The Errand of Angels: Week 4 Share a learning moment with Deba this week.

Hi Everyone!.

 

I absolutely love being a missionary!

 

This week we talked with a lot of people. We found new investigators at CVS, in the laundry room, and while doing "inspired" door knocking (aka: tracting). We had a door semi-slammed in our face and then found a new investigator right afterwards. To be honest, the tracting is kind of fun... going to someone's door that you feel inspired to go to, knocking, sharing a message about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and asking people to meet again. We found a great investigator that way this week. We felt inspired to say that he would find "the home he is looking for in the gospel and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He said that "you are seeing into my soul." God blesses his missionaries and those trying to do missionary work and help others with the Spirit of discernment of what to say as we simply open our mouths (our mouths will be filled).

I cannot emphasize this enough, VISITING TEACHING AND HOME TEACHING IS SO IMPORTANT. For those who don't know, Visitng Teaching and Home Teaching is essentially assignments to visit others in your congregation at least once a month to see  how they are doing, share a spiritual message, and essentially watch over the family. Yes, that was in all caps. Why? Because visiting teachers and home teachers are needed more than maybe we realize. God established visiting teaching and home teaching. We need to report numbers for those (remember, people are attached to a number). Why? Because it is important. After seeing what I have seen as a missionary in regard to visiting and home teaching, I will never (hopefully) doubt again the need for these divinely inspired church callings. People need you and love it when you visit. You can make a huge difference.

 

We have had beautiful experiences the past week sharing a Scripture: Mosiah 24:10-17 (http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/mosiah/24.10-17?lang=eng#9). Here is what we had the opportunity to testify of:

Story background: The people of Alma and put into bondage/Slavery by Amulon's kingdom. You can think of this similar to the people of Moses in bondage to the Egyptians before their deliverance. The people desire to be delivered, and ask God to bring them deliverance.

vs. 10:

• God hears our prayers, especially mighty prayers. Why? Because He loves us and cares about us. We are His children.
• Prayer sometimes (and many times) should be mighty. One way to do a mighty prayer is to 1. Address our Heavenly Father; 2. Give gratitude for all the blessings you have seen recently, especially those related to answers to previous prayers, and acknowledge that all blessings come from God; 3. Pray for what your heart desires/questions; 4. Explain why you are praying for these things (e.g. Please bless Joe to have his heart open to praying to know there is a God. I feel like this blessing is important to him because he doesn't know there is a God, and he is so frustrated by being "lost" in life and not knowing his purpose. The knowledge that there is a God will help him open his eyes to an appreciation of Thee and the opportunity for further knowledge with the gospel of Jesus Christ and what he can do to find purpose and return back to Thee); 5. Close, "In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

vs. 11

• The people are forbidden to pray? That would be so difficult.

vs. 12

• Always pour out your heart to God, even if it isn't in a kneeling and/or audible prayer. God knows your thoughts and desires. As you continue to pour out your heart to him all the day long, it shows Him how much you truly desire to communicate with Him.

vs. 13

• God will answer our prayers. It may not necessarily be in the way or time that we would like or expect, but He will.
• I know that God can help deliver us from all our trials. How do I know this? Because He loves us and sent His son, Jesus Christ, to experience all our pains, sicknesses, trials, temptations and pay for all of our sins (see Alma 7:11-12http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/7.11-12?lang=eng#10). The deliverance can come in many ways. Two ways that I think is strengthening us through are trials and actually delivering us (both examples you will see in this story. I know that we can handle all our trials, temptations, and commands of God. I am glad this knowledge is all throughout the scriptures (1 Corinthians 10:13 http://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/1-cor/10.13?lang=eng#12and 1 Nephi 3:7 http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/3.7?lang=eng#6).
• God promises the people of Alma that He will deliver them. He also mentions that He will do this because of the covenant that they have made with Him and He has made with them. A covenant is a two-way promise with God, where you promise to do something and God promises to bless you. How can the covenants you have made (e.g. baptism) put you in a place to be blessed/receive deliverance from trials.

vs. 14

• The first deliverance that the people of Alma experience is having strength through their trials. God doesn't take away the trials, but strengthens their trials and burdens so that they are easy to bear. I think that is beautiful and something we need to always remember. God may choose to not take away trials immediately or even during our lifetime, but He will strengthen us through our trials as we turn to Him.
• God says He does this so the people can stand as witnesses that God does visit His people during their trials. The scriptures are a witness of so many things, and I know that principle is one of them. Also, I know that God gives us similar experiences for us, our posterity, and those we interact with. Write down your experiences and treasure them. Share them with others as you feel so inclined and prompted. You can stand as a witness as well of God's goodness.

vs. 15

• I love how the people submitted cheerfully and with patience to the will of God. I feel like a lot blessings come in life as we allow God to lead us and as we put our trust in Him, nothing wavering. One of those blessings is strength and increased faith during trials.

vs. 16

• As the people of Alma endured through their trials, being strengthened by God, and not loosing faith in Him, that is when God chose to deliver them. Sometimes we need to learn how to rely on God during our trials, or learn something else, before He may choose to deliver us.

vs. 17

• And then God brought deliverance. He worked through someone else to do that. Many times people are inspired to help others (essentially to be God's angels on earth). And God went with them with the deliverance. God will show us the way that we must go to deliver us. He helped the people find the deliverance, just as He will help us.

I know that God is great. I know that He loves us. I know that He gave us the scriptures to learn from and find answers to our questions and comfort to our hearts and minds. I know that God will answer your prayers.

The picture is of a baptism that took place just a couple days after I arrived in Tampa. The woman in the picture played a prank of me and had me do the hokey pokey when I entered her home (she said that everyone has to do that the first time they visit). Now its a inside joke. She is super funny and absolutely a treasure. I am grateful to know her.

Thank you all for your wonderful support!

My challenge for this week: 1. Do your visiting teaching and home teaching, 2. Read and study Mosiah 24:10-17 and strive to apply it to your life. Pray before you read it to learn and then write down promptings you receive. 3. Remember to thank God for those promptings and for the comfort.

From, Sister Jenkins