Hey Everybody!
Hope all is well! I'm sure everyone is gearin' up for school again. That's what we're doing down here. Getting ready to set up booths and stuff trying to promote Institute on some of the campuses down here! It's been a lot of fun though.
Today is the beginning of my 10th transfer and I only have three left! Crazy huh? Looking back I don't know where these last 14 months have gone, but I'm grateful that I know they've gone to God! Looks like I'm staying in Braes Bayou for another transfer! Woot, woot! It's going to be fun!
Well there have been many miracles in my week. We taught a new investigator on Tuesday, right before her and ----(the memeber who invited her to church) were going to the pool party her apartment was having. Well, later ---- sent us a text and said something similar to, "The other day ---- brought alcohol to the pool party, but after the lesson she decided not to drink it!" Yeah, the Spirit really does move people to keep commandments, whether they know they're commandments or not! I thought it was a really beautiful blessing.
And we have another sister that invited a friend to church this last Sunday, and now she's planning on feeding us on Friday! Yay! It's really cool and exciting to see the member missionary work that's going on! We wouldn't have very much to do without them. I can't tell you how important your part is to the Lord's work especially in the Hastening! Actually, that reminds me of an e-mail President Ashton, my mission President, sent out the other week. Here is his testimony on the matter! It's pretty cool too! ;-)
When we first arrived in the mission, I had a certain way of talking with people about the gospel. The first day that we were here, the movers arrived and I was able to share the gospel with them in the way I had always shared the gospel. Later that day, I went out to get some food for the family. I tried to share the gospel with the cashier. That was not a good experience. She was clearly afraid of me and our message. When I handed her a pass along card, her hand shook as she took it. I knew that I had not helped that cashier draw closer to Christ, but rather had driven her further from Him. That experience left me feeling unsettled, and I began to wonder if the Lord would have me do something different.
As a result of that experience and others like it, I studied and sought to know how the Lord would have me do. I found my answer in Alma 17:29. In that scripture, the flocks of King Lamoni have just been scattered at the waters of Sebus and the servants of the king have begun to cry. We then read:
Now they wept because of the fear of being slain. Now when Ammon saw this his heart was swollen within him with joy; for, said he, I will show forth my power unto these my fellow-servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow-servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words. (Alma 17:29, emphasis added)
What struck me about this scripture is that Ammon had to win people’s hearts before they would believe him. I realized that the way I was doing missionary work at that time didn’t allow me to first win people’s hearts. The Spirit then told me that I was going to have do missionary work differently than I had done it in the past.
I spent the next six months trying to come up with an approach that I felt the Lord was happy with and that was effective. I often felt very uncomfortable. I had been doing missionary work for one way so long that it was hard to change. Each time, I spoke with someone about the gospel, I said a silent prayer. I asked God if I had done okay. I also asked Him if I had met that person’s needs and what I should be doing differently. God helped me. And, eventually I started feeling comfortable with my approach again.
I relate that experience because we all have been asked to work with and teach members. Many of you have tried to do that the last couple of week. Our key indicators have dipped because we were teaching members instead of investigators. I sensed in your emails to me last week that many of you felt uncomfortable with the new approach. It seemed that for many of you, you felt like you weren’t really doing missionary work by working with members.
I want to testify to you that we must work with members. The people who are prepared to receive the gospel are the family, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances of the members. Elder Neil L Anderson made this clear in the April General Conference. He said:
Brothers and sisters, as surely as the Lord has inspired more missionaries to serve, He is also awakening the minds and opening the hearts of more good and honest people to receive His missionaries. You already know them or will know them. They are in your family and live in your neighborhood. They walk past you on the street, sit by you in school, and connect with you online. (“It’s a Miracle,” April 2013 General Conference)
What’s more, the members have already won their hearts. Because these people trust the members, they will believe you as you teach them.
I know it is hard to change our approach to missionary work. When I was changing mine after first arriving in Houston, I sometimes felt like the new way I was being instructed to do missionary work wasn’t missionary work at all. But I can testify to you that working with members is missionary work. It is what the Lord wants us to do at this time in the work. It is only through working together with the members that we will find those who are truly prepared to accept the gospel and that we can help hasten the work (D&C 88:73). Thank you for teaching the Preach My Gospel lessons to the members. Thank you for helping the members to read the scriptures, pay tithing, attend church, pray, do family history work, and attend the temple. Thank you for showing the “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go” video to the members and for inviting them to find someone for you to serve. I promise you that as we strengthen the members, we will find more prepared investigators to teach than we have in the past, and we will baptize more people.
Yup, I thought is was pretty cool! Pres. Ashton really strives to follow the Spirit and do what the Lord has asked of him, even when it's uncomfortable. I mean, we all have growing pains. It's a part of the prepatory experience! Anyway, don't forget to do the Lord's work throughout every single day! Whatever work you can do, do it! I love you lots. There are also a couple of videos that I've copied the links for! One is talking about obedience to the basic principles of the gospel by Elder Scott, and the other is a music video that makes me happy(Included in posts below)! ;-) I hope they can brighten up your day too! And teach you something more.
I know that obedience is the first law of heaven. It is a very important message and is something that we should strive to implement further into our hearts every day! It also has been a principle that has been talked about in the message of Pres. Monson last conference. I'd say that's probably something we should pay attention to, eh?! Hehe! Don't you love that we have an inpsired man of God and Prophet for these days?! I do!
Okay, well, know that I love you all and I hope you have a super wonderful week! You're all just so wonderful! I love you lots and lots!
Forever,
Sis. Christopherson
