Well transfer calls were this week. Nothing is changing in our whole ward. This makes 9 months with Elder Center. I must be missing something here. I'm either not learning something right or not teaching something right.
Sister Baker and I were honestly super upset when we got transfer calls, but we talked about it and now we're super excited for this transfer. We're sad that it took us two transfers to get to the point where we can work together well and use each other's strengths. Good thing Mosiah26:30 Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.
Well I hit 9 months recently. I made a list of some of the things I've learned on the first half of my mission. I'm just going to share that list.
One time when I was a member of the church for like 2 weeks someone said something to me that planted the very first seed of the idea to serve a mission.
"You have to marry a returned missionary because you learn things on your mission that you can't learn anywhere else." -Thomas Whatcott
I've since learned that Those things are different for everyone, but here are some of mine:
- There's a difference between being successful and being effective.
- When it comes to church callings and life the important part is giving it your all and letting your actions change YOU for the better. The results matter less than the effort you put in. For example if you serve your entire mission without baptizing a single soul, but you worked as hard as you could and became converted in the process you were a successful missionary. However if you serve your whole mission and baptize a hundred people but come back no better than you left you were merely effective, but not successful. (Moroni7:5-11)
- We won't be able to return to Heavenly Father willingly at the judgement day if we follow him begrudgingly in this life.
- Nobody wants to spend time with someone who only spends time with them because they feel obligated.
- The deepest most important expression of love for our fellow man is respect for the fact they are a beloved child of the same Heavenly Father that created us.(Romans13:9)
- If someone is even TRYING to show love for you it means they care about you. People express and feel love in different ways.
- I cannot be happy unless I am subject to the will of heavenly Father. (2Nephi2:27)
- People who are prepared deserve to hear the gospel way more than you deserve to preach it to them. When you are lead to someone with whom you can share the gospel it is a blessing for them more than a blessing for you.
- You can not be TOO obedient or TOO submissive to Heavenly Father (Alma26:16) (Philippians2:10-12)
- It's easy to know what to do when non-members make fun of you for being Mormon. It's harder to know what to do when other members give you grief for not wanting to do certain things. the answer will always be to do what brings YOU closer to your Heavenly Father.
- If you feel that someone is a little TOO strict do not be tempted to step into the great and spacious building to point and laugh. It is not your place to do so. Instead turn inward and strive to improve.
- When you truly humble yourself and ask for the Lord's help the response is 100% positive every time.
- We also know that the response will be quick. (Alma9:26) (Alma34:31) (Mosiah2:24)
- When we humble ourselves and ask for help from others we get close to the same response, but not perfect, because our brothers and sisters are not perfect.
- Heavenly Fathers loves the people you don't like just as much as he loves the people you do like. (D&C64:10)
- Prayer is a two way open communication with an all powerful Father who loves us.
- He answers our prayers even our real practical ones. One time I prayed to be able to be useful in a game of Frisbee and I immediately caught and passed the Frisbee for the winning point. Another time my testimony of prayer was shaken. I cried out to Heavenly Father and he sent his spirit to witness to me the reality of prayer. Anything you need you can receive.
- If you listen wile you pray the spirit will give you the things you should pray for and answers to your questions. Half of prayer is listening just like half of a conversation is listening. Enos prayed all day and night I can promise you he wasn't talking for the entire time.
- bear testimony to Heavenly Father. the spirit will confirm the things that you are saying and add additional light and truth. (D&C9:8)
- The words you use when you pray matter. Nobody can pray "perfectly" there's no such thing. Heavenly father does see and reward your efforts to improve. As you carefully consider what to say in thanks and how to offer up your petitions with humility Heavenly Father will help you know what to say. Something I like to do is explain why I want a particular blessing. then Heavenly Father can tell me if my reasons are righteous or not.
- sometimes the spirit may change the way he speaks to you at different times in your life. Sometimes the adversary tricks you into thinking this means he no longer speaks to you at all.
- "No man is an island." -Elder Dayton
- there is some way we can connect and get along with all of our brothers and sisters. If you don't like someone you probably don't understand them. Heavenly Father loves us perfectly because he understands us perfectly.
- Smiling helps you feel the spirit.
- Heavenly father's power, the priesthood, is on the earth for no reason other than to help us. Never assume that you don't feel bad enough for a priesthood blessing. they work just as well for mild anxiety as they do for serious crisis and you can not inconvenience an all powerful God.
- The atonement has real power to actually change your nature if you let it.
- It does not make up for your weaknesses it "makes weak things become strong unto you." (Ezekiel36:26-27) (Romans12:1-2) (Mosiah5:2)
- Through the atonement Heavenly Father is able to change your nature so that your weaknesses become strengths. (Ether12:27) The strongest example I have from my mission is how I've changed in the way I think about men. Before I came on my mission was the most boy crazy individual to walk the face of the earth. I assumed I would just be able to forget about it while I was on my mission. Turns out that it may not even be possible to totally forget about an entire aspect of your personality suddenly, even if it's a righteous desire. So when I got here I was super devastated to find out how big of a problem it still was. My solution was to pray and fast and pray some more for Heavenly Father to change my inappropriate feelings to Christlike love. So now I don't have a problem being attracted to any of the Elders, but also there is not a single one of them that I hate. Heavenly Father helped me to solve my problem by making my biggest weakness a huge strength. Specially since one of our mission's cultural beliefs is to love unconditionally.
- We learn line upon line precept upon precept.
- Don't be alarmed if you find that you're learning the same lessons over and over again. It may not necessarily be that you din't learn the first time, but that you're leveling up as you go.
- (D&C121:45) IT takes all night for the air to cool don'w and the moisture to condense on the grass, but by the morning, slowly but surely, you've got wet grass. So it is with learning the gospel.
- Just because you've never tried something doesn't mean you're not good at it.
- Heavenly Father has promised us many gifts, It's up to us to discover and develop them. In order to do this we have to try a bunch of stuff.
- Plot twist: I'm actually kinda really good at journaling, planning, and goal setting. I didn't know my WHOLE life because I've never been willing to try them.
No reading assignment because I'm honestly impressed you made it through all that. But here's an invitation: Prayerfully make a list of all the things you've learned since some major event in your life. It's worth it.
Love Y'all!!
No comments:
Post a Comment