This wonderful week had some ups and downs but looking back on it I
sure did learn a lot. We had three family home evenings within the
past week and those have been some of the greatest blessing for some
of our investigators. I really love this Ward and their desire to
bring souls unto Christ. We also starting teaching a members
girlfriend named Kimberly this week and she is really interest in the
gospel. Plus her boyfriends mom is a ward missionary and so she has
already been reading from the Book of Mormon and has some general
knowledge about what we believe. I love teaching people that want to
learn and are willing to change. She doesn't have much of a religious
background and seems worried about all that she is going to change,
but after just a week and a half of knowing her she has changed so
much it's amazing. The spirit is really working inside of her.
So also this week we had the wonderful privilege of having some
guys from Salk Lake from the Proselyting department come and share
some insightful tips and insights on how we can improve. A while back
all of the missionaries in the mission took a basic missionary survey
about teaching, learning, and a lot of random things. They also went
out to teaching appointments and finding opportunities with selected
companionships. Then they compiled the results from the survey and
proselyting, prayed and studied about what they should share and came
with a mountain of information, spirit, and great ideas on how we can
improve. They were very straight forward on some things that we aren't
doing very good as a mission and then gave us great feed back and
ideas on how to improve it. I loved it so much. Their names were
brother Jackman and brother Donaldson and they are great men. Brother
Donaldson was a missionary president in the San Diego mission when
they filmed the well know missionary footage of "The District 2" and
wow he sure knows his scriptures.
It was really fun to hear all of his stories about the behind the
scenes action of what happened during the filming of it all and what
he learned from the whole experience. Oh by the way, the meting we had
was 7 hours long... With a really short lunch break because they were
running behind on everything they wanted to go over. Some of the most
important things he shared with us was that our investigators can't
access the power of the Atonement without us. We receive the power of
the Atonement through the covenants we make with the correct authority
of God. Like baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, the sacrament,
priesthood ordinances and temple ordinances are how we can receive the
power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives. Without these
ordinances we can't unlock the power of the Atonement. It really
touched me with how important our work is as missionaries, we are
literally helping other access the power of the Atonement in their
lives. I can't think of a better thing we could be doing. The point of
the restoration was to bring the fullness of the gospel back to the
earth, we cannot receive the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ
without the Atonement, and it's through the ordinances we make that we
are about the unlock the power of His sacrifice for us.
There are many things he shared especially about how us, and all
missionaries share way too much information with our investigators. We
aren't there to teach them just information, we are there to help them
feel the spirit, and know why they need to be baptized. After baptism
and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost they will be able to learn
the doctrine a lot easier. They shared a new way to teach using the
pamphlets by basically just using the pictures. You can teach a simple
restoration with a baptismal invite in about 6 minutes that will be
way more productive and engaging for the investigators than a long
restoration lesson where they are filled with information and are left
confused. We use the pattern of when the angel visited Nefi in chapter
11 of first Nefi. We ask them to look at the picture, ask them some
inspired questions and then teach and testify of simple and true
doctrine. I really love teaching that way from the pamphlets and we
have seen a lot of success from applying it. When we do it, they
understand restored authority, and the need to be baptized. We haven't
had a lesson with a pamphlet since without inviting the investigator
to be baptized and so far they have all said yes.
I love this work, I know that our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus
Christ live. They know us, and love us and They want us to be happy
through obedience to the gospel.
I would like to leave you will an amazing quote from Elder Scott
"Don’t yield to Satan’s lie that you don’t have time to study the
scriptures. Choose to take time to study them. Feasting on the word of
God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television
shows, video games, or social media. You may need to reorganize your
priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God. If so, do
it!"
Make time to study the scriptures! I love you all! :)
Èlder Hyde
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