Hellooo!!
This week too has been a wild week and I love the things I was able to learn from this weeeek!!! I came to understand that daily conscious decisions are set before us each day and at every moment. And with each small decision we take it can either bring us closer to or further away from God. Come unto Him or take a step back. The power of agency truly is a powerful, beautiful, extraordinary and divine gift God gave us. LETSSSS GOOOOOO!!!
1st Challenge: Socializing
To be honest the goal I set for this transfer is actually SOCIALIZING ⚰️. That is by far the hardest thing for me to do as I came to realise. To talk with strangers of all ages, and come to know them that way I can share the gospel with them. Giving them the invitation to come, to learn, to understand and to love the Savior as He and Heavenly Father loves us to. I am so grateful to be able to help others that they can come to know of the Lord and His teachings.
I gradually learn that to be courageous, we must choose to act courageously. To just do what we have to do, to just do the things the Lord commands.
However the only difference is that with fear, we think and analyze failure.
With Courage we act knowing that the Lord will provide a way for us to accomplish the work He sends us to do.
And while I was aiming to do my best in socializing, let me tell you. I AM BADDD AT THISSS⚰️⚰️. Like really really bad. Often I just shut my mouth as we converse with another person and it's just sooo WILDDD AND AHHHHHHHH. Really lost . And it's just soo amazing to see the growth I have gotten. So here's the situation I got myself into. As you went through the day from Knocking door to door, under the warm tingling sunlight on your skin. You and your comp just entered the car from a unsuccessful door knocking contact. Suddenly the phone rings, at that moment you look to your companion eye to eye to process on what is happening at that mment. 5:30pm, ZL's are calling you. For what transport, assignment, warning or possibly apostacy DUNDUNDUN. As you answered the phone, Zl's are telling you at 5:00pm to 7:00pm there is an international fellowshipinf activity held for campus students whom are studying there.
Trainer looks at you dead in the eye and says lets do this. And steped on the gas to reach there in time. After several turns and a car well parked in a spot, on your way to the activity. A toyota truck enters into the parking lot and the ZL's with the portugese Elders came in to do contacting with everyone in that activity. A window rolled down and a question pooped in the air, "You guys ready for this?" Your trainer answers "BLITZ?" the portugese missionary answers "BET!" and off we went to the activity.
Blitz definition: To exchange 2 missionaries between 2 companionship.
And I got Elder Rollins who is shy all the way, wanting to get back to his original comp. Nonetheless is stuck with me. Being put with this situation, I realised how much I have to do and to overcome the fear of talking to random strangers from foregin lands. And that I did, as we went around Elder Rollin and I chatted with a few people and even invited them to church, as well as a Mid Autumn Festival activity in the coming month. To which we got all of their numbers!!! And I realised how much help I had received from God during those moments or weakness. Truly the Lord will make weak things become stronger unto you. And I see the blessing and reason to why we needed the Holy Ghost in our hearts at all times and in all places. Because through the Holy Ghost can we come to learn and grow with the Savior's grace.
2nd Challenge: Personal Agency
During one night we were contacting around 8:40, doing one last contact before heading to the apartment and call it a day. As we knock on this beautiful house to share about the gospel to the person living at this home. An old guy came and answered the door, which he also continued to come out of the house and chat with us. We were excited to see that he wants to learn about the Savior. To our dismay, he was there to bash and destroy us with his belief.
He started rambling on the gospel principles we believe is truth and mentioned how they are all blasphemy, that we taught the wrong doctrine and just doesn't believe a single gospel truth. I was there trying to be able to connect with that man. Nonetheless, his heart was hardened and just not interesed to listen at all. Repeating the same points over and over again, interupting us as we speak with a louder voice and continuously deny the words we say. To a point as I try to understand that guy, I realised where it was taking me to. That gradually it got me to start denying the doctrine, that was until my trainer said:
"Well sir I know that we disagree with everything you say, and you disagree with everything we know. So we'll just eaveour testimony of the Book of Mormon... And if you ever want to learn about it, you can always talk with the missionaries in the area, they also talk about Jesus Christ. Goodnight."
Which that got me thinking, why am I denying and fllowing the belief of that man and thw world? Why am I not sharing about what I know is true and stand steadfast to what I believed in? Why not have integrity? know what is right and what is wrong? That I do not lower my standards or behavior to impress or blend in with the world?
To do what's right even when the world scoffs at our desire to be true to the Lord.
(1 Nephi 8: 24-28)
To always use my personal agency to choose that which is of God and turn away the things of the world. Even when no one is looking. That is integrity that I learned from Preach my Gospel. And that is WILD.
More than that but even during a lesson with a returning member I realised how lost I was, questioned why I don't even have a single principles in my mind that I can share with this person (Pat), where did my effort of improment go to? Till I realised that I didn't really have the Holy Ghost with me. I looked down a bit thinking well, my comp is able to share the lesson witth ease and the Holy Ghost is with him. So why not be quiet and listen through it all and testify at th eend of the lesson. That would be a lot more easier, maybe thats what God wanted.
A single word popped in to my mind, like a small source of light that had entered to the abyss. That word was "Agency", it's still a choice you can make. There surely is another way to it. Choose for yourself what ye would want the Lord to do.
And I choosed to invite the spirit in my heart, softening my heart and just having the desire to want to helpthe person I am teaching. That the faith started from a desire can grow in me Alma 32:27. And so it did. I started to have the love and kindness and joy to share a quick simple principle. And graduallyy it expands to more and more of the principles she needed to learn and engrave into her heart. It became a continuous flow of doctrines that connects and relates and her happiness grew more and more, higher and higher. To which a 20 mins lesson turned to an hour by accident. As she started to ask more questions and concerns we soothed with comfort and assurance. Having the Lord with you, that is a choice. To choose to come nearer to the Savior and obtain His divine help.
That even when we feel unprepared for anything, we can choose to trust in Him. We dont know everything, but you Know ENOUGH. So trust that the Lord will expand and bring things to your rememberance.
3rd Challenge: Respecting Agency
Now this is a crazy hard moment for me. One night as me and my trainer went around to visit houses tat might potentially be a chinese person living inside. We came across a house who to our disappointment, turned out to be a white bearded 40 plus year old white guy. And he invited us in and asked us immediately "Am I inside the less active member list?" To which we told him how we were in search of mandarin speakers to teach the gospel with and we heard that the neighbours mentioned about his house and that there might be a possibility. He understood and later we asked him "Why do you think you are on a less active member list?" He answered oh because I'm unfellowshiped another words
ex-comunicated
And we were stunned, soon we found out why. He had his own family, however it being a toxic one. They unsealed their marriage covenant. And now he is working for a divorcement and already dating another person. This time learning from his previous mistakes. At that point I was stunned and ha dno idea what sort of spiriual message to share. Howeve, I shared about following the Lord's will, because he knows the happiness we can obtain even more than we do on our own path.
A lesson finished and while we were on our ay back to our apartment. I could and never understand why would that guy do it, like why not this? why not that? why? why? What about the children? how do they feel?
My traner realised my struggles and shared with me Alma 32: 37-39. He likened a relationship to a tree, that it takes 2 people to nourish it with great care, it grows root and bears fruits. However if we neglet it, the tree will not grow roots, and the heat will scorge it that it whithers and we pluck up and cast away. towards the last verse Alma mentioned. It's not because the seed was not good, neither was it that the fruit given is not desirable. But because the ground is barren and we have not nourish it. Ultimately the tree (relationship) is good, and so is the fruits (friendship, love, charity, children, trust and etc). However if we do not nourish it constantly it will whither and be plucked off and tossed aside.
Learning that I saw that the man or his spouse either one did not want to nurture that tree and tossed it away. Thinking that the tree was of no good. And from there I started to learn to come and undestand these people more. But ultimately what about God? He respected all of our agencies even when it hurts, when it harmed someone, scarred ourselves and made Heavenly Father sorrowful to see us in our state.Nonetheless He never did stop us from using our agency to choose for ourselves. But has always loved us anyways. And so I learned to respect another person's agency we must have charity, even when it hurts others, us or themselves. Love them anyways and LSI with them.
Another experience was when I started t teach Tony a non-member during the evening and mand let me tell you. We taught that man about the gospel of Jesus Christ. And He wanted to learn about how he could always have God's presence in his life. and we taught him about the Holy Ghost. He was overjoyed. He knew everythig we taught were true. And wanted to receive that gift. He was soo happy and the spirit was so tangible in that lesson. Towards the end my trainer felt prompted and aske Tony "Now that you know that what we taught was true, The Book of Mormon is true and that the Lord is there and loves you. Tony we would like to invte you to set a date for baptism."
Lighting was right, he looked down and waspondering all that he learned, we looked at him with warmth and joy. Silence took the lead for several seconds. Tony look up at us, eyes looking at us without a blink and said...
No...
I was like hmm alright in my mind. But What I did differently compared to the last time was. I showed him the love that God has for him, respected his agency and showed charity towards him. Never are we going to drop him but bring him ever more closer towards the Savior's love and his safe embrace. I was soo happy how th elesson went, rambled on and on abut th eending with the 2 other missionaris we stayed and it was hilarious and insihtful to se the growth I have gotten.
I love that guy and his randomness.
Purpose and Alignment
The Power of the Gospel Of Jesus Christ is just AWESOMEEE!!! Like Nephi and other prophets, being sent to do the Lord's work. We too are send to do His work as well. To help one another to come ever closer to Christ by helping them receive the gospel through
1. Faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement
2. Repentance
3. Baptism/Sacrament
4. Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost
5. Enduring to the End
And setting goals is crucial to that plan. At first I struggled with the idea of numbers and people. Like how can I teach people not because they are baptismal materialistic things with thinking these peopleare too precious and should be nurtured carefully 1 at a time. I was stressign on that till our mission president mentioned
"Each number has a name, go find those name and fill it in next to those numbers"
To which I was like Ohh THAT MAKES ALLL THE SENSE!! We missionaries want to invite the whole world to come unto Christ but 8 Billion is an overwhelming number. So why not drag it down to 10 or 15. That makes the K.I. much more digestible. Each week to meet this number of new people and teavh them about the gospel. Understand their needs and through personal effort adn the Holy Ghost's help. Guide them to receive principles, joy and happiness. Tohep them come ever more closer to the Savior. Working through members is a crucial factor and MAN members here are DIVINELY AMAZINGGG!!! Though many are afraid and feel like they don't know how to do missionary work. We are there to guide and help them understand how we do it and gradualy they will come and know how to do it. We can be the firekindlers that spark that passion of sharing the gospel to the world. Instead of 170 000 plus people sharing the gospel, why not 1 000 000 000 people there to share the gospel with the world. I love working with members especially building that relationship. After all we are to help others to come unto Christ, members or non-members. I love the work.
So these are a few things I learned during the week and I do hope you guys can learn something from it and also share your experiences as well. BYEEEE!!!
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