Monday afternoon the internet in our apartment suddenly stopped working. Because it is so critical for our mission, including Vivian’s counseling sessions, we scrambled over the next 24 hours to get it back on. We determined that, through a series of communication issues, the bill had not been paid since July and the provider finally just shut it off. It reminded me so much of my years being responsible for managing and avoiding production incidents within Federal Reserve Financial Services. Fortunately, now as then, I had tremendous help in navigating bureaucracy and getting to resolution quickly and without serious impact. For just a day it was interesting using my career as Vivian does hers.
This past week was a very rewarding and busy one, setting our high marks for most missionary sessions, number of different missions served, and health councils held. It is wonderful to see Vivian building strong relations with these great mission leaders and earning their confidence by helping the missionaries from their missions. We’ll soon be working to rebuild those relationships as in July we will get six new sets of mission leaders, with only our own Singapore mission leaders staying the same.
We also had the delightful experience of getting to know our new Bishop, Christian Hsieh. He is from Taiwan and he treated us to some delicious Taiwanese specialties. Sunday, we enjoyed our first full Sunday together, including being with the full ward council during 2024 activity calendaring. It is impressive seeing these young adults lead out so strongly, and welcome so warmly the new members coming into the ward.
Vivian and I also spent time this week planning for our first trip in which we planned to train at two Zone Conferences and attend the mission Senior Missionary conference in East Malaysia. Tune in next week to find out the radical changes that our planning underwent at the last minute (no spoilers here!). Despite changes it was still good time spent preparing to more proactively educate in addition to counseling. I also spent time helping support the great EnglishConnect program in this area.
One of the missions that we work with has a relatively large number of missionaries that, since COVID, have gone into the mission field without receiving their temple endowment. That will change when the Bangkok MTC opens in July, but in the meantime the mission received permission for all such missionaries to travel in three waves to our temple in Bangkok. We are so very happy for them (though perhaps a little jealous as we so miss our own regular temple worship!).
One evening this week we joined a broadcast that went out to all of Missionary Medical: more than 1000 people, the vast majority of which are missionaries and other volunteers. Executive Director Elder William Jackson gave a fascinating and frank “state of the union” highlighting both successes and challenges. It is such a privilege to be part of this amazing team. There is still such a need for more trained help so please pass the word along to church members with medical training that they are needed and can do great good!
And finally, a shameless plug to all those who live in the North Kansas City School District to vote for our amazing son, Brock Foley! We are very proud of him for his desire to give public service and make the world a better place.
Pictures
Mission plaque going up on the church wall.
Bangkok Temple
It was incredible to run across this store named “Vivian and Sean” in our local mall in Singapore. What are the odds!?! (Side note: Do they plan to rebrand to “Sister and Elder Foley”?)
First missionary haircut
Meanwhile, back at the ranch: the snow and cold back home has us really enjoying our constant 80-85 degrees!
Great for Brock!
Caleb has the very same mission scripture on his plaque! Keep up the good work Elder and Sister Foley!