magnifying my calling

We were able to participate (via technology) in the dedication of the Brazil Curitiba temple dedication and celebration. The people in Brazil are very exuberant in their celebrations and this was an occasion for the people to celebrate. They put on a major production Saturday night for the Prophet; dancing, singing, and dramatizing the coming of the first German family that were members of the church to Curitiba Brazil. The wife wrote a letter to the prophet, Heber J. Grant, requesting Missionaries be sent to this city. James E. Faust and Grant Bangater (Vernon’s mission president and emeritus member of the first counsel of seventy) were sent to Curitiba. There were thousands of people in the stadium that night waving their arms, dancing, and singing "We are the Fruits of your labors"

This morning at 9:00 was the dedication. Participating with hundreds of missionaries was also quite thrilling. The first counselor in the CTM (Portuguese for MTC) Presidency was the interpreter for the Prophet. To night we will have a fireside and the missionary choir will sing "O My Father". It should be quite lovely because we had a new missionary arrive on Thursday that has played the violin in the Church Orchestra for the last two years and was given permission to bring his violin. He will play with the choir.

I must say I am much more relaxed now about my calling in regards to the music. I am in charge of all the Sunday and Tuesday evening meetings and any other special large group meetings that are held at the CTM. I showed the Lord I was willing to do what ever I was asked and found that I could magnify my calling by seeking out the talents of the young missionaries.

I felt impressed to have the young missionaries with musical ability lead the choir. I make all the arrangements; pick the numbers, the conductor, the pianist; I print out the music and take care of all the details. My strength has always been in project management, attention to detail and delegation. So far I have had the missionaries conduct twice. They have been wonderful. In fact the Mission President and his wife think it is a great idea to give the missionaries this opportunity.