Well, today was President Belliston’s last day. It was emotional. Even though we only worked with him for a short time, he will always be our first Mission President. He was such as example of what service and hard work and devotion is. The young men and women who have served under him will forever take with them the values he gave them everyday. We all cried when he left, including President and also his two assistants, Elders Hess and Barlow. It made us even more emotional to see these two strong young men cry because their mentor was leaving. After President and Sister Belliston take the Richards to dinner and show them the Mission Office, they will drive them to their home, which will be where they will live until the end of their mission. It is completely furnished and setup by the Church. The church pays for the house, car and other necessities. The church moves them into the home and pays their traveling expenses. Other than that, they are not paid for their time. You have to realize that the President and his wife (and children, if they come with them) are away from their family and home for three years. That is a long time when you stop and think about it. They will be doing the Lord’s work and will be blessed for it and so will their family. Us missionaries have the same promise as we leave our home and family. It is a sacrifice, but the blessings and guidance you receive are in abundance.
After President left, Elder Boehrer and I and Elder and Sister Gibbons straightened up the office and got things ready for the new president, President Richards. I took a picture of his office because not only did we want to see how great it looked, but because his family sent him some beautiful flowers as a welcome gift. Elder Gibbons is so funny, he said “Someone must have some shekels”. I said what the heck are shekels? He said he was trying to sound like someone from biblical times. Geez. There will be many changes. Each President brings his own spirituality and ideas to their calling. President Belliston had the most baptisms in a mission on the East Coast. He was a real motivator for the missionaries regarding not only baptism, but also keeping the new converts and getting them the help they need to grow and progress in the gospel. When President Belliston first came to the mission baptisms were down and the missionaries were slacking on their duties and even the way they were dressing. For example, they were wearing their lightweight jackets when it was raining out instead of wearing their suit jackets. The elders felt that the lightweight jackets were easier to ear, but President knew that they needed to continue to wear their suit jackets. It boiled down to the fact that if the Elders wore their suit jackets, they would be more likely to remember that they were representing the Lord and not comfort. Great thinking. I am sure those young men will remember that lesson throughout their lives. I know that some of the things our boys and Jenni learned on their mission, they still use in their daily lives.
Tonight Elder Boehrer and I starting studying in the Preach My Gospel Manuel in the chapter “How Do I Develop Christlike Attributes”. This will be what the Monday morning devotionals will be about starting on the 9th of July. We will know more about how the devotionals will be conducted when the President arrives. I KNOW we will all grow from working on the attributes. Elder Boehrer and I feel good about that.
President Richards would like us to come by tomorrow and meet him. We are going to try our best.
