Hey Dad!!! :)
How are you doing? Any news recently on your job and things like that? Thanks for always showing me how to work hard, and for being an example of a good leader. I actually wanted to talk today about a couple of the traits that good leaders have that I have learned a lot about recently. The first one is patience.
Yesterday at church we had a meeting with the bishop, the ward mission leader, and some other members that were helping to coordinate an activity that is coming up. The discussion started off great, and we were trying to decide best how to run a booth focused on family history that the missionaries will be running at this next ward activity. Slowly the one committee member started to get a little agitated. Finally he just kind of blew up and told the bishop that they had already decided in the committee meeting how it was going to work, and now he was just switching it, so all of the hard work of the members in the committee was wasted, and then stormed out of the room. It was kind of an intense moment (I felt way bad for him, since it was basically just a room full of the missionaries). Instantly the bishop got up and left the meeting to make amends. I learned a lot in that moment. The first one was the patience of our bishop. I see this same patience in you, but it was cool to see it first hand here. He listened intently to the ward member and his concerns, and then when he left, he patiently got up and went to help him. He left us, the ninety and nine per say, and went after the one that needed his help. I really loved that.
The second thing that I really learned about leadership this week was the need to show love constantly, and then correct through that same love.
We had MLC this last week, and it was super good! Elder Driscoll and I actually got to do a training, which was super fun. I loved it. But, that is a little beside the point that I want to make. One of the things that happens in MLC is that President Wada shares with us the rules that he feels are being broken in the mission, and then charges us to go and help missionaries recommit to follow those rules. This last time he was very adamant. He corrected very sharply, and to the point. But it was all through love. I honestly just felt super warm and good the whole time, even though he was telling us all sorts of things that we need to do better. It wasn't anything that we in the room personally needed (although there were probably some in there that needed it too), but for the other people, and I just felt good. It is incredible to me that when people correct the way that the Spirit would want them to, then people feel motivated to listen and to follow, because the motive for correction is not pride or irritation, but love and the Spirit. I know that this is the way that you led, and I am so grateful for your example. Thank you, Dad.
MLC is always such a good experience. Whenever I go into meetings like that with questions, they get answered. I know that it is the same way with all of our church meetings. If we take questions to the Lord, and do all that we can to find the answers in the meetings that He provides for us to feel the Spirit, then we will find them. I think that is one incredible thing. I hope that you are continually taking the questions that you have to church and to your other meetings every single week. You will find more answers that way, even if you don't know exactly where to look for them. Just do all that you can to be obedient and follow the promptings that you receive.
I love you so much, Dad!! I hope that you know that. You are my everything, and I am so grateful for all that you have done for me. Keep taking care of the family! I know that you are going to see your personal questions answered as you search for those answers. I love you!!
Love, Elder Livingston
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