The Drummond's Mission Adventure: Salt Lake City Headquarters Mission

Senior Mission Farewell Sacrament Talk   ( 6 min) Ed Drummond                    13 October 2019 Recently, a fellow complained, 'The way things are going in government, I am going to move to another country.'    His interested friend asked, 'What country is that?'   The fellow answered, 'Utah.' Sally and I will be travelling over the mountains and across the desert to that very Promised Land.   We will serve in the Utah Salt Lake City Headquarters Mission as Family and Church History Senior Missionaries , but we will be back again in 18 months.   Our mission call to Salt Lake City brings Sally and me full circle. On our honeymoon, Sally and I visited Temple Square in Salt Lake City on our way home from Jackson Hole, Wyoming.   Sally and I had been shopping around for a church to join.   When we both heard the Plan of Salvation, the story of the restored church, living prophets for our time, and that the Book of Mormon were present day script

17 May 2020 Before the Covid19 pandemic hit, when the world was normal, we had devotional meeting each day at 7:30 am.  Each person in our Zone would be assigned to give a spiritual thought and the prayer.  This below is my contribution for a spiritual thought on 02 Mar 2020 (just before the the pandemic hit). ~  ~ ~  ~ ~  ~ ~  ~ ~  ~ Mission Office Morning Prayer Spiritual Message 02 March 2020 Elder Drummond How many times in the scriptures are angels mentioned? My family had real experiences with angels. We know angels are real and are among us. During WWI, my Uncle David stood on the front porch of my grandmother’s house in Virginia. He was dressed in his WWI Army doughboy uniform. He was about to be shipped out to France. He had come home to say goodbye. My grandmother and my mother were in the back bedroom crying in grief. They were sure he would never return. They were sure this would be the last they would ever see him. They were too grief stricken to come out and sa

10 April 2020  A Little Calmer? Today is a worldwide, interfaith prayer and fast day dedicated to relieving the strain and stress of COVID-19,   The fast was announced at General Conference on Sunday and thousands of people outside of our church have asked if they can join.   It is deeply touching to witness the unity and selflessness of so many people who want to be part of the solution.   It is a great counterweight to what is going on in Washington.   Politics is the great divider, faith is the great uniter.   Pres. Fenn held a mission conference last night that was moving, inspirational and instructive.   He spoke about the 4 cornerstones of his faith (and of the church).   They are 1. The Atonement of Jesus Christ including his sacrifice of his life and his miraculous resurrection. The restoration of the Gospel and church of Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith the prophet and the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. 3. The Priesthood of God, ordinances of salvation. 4. R

19 March 2020 COVID-19 CRISIS It is hard to remember everything that has happened since March 8 even though it is on 11 days.   We are still bringing in evacuees from oversees missions and housing some on hold before they can go to affected regions including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Italy and England.   But the number of them coming to us is dwindling because the Church is releasing European senior missionaries.   So many of these dedicated missionaries have sold their homes or at least have them rented.   So they move in with family or have to rent or buy a new place but they don’t know when they will be able to resume their missions.   Of course if they were close to the end then it usually isn’t too bad.   Things have happened so fast.   The coronavirus has spread to every state now.   Unprecedented strategies have been implemented by each state and county.   The CDC keeps coming up with way to prevent the virus from spreading especially washing hands a long time and social

Things are crazy busy still.   Lots of housing work for evacuees and preparing for apartment remodels means many meetings.   Also meeting with new missionaries that are off schedule means getting behind in paperwork and recording. I have stayed late at work and went in Saturday for several hours.   I am so glad I did.   I caught up on my March and April   housing records.   We have had amazing talks at Sacrament and devotionals.   The missionaries here are so smart and with lots of interesting experiences.   Their testimonies are firm and intense.   I love serving with them and listening to their stories.   Today a sister talked about her husband’s suicide and how she was in a bubble of protection and comfort during the time she was with his body.   Sis Gordon told me about having cancer and radiation treatments.   The treatments caused her throat and tongue muscles to swell and be damaged.   She was not able to talk for 4 years!   They came on their mission and she got more help. E

This has been quite a month.  Ed and I have been working hard (with homework!) to learn our new jobs before the couple training us leaves in a week or so,  They have been amazing and we will miss them very much. There are a million details to learn and lots of people to get to know.  What I like about being the Mission Housing Coordinator is being the first person in the mission to talk to all new full time missionaries (or email if coming from another country).  It is fun to tell the how awesome our mission is and orient them to their first 2 weeks as a missionary.  The toughest part is all the documentation involved and keeping everyone up to date on incoming and outgoing missionaries.  Also, we sometimes get missionaries who are on hold for visas or other issues.  Right now no missionaries are able to go to China or Hong Kong (and maybe Japan) due to the awful virus,   The missionaries who are local just stay in their homes (sometimes with the folks they rented it to!).  We alway