When I was on my mission in Italy in the late 1960s (only one mission back then, officially designated "The Great Italian Mission" by Hartmon Rector), Thomas Ass Monson regularly passed through. Monson was responsible for Italy, and for years used Italy as a staging place to speak with Greek authorities about allowing LDS missionaries to preach in Greece (which took 20 years, and has yet to produce Greek Mormons). Besides, both Florence (old mission HQ) and Rome (new mission HQ) offered good tourism and shopping experiences for senior Mormon leaders, who availed themselves of every opportunity to pass through, live at the mission home, and have bespoke suits tailored. So during one of Monson's visits, local missionaries were invited to the mission home to dine with Monson and feed off the crumbs of his Great Wisdom. But the only thing he said worth remembering was, "I have two hunting dogs that I keep and feed and train all year long for just one thing, a two-day pheasant hunting season. The season begins today, and I'm stuck here."

It sounded dismissive, but he turned out to be right. Missing pheasant hunting season for Mormonism is just not worth it, and neither is missing even a day without the company of your dogs.

Good anecdote, with a well turned ending.

Thank you.

How highly he thought of you wonderful missionaries and the members in Italy...!

"I'm stuck here."

Truly the words of a living prophet to be.

Oh! What heavy sacrifices the leaders are called upon to bear.

At least he didn't ask to have a missionary dressed in feathers and run around in a field so another missionary could flush him out for Monson to shoot.

Sounds like an idea, though. Provocative.

widow hounds boy. Them dogs can sniff out a menopausal woman from 300 yards out.

Says the man who didn't serve a mission hi mself.
Talk bout insensitive!

I assume the dogs are dead by now. (If not, they're at least 47 years old, which in dog years is almost as old as Monson.)

So, were the dead dogs dead-dunked? If not, do they still get to go to the Celestial Kingdom? I assume the pheasant hunting in the CK is top-notch, but you'd want to have your favorite dogs with you.

Or maybe you can just snap your fingers and reanimated versions of your dogs appear.

But what about the pheasants? Are they Mormon pheasants? If not, how did they sneak into the CK? And what if somebody else in the CK is a pheasant lover and is appalled by the concept of hunting them? Not exactly paradise when you pick up the Celestial Kingdom Tribune and there on the front page is a photo of a pheasant getting its brains blown out by a "Prophet."

Haha, gbl: the"Celestial Kingdom Tribune"! Cute;I'm sure it's a much better paper than the Celestial Kingdom Deseret News"!! I'm with you on the front page photo, tho ;(



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2017 07:42PM by cinda.