I just love that phrase. Someone mentioned in church yesterday and I fell in love. It's so good and so true! Being Christ-like is a never-ending process, one we are working on daily, whether that is ministering to our family, our co-workers, our friends, or even strangers. We need to minister, or help out, or teach, or do something Christ like everyday to at least one person that is not ourselves. Turn outward, not inward, and you will find more blessings than you would if you had turned inward!!
Here is something that I noticed yesterday. Look at the word REPENTANCE. Now rearrange the word to find other words. Wanna know what I found?
Peace: a feeling that comes from repenting
Tear: the things that come from your eyes as you feel godly sorrow
Reap: you reap the blessings of repentance
Near: you get closer to God and Christ as you repent
Can't: something Satan tells you when you recognize the need for it.
So cool, right?! I just had to share that with you all. So I only kind of payed attention to the first part of the lesson yesterday, but I thought this was a good thing to be thinking about. And I did participate, so yeah. But pay attention in lessons!
Okay THE coolest thing is happening in my mission!! President Batt received this revelation back in July, but is just putting it into effect now. It's called flooding the mission with the Book of Mormon. Doesn't that just sound awesome? IT IS!! So our goal is to place a BoM in every home. Yeah, EVERY home. And the way we are doing that is picking the centerpoint of our area and starting with the roads there and knocking on every door, testifying of the Book of Mormon and giving a copy to every home. It's really hard because not everyone is home, but it's so good. So good. And I am so excited that it's happening now, because I will see the effects of it as my mission progresses, and I will be able to see this revelation develop and prophecies be fulfilled!!
The Book of Mormon talks about how I need to use it to persuade the descendants of the Lamanites to come to Christ and know of it's truth, and this is how we are able to do it. I am so excited! And in talking with Sandra Schreiter the day before, she said the coolest thing! She said that back when she was a teenager, President Kimball (who was an apostle at the time) promised the people of Kirtland that a temple would be built by twin peaks (two mounds of dirt about a mile away from my area). Yeah, a temple in this small town!! And that could be one of the blessings that come from flooding the area with a Book of Mormon. Is that not the coolest thing you have ever heard?? I could not be more excited about this!!
But it's hard to give Books of Mormon to people. A lot of people before we can even testify say oh we're already this religion or we're okay, and then tell us to have a good day and close the door. But fear not, we shall give them some time and then try again!! Yep that's what we do as missionaries...stalk people and then knock on their doors. Literally, we know when a person is home based on what cars are there and what time they usually come home...it's pretty creepy if you think about it.
Okay so you all need to do everything you can to not interfere with the missionaries. That sounds horrible but let me explain. One of our investigators on date, has a friend who is a member. She comes to lessons a lot, which is great! Don't get me wrong, there's such a power when members come to lessons. But when the missionaries extend committments please don't water it down. Like when we asked .... if she would come to church, Sis. .... waited a second or two and then said but you only have to come to one hour. FALSE!!! She has to come to all 3 hours for 4 out of 6 weeks to be baptized!! And think about the future: if you tell her she only has to come to one hour, that will make a habit of one hour only for a long time, which will make her less active because soon she'll only stay for the sacrament and leave! Maybe not that drastic, but really though!
And when the missionaries sit in silence, don't say anything, no matter how much you want to. That silence is a time for the Spirit to really work on someone and really help them feel the Spirit. A lot of times, members think they are "lessening the blow" of the commitment we extend. But there's a difference when you say "will you be baptized on April 26th" and "would you maybe think about being baptized sometime."
Now missionaries aren't perfect either...we mess up and the members can save us! But watering down does nothing for them. Remember that ETERNAL SALVATION is what's at stake here, and these commitments they're making will affect their eternity. If you want to see them in the celestial kingdom, don't water it down, don't lessen the blow. Be bold!! And don't be afraid.
2 Timothy 1:7 says: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
Okay sorry about my ranting on my high horse, but it's really frustrating. Please, continue to go out with the missionaries and invite your friends to do things! Just be bold when doing so and really see them as the person God intends them to be.
Oh we went on exchanges this week! That means that the Sister Training Leaders went out with my companion and I. So Sis. Nava and I went to my area for half the day while Sis. Baird and my companion, Sis. Farnsworth, went to the Sister Training Leader's area. It was awesome! And then we switched, so Sis. Nava and I went to her area and yeah. While we were in her area, we met a lady who had 3 dogs and was talking about them needing to be groomed. So Sis. Nava decided to say "Sister Garcia is a professional dog groomer." What!? So I decided to just go with it and was like yeah I am. And then I got scared the lady would ask me to groom her dog right then so I told her I only worked with short haired dogs. And then she asked me what the difference was, which made Sis. Nava start laughing even harder, and I explained that short hair is shorter and long hair was longer. Old ladies are funny like that. But I'm just glad that doesn't usually happen.
Well folks I'm out of time! Your challenge for this week is to read Elder M. Russell Ballard's talk from last conference, called "Put Your Trust in the Lord" and then apply it to your life...meaning act on whatever part sticks out to ya!
And the scripture from my studies this week is Mosiah 7:33 - "But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage."
Love you all lots and lots and LOTS! Thank you for everything you do for me and for the Lord and for His children!!
Sister Courtney Garcia
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