I got my travel plan and I leave on Wednesday, so this is my last P-Day in the MTC. This means I get out to the mission field a week earlier than expected, which is great because I can't wait!
This past month has gone by very quickly. When I got to the MTC I was expecting to just be bored out of my mind and just have to stick it out until I get to the "real world." But I've learned that as I diligently study and pay attention in lessons it becomes much more enjoyable and I get much more out of it. One thing that I've improved a lot on is reading my scriptures. The more I try to study and ponder the scriptures, the better I can understand them and I've begun to look forward to reading now everyday.
We watched "Missions Are Forever" by Elder Holland on Sunday night. He emphasized making the most of the mission and doing it for the Lord and people in the area that we're serving. He said that if we're not planning to devote every minute of every day to spreading the gospel and doing the work of the Lord, to "just stay home" instead. We are called as missionaries to leave behind worldy concerns and to focus on inviting others to come unto Christ, and that going on a mission just to say you served a mission is the wrong mindset.
We also saw a portion of a talk from Elder Bednar in which he spoke about finding new people to teach. He shared a story about two young missionaries that came to his house on a Saturday morning and basically just hung out with them for an hour. They didn't share a spiritual message, and probably had much better ways they should have been spending their Saturday morning, such as finding new people to teach or sharing messages. As they were leaving they asked if there was anyone that Elder Bednar and his wife could refer to them to teach. Elder Bednar told them kindly, but assertively that he wouldn't refer anyone to missionaries like them, but he would give referrals to missionaries that took their calling seriously. This means opening with a prayer, sharing a brief, but spiritual message using scriptures, ending with a prayer and asking if there is anything else they can help with before asking politely if there is anyone they might be entrusted to teach.
About 3 weeks after that Saturday, those same missionaries knocked on their door again. They opened with a prayer, shared a brief spiritual message using the Book of Mormon, and closed with a prayer and by asking what else they could help with. After they politely asked if there was anyone the family knew of that they could teach, Elder Bednar told them that he would absolutely let them teach some of his friends.
I think it is important to remember why we are called on a mission. It is not a vacation, but a mission to invite children of God to come unto Christ and be brought to the knowledge of the Gospel. I am of the belief that a proper mission will be challenging, but can be even more enjoyable than a vacation.
Another highlight from the week is that I have still been speaking french in my sleep. It gets continually easier to speak and understand french every day. I can't wait to get out to the mission field and actually use it!
Feel free to email me at jace.martin@myldsmail.net
Elder Martin
No comments:
Post a Comment