Chalco, Estado de México, México
We are coming up on six months in the Misión Ciudad de
México Chalco. Sister Bird has been busy with four teclado (keyboard) classes
which keep us busy three evenings and afternoons a week. We started with three
days in the Mission Office but now are there five to six days a week. We no
longer have a Día de Preparación (Preparation Day) and schedule blocks of time
during the week to do the necessary items of life as a Senior Missionary in
México. I have become an expert in the daily fight of driving a car and become
adept at "aggressive" driving techniques. Sister Bird tries to sleep
through it or at least keep her eyes closed. Life in México is not relaxing and
we return home at night physically drained.
We have a lot of sickness and injury
with los misioneros de tiempo completo (full-time young missionaries). We lost
eight in the month of Marzo (March) due to medical issues; physical and
emotional. I was very concerned and then our Presidente de Misión Crickmore
told me that many presidents in this area are reporting 25% to 50% of
missionaries not able to work because of sickness or injury. We are being
blessed in this Misión. Missionary service in México, and probably many other
parts of the world, is extremely stressful and any preexisting physical or
emotion issues will quickly surface. So as a suggestion, as we promote and
prepare others for missionary service, any existing physical or emotional
issues really need to be resolved and put away before entering full-time
missionary service. The Lord indeed blesses and protects us as missionaries but
we have to make sure we are really ready and able to serve.
Sister Bird started her teclado classes at the first of
January. For Elder Bird it has only been in the last month or so that I have
finally determined what I should be doing. For several months, we have
been working to organize the Mission Office, this is a saga in itself. But I
have never really known what to do in this Misión.
The following is to help us all prepare or help others to
prepare to serve as Senior Missionaries in this moment of service. We were
originally called as MLS (Member and Leadership Support). We felt we would be
working with members and local units in some support role. I had always felt I
would be working with Stake and Ward leaders with menos activos (less activos).
But we never received any training or direction in what to expect. When we are
called to a specific missionary calling such as Temple or Family History, we
slide into an existing organization, structure and work plan. MLS seems to be
the assignment when no one knows what to do with us. There is no real plan nor
organization we can associate with. Mission Presidents are not trained to deal
with Senior Missionaries and, at least in México, there is no organization of
Senior Missionary service. We were the only Senior Missionaries in this mission
until last month. As a result, I personally "wallowed" never knowing
what I should be doing or how to work with the local units. Many times I was in
conflict with programs we knew nothing about.
Finally a little over a month ago, I received a bit of
inspiration (not from local or area leadership) on how to move things on. I
have renewed excitement about my mission and things are starting to happen. The
lesson here is that if you are MLS you will have to learn you role and make
your own organization because missionary leadership will not know how to use
you. (That may sound negative but it is simply the reality of MLS Senior Missionary
service today. I hope it will change for others or in the future.)
We all have heard and probably had
some training in La Obra de Salvación (the Work of Salvation) which is
missionary work of members with members, and we are all members. This Nueva
Visión (New Vision) is based on the assumption that the organizations and
councils are functioning. In México, they are not. New members are baptized,
enter one door and are out the other before anyone gets to know them. Retention
is a HUGE problem. Average Sacrament Meeting attendance around the Misión is
about 100+. At first glance this looks good; however, this represents 14%-25%
Sacrament Meeting attendance. This means that for every 100 in attendance,
400-800 are not. In addition, the majority of those attending are women,
children and youth. So there is a huge Leadership deficit. Full Tithe payers
are also few.
In addition to attempting to
organize the mission office, I am now focused on working with the Stakes and
Wards to organize and follow established programs and councils. The culture in
México trains leaders to be "Bosses" and not Priesthood leaders. Few
have read the manuals and either try to run their own programs or do not know
what to do.
We are attempting to do the
following to help the Units organize so that we can support them in la Obra de
Salvación. Our greatest challenge is to learn to support the local Priesthood
keys and let them run their programs.
- Remind them what the manuals
already define; Ward Mission Plan, Ward Council, Ward Missionary Coordination
Meeting, Ward Mission Leader and his Assistant, and most important, Ward
Missionaries.
- We support the programs and
activities of the Units, we do not plan or organize their programs.
- Train leaders about Senior
Missionary service; what we are and what we are not. We train on how to use us
and work with us. And most importantly, how to find, invite and call Senior
Missionaries.
This is the key to la Obra de
Salvación in México and probably in other parts of the world: Senior Members of
units serving in their units as Senior Missionaries.
We have discovered three types of
Senior Missionaries here in México:
- Full-Time Couples and Sisters
serving from their homes. Few senior members of the Church in México have the
financial resources to leave home to serve in other areas. They can serve at
home and that is where we need them.
- Service Missionaries assigned to
the Misión for specific mission functions.
- Ward Missionaries serving in their
Units. There are some Ward Missionaries but they are all younger preparing to
serve missions or recently returned. What we need are mature couples that can
visit and motivate the less active families.
Since starting down this path,
- We have one Matrimonio Mayor
(Senior Couple) who have received their call and are serving in the Mission
Office. They are dealing with Missionary Housing and Finances. This is becoming
a HUGE responsibility.
- We have two additional Matrimonio
Mayor that are in the process of applying for missionary service. One of these
couples has been serving with us in the Mission Office as volunteers while
waiting for their call. They are dealing with Baptismal Records and helping
with Housing. There are many problems with past and current baptismal records.
- We are meeting with four senior
couples, from one Stake, next week that want to serve but do not know how to
proceed or how they might serve.
- We have one senior Hermana
(Sister) waiting for her call as a Service Missionary working in the Mission
Office. She will be working with References and general assistant in the
Office.
This is the tip of the iceberg and
there are many, many more waiting to serve. The Units just need to find them
and invite them.
In all cases, we invite the Senior
Missionaries of all types to work with their home Units during the weekend in
La Obra de Salvación. They are working with their own families, neighbors and
friends. They participate with the Ward Mission Leader and with the Ward
Missionaries. They help in any way they can. Some are serving in Ward
leadership positions while they activiate the future leaders.
There are many obstacles in this
work but the Lord really is in control.
Am I excited? Yes! Am I tired? Yes!
Do I have enough time to get this done? No, that is why we need help.
I am looking forward to continuing
to work in la Obra de Salvación when we return and while we return to service
at the Temple.
Elder Bird
