Week 9
Annual Planning and Overcoming Fears
13 October 2024
Kelly and I were ask to go on the 2 day, 2025 annual planning meeting for the publishing and communication department in Matakana, about an hour away. Our manager, Rich Hunter was not able to go so Kelly and I were asked to take his place. So it was me with 10 very talent and accomplished men. Interesting 2 days!! (These men have quite the resumes of band singers, recording artists, children TV show producers. They have the know-how and technology to make anyone singing sound fabulous. It was tempting. They make the church videos for FSY and social media.) We have to admit that our expectations going in were pretty low but in the end, it exceeded all expectations. Great people, great ideas, committed employees to the church, great plans and a detailed calendar came out of the meeting. Hatu, who is the Area Director, did a great job of brining all of the department heads together. We are excited to see what comes of the temple open house, Easter, Area Spiritual Focus, Giving Machines, Light the World in Australia, FSY and about 40 other events that require Communication and Publishing to produce and or cover. The correlation manager was there but it will all have to be passed by the Area Presidency.
Launette: Really my only contribution was the idea of pass along card for the primary to give out for their primary program. :) And I gave the devotional.
This was the view from our little country hotel. (Launette, on occasion, can get carried away taking pictures.)
Kelly did a great job with his assigned team building presentation. What would a unity and team building presentation be without a couple of rounds of Simon says? They loved it and him. What a blessing it is to be a church employee. He was able to combine business with gospel principles. It really was so natural. Unity. Love, Service, Respect.
So, one thing we have figured out is that on a mission, you eat and then you eat again, and then you eat again. Whenever a team gets together, you travel or you do trainings, it seems like you are eating. Good thing we are committed to exercise or we would put on the senior missionary 20 pounds.
One of the elders in the picture is Elder Reynolds from Orem High. He is a signed quarter back for BYU.
This week was our Sister-in-Law's (Judy Shaw) birthday. So to celebrate, we went to dinner together. A little amazing to think that we are serving our mission with family. A real blessing. They are doing a great job with these missionaries in Auckland.
We had to include this picture just because the rainbow was so beautiful. For p-day we went on a bike ride and happened to catch this rainbow just as we finished the ride.
This picture needs an explanation. Our children will know this is an absolutely monumental picture. It should be put in the church history museum under miracles. Launette is afraid of heights. As we were on our bike ride, we came across this suspension bridge that is probably 70 yards long and is 200 feet high. To make matter worse, the bridge it not stable. As you walk on the bridge, it sways from side to side and up and down. Launette was awesome. There was some screaming and some "hurry" and "don't touch me," and "focus, focus focus". But she made it across. She was a trooper. Thanks to all the other missionaries with us that were so positive and helpful. Oh, by the way, we didn't know this after we finished the bridge, but there were 4 others just like it.
Launette: There were 32 bridges of all shapes and sizes, thank you. On the longest one, everyone thought they would be helpful and grouped together in the middle for encouragement. It didn't work! It made the bridge sway as they turned around and started walking in all direction around me. I think they saw terror in my eyes and knew I was serious. My legs burned from trying to squat below the netting as I walked so I couldn't see over the sides. I kept my eye up on the cables.:)
Office birthday celebration.
A mission is a constant learning adventure. It has stretched us in many great and different ways. It's not always in ways that we want or expected, but when we look back on the day or week or month, we are able to say, we did that. We learned, we lifted, we helped the Lords kingdom. We are learning on a mission that we can join in chorus with what Elder Uchtdorf said, "lift where you stand." The Gospel moves forward because of small and simple (and often viewed meaningless) acts that when combined with the spirit and everyone else "lifting where they stand", miracles happen and lives are touched and testimonies strengthened.
We love you and miss you!!
Sister and Elder Shaw
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