Texas Houston Mission: December 2015

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

THM Christmas Slideshow

Here is the slideshow that we were able to watch at the Christmas Conference. Enjoy!

New Year, New Opportunity

To the Missionaries of the Great Texas Houston Mission,

We had a wonderful time sharing the Christmas spirit with each of you this past week. We hope you each had a Merry Christmas.

As we now turn to the New Year, it is inspiring to recognize that part of the plan we accepted pre-mortally allowed for there to be several "news". We have new days, new weeks, new months, new seasons and new years. Each give us an opportunity to recommit ourselves to do better. As we embark on this new year, we hope you will take this opportunity to make whatever course corrections are necessary to enable you to enjoy the blessings you are entitled to as servants of the Lord.

Recently I had the privilege of sitting down with one of our faithful missionaries at the conclusion of her missionary service. She reflected on some of the critical moments that changed the destiny of her mission and consequently the direction for her life. She spoke of how she had served the first six months of her mission without having seen a baptism. Despite this, it was at this time that she set some pretty ambitious goals. She then described that over the next few months the results didn't change. Instead of being discouraged, she allowed these goals to cause her to do a lot of introspection and began to get rid of the "small" things that she thought may be keeping her from qualifying for the blessings she desired. She said that once the small things were eliminated, people started appearing and asking to be baptized. She went on to mention that with a baptism during the very last weekend of her mission that her goals were achieved. Maybe just as importantly, she realized that as we qualify ourselves for the blessings, we can patiently wait on the Lord and He will deliver. He always does. That realization will bless her and her posterity for the rest of her life and beyond.

In PMG, we read wise counsel from Elder M. Russell Ballard who teaches, “I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.” (p.146)

We hope you will approach the new year and set goals for yourselves and make the necessary adjustments to allow yourselves to qualify to be used by Him who is the great Hastener of this work and is only waiting for us to serve with all our "heart, might, mind and strength" so we are qualified to be used.

We love you and look forward to an even better 2016!

Love,

President and Sister Mortensen

We had a great time together last Wednesday at our Christmas Conference. Here are some pictures taken there.

The best of the best! The Texas Houston Mission

We had an awesome musical solo from Elder Queen

Caroling together with the Chappells and Sister Bohn on the violin

Amazing piano solo from Elder Self

Sister Korth's beautiful solo

What a treat to hear a solo from Elder Berry!

Sister Bates and Sister Pinster sang with perfect harmony. Awesome!

Perfect finale of "O Holy Night" by Sister Packard. Wow!

We loved Christmas in the mission home with these ladies!

It was a "chiming" good time!

Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 21, 2015

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...to be a Missionary!

To the Great Texas Houston Mission,

What a wonderful privilege we have to be as the shepherds who not only receive the good tidings of great joy, but then "to make known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child." (Luke 2:17) Just as in days of old, many "wonder" at the things we share and have a desire to worship the Christ child. There is no greater privilege.

We look forward to seeing you this week as we celebrate Christmas together. Two reminders:

1. We are excited for each of you to be able to speak with your families this week. Please make sure you limit your calls to no more than 40 minutes and to your families only (Missionary Handbook p. 37). We recognize that some of your parents don't live together. We want for you to be able to speak to them both, but that doesn't mean two 40 minute calls. Do your best to limit the total call time to 40 minutes as the brethren have requested. We also recognize that some don't have immediate biological parents who you will be calling. We want you to call those who are closest to you and have an enjoyable time within the same parameters. You can use your iPads to Skype, but please do not use this application otherwise without permission.

2. Please remember to give out all the remaining "A Savior is Born" cards this week and make the most of every finding opportunities as hearts are turned to God now more than at any other time of the year. We don't want any of those cards left over. Please give them out during your finding this week.

3. Remember that the Gospel blesses families and families will be together over the next few weeks more regularly during the weekdays than perhaps at any other time during the year. Let's take advantage and find those the Lord has prepared!

We love you and are so proud of you for making this such a WHITE Christmas! So many lives have been blessed by virtue of your focused service. We are hoping to carry this focus and determination to find and invite into the new year.

Love,

President and Sister Mortensen

We had transfers last week. The following are pictures taken during those transfer days.