Mending Broken
Fences
Dear Elders and Sisters;
I grew up on a farm where every spring I would be allowed to miss a day or two of school to mend the broken fences. The advent of spring would always manifest many broken places in the barbed wire of the fence as a result of the heavy winter snows. Left un-mended they wouldn't hold the cattle which needed to be put out to pasture for the summer from their winter grounds. Without a fence to protect and keep them on the right side of the fence, the cattle would quickly leave the green pastures for the greener fields of Alfalfa and fresh starts of Barley. Doing so would result in the cattle suffering cuts and perhaps getting caught in the fence unable to get free often suffering leg injuries beyond repair and/or death from the loss of blood. if they made their way to the fields of fresh Alfalfa and Barley, they would quickly eat too much, bloat, and die as a result if we didn't catch them in time. So, mending a few fences was always the wise thing to ensure safety for the cattle and as the same time allow the crops the time to grow and mature for the harvest.
Mending fences was always interesting to me in how simple it was. You merely brought the two broken ends of barbed wire together, made a loop with a wrap on each end and then spliced a small piece of mending wire between the two and stretched the now complete barbed wire strand. This way the two broken, yet useful pieces of barbed wire became valuable by being connected to one another. Then you just made sure it was properly stapled to the fence post and that all the posts were still firmly planted in the ground. The repaired fence then became the defining boundary that would keep the cattle where they should be, safe from harm and even death, and the crops were allowed to grow and mature until harvest time.
We have some broken fences in our mission and have lost some protections which are so vital to ensure safety and a bounteous harvest. Just a little mend here and there will undoubtedly put things back in order and ensure safety and a future harvest. We just need to "connect" some things together so there will be protection and safety as ell as a bounteous harvest. Currently, our boundaries are undefined, unsafe, and not able to protect. As a result, they put the harvest in great jeopardy.
The "Principle" of fence mending is that safety is ensured, boundaries are set and defined, all things are in their proper place, and growth and development of the herd and the crops are allowed to be fostered. That being said,
there are still rules that must be obeyed. The crops must be planted at the right time after the fields are properly plowed, tilled, and prepared. They must be watered and fertilized. They must be harvested at the right time and properly "put up" so they will provide for the long winter ahead. There are also rules that must be followed in regards to the cattle. They must be vaccinated, dehorned, protected from predators, and watched over. Time and energy must be devoted to both to ensure the desired results are obtained.
When we defined and highlighted the principles this mission has been living, we didn't do away with any of the rules that ensure safety and a bounteous harvest. In "Principle" we are "Preach My Gospel Missionaries" but in order to truly be so in practice we must follow the rules outlined in Preach My Gospel. For example, we must follow the daily schedule that promises "to help fulfill our purpose as a missionary and strengthen our testimony". One cannot turn "8:00 a.m. - Personal study; the Book of Mormon, other scriptures..." or "9:00 a.m. - Companion 'Study..." into a "principle of sorts" and determine it doesn't matter what time you start Personal or Companion Study. If it didn't matter what time you began, the Prophets who wrote this inspired work would not have put a time schedule in.
The point is that Principles are based on rules and experience. Based on experience, this mission has been very successful because it has striven to be Exactly Obedient. You cannot maintain you are exactly obedient to principles. There are too many levels of interpretation and variations of testimony. So, in order to be a CFM Missionary, you must be Exactly Obedient to the Rules that have blessed this mission for so long. The Principles are simply, and most valuably, the overview and guidance that drive your desire to live and be blessed by the rules. The Principles are the "why" and the Rules are the "how". Both must be followed.
So, I ask you; What are we Exactly Obedient to? We should be Exactly Obedient to the Rules found in the MHB and Preach My Gospel. We must be Exactly Obedient to the additional Rules found in the Resource Binder. All of these will be a blessing in our life, just as a strong fence, to ensure the harvest is achieved and is bountiful and a blessing to all.
We, as a Mission Leadership Council, have just completed the referencing of the Mission Culture to Preach My Gospel and the MHB. We, as a Mission Leadership Council, ask that each Missionary study this for 10 minutes a day until further notice. This means you should read the Principle then look up and read and study the references to the scriptures, Preach My Gospel, and the MHB. As one Zone stated, "Learn it! Love it! Trust it! Live it!" I think that is great advice! We also ask that you study the Policies, Financial & Housing, and Vehicles & Fleet sections in the Resource Binder for 5 minutes each day.
It has been revealed to me that there are two reasons we are struggling with poor results right now:
1. Lack of Exact Obedience which leads to a lack of worthiness, commitment, and focus! I fear many are currently serving in a manner they will regret.
2. Lack of Desire which leads to complacency, laziness, and indifference! This, at the end of the day, is a result of a lack of conversion to our Missionary Purpose.
I think our current situation relative to our goal and desire to reach the "Strength of 1,000" has us exactly where the Lord wants us. He wants us to step up, give more, be more diligent, more obedient. In fact, He wants us to be Exactly Obedient so we can learn what it takes to baptize 100 a month. We will then know how as well as know that we can do it if we give what it takes and rely on Him in faith. We must do this so we will be prepared to assist the Wards and Stakes next year in their baptism goals - which will undoubtedly be more than 1,000.
I know the Lord is Hastening His Work. I know we must do it in His way. I believe what he is asking of us is to give more and truly be Exactly Obedient so we may "harvest" the miracle of conversion - the Strength of 1,000. I have every faith this can be done. I know there are prepared people just waiting for "Worthy, Obedient, Committed, Focused Missionaries that serve with No Regrets! Let's show the Lord we are willing to do whatever He requires to keep pace with the Hastening of the Work.
With much love for and confidence in you,
President Clark
P.S. Please account to me that you have read this letter and will implement its requested behaviors.
I grew up on a farm where every spring I would be allowed to miss a day or two of school to mend the broken fences. The advent of spring would always manifest many broken places in the barbed wire of the fence as a result of the heavy winter snows. Left un-mended they wouldn't hold the cattle which needed to be put out to pasture for the summer from their winter grounds. Without a fence to protect and keep them on the right side of the fence, the cattle would quickly leave the green pastures for the greener fields of Alfalfa and fresh starts of Barley. Doing so would result in the cattle suffering cuts and perhaps getting caught in the fence unable to get free often suffering leg injuries beyond repair and/or death from the loss of blood. if they made their way to the fields of fresh Alfalfa and Barley, they would quickly eat too much, bloat, and die as a result if we didn't catch them in time. So, mending a few fences was always the wise thing to ensure safety for the cattle and as the same time allow the crops the time to grow and mature for the harvest.
Mending fences was always interesting to me in how simple it was. You merely brought the two broken ends of barbed wire together, made a loop with a wrap on each end and then spliced a small piece of mending wire between the two and stretched the now complete barbed wire strand. This way the two broken, yet useful pieces of barbed wire became valuable by being connected to one another. Then you just made sure it was properly stapled to the fence post and that all the posts were still firmly planted in the ground. The repaired fence then became the defining boundary that would keep the cattle where they should be, safe from harm and even death, and the crops were allowed to grow and mature until harvest time.
We have some broken fences in our mission and have lost some protections which are so vital to ensure safety and a bounteous harvest. Just a little mend here and there will undoubtedly put things back in order and ensure safety and a future harvest. We just need to "connect" some things together so there will be protection and safety as ell as a bounteous harvest. Currently, our boundaries are undefined, unsafe, and not able to protect. As a result, they put the harvest in great jeopardy.
The "Principle" of fence mending is that safety is ensured, boundaries are set and defined, all things are in their proper place, and growth and development of the herd and the crops are allowed to be fostered. That being said,
there are still rules that must be obeyed. The crops must be planted at the right time after the fields are properly plowed, tilled, and prepared. They must be watered and fertilized. They must be harvested at the right time and properly "put up" so they will provide for the long winter ahead. There are also rules that must be followed in regards to the cattle. They must be vaccinated, dehorned, protected from predators, and watched over. Time and energy must be devoted to both to ensure the desired results are obtained.
When we defined and highlighted the principles this mission has been living, we didn't do away with any of the rules that ensure safety and a bounteous harvest. In "Principle" we are "Preach My Gospel Missionaries" but in order to truly be so in practice we must follow the rules outlined in Preach My Gospel. For example, we must follow the daily schedule that promises "to help fulfill our purpose as a missionary and strengthen our testimony". One cannot turn "8:00 a.m. - Personal study; the Book of Mormon, other scriptures..." or "9:00 a.m. - Companion 'Study..." into a "principle of sorts" and determine it doesn't matter what time you start Personal or Companion Study. If it didn't matter what time you began, the Prophets who wrote this inspired work would not have put a time schedule in.
The point is that Principles are based on rules and experience. Based on experience, this mission has been very successful because it has striven to be Exactly Obedient. You cannot maintain you are exactly obedient to principles. There are too many levels of interpretation and variations of testimony. So, in order to be a CFM Missionary, you must be Exactly Obedient to the Rules that have blessed this mission for so long. The Principles are simply, and most valuably, the overview and guidance that drive your desire to live and be blessed by the rules. The Principles are the "why" and the Rules are the "how". Both must be followed.
So, I ask you; What are we Exactly Obedient to? We should be Exactly Obedient to the Rules found in the MHB and Preach My Gospel. We must be Exactly Obedient to the additional Rules found in the Resource Binder. All of these will be a blessing in our life, just as a strong fence, to ensure the harvest is achieved and is bountiful and a blessing to all.
We, as a Mission Leadership Council, have just completed the referencing of the Mission Culture to Preach My Gospel and the MHB. We, as a Mission Leadership Council, ask that each Missionary study this for 10 minutes a day until further notice. This means you should read the Principle then look up and read and study the references to the scriptures, Preach My Gospel, and the MHB. As one Zone stated, "Learn it! Love it! Trust it! Live it!" I think that is great advice! We also ask that you study the Policies, Financial & Housing, and Vehicles & Fleet sections in the Resource Binder for 5 minutes each day.
It has been revealed to me that there are two reasons we are struggling with poor results right now:
1. Lack of Exact Obedience which leads to a lack of worthiness, commitment, and focus! I fear many are currently serving in a manner they will regret.
2. Lack of Desire which leads to complacency, laziness, and indifference! This, at the end of the day, is a result of a lack of conversion to our Missionary Purpose.
I think our current situation relative to our goal and desire to reach the "Strength of 1,000" has us exactly where the Lord wants us. He wants us to step up, give more, be more diligent, more obedient. In fact, He wants us to be Exactly Obedient so we can learn what it takes to baptize 100 a month. We will then know how as well as know that we can do it if we give what it takes and rely on Him in faith. We must do this so we will be prepared to assist the Wards and Stakes next year in their baptism goals - which will undoubtedly be more than 1,000.
I know the Lord is Hastening His Work. I know we must do it in His way. I believe what he is asking of us is to give more and truly be Exactly Obedient so we may "harvest" the miracle of conversion - the Strength of 1,000. I have every faith this can be done. I know there are prepared people just waiting for "Worthy, Obedient, Committed, Focused Missionaries that serve with No Regrets! Let's show the Lord we are willing to do whatever He requires to keep pace with the Hastening of the Work.
With much love for and confidence in you,
President Clark
P.S. Please account to me that you have read this letter and will implement its requested behaviors.
Exelente mensaje Presidente Clark,gracias por su amor a la obra y a los misioneros.
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