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夫婦宣教師
Senior Missionaries
United Nations Mission
Norm and Luana Shumway
Dear Friends:
While we hardly qualify as denizens of the Big Apple, Luana and I have
developed a comfort level with this teeming metropolis which provides us
with 8.2 million neighbors. We have survived through 15 months of our
assignment here, and anticipate returning to our Utah home after just a
few more months. Not unlike "trunky" missionaries, we are suddenly
realizing that we have deferred many things normally done or seen in
this city, so we are planning to visit a museum, attend an opera, visit
a national television studio, etc., during the next several weeks. Such
outings will have to be squeezed into our schedule, however, because we
are still busy with many activities at the United Nations.
Just a couple of weeks ago we organized a parallel meeting at the United
Nations in conjunction with its annual Commission on the Status of Women
(CSW) meetings. Since the CSW theme pertained to the financing of
programs for women, we elected to present information on the Church's
Perpetual Education Fund. We assembled a panel consisting of Elder John
K. Carmack, emeritus Seventy and managing director of the Fund, Dr.
Karen Hyer, a professor at BYU and member of the Women's Research
Institute, and Rose and Gary Neeleman, donors to the fund and parents of
JetBlue Airways founder David Neeleman. The panel's presentation was
well received by some 65 attendees, most of whom were representatives of
non-governmental organizations from some two dozen nations. This
activity introduced the name of the Church to a broad audience and
allowed us to demonstrate the Church's concern about the plight of women
in the world and the need for education.
During the months of December and January, we busied ourselves by
walking to each of the missions (home offices for ambassadors and staff)
of the 192 member nations of the UN. Yes, it was a huge task! But since
not much was happening at the UN over the holidays, we decided to
present a simple gift to each ambassador. For those identified as
Christians, we gave pertinent information about the Church and two
Tabernacle Choir CDs. For the non-Christians, we provided the
information plus samples of Deseret label foodstuffs - peanut butter,
jam, honey or vanilla pudding, supplied to us by Welfare Services.
Because of weight and bulk, together with colder weather, distributing the latter proved to be more difficult than the Choir CDs, but the overall effort was fun for us.
Visits to missions engendered
several extemporaneous meetings with ambassadors. Without exception, we
were cordially received. The ambassador of Swaziland told us of meeting
LDS missionaries as a youth and forming positive impressions about the
Church. He expressed a desire to visit Utah and attend meetings of the
World Family Policy Center at BYU. The ambassador of Sudan, after
expressing appreciation for all churches "because of the good work they
do in the world," thanked us profusely and
expressed the hope that we would remain his friends. The ambassador of
Somalia, a very humble man, asked us to pray for him and his nation. He
promised to invite us to visit Somalia when the dangers of war had
subsided. The ambassador of Guatemala called me after our visit, and was
effusive in his praise for the Church. Noting the humanitarian aid
provided to his country, he said (with reference to himself), "You have
a good friend in Guatemala." The ambassador of Bhutan had seen the
impressive temple in Washington, D.C., and expressed appreciation for
the Church in fostering good citizenship throughout the world. The
ambassador of Mauritius had followed the Mitt Romney campaign and was
impressed with Romney's honesty and demeanor. When we told the
ambassador of Liberia about our teachings regarding families, he said,
"I could not agree with you more."
Another diplomat who has become our
friend is Under-Secretary-General (for Communications and Public
Information) Kiyo Akasaka. During our visit with him he recalled
studying English in lessons offered by two LDS missionaries in Osaka
during the 1960s. He proclaimed, "I have benefited from the LDS Church."
When I spoke to him briefly in Japanese, he politely bowed and engaged
me in a conversation. He said he would like to visit Salt Lake City, but
declined to do so until after Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had taken
advantage of such an opportunity.
Luana and I have established personal relationships with over 60
ambassadors. This has allowed us a degree of social ease and acceptance
which we did not have a year ago. We are often invited to receptions
hosted by the missions, and at such occasions now find it comfortable to
mix and converse with many of the diplomats in attendance. I recently
attended an event held at the India mission with Ahmad Corbitt, the
director of the New York Office of Public and International Affairs.
Between us we conversed with 18 ambassadors with whom we had developed
friendships.
The United Nations is certainly beset with problems. In the face of so
many international challenges, it has often proven to be inept and
inefficient. It has largely departed from the lofty purposes envisioned
for it upon its creation in San Francisco in 1945. Its efforts are
frequently clouded by duplicity and corruption. The United States, with
its one vote in the General Assembly (and often countered by a veto from
another permanent member of the Security Council) has largely been
marginalized. Yet it is a global forum which fosters regional alliances
and promotes peacekeeping efforts in troubled areas of the world. It
provides an opportunity for nations to at least speak to one another,
although usually in terms consisting of nothing more than "hot air."
We think there is good reason for
the Church to have representatives here. Our presence demonstrates an
interest in the communities and cultures of the world. It opens
opportunities for influence and service. It establishes us as a "player"
among the league of non-governmental organizations, helping achieve a
degree of ecumenism and platform for cooperation. It results in trust
and friendships from many who are leaders of the world. As expressed in
D&C 1:30, it is a proven method to bring the Church out of obscurity. We
believe President Hinckley was inspired in sanctioning this program and
other government relations efforts in the world.
We are grateful to have been called to New York City with the directive
to work at the United Nations. We have appreciated your support. We
thank you for your prayers on our behalf. We look forward to a renewal
of our friendship with you. In the meantime, we ask that you may be
blessed for your many good works and service to others and the
community.
With sincere best wishes,
Norm (and Luana) Shumway