Team Building

The missionaries in our zone have been focused on greater unity lately, especially for each companionship, and Sister Mundell was asked to utilize some of her background in recreation therapy by sharing some team-building activities with them on their preparation day.  We sat in a large circle and everyone was asked to describe something about themselves using a word that started with the first letter of their last name.  Then each of us picked a random item from around the house out of a paper bag and used it to illustrate a positive trait or quality about it that we saw in the person sitting next to us.  The missionaries really learned a lot about themselves in the next activity.  They were separated in groups of elders and sisters and given the task of everyone (including half of them who were blindfolded) making it across the gymnasium floor of "hot lava" with only a few pieces of paper they could use as stepping stones.  The elders were very creative and worked together by carrying the blindfolded ones on their back first while keeping their feet on the paper as they slid across the floor.  The sisters tried to hopscotch down the court by tossing the "stones" out in front of them, and were not able to complete their assignment.  Everyone really enjoyed doing this, and as we talked about it afterwards, Sister Mundell stated that she'd never seen anyone do it the way the elders did, and it was genius!  We saw how leadership and cooperation leads to success, and how a lack of planning and creativity can cause frustration.  The last activity we did was "dog tags" - where we had a paper plate hanging on our back and every other person wrote one positive thing of him or her on their plate.  Then we sat down and shared why one or two of the things people wrote about us touched or surprised us.  Overall we felt it was a very productive way for them to bond closer together as disciples of Christ and see the good qualities in each of them.  

Kaneohe zone sharing positive things about each other on their p-day

Elder Taylor carrying Elder Digerness to safety across the hot lava floor

Elder Sasagi writing something positive about Sister Huefner on her dog tag

Sister Mundell with her BFFs Sister Hefa and Sister Upper

We had the sacred opportunity this weekend to listen to the words of God's chosen apostles and church leaders this weekend in general conference, and one of the things Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said that we felt was very appropriate considering our efforts to build unity in the mission was,  "We are one in Christ. The unity we seek is not to have everyone stand in the same place. It is to have everyone face in the same direction - toward Jesus Christ. We are one! Not because of where we have been, but where we are striving to go. Not because of who we are, but who we seek to become. That is what Christ's church is all about."  We are earnestly striving to bring unity into our church.

We try to be involved in the lives and hearts of those wonderful young missionaries, without being "too involved" because we are not their mission leaders and cannot replace their parents, but we can provide love, counsel and parental support when needed.  We also try to support the young adults in the YSA branch.  This week we helped them do a service project during their family home evening, making blankets for foster children and Christmas cards for children in the hospital with terminal and life-threatening diseases. 

YSA branch making fleece blankets for foster family children

YSA branch decorating Christmas cards for children in the hospital