednar way more than anyone else! I think its meant to be. My prediction: Elder Bednar visits the MBM next year. Muahaha.
Not much else exciting occured, but I know many are interested in how the change has been. Change is change! Its good, and hard, and good because it is hard. But I've seen that the Millers know what the next line up the totem pole is, and were going to seize it and run with it. Miracles will follow.
I love the Lord. I've changed so much. I filled up my journal this week, read my first entries in the MTC, and just laughed. I didn't even know I'd be in the MBM back then. Its been such an amazing journey. And I'm not dead yet!
Love,
Elder Jackson
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