Missionary Experiences: Elder Lawrence John Glavinic

 Date: 12-30-63 DISTRICT CHRISTMAS CONFERENCE Time: 9.00am    Place: Information Buro Zollikofen Procedure:  1. Opening remarks Pres. Russon: (a) Mission Pin 320 (b)picture (c) Food and expenses for stay 2. Opening Song 3. Testimonies: Story about the boy that felt sorry because he didn't have nay shoes until he looked down and aw the man without feet.  4. song PEOPLE PRESENT: whole mission -180 people  Pres Russon: (a) 13 releases on Jan 3, praise (b) breakup of sister districts (c) Best song- Basel ii- Best presentation: Zurich Sisters (d) Liebe Award- 60 given out of 180 missionaries (e) letter from Brother Hansen (f) Evaluation of Missionaries (strong-fair-weak) only 15% weak, improvement needed (g) Convert baptisms decreasing. (h) know yourself know your weaknesses and strengths, work on weaknesses 5. Hildebrandt- (a) 3% church goers in Switzerland (b) talking about creating a good need for a prophet. 6. Wood- Better to be unborn then untaught because ...

 Date: 12-21-63 Well, in a small way I guess my wish has come true. The week after the President came down and worked with us; the whole district was experiencing transfers. We all seemed to be playing musical chairs though! However, I was quite happy. I think the transfer did both my old companion and me some good. My new companion's name is Mascaro. His Dad came from southern Italy. Therefore, he is a little more sincere about his work than my previous companion. We have been working together for the last 11 days and seem to be getting along quite well, with few exceptions. Last week, we had an interesting experience while tracting. I guess we annoyed someone a little so they called the police. Then about an hour later we found ourselves in the police station being questioned lie common criminals. But they let us go with no restraints.  Also, this last Saturday, I made my first trip to Italy. I went down with my companion as he went to visit some of his relatives before Chri...

  Date: 12-10-63 The Mission President and his second counselor came down last week for a conference and to work with each pair of Elders. It was quite an experience to go tracting with the mission President when you barely know any Italian and he doesn't know any. But things went quite well. We got a couple of appointments together. I wasn't to impressed with the Conference. I think perhaps the President was a little rundown. He almost went to sleep on me in a cottage meeting. He also interviewed all the  missionaries about going through the temple at Christmas time. The Tessin District evidently has some bad habits because a number of the missionaries, my companion and I included, didn't get recommends. They want all of the missionaries to have a minimum of 60 hours and to be getting up at 6am. I know the getting up on time can be solved but the 60 hours? My companion just won't go. It takes all my pushing, pulling, and leading to get him out of the door at 10am when ...

   Date: 12 -3-63 We have been really having some good turn outs to church here. The last two Sundays we haven't had enough Charis. It really is a "mix-mash" of people. For example this last Sunday we had people there from three different national backgrounds besides us: Italians, Swiss Germans, and Americans. The service was consequently held in three languages. The opening remarks were in Italian, German, and English. The opening song was in Italian. The sacrament was done in German because most of the members understood German. The talks were in Italian and the closing song was in Italian. It is really cosmopolitan. The American group is mostly the kids from the post graduate school in Lugano. The Italians and Germans are people that we have met tracting in treno. The English/Italian class we have here is really something GROWING! Last week some of the girls from the American School came down so we broke the people up into two groups. We taught the Italians English and...