Thursday, March 6, 1969

President Johnson has called me to be the new mission recorder–historian. Talking to my new companion and me a week ago today as we were starting, he said we were called to work in the mission office because he had confidence in our abilities. He expects us to continue with the same standards as any regular proselyting elder, except it must be stuffed into three evening working hours. The President said he was instructed to bring only the best elders into the mission office because out of the mission office goes the spirit of the mission. He told us all this, he said, not to make us proud but to make us grateful for the Lord's blessings to us. We accepted the President's challenge.

For the first 30 days we come into the mission office only during the afternoons (from 1:00 to 5:00 o'clock) to be trained into our new positions. After that month we take over by ourselves, working the entire day (from 9:30 to 5:00 o'clock). Our responsibilities look great with much to be learned.

Elder Monte Stewart is my companion now. He will take Elder Walters's place as mission accountant. Elder Stewart has been here in Brazil since January. He comes from Las Vegas. A few evenings ago we were speaking of school last year at BYU, where he also was a member of the Honors Program. We learned we had been together in Brother Monte Nyman’s religion class, honors Book of Mor­mon, the first semester. The world continues to be a small place.

Working with Elder Stewart is going to be a priceless privilege because he is a great man. He radiates a love for the work and a love for our Father in Heaven. I think together we will be good because there seems to be a tendency to bring out our best selves and our best efforts when we are working together.

At this point I am more excited about my mission, more eager to do the work than I have been before. I have been closer to the Lord in recent days than during most of the rest of my mission (which soon will be six months). Here I am not able to recount the Lord's good­ness to me, but it is truly endless.