Helaman would be Proud!

James Catlett is a dentist.  He's also a counselor in the Mission Presidency and the owner of a large plot of land in Fayetteville known as Catlett Farms.  He inherited the land from his grandfather, who used to raise tobacco on it -- until he joined the Church.  I don't know if Pres. Catlett uses the farm for any practical or income-producing purpose these days, but it served the NCRM well in the first week of November because we held two zone conferences there.

The Northern Kingdom (Durham, Raleigh, and Tri-Lake Zones) staged their invasion on Wednesday, Nov. 1.  Sis. Smith, the fleet coordinator, and I got there very early to prepare for the influx of vehicles, which Sis. Smith was in charge of inspecting.  We also had Brother Paul, the fleet supervisor over 27 missions in the U.S. and Canada, visiting our mission from Salt Lake City to help with training, inspections, and with the installation of new, hopefully more sturdy and efficient, Tiwis in each vehicle.  (A Tiwi is an electronic device that is mounted on the front windshield and electronically monitors the driving habits of the missionaries, squawking "Slow Down" or "Aggressive Driving" at inopportune moments.  A bump in the road is enough to elicit such a squawk, and N.C. has many bumpy roads.  The missionaries love the devices  ;-/ )

After driving some distance to the farm, leaving their car in their zone's designated area on the large grassy field, the key on the driver's seat and the car window rolled down, the missionaries walked south around the small lake to the grassy knoll area where folding chairs and a sound system had been set up in the open-air pavilion.  The instruction portion of the day began at 8:45 a.m. 

May I just inject here -- after a steamy hot hot hot summer and fall, I didn't realize North Carolina knew how to do COLD.  You know, the frosty-breath kind requiring layers of clothing and, ideally, a roaring fire. Because the last few days had been somewhat chilly, I had brought my winter jacket, thinking I wouldn't really need it.  Wrong!  Some missionaries made the same assumption without bringing contingency jackets and there was some significant shivering going on until Sister James showed up with a back seat piled high with a variety of sweaters, jackets and blankets to wrap around cold shoulders.  Two years of experience have made her wise.

So from 8:45 to well after noon, the missionaries were instructed on a variety of topics by Pres. and Sister James, the Assistants, and even the office missionaries.  Bro. Paul instructed as well, sharing examples of car problems and accidents that had been experienced in other missions.  While emphasizing the importance of backing a car carefully, with the driver's companion standing to the left side of the car to guide the driver, he told them that once a week he hears that a missionary driver has backed over his own companion!  He also shared statistics that showed how incidences of unsafe driving and accidents had plummeted after the Church began using Tiwis.  Probably to lower the likelihood that the missionaries would take a baseball bat to them.

Instruction was followed by lunch (a massive undertaking as you can imagine, feeding 100-plus hungry mouths in an outdoor setting -- we had taco salad), then a group photo on the bridge, a service project (helping the Catletts clear away brush and debris from last year's flooding), then fun and games. It had finally warmed up by late morning, and the chaotic noise of young people having a great time was heard throughout the land.  All in all, a very full day.

And the next day, repeat the above for the Southern Kingdom (Fayetteville and Wilmington Zones).  These two zones have several senior couples serving in Member-Leader Support callings ("MLS").  It was nice to finally get to know the people I had talked to on the phone.

On the south side of the pavilion area, the land falls steeply about 30 feet down a wooded slope to a placid river.  Well, it's placid now.  Sis. James told me that they held zone conferences at Catlett Farms last year as well, and the day after their last conference the hurricane struck NC. That river swelled to a roaring monster that clawed its way up the slope and devoured the entire area, reaching to the rafters of the pavilion. That area and the entire grassy field where cars were parked were completely underwater for more than two weeks.  Multiple trees were uprooted. Grit and debris covered everything when the water receded.  A year later, after much effort, they were starting to recover from the effects of the flooding.

You got that this happened the day after the missionaries were done with their zone conferences, right?  Another astounding example of how much the Lord loves and protects His missionaries.

Even though I've been a member of the Church from birth, I never really comprehended the amount of resources the Church pours into missionary work.  Resources including money, apartments, vehicles, and the time and efforts of support staff. Yes, the missionaries and/or their parents do pay a monthly amount, but I guarantee it doesn't begin to cover all the costs of maintaining these missionaries.  I understand for the first time the fact that the Lord loves ALL of his children; that He wants to give every one living on the earth the best possible chance of hearing and accepting the gospel so that their eternal progression can lead them back to live with Him.

You know the song on the Primary songbook titled "We'll Bring the World His Truth."  The NCRM has adopted it as its mission song, with just a slight rewording of the chorus.  I've yet to hear it without tears streaming down my face.  The missionaries sing:  "We are as the army of Helaman.  We have been taught in our youth.  And we are now the Lord's missionaries to bring the world his truth."

The gospel is true.  My mother and father taught me that in my youth, and I'm now part of God's / Helaman's modern-day army proclaiming it, in my small, behind-the-scenes supportive way.  It is a sweet joy to me every day.