Many opportunities were placed before us, during this past Sesquicentennial year, to honor the men and women of the original Mormon Battalion. Our destined obligation to honor them--while fulfilling prophecy--has brought us much honor and satisfaction.
We are grateful for those moments we have been in the media spotlight; for the
favorable publicity; for the many opportunities for sacrifice by Battalion members to
travel to distant locations to honor those ancestors. We have grown spiritually; we have
developed an empathy for our forebears and their heroic achievements; and we have drawn
inner strength from our own efforts. For these many achievements and blessings, we are
profoundly grateful. But Life is not in the past; it is to be found always in the future.
Let us remember this as we seek for continued opportunities in our Tomorrows.
Because of our Divine Destiny--to fulfill prophecy; to further the plan of uniting
families here with those beyond the grave; to gain a greater understanding of today by
honoring the heroes of yesteryear; to achieve these noble acts without jeopardizing our
own family unity or neglecting our familial responsibilities, all the while we continue to
build the Kingdom of God--for all these reasons, we perform under the watchful eye of a
loving Heavenly Father. This should give us a "good feeling" of doing what He
wants us to do, what He wants done.
But we are also subject to the attention of Satan and his minions. and we must always be alert to this reality. While it is true that we must be willing to change and adjust to new situations, this must be done in an orderly way. The temptation for the individual to "do it my way" will always be present, but we must maintain UNITY by channeling our ideas or suggestions through company/auxiliary staffs to our National Staffs, and continue to serve "according to the book," our Manual. Let us familiarize ourselves with its contents. Confine our official actions to its precepts. We will be successful, only if we heed this advice. The Manual is our "Book of Decisions," and though it is always being up-dated and revised to meet today's situations, it is our GUIDE to all official actions by all members of the Mormon Battalion and Auxiliary. Some parts of it will not change--The Articles of Incorporation, for example--but the "Procedures" are subject to change. Anyone who desires to add or revise a procedure should present it to his/her company/auxiliary staff, and if approved by the entire staff, it should go to the National Staff for consideration and subsequent approval or rejection. In this way, flawed suggestions will be omitted and worthy ideas be added to the Manual. We invite full cooperation on this matter!