Line in the Water
Dear Elders and Sisters:
What a wonderful blessing to sit with you in interviews
this week and please know how edified I am from doing so. I feel of your wonderful spirits, your love
for the Savior, and your powerful sustaining love for Sister Clark and me. Thank you and bless you for bringing and
laying on the alter those things you are going to do differently, become better
at, do more of, or those weapons of rebellion you are going to lay down in
order to bless this mission, your mission.
I was very touched by what each of you is willing to give to bless this
great work. Thank you! I have followed up with you and will continue
to do so and thus appreciate your commitments.
I know you will have the integrity to do what you have committed to do,
change, improve or eliminate from your missionary life.
The concept of having our lines in the water has
continued to impress upon me. I remember
when I first read this story in PMG I was impressed by what a metaphor it is
for Missionary Work. I think we were
blessed by Elder Arnold to remind us of this teaching/doctrine. I feel strongly
that as we seek to be far more conscious and better measure this indicator it
will help us find more, teach more, and baptize more thus better fulfilling our
Missionary Purpose.
As a young boy I loved to fish. Our irrigation reservoir was full of trout
and my brothers and I spent many of our hours fishing from this reservoir. It was not a big reservoir but meant
everything to us and our farm. Often we
would go fishing but have troubles with our tackle and return empty handed
(skunked as we called it). Too often we
went at the wrong time when the fish weren't feeding and had little or no luck. Sometimes I would catch fish but others
wouldn't because I had better chosen my lure or better yet, had put myself in
the right place where the fish were.
Often the fish we caught had to be thrown back because they were too
small and just not ready or mature enough in size to take. We threw them back having truly enjoyed the
sport of catching them but knowing they would be ready another day. Typically, when a fish was caught that was
worthy of our table, it was something of a battle, it took work, and we would
struggle to get it to shore but being sufficiently experienced and skilled,
rarely did one get away. I do, however,
remember times when we were too busy talking with each other that we didn't
realize we had a bite or a nibble on our lines.
Too often as young boys we had our line in the water but were so
distracted by the goofing around and talking we were doing amongst ourselves we
scared the fish away. Sadly, our lines
were in the water but we really weren't fishing. As a young boy I quickly learned if you want
to catch fish, you have to go prepared, go at the right time, have the right
tackle, focus, concentrate, and be willing to work while all the time having
your line in the water.
Under the doctrine of Act versus being Acted Upon, please
consider the metaphor of having your "line in the water" and you'll
know just what qualifies as "line in the water" time.
This last week I asked you to report your "line in
the water" time to me in a simple fashion - "Dear President -
24", (if, for example, you had 24 hours during the week with your
"line in the water"). Many of
you did this and I thank you and ask you to please continue doing so each and
every week. To those of you who complied
with these instructions, thank you for reading my letter and Acting.
That being said, too many of you didn't report these
hours. If you didn't, please repent,
read my letter of a week ago, and post this time going forward in the format
requested. Also for those of you who
didn't post this number I would say it is because you "wouldn't know"
and ask you to please repent for not reading your Mission President's
letter(s).
Finally, what a great blessing to literally sit at the
feet of Apostles and Prophets and hear the "pleasing word of God"
Saturday and Sunday! And what a sweet
privilege and blessing to sustain three new Apostles and feel the spiritual
confirmation they are chosen of God and called by Him through His Prophet,
Thomas S. Monson. What a blessing to be
a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!! What a living testimony of Priesthood
Authority, Apostolic Succession, and this Church being directed by the Lord
through His prophet.
We love you and thank you for your great sacrifice to be
here and for your wonderful commitment to this great work! I know as we go forward under the hastening
of His work implementing the tools He has given us through His Vision, Talking
With Ten, Living our Culture in Exact Obedience, seeking the Power of One, and
Loving and Serving the Members we will have the faith to follow, the faith to
find and cross the Red Sea of 1,000 baptisms to bless these Branches, Wards,
and Stakes with the righteous desires of their hearts as we fulfill our
Missionary Purpose.
With much love,
President Clark
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