Well, it happened. I can't believe it. A mission president's worst nightmare. Okay, maybe not my worst nightmare, but certainly a very bad dream that wasn't a dream -- it was real.
Yesterday we had a training meeting for a group of 14 missionaries who arrived in the mission just three weeks ago. We bring them in with their trainers to answer questions, provide training and lots of love and encouragement. This was a 3 hour meeting, followed by a pizza lunch.
Midway through the training session we had a short break. It was then that my sweet wife came up to me and told me that my suit coat and my suit pants didn't match. Suddenly all the oxygen in the room vanished as I realized she was right. Horror of horrors!! In my haste that morning, I grabbed what I thought was the dark grey pin-striped suit jacket from the darkened closet. But alas it was the dark blue pin-striped suit jacket. I was dark blue on top and dark grey below. Will I ever regain my credibility with my missionaries? It will be a test of their ability to forgive and forget.
My bedroom closet is rather bland. It has 7-8 dark suits. And a row of white shirts. A special device that holds more neck ties than I'll ever wear. And several pairs of black dress shoes. That's it.
When I awaken each morning I ask myself, "Hmmm, what would you like to wear today?" The response is always the same, "How about a dark suit, white shirt and tie?" "Good choice!"
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
How Odd is an Audit?
Our Church has a strong sense of financial accountability and stewardship. Members tithe (donate) 10% of their income to the Church. At a local level we have no paid ministers. The tithing funds are used to construct new LDS chapels at a rate of about one new building per day throughout the world; support our worldwide missionary program; support our colleges and universities; construct and maintain our temples and support the administrative staff at church headquarters.
Here in the mission field we have many controls regarding the usage of church funds. We adhere to carefully constructed checks and balances. Once a year a team of church auditors perform a thorough audit of our financials. We have a fleet of 45 cars and trucks and leases on 60 apartments. We provide monthly food allowances for 130 missionaries. We have car repair bills, gas bills, utility bills, cell phone bills, office supplies, training supplies, etc.
All of this is managed by one of our fulltime missionaries. This is the equivalent of an office manager / bookkeeper job in a company with 130 employees! Elder Lamb is our current Financial Secretary. He does a wonderful job of keeping all the bills paid and all the records in order.
This past Sunday we had our annual internal audit. We passed with flying colors! Performing the audit were two volunteers from the Church: David Johnson who is Chief Operating Officer at WaWa (an east coast chain of convenience stores) and Ryan Dixon, a senior accounting manager at Comcast.
Here in the mission field we have many controls regarding the usage of church funds. We adhere to carefully constructed checks and balances. Once a year a team of church auditors perform a thorough audit of our financials. We have a fleet of 45 cars and trucks and leases on 60 apartments. We provide monthly food allowances for 130 missionaries. We have car repair bills, gas bills, utility bills, cell phone bills, office supplies, training supplies, etc.
All of this is managed by one of our fulltime missionaries. This is the equivalent of an office manager / bookkeeper job in a company with 130 employees! Elder Lamb is our current Financial Secretary. He does a wonderful job of keeping all the bills paid and all the records in order.
This past Sunday we had our annual internal audit. We passed with flying colors! Performing the audit were two volunteers from the Church: David Johnson who is Chief Operating Officer at WaWa (an east coast chain of convenience stores) and Ryan Dixon, a senior accounting manager at Comcast.
Senior Missionaries - A Wonderful Resource!
Our mission is fortunate to have a number of "senior missionaries". Senior missionaries serve for 12-24 months. Typically they will be given one of the following three assignments for the duration of their mission: New Member Support; Family History Records Preservation or Office Support.
Joining a new church can be a daunting challenge. As such we often assign senior missionaries to help our new converts with this transition. In the inner city areas of Philadelphia and some other areas our senior missionaries are often required to go the extra mile. This includes providing transportation for things such as taking new converts to doctor's appointments and to church meetings. They also help them with budgeting issues, parenting challenges, employment opportunities, teaching them to read, and many other ways of providing uplift and encouragement in their daily lives.
In all cases our senior missionaries have sacrificed the comforts, security and stability of their prior "home life". For this we are very grateful and appreciative.
Joining a new church can be a daunting challenge. As such we often assign senior missionaries to help our new converts with this transition. In the inner city areas of Philadelphia and some other areas our senior missionaries are often required to go the extra mile. This includes providing transportation for things such as taking new converts to doctor's appointments and to church meetings. They also help them with budgeting issues, parenting challenges, employment opportunities, teaching them to read, and many other ways of providing uplift and encouragement in their daily lives.
In all cases our senior missionaries have sacrificed the comforts, security and stability of their prior "home life". For this we are very grateful and appreciative.
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