Mālō e lelei

The weeks keep flying by. I’m sure most of that is due to the busy schedule we are keeping. It is transfer week next week so this week was spent largely arranging the companionships and areas of our approximately 170 missionaries. Last transfer I was so anxious, yet it seemed to fall into place. This time, I was much less anxious and it seemed to be so much more difficult. Ultimately, I felt I had put together companionships and areas that I could take to the Lord for his confirmation and approval. Even then, however, I needed the Assistants’ help to move areas around to make sure the Districts were even and appropriate.

I attended and participated in my first two Coordinating Council meetings (a meeting with approximately 10 stake presidents and an Area Seventy) to coordinate the work of the stakes in that council area. Both of them went well and in the Holladay Coordinating Council, I was able to see an old friend from the University of Utah who was now the stake president of the stake Anne and I lived in after law school before moving to Colorado. There are 68 stakes in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission, divided up into 7 Coordinating Councils. 

I also had interviews with three missionaries who need to return home early for medical reasons and was asked to hold another interview for a young woman who wanted to be baptized but required that I interview her first. These types of interviews are emotionally draining but are so sweet and tender to be able to work and council with them and help them recognize and rely on the atoning sacrifice of the Savior Jesus Christ.

Anne and I spoke in our first Sunday session of a stake conference this morning. We spoke in the Saturday night adult session of another stake conference a couple weeks ago. It went fine and people were complimentary afterwards. Right before the session started, a friend from high school came up to say hi and, after the conference ended, someone from my ward growing up also came up to say hi. He expressed how much my dad influenced him and those his age in the ward. It was great seeing both of these men again after so many years.

The highlight of the week was easily the Tongan Faiva on Saturday. The Tongan North stake holds this annually and it is quite the event. Each of the nine wards set up a tent in the Bountiful City Park and decorated it with traditional Tongan artwork and crafts and dressed in traditional Tongan attire and each ward performed a different Tongan dance. It was spectacular! I was a little embarrassed, however, because the stake president asked Anne and I to sit at the head table with him and his wife where they had a feast served including whole roast pigs.

Finally, I was able to get my Executive Secretary called this week. He should be a huge help in organizing my calendar and appointments.