Rubber Duckies

On the day we were trained by President Dorenbosch (the previous mission president) he shared the perfect metaphor for managing a mission:

Being a mission president is like leaning over a bathtub and trying to keep 120 rubber duckies under water at the same time. Just when you get one area in control, a few duckies pop up across the way. You reach for them and that lets others pop up. You fix that situation and another group pops up

and so on and so on and so on....

He was exactly right. Now, when I see a certain look on my husband’s face after a phone call, I ask, “rubber ducky?” And he nods, yes.

Rubber duckies, have been anything from losing two missionaries for three days on a volcano, to angry immigration agents deporting missionaries, to missionaries breaking mission rules.

Last year I gave my husband a big box of little rubber duckies for Christmas. He now has displays of them at home and in the office - to remind him to stay watchful.

For some reason we have had a lot of “rubber duckies” lately.

All I can figure out is - the first stake in the West Indies must be coming soon.

We want every missionary to be exactly obedient and receive the blessings he deserves. My husband often tells the missionaries, “it is your job to baptize. My job is to see that a miracle takes place within you!” We are determined that those miracles will happen.

I added information about internet usage (source of a few rubber duckies recently) in “Parent’s Information” on the mission website. Please take a look so you can help your missionary stay ‘in the water.’