more mission news

We are in the Salt Lake Second Branch in the Salt Lake Stake. Everyone in our branch is a missionary except for the branch president and his first counselor and their wives. So almost everyone wears missionary badges. There are about 230 to 250 missionaries. There are missionaries going home and coming in on a regular basis so the number changes. Elder Larsen in the new high priest group leader in our branch and also was recently asked to be an assistant to our zone leader at the Family History Library. Our branch president's wife, Sue Laing is my third cousin. Joseph Bartholomew Sr. and Polly Benson are also her second great grandparents through their son John.
We attended a devotional where L. Whitney Clayton of the seventy was the speaker. He spoke about reaping a harvest. He said that when we make correct decisions we seem to pay a price now and receive a reward later. On the other hand when we make wrong decisions now we usually get an immediate reward but pay the price later. The law of the harvest can protect us. The most important seeds are faith in Christ which Alma spoke about in the Book of Mormon (Alma 32:28-43). We are planting seeds every day. If we choose the right we cannot fail. We can receive the precious fruit of the gospel.
We have a get together every two months called "hail and farewell" in our branch where we greet new missionaries and say goodbye to those who are leaving. It's hard to see people who have become our friends leave. Someone said that they all come with expiration dates (don't we all!).
Elder larsen and I belong to the men's and women's choruses. There is also an Elijah Chorus. One of the choirs' leaders asked me if I would join when we first came on our mission. I told her that I was too overwhelmed with all of the new missionary responsibilities. She said "That's why we sing!" A few weeks later they were planning a big Easter devotional where the choirs would sing in the tabernacle and needed more people so she asked me again as we were waiting for a meeting. I told her that I would think about it. I was reading a book while I was waiting for the meeting to start and the first page I opened had the scripture from D&C 136:28, "If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving." I thought that it might be some encouragement for me to join. On March 17, 2008 we sang at the Easter devotional where Elder Quentin L. Cook, who is an apostle, spoke. We were able to sit in the same seats where the Tabernacle Choir usually sings. I remember one quote from Elder Cook that went something like this--he spoke about President David O. McKay's quote about how no success can compensate for failure in the home. Elder Cook said that the success of our posterity will compensate for our mistakes. I wish that I could remember exactly what he said. It's wonderful to be here and have so many opportunities to meet or hear apostles and our prophet, Thomas S. Monson.