Micro Managing

INTO ALL THE WORLD

The Church has a radio program called "Into All the World" on "The Mormon Channel," that deals primarily with missionary work all over the earth, usually featuring mission presidents and their wives, or missionary moms.  Here is one of them, with a slight blend from other stories from the same program produced in 2009.

The host of the show, Bro. Tim Taggert, himself a former mission president, has said, "Missionary coincidences (and miracles) are the way that God micromanages his kingdom."  For Instance:

Two female full time missionaries were driving down a seldom used road in the middle of the day, out in the country, when one sister felt impressed to park the car and walk along the road.  Her companion asked, "Why are we doing this?  There is not a house around here for miles?

"I don't know," she responded. The Spirit just told me to walk along the road."  Not 15 seconds had passed before an SUV slowly went by and the driver said:  Are you Mormon Missionaries?  I have seen searching for missionaries from your Church to teach me."  Not long after, this person was baptized.  Sometimes, investigators seek us out.

Another example:  Two Elders were riding their bikes thru town when one missionary felt prompted to go down a blind alley.  He shrugged off the thought but the impression was repeated.  He called to his companion and down the alley they went, only to find a group of men drinking, swearing and being loud and rowdy.  The Elders thought to themselves, this is not a place for us.  Suddenly, one of the rowdy men motioned for the Elders to come to them.  The Elders were a very reluctant but the Spirit bid them go.

The rowdy man remarked, "We know what you're selling and we're not interested but here's the name of a Christian that wants your message."  They gave the Elder the piece of paper and the Christian later joined the Church.

Some Elders come from families that do not want their son to go on a mission.  One Elder's family sent him anti-Mormon literature and then told him to come home, but he refused.  Later they wrote him a letter saying his father had terminal cancer and when he would not come home they told him his father had died.

Fortunately, another relative wrote him that there was no cancer and no death.  They lied hoping he would come home, but he finished his mission honorably despite their deception.

On another occasion, every transfer, one Elder pleaded with God not to give him a particular companion, but every time, that companion was the one he got.  Over time these unlikely companions became good friends.  The words used by Howard W. Hunter about marriage fit here with a slight difference.  Instead of the word "marriage" we substitute companionship by saying, "Companionship is not so much about getting the right companion as it is about being the right companion."

One investigator went thru 14 sets of Elders over a period of years before he became convinced that the Church was true.  Just before he was baptized he requested that all 14 sets come to his baptism, which, of course, was not possible.

After her mission, one wife of a former mission president decided to sign up for Facebook, to see if any of her missionaries from their mission would notice.  The next day she got over 500 emails.  Welcome to social media.