Hello one and all!
(Today's title an iconic quotation from Sister Price. Thanks for coming.)
Alright, before we get into our normal routine, I figure I better update you on the COVID situation. We are doing a lot better! We still have to be very careful because if we go too hard at any point we will be set back in our recovery. Keep us in your prayers! This is an interesting version of missionary work and my only hope is that our area and work can continue to progress even while we're in this condition. Pray for the Lord to do His miracles, because He will.
LA LOVE:
I'm bad at answering texts on a good day, so let me just say my ignoring texts game is STELLAR with corona.
Here in the California Los Angeles Mission as with missionaries all over the world, we have the privilege of receiving a lot of new missionaries during this pandemic time. However, that also means that these poor missionaries are being thrown into a mission--and a zone--with a quirky culture of its own, with no explanation. Elder Jones sends the snowman emoji randomly, Sister Day speaks French randomly, and we all say "la pina" on every Congratulations Call, and that's just the way things are. We only realize these things are weird when one of the new missionaries has to ask why we're doing this.
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
It was a tiring p-day. Corona. I'll leave it at that.
New transfer new us! The zone hasn't yet changed from last transfer so it can sometimes feel like nothing happened, but this is actually my last transfer. That's a sad thought honestly but it's all good, because the work of the Lord is moving onward and I still get to be a part of it!
We had a great district council about the importance of the doctrine of Christ, how this needs to always be the focus of our studies as missionaries. I loved getting to hear my fellow laborers testify of the simple truths of the gospel. Some of my favorite comments made were Sister Nault nothing that only when Cathryn understood repentance did she desire to be baptized so that is what makes all the difference in our friends preparing to make covenants, and Elder Judd testifying that the promises the Lord makes to people who follow Him are real. I know this is all true as well. The doctrine of Christ is the way, and there is no other way! (2 Nephi 31:21)
We had a great zone conference this week. We all learned so much. We learned about creatve finding and about the joy of repentance. One of my favorite parts, though, was learning about how we can acess the power behind the authority of our calling by relying on revelation from God. If I know anything, it is that mine is a sacred calling! There is nothing quite like being a missionary for the Lord. I know we have a special power granted to us to preach the Lord's gospel, and when we rely on Him, we have access to it! There is nothing I want more.
We had a great mission prep class this week! It was Elder Arnold and Elder Utley's first time teaching the class, and they felt prompted to invite Diana to join us! (Elder Arnold and Elder Utley are covering Redondo 2nd so it is the same Diana I used to teach.) We talked about the priesthood authority and it was the first time Diana had really understood how the priesthood was lost and then restored! It was the most amazing thig to witness. God definitely knows the best way to reach all of His children.
Another great session of Makeup with the Sisters with a blue and orange summer look as requested by Diana!
We had a super great fireside this week featuring musical numbers by some elders of the CLAM and bestselling author Liz Wiseman about how to be an effective leader!
FRIENDS:
Tomm has progressed so much this week. He is learning more about repentance every day and is starting to realize that everything in the gospel comes back to repentance. We talked about the power of the Savior's Atonement, different ways God answers prayers and why, why obedience to the commandments is important, and what the Book of Mormon is! Our man is thriving out here!
Khiara learned about the World of Wisdom this week and she LOVED it. She really understood why God commands us to take care of our bodies. She is glowing and so prepared for baptism in a month. We love her so much!
Everyone, this week was crazy with Craig. We finally told him that the reason he isn't getting an answer to his prayer on what to do now that he has accepted Christ is because he is not willing to accept the answer. We told him that he has repented a lot, and once we repent the next thing to do is be baptized. We had a super hardcore prayer session with him right in the middle of the lesson. It was spiritually exhilarating. President Nelson always talks about how thrilling it is to labor with the Spirit for personal revelation and I definitely learned that he is right. We were praying about a specific day that he needed to be baptized, and the date August thirteenth jumped out at me, like it was screaming, like it was urgent. It seemed like an odd date, but who am I to say no to the Spirit of the Lord? I proposed the date to Craig. We invited him to pray about it until we met up next. We said a prayer right after the lesson and the Spirit told us that we instead needed to do something to increase Craig's faith. So we taught about the Word of Wisdom. This was a tough love lesson for sure. We told him the truth: this is a way to increase our faith and show our love for the Lord, and HE CAN do it. We told him to decide on a day to be following the Word of Wisdom entirely. In shock, I realized that was the date that August thirteenth REALLY was supposed to be--the day by which Craig would be fully following the Word of Wisdom. God works in beautiful and mysterious ways. He agreed to start giving it a try.
We talked about how prayer and scripture study help us be more receptive to the Holy Ghost with Cathryn, and invited her to participate in the prayer inventory activity in the fourth chapter of Preach My Gospel! She loved it!
To end today, I just wanted to say a word about the new and improved version of missionary work. Missionary work is happening primarily online right now. I fear some people think this is temporary due to current circumstances, or, as President would call it, "survival mode." I want to make it clear to you that this is rather what President Cordon would call "discipleship mode--adaptation." This is what missionary work has become. This is what we do now. This is our new normal. The Lord is making wonderful things happen even during the current circumstances. It is working wonderfully well, so while missionaries will in fact go outside again eventually and do in-person proselyting work, we will not go back to a less effective way of working. We will do in-person AND online proselyting. Why do one when you can do both? As the Lord said in Doctrine and Covenants 88:72-73:
"Behold, and lo, I will take care of your flocks, and will raise up elders [and sisters] and send unto them.
Behold, I will hasten my work in its time."
I testify in His name, with the sacred calling that I hold, that Jesus is the Christ, He lives, and we, the missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and doing His work.
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day
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