Blog Post #26: Recenterings

Dear Loved Ones,

This week the President of the China Hong Kong Mission gave us a set of changes that are to be made. These changes, or "re-centerings" are designed to help us focus more so that we can become better Missionaries. Here are the major ones.

1) Suits are no longer to be worn when it is under 25 degrees, but from November 1st to April Conference.
2) Athletic Shorts are only to be worn during morning exercises, not during our scheduled Games Nights or Sports Finding. This rule has effectively killed both of those activities, which makes me EXTREMELY happy!
3) Preparation day is on Monday, starting the 22nd of October.
4) There are a few new rules that facilitate Elders teaching women (not every area has Sister Missionaries). We still aren't allowed to teach 1 woman or even 2 women without a Ward Member present, which is good.

Even though I won't be watching General Conference for a few more days (Asia is a week behind so that everything can get translated), I of course heard the re-centerings that President Thomas S Monson gave us last week.

1) Sisters can now serve full-time missions at 19
2) Young Men can now serve full-time missions at 18

These re-centerings are also going to strengthen the Work of God, which I am very excited to see. It will be strange, though, to see women younger than me with name tags on in the next six months. A good kind of strange, a strange that I'm excited to see bolster our ranks and spirits!

The only thing that I don't like about Full-Time Missionary work is being 1/4 finished with mine. I'm not sure I've become a quarter of the man I wanted to become while I'm out here, but I hope I can finish my transformation in the next 18 months. I was almost done with High School 18 months ago, and I have hopes that if I change that much (or even more) in the next 18 months, I'll be a lot farther along than I would of had I skipped this wonderful Mission experience.

I love you all, please take this amazing opportunity to become Missionaries and learn what the Lord can do for you. I know every bit of this Gospel is true, and I know that you'll only know that for yourselves if you give everything to find it out. There is no research that can be done that is more informative than entering the Holy Temple and learning through Personal Revelation. The two best things to do are to become Missionaries and to get Sealed for time and all eternity. Now is the time to show; who's on the Lord's side?

Love, Elder O'Gara