MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE . . .

As Sister Lindsay and I have traveled around the countryside during the 44 years we have been members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have noted that some congregations seem more inclined than others to sing hymns with deep feeling and enthusiasm. At our home ward in Greensboro, North Carolina, over the past twenty-four years we have lived there, most of the members have collectively enjoyed singing as an integral part of the Sunday worship service.

A month ago when we moved to Baltimore as a brand new senior missionary couple and attended our first Church meetings in the Chesapeake Ward, I knew by the end of the first hymn that we were no longer in Carolina. I commented privately to my wife that it did not appear that most of those people who were present in Church really wanted their voices to be heard. In my mind I wondered if there might be some way to encourage folks to learn to enjoy the music more? I don't read music very well; but if I can hear someone else who sings the notes properly, I am usually able to follow them.

By the time the service was over, I decided that Sister Lindsay and I needed to join the choir; and fortunately, my wife didn't disagree. Fortified by her support, I went looking for the choir director to volunteer our services. She laughed when we introduced ourselves and said that we had "already been reported" by another choir member. And just like that, Sister Lindsay and I were officially in the choir.

"Of course," the choir director told us, "there may only be four or five of us when we next sing on the third Sunday in October. We have had a real struggle getting and holding onto choir members." I suggested to her that we will help her build the choir and actively recruit new voices. What I didn't tell her at that time was that involving new people to sing in the choir would be a great tool to further our missionary efforts to bring new converts into the Church as well as encouraging less-active members to become involved in a meaningful activity.

And I sincerely believe that it really doesn't matter how well people can read music; nor is it critical that everyone in the choir have a strong solo-quality voice . . . even if we can only make a joyful noise, it will be an acceptable offering to the Lord. When the choir sang this past Sunday, there were nine of us who lifted up our voices in song.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.  (Psalm 98:4)

Next month, we will do even better. We have since recruited one of the other full-time missionaries plus a Church investigator to join our little group. The choir is a work in progress; but with the Lord's help we will continue to make our joyful noise while encouraging everyone to sing!

SENIOR MISSIONARY TRIP TO US NAVAL ACADEMY

The senior missionaries who are serving in the Maryland Baltimore Mission occasionally get together with President Belliston and his wife for a special activity or local field trip. On Saturday, September 24, 2011 we completed a self-guided walking tour of the U.S. Naval Academy, visited the Maryland State House, and then wandered through a few of the shops in the center of downtown Annapolis.

Senior missionaries pose on campus in front of Navy's mascot goat

There are approximately 110 young elders and sister missionaries presently serving in the mission compared to just four couples and two senior sisters (in addition to the mission president and his wife). Three of the couples, including us, are serving leadership and proselyting missions; while the fourth couple and the two single sisters are assigned to work in the mission office directly assisting the mission president with many diverse administrative duties. These special activities allow the senior missionaries to have a few shared experiences; otherwise, our work is primarily separate from each other.

Largest wooden dome of its kind in North America

and it is built entirely without nails!

The Maryland State House is the only state house to have served as the nation's capitol. The Continental Congress met in the Old Senate Chamber from November 26, 1783, until August 13, 1784. It was in this building that General George Washington came before Congress to resign his commission as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. This is the oldest state house in America still in continuous legislative use. Even those of us who are actively teaching others while serving as missionaries for the Church, can still be learning things ourselves.

THE POWER OF GOD WITH POT HOLES INCLUDED

How does the Power of God co-exist with pot holes in the streets of eastern Baltimore and lower Baltimore County? Many of Heavenly Father's children live in this urban area earnestly seeking the Spirit of the Lord while coping with dangerous living conditions all around them. Safe and unsafe areas frequently seem to be just a block or two away from each other.  

As Church missionaries, we must be willing to go where He wants us to go, to say what He wants us to say, and to be what He wants us to be. Our primary proselyting area in Baltimore includes some rough-looking neighborhoods, and we are fully dependent upon the Holy Ghost to confirm when or where we should or should not go when out and about. For certain, available daylight makes a difference in some of those decisions, and it has been reported to us by other senior missionaries that the police sometime show up where young elders have been going door to door proselyting on a particular street and tell them that they need to leave immediately for their own safety.

The Gospel is being taught here

The first person we have been able to teach lives in one of the row houses shown in this picture (see above). She was baptized into the Church some 40 years ago but never really embraced the Gospel through her adult years of marriage. Her husband of 20 years passed away last January, leaving her lonely and wondering out loud, "Why am I still here?" She has a willing heart ready to learn more about the Savior and His teachings. Her smile is warm and genuine, and this good woman really loves children. The Spirit whispers to us as missionaries that her time has finally come to receive more fully of His Word and become actively involved with the Church. With the assistance of other Church members, we wish to love her into full fellowship within the Church congregation.

Factories, Mom & Pop stores, and houses are all part of the mix

The Spirit of the Lord moves freely among those who are earnestly seeking Him in their lives and prepares them to receive the message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. It matters not to Him how things may appear on the outside of the buildings where they live. God is busy identifying those who are pure in heart. Many of Heavenly Father's children live in the most humble circumstances, but they are willing to be taught the things of God.We prayerfully hope that we will be up to the important task of finding and teaching these good people who want to embrace the fullness of the Gospel but don't yet know where to find it.

NO YELLOW BRICK ROAD TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD

In the classic 1900 L. Frank Baum fairytale novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her new friends Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion all set off together down the Yellow Brick Road to search for the Wizard who supposedly can help her return home.

Less than two miles from our missionary apartment here in Baltimore, there is a street that really is named the Yellow Brick Road. It connects with Rossville Boulevard just east of Philadelphia Road. Because of the unusual name, I decided to photograph the Yellow Brick Road sign while I was returning from running an errand to a store.

Baltimore's Yellow Brick Road

Adjacent to the Yellow Brick Road, I pulled off onto the gravel of a connecting service road where I parked the car. Immediately in front of me were two local taxicabs, and the drivers were talking with each other. I said hello to them as I walked by with my camera to snap the picture. A few moments later as I returned to my automobile, one of the cabs had pulled away, and the remaining driver called out to me and asked, "What did you find so interesting that you took a picture?"

I explained that I had just photographed the Yellow Brick Road street sign and then added the thought that there is no Yellow Brick Road to the Kingdom of God . . . there's only the Straight and Narrow Way. Interested in what I had just said and noticing the missionary name tag on my white shirt, the driver motioned me to come to the window of the cab.

"What Church do you belong to," he asked? "My wife and I have been looking for a church to attend." I responded that I was a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The man then explained that his son had died this past year, and his daughter became so distraught about the loss of her brother that she took her own life. The cab driver told me that when that happened he and his wife had made the decision that they needed to go to Church.

"And then, just six months ago," he said, "my father died; and when we asked the pastor to help us with the funeral service, we were shocked when he told us that he and other church members were too busy to assist my wife and me." I told him that this isn't the way things are done in The Lord's Church and asked if we might come to visit with him and his wife to tell them more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ? He provided me with his name and telephone number and said that he gets home about 7:00 in the evening. I promised to call him within a day or two to set a time for our appointment. I bear witness that there is no such thing as a chance meeting between people in this life. Bringing souls to Christ is far too important for God to leave such things to chance.

For behold, this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39)

MISSIONARY TRANSFER DAY IN THE MISSION

The day following the arrival of new elders and sisters in the mission is called transfer day. The name aptly describes this very busy time when new missionaries are assigned to their first proselyting area and teamed with their training companions. The "trainers" are experienced elders and sisters chosen for this special responsibility because of their demonstrated faithful efforts in doing the Lord's work. Of necessity, when one missionary is assigned to work with a brand new elder or sister, this creates an immediate need to replace the trainer in the location where he or she previously served; because missionaries always work in pairs (known in the Church as companionships).

The Church parking lot on Transfer Day

So on transfer day, the missionaries who are being transferred to different companionships congregate at a Church meetinghouse near the mission office and receive their respective new assignments, too. In order to facilitate this movement in the most efficient way, Church members all across the mission assist by driving their own vehicles to the Church; and following the meeting, they deliver the elders and sisters to their new assignments together with their luggage and bicycles.

The movement of these young adults from one area to another is both exciting and nostalgic as they say hello to new companions and farewell to those with whom they have served in their most recent location. This is also a time to share final goodbyes with those elders and sisters who are headed home following the completion of their missions. As you might imagine there are lots of handshakes, hugs, and pictures during transfer day.

Which camera am I supposed to smile at now?



During this past transfer day, we drove one of the elders in our district who had been working in the same ward where we are serving to Martinsburg, West Virginia, where he was to meet his new companion. They will be serving in Antietam, Maryland. Sister Lindsay and I have been promised by the Mission President that although we might possibly be transferred to another area sometime during our 18-month mission, we will not change companions!

NEW MISSIONARIES ARRIVE IN THE MISSION

Every six weeks new missionaries arrive at the Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) after completing their formal instruction at the Church's Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. The group that arrived on September 20th included 8 young men and 3 young women. Four of these young elders have spent three months learning a new language at the MTC and will now be assigned responsibilities to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people who speak Spanish.

The number of people arriving varies each time, but this was a fairly large contingent. President Belliston, the mission president, and his wife always meet the new missionaries at the baggage claim area; but with so many of them, the scene is just a bit chaotic as young men and women are searching for their possessions along with everyone else who was on the airplane. At least when the missionaries are inbound to the Maryland Baltimore Mission, they are all on the same flight from Salt Lake City. At the conclusion of their missions, however, departing elders and sisters may be on one of many different flights heading to their respective homes anywhere in the United States or another country worldwide.

The mission owns a 12-passenger van and a large enclosed trailer, which is used to transport the elders, sisters, and their personal belongings from the airport to the mission president's home where they spend their first night before being assigned to their area and new companion (Church missionaries work in pairs). Sister Lindsay assisted with some of the logistical work at the mission office, while I went to the airport with another senior missionary elder to help gather the new arrivals and their luggage. Even though the missionaries are limited to bringing just two large suitcases and some small carry-on items, the collective amount of baggage for the lot of them was considerable.

Missionary shoes neatly placed in the foyer at the mission home

Sister Belliston with the assistance of several of the senior missionary sisters helped with the evening meal and clean-up afterwards. Individual photographs of the new arrivals were taken with the mission president and his wife; and then, there was a short meeting where the new missionaries introduced themselves and bore brief testimony about what they hope to accomplish while they are "on the Lord's errand." President Belliston spoke to the group briefly before the very exhausted young men and women retired for the night.

President Brent Belliston, Elder Norm & Sister Linda Lindsay, and Diane Belliston

Sister Lindsay and I were included in this activity at the mission home, because we were also considered to be "new" missionaries even though we had arrived in the mission almost a week previously.

NEVER DOUBT THAT GOD HAS A PLAN

Provo Tabernacle as it appeared about 100 years ago

The Provo Tabernacle, a beautifully designed building constructed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in between 1883 and 1898, was beloved by generations of church members and other residents of this Utah community who attended meetings, concerts, and other events there, until it was gutted by an electrical fire in December 2010.

In the fall of 2000 just ten years before the devastating fire, I had my one and only opportunity to be inside this lovely structure with its ornate, attractive, hand-crafted woodwork. I was there with my son Nathan sitting in the balcony listening to his future wife, Angela Hartsell, who was in the choir performing Rob Gardner's musical, He Is Jesus Christ.

The exterior walls & corner towers are all that remain standing

For almost a year everyone has wondered what the Church might do with the property, many fervently wishing that somehow what was left of this venerated historic structure might be saved. During the General Conference of the Church this weekend, it was announced that after careful study and engineering evaluation, the decision has been made to save the Provo Tabernacle, which will be converted into a new temple, THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. The external appearance of the building will mirror the Provo Tabernacle when it was originally built in the 1800s.  This was an emotional moment for members of the Church . . . for that which appeared to be hopelessly lost has been saved!

Being a full time missionary in a place where there are hundreds of less-active members of the Church, I couldn't help but think of the real life comparison between the emotional feelings felt by Church members for the worth of a much-loved building that had been thought to be lost and is now saved and the worth of those of God's children in the city of Baltimore, who also appear to be lost pertaining to the blessings associated with the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul taught, "But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it." (1 Cor12:20-26)

The restored Provo Tabernacle when it is dedicated as a temple in future times will have need of every brick, steel beam, and piece of wood employed to hold it together. Likewise, the Church in Baltimore has need of every member. Just as God has a plan in place to recover a lost Church building, WE SHOULD NEVER DOUBT THAT GOD HAS A PLAN OF REDEMPTION FOR HIS CHILDREN WHO NOW APPEAR TO BE LOST!