WE SAID GOODBYE YESTERDAY . . .

Elder & Sister Lindsay with President A. Brent Belliston

At the conclusion of our district meeting yesterday, Sister Lindsay and I had our final missionary interviews with our mission president, A. Brent Belliston, and then we said goodbye. He and his wife will honorably complete their mission and drive home to Meridian, Idaho on Friday.

President Belliston and his wife, Diane, have had a tremendous impact on the lives of hundreds of young elders and sisters as well as the senior sisters and couples who have been full time missionaries in The Maryland Baltimore Mission during the Belliston's three-year stewardship here. His emphasis on having all missionaries be "exactly obedient" to Church standards of conduct has allowed President Belliston to develop self-discipline and a work ethic that has positively changed people's  perspective about their own lives and self-worth.

We haven't met a single elder or sister since we arrived in Baltimore last September who doesn't hold President Belliston in the highest regard, because we collectively know that he loves us and would never ask any missionary to do anything that he wouldn't require of himself. One of the mission president's special talents is his amazing spiritual gift of being able to memorize and recite entire passages of scripture and quotations from Church leaders and others.

Through his personal example, the mission president has been able to encourage these young men and women to also learn many scriptures themselves, so they can become more effective teachers in sharing the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ with others. Mastering the scriptures has strengthened the testimonies of the missionaries and given them greater self-esteem as laborers in the vineyard of the Lord. All of this has helped bring almost 1,000 new converts into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the past 36 months.

But now, the time has come for President and Sister Belliston to relinquish their responsibilities to a new mission president and his wife who will quietly assume the leadership role of this mission in a couple of days.

The old order changeth,
yielding place to new,

And God fulfills himself in many ways,

Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.

                                            - Alfred Lord Tennyson

President Belliston has carefully instructed the missionaries to remain focused on the work of the Lord as the leadership transition occurs and to show the same loyalty and respect to President Richards (the incoming mission president) and his family as they have for him and his wife in the past. Because the missionaries are exactly obedient, it is understood that this is exactly what they will do without question or hesitation.

PARADE OF SAIL DEPARTURE

Sailing ships passing under Francis Scott Key Bridge

To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and the writing of Francis Scott Key's poem, The Star-Spangled Banner, as he watched the British bombard Fort McHenry in September 1814, Baltimore launched the Star-Spangled Sailabration this month. More than 40 tall ships (tall-masted sailing ships) and and naval vessels from around the world were here from June 13th through June 19th. During their visit, they offered free tours to the public and thousands of visitors went on board. The festivities also included the first-ever air show over Baltimore, which featured the Navy Blue Angels.

On June 19, 2012 the tall ships left Baltimore, passing by historic Fort McHenry, maneuvering under the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and putting out to sea enroute to their next port of call in Boston. Sister Lindsay and I (along with thousands of other people) watched them leave under sail . . . an impressive and unusal sight, with ships' bands playing on deck and sailors singing and and even dancing in the rigging.

Sailors on Ecuador's tall ship, BAE Guayas

As we watched these magnificent ships pass by in procession, it was interesting to reflect on how different it must have been some 200 years ago when there were far fewer choices regarding how people and goods were transported to distant places. In 1812, there were no airplanes, trains, automobiles, or trucks. Instead, you could walk, ride a horse or sit in a wagon or carriage pulled by animals, or go by ship. And it wasn't possible to call ahead electronically for reservations or check the status of your ship's expected arrival on the internet either. Your trip from Baltimore to London would take weeks rather than hours. And by the way, your accommodations below deck and the food would not resemble in any way the cruise ship standards of today.

THE SHIP THAT SAILS

Unknown Author

I’d rather be the ship that sails
And rides the billows wild and free;
Than to be the ship that always fails
To leave its port and go to sea.

I’d rather feel the sting of strife,
Where gales are born and tempests roar;
Than to settle down to useless life
And rot in dry dock on the shore.

I’d rather fight some mighty wave
With honor in supreme command;
And fill at last a well-earned grave,
Than die in ease upon the sand.

I’d rather drive where sea storms blow,
And be the ship that always failed
To make the ports where it would go,
Than be the ship that never sailed.

WINNING THE RACE OF LIFE

Winners don't necessarily cross the finish line first

From the days of our earliest youth, we are encouraged to believe that life is somehow a competitive game that requires winners and losers. In the eyes of the world we are supposed to do things first, better, or more often than other people in order to distinguish ourselves from the rest of the competition. But is that really the purpose of life?

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

Certainly all of God's children are not given the same gifts, talents, and opportunities here on earth; and often through circumstances that are often not controlled by individuals themselves, people face challenges that would seem to place them at a disadvantage in winning any of those competitive races that seem to be emphasized at every turn in this world.

But Heavenly Father's view of the purpose of life in mortality and the nature of competition is surely not the same as those who promote competition here on earth. The true nature of competition is to measure the individual's performance against his own potential rather than the potential of someone else. Likewise, eternal salvation has been defined as inclusive rather than exclusive. All who are willing to come unto Christ and receive Him as their personal Savior, being baptized by immersion by those holding priesthood authority to perform this and other earthly ordinances, and remaining faithful to the end of this life, will be welcomed home into the Kingdom of God in the life to come beyond the grave.

How we love and serve one another in this life is an essential element in how we will be viewed at the time when we must stand before the Savior to account for the way we lived our lives in mortality.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency has said, "When our hearts are filled with the love of God, we become kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving.”  He goes on to remind us that the pure love of Christ can allow us to see others the way our Heavenly Father sees us: as flawed and imperfect mortals who have potential and worth far beyond our capacity to imagine.

When we set aside our natural tendency of looking after our needs first and refocusing on the needs of others, can we become more like Christ. Only then, can we truly be positioned to win the race of life!

IN MEMORY OF A FALLEN FRIEND . . .

Our beloved willow oak tree being cut down

We lost as good friend at home last week, and Sister Lindsay and I weren't even there to say goodbye. Shortly before our departure on our mission last September, lightning struck the large willow oak tree in our front yard with devastating impact. The sheer power of the electrical surge blew a large hole in the ground at the base of the trunk and ripped open an ugly tear in the trunk that reached up nearly twenty feet from bottom to top.

At the time we didn't know that the wound would be mortal; and even when we asked a tree expert to assess the extent of the damage, we were assured that mighty oak trees like this one can sustain life even after taking a direct hit by lightning. But alas, it was not to be; and with the passing months, it soon became evident that our beautiful specimen was in serious trouble. The bark of the trunk, which provides the lifeline nourishment of the tree, began to loosen and fall to the ground in small then larger pieces. And finally with the arrival of spring, entire branches failed to show new leaves.

Our wonderful oak tree was dying; nothing could be done to keep it alive. After conferring with a professional arborist, we painfully made the decision to have it removed before it might fall and cause serious damage to our house or the neighbor's property.

I must admit that finding it necessary to cut this oak down to the ground brought some tears to my eyes. How often during the past 24 years we have lived in this house have I sat upon the front porch and enjoyed the beauty of this tree with its massive branches reaching heavenward. It has been home to songbirds in the spring and summer months, and a year round playground to skittish squirrels chasing each other up and down and around its majestic labyrinth of limbs and twigs. In season it has shaded our yard and house in the heat of the day and gathered occasional snowflakes and ice or frozen rain in wintertime. It has been a tree of all seasons, and has stood its silent watch both day and night for more than 50 years.

TREES
by Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

 I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
  A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
 
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
 
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

In 1964 Shel Silverstein wrote a thoughtful children's book entitled The Giving Tree. This story is about a relationship between a boy and a tree, which always provided the boy with what he wanted because the tree loved the boy. Ultimately there was nothing left for the tree to give, because only the stump of the tree remained. When the boy, now an old man returned years later, the tree said, "I have nothing left to give you."

The boy replied, "I do not need much now, just a quiet place to sit and rest."

The tree then said, "Well, an old tree stump is a good place for sitting and resting. Come boy, sit down and rest." The boy obliged and the tree was happy.

Well, our beloved tree is gone, including the stump; and in its place there is a young patch of new grass trying to pretend that it will someday become a lawn. Next time I am able to sit on the front porch at home I will have to be content to sit in the memory of the now fallen oak . . . my own giving tree!

A BRIEF FAMILY REUNION IN BALTIMORE

Family members together at Baltimore's Inner Harbor

Sister Lindsay and I had a brief opportunity (for about 10 minutes) to visit with two of our sons and four of our grandsons at Harborplace in downtown Baltimore on June 14, 2012. The six of them and other youth and adult leaders of the Summerfield Ward scout troop from Greensboro, North Carolina had been on tour in the Washington, DC area during the week visiting many of the monuments and museums plus the National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. 

On Thursday evening the group drove to suburban Baltimore and then rode the light rail to Camden Yard to attend a major league baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates. Since the ballpark is only a couple of blocks from the Inner Harbor where the USS Constellation (built in 1854) is permanently berthed, they decided to hike downtown to catch a glimpse of this historic sloop of war (the only existing sailing ship that participated in the Civil War).

I took a photograph of the entire scout troop in front of the Constellation. One of the other scouts took a picture of Sister Lindsay and me together with our sons and grandsons in front of the Cisne Branco, a 3-masted sailing ship from Brazil that was in port this week. And then, they were gone.

You may be wondering how we were able to arrange this brief family reunion with some of our children and grandchildren while serving a full time proselyting mission? Pages 37 and 38 in the Missionary Handbook describe the limitations and conditions associated with visits from family members while serving full time missions for the Church:

"Visits from family members, friends, and acquaintances are against Church policy. The impact of such visits may extend far beyond the visit itself, both before and after the visit and among other missionaries. It can often take some time for missionaries to refocus on their callings and their work . . ."

The rules for senior missionaries concerning communication with family members are somewhat different than for the young elders and sisters. We are allowed to telephone or even have video calls with our children and grandchildren whenever we need to do so; and we are also permitted to have brief visits with them from time to time as well. So getting together for a picture at Harborplace and a round of hugs from our sons and grandsons was not a violation of mission rules. It was a special moment of joy for all of us and a reminder that we are trying to set a good example for our grandsons by serving a mission away from home.

PLACING CHRIST IN THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE

God does not expect us to solve our problems by ourselves

As we work with struggling individuals and families who are less-active in the Church here in the Baltimore area, we recognize a common thread that appears to be woven into the fabric of their trials:  JESUS CHRIST IS NOT THE FOCUSED CENTER OF THEIR LIVES! Less active Church members seem to believe that they can either solve their own problems by themselves or that there is no hope of ever getting past the troubles and difficulties that they currently face.

Who or what is behind this condition that weakens the spiritual fortitude of the sons and daughters of men? It is Lucifer (also known as Satan or the devil) himself who was cast out of the presence of God for rebellion before this world was created.

Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down; and he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice. (Moses 4:3-4)

He discourages individuals from turning to the Only Begotten Son of God when they need help. He wants us to believe that we are unworthy to be forgiven of our sins, but this is not true. Heavenly Father loves us and never intended that His children would overcome their weaknesses and shortcomings in mortality without the influence of the Holy Ghost and the atoning sacrifice of the Savior.

One of Satan's great insidious lies is to tell people he is not real, but I testify that he exists. He has served as an evil influence in the lives of Heavenly Father's children since Adam and Eve first came to this earth . He casts doubt in our minds that by exercising faith in the Son of God, we would find peace in this troubled world and salvation that would lead us to happiness in the world to come beyond the grave.

President Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church tells us . . .

The world around you is not equipped to provide the help you need to make it through this often-treacherous journey. So many in our society today seem to have slipped from the moorings of safety and drifted from the harbor of peace. Permissiveness, immorality, pornography, drugs, the power of peer pressure—all these and more—cause many to be tossed about on a sea of sin and crushed on the jagged reefs of lost opportunities, forfeited blessings, and shattered dreams.

Is there a way to safety? Is there an escape from threatened destruction? The answer is a resounding yes! I counsel you to look to the lighthouse of the Lord. I have said it before; I will say it again: there is no fog so dense, no night so dark, no gale so strong, no mariner so lost but what the lighthouse of the Lord can rescue. It beckons through the storms of life. It calls, “This way to safety. This way to home.” It sends forth signals of light easily seen and never failing. If followed, those signals will guide you back to your heavenly home.

GREEK FOLK FESTIVAL

Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Baltimore

Just one block from where one of our less-active Church members lives in the Highlandtown section of Baltimore is South Ponca Street, the site of the annual Greek Folk Festival that is sponsored by St.  Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. The city of Baltimore is well-known for its numerous street festivals associated with the many ethnic cultures that constitute the diverse population of the area. Sister Lindsay and I decided to take a couple of hours on Thursday afternoon to visit this festival on the first of its four days of operation.

The main sanctuary at St. Nicholas is a very colorful and ornate place of worship, and visitors were invited to visit inside the Church building while attending the various activities associated with the festival itself. We found the members of the Greek community who were staffing the festival to be a friendly and gracious people. Everyone we met was willing to have their picture taken and had a happy smile for my camera. There were more people speaking Greek with each other than English, but they had no problem switching to English when we conversed with them.

The food at the festival was wonderful!

Although we were there too early in the day to see the costumed Greek dancers, we certainly didn't miss out when it came to enjoying the great Greek cuisine. The leaders at the festival were quick to point out that there are more than 33 centuries of history associated with the country of Greece and its many cultural traditions. The street vendors were selling everything from puppets to Greek jellies and other preserves, religious icons, t-shirts, and beautiful hand-crafted jewelry. This was a fun activity, and there was no admission costs or parking fee.