Monday night at a Best Western in Wichita.

I have been frustrated because I have not been blogging and have wanted to write a lot of things down. But I get to a point that I am so far behind that I get discouraged. In trying to decide what to do, Adrian called last night and she was not real happy with my lack of blogging and so we kind of talked through it and what to do. I remember how Andrea blogged something every day last year. That is a real committment, but what fun memories she has. I don't know that I can commit to every day, but I am going to try every other day. If I do a little, more often, I won't get bogged down.

OK, the last entry was about transfer day. Wednesday and Thursday are big for us, but then Friday the departing missionaries have stayed at the mission home overnight and leave early for a trip to Far West and Adam-ondi-ahman and on the way home are dropped off at the airport.
One of our sisters was going to New Jersey and we found out early in the day that La Guardia was closed because of a storm. So Sister Balois came back and stayed with the senior Sister Miller across the hall from us for the night

At the airport, the missionaries were able to shake hands with Elder Bednar who had just come from Salt Lake to reorganize a stake in Lenexa. The missionaries were thrilled because they had to leave on Friday and Elder Bednar had called an all mission conference for the Missouri Independence Mission. (MIM is what it is called in the short form).

Yes, so early on Saturday morning we began picking up Sisters to go to Lenexa for the conference. It was a 45 minute drive and we had a full page of instructions about how to get ready for the conference. We had two talks that Elder Bednar had given that we had to study, shine our shoes, press your suits, I mean they get down to the nitty gritty with these teen age kids! We were to be in our seats at 8:30 reading the scriptures. And we were! The missionaries filled the chapel and about three rows in the overflow, where drivers were asked to move back so the missionaries could sit there. The sisters always sit in the first three or four rows and the seniors are on the side and all the Elders everywhere else. It is quite a sight seeing a sea of young men and lovely young girls dressed in their best, white shirts and ties and suits, short hair and scriptures in hard. There was not a peep you could hear.

I had wondered how we could sit for three hours and take it all in. Just before 9, everyone stood as Elder Bednar and others walked in and took their places on the stand. Our President Van Komen conducted the meeting and he is such a sweet, soft spoken, humble man.

Elder Bednar did not give a talk like you would hear at conference. He just said a few words and started teaching about how to be a better missionary. He started asking questions. Kids would respond and then he would ask their permission to ask them a question. It was powerful. I will just give you bits and pieces of some of his words.

"Get out of the way" It is not about you and me. Prayer is a form of work. When you say 'amen', go to work. Prayer is a form of work. Act and the power comes.

Peter did not know he could walk on the water until he took the step out of the boat.

Faith is a gift. You never receive a spiritual gift because you want it, you receive a gift to bless someone else.

If you haven't been rebuked in your prayers, you are not praying very well. Rebuking is correcting.

When we fail to be bold, we fail because we are focused on ourselves.

Elder Bsaid he seldom has time to play golf, but last summer he found a couple of hours to go with a friend. Behind them was a man playing alone. As you golfers know, he would always be done faster than they were and waiting to move on, so they invited him to join their twosome. Introductions began and the newcomer asked Elder B. what he did. He casually said he worked for his church. The guy got a little more pointed and asked exactly what he did. He told him he was one of the twelve apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The guy smiled and said, I thought I recognized you. He was from Florida and had been in SLC for three weeks working. His wife was a member (inactive) and my mother-in-law works in the temple and he had seen Elder B's picture in a magazine. At the end of the game, Elder B. asked him to give a message to his wife. It was time for her to come back to the church and for him to also come to the church. Then he said, "Do you think that it was a coincidence that I was out playing golf and saw this man? NO, the Lord will send his chosen to the other side of the world to find the one."

As he got on the airplane to come here, another man saw him get on and asked if he could talk to him. Again he said, the keys never go anywhere by coincidence. The Lord would send one with the keys around the world to find one.

I guess the most exciting thing was to see the missionaries ask Elder B questions. He would ask a question and several hands would go up. He would point to someone and a microphone was put in their hands and they would ask an apostle of the Lord their question. It was very humbling. But I had many tears as the missionaries would ask him their question.

Elder Brodowski was one who was called on. We got to know him at Christmas time mostly because he was singing in a quartet and we picked him up and transported him. He had a very deep, low voice. He always wore a beret. I think that is what it is called. And he walked very fast and proud and like people couldn't wait until he got there! He was just very proud and arrogant, I thought. He asked a question that blew everyone out of the water. I really can't even remember what it was, but even Elder B. said to him, 'you are not smart enough to have said that'. Meaning it was very insightful and intuitive. Everyone laughed a little. But I saw a new Brodowski.

Elder B had empowered these kids with new ways to teach and work with their investigators. He had made them believe in themselves. He had just given them strength.

Another was Elder Gustafson who I told you about earlier. Just two days earlier he broke down at transfers and cried uncontrolably. He stood up and asked Elder B how he could not be so scared and afraid of things. He is a young elder and looks young too. There was also a Seventy with Elder B, Elder Milken, I believe. He said to Gustafson, the day you were born, what a transfer! But then, fear will probably never be overcome, but it will be filled with new opportunities. You ended up on this mission not by happenstance. Many lessons in the missionfield are preparation for your later life. The Atonement is to cleanse us and strengthen us to do things that are hard. He told him to read the Book of Mormon and underline every passage where the Lord strengthens His people. Or in the strength of the Lord, or people receive strength from the Lord. Write them down and compare them. Well, I was in tears as I listened to this exchange. I mean, the courage it took for that young man to ask such a question of an apostle of the Lord. He was so humble and wanting to get rid of his fear and Elder B was teaching them how to have faith and then act. Oh, it was a beautiful experience.

Elder B said , you return to your family after the mission, but don't you ever leave the missionfield. You will always feel wierd.

One of the Sisters asked what he had learned from the Prophet. Elder Bednar said that Thomas S. Monson ministers to the one. No one ministers to the one more than he. He will go to a church employees child's funeral, not even knowing them. He just shows up.

He said, when you receive impressions, act upon them.

He was the President of Ricks College when he got a phone call from the Prophet. Can you be in my office tomorrow at 3pm? Sure, I'll be there. He figured he was going to be released from his position as pres of Ricks. He was 'stunned' when the Prophet told him the Lord had called him.
He said that when he was into the room with the First Presidency and the other apostles, they treated him as if he had always been there. He told how he had admired and listened to Elder Packer for 35 years and loved his words. In a short time, Elder Packer came to him and handed him a talk he had prepared and asked Elder B to review it and critique it and give it back to him.

He told the missionaries that the best compliment they could receive would be for their investigators to say to them, I don't need you any more!

One of the great things I saw was our Elder Cox who is deaf, stand and with an Elder in front of him, ask Elder B a couple of questions. Elder Neilson was in between and he signs so beautifully. He has a deaf sister and brother and so has been doing it his whole life. It was a beautiful picture as the three of them exchanged ideas and answers came. Elder Cox asked how he could do it. Elder B told him to be like Nephi. Do your best Do what is right. Act and the power will follow. Step out of the boat.

Well, I could go on, but must end. The closing hymn was How Firm a Foundation. Look at verses 1 and 4 and 7.

OK, I think I am convinced. I will be back tomorrow night.
Love you all every day.