Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2013 11:43:13 AM
Subject: "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear"
Hey Family!
So tomorrow is transfers again, so thats why I'm writing on Tuesday again. I cannot believe this transfer is already over. It seems like it just started. But wow, what a past 6 weeks it has been. I have definitely been stretched in many ways and I have learned so much.
I found out that I will be training a new missionary starting tomorrow. I will be staying in St. Marys. I am so excited to do that! At first, I was a little scared and felt inadequate, but I remembered D&C 38:30 "if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." So I realize, yes I am inadequate, I think we are always inadequate in the Lord's service, but that doesn't matter because the Lord has prepared us to do what He calls us to do, so I know I can do it. But that scripture is so much of what I learned this week.
I realized last week that in terms of the work here, we have kind of been going in circles. Just doing the same thing over and over again...(going to a city, stopping by potential investigators who usually aren''t there or dont live there anymore). So I realized we need to do things differently. We started to do that this week. We stopped by a nursing home to volunteer and see when we could come sing hymns and talk with people there, we stopped by several funeral homes and added our names to clergy that could be called, and we started tracting more.
Weston sent me some awesome tips on tracting that we practiced and applied this week. It was so helpful. So things are getting better and changing!
At one door, we were talking with this guy named Ron, he told us he wasn't interested because he had a church. I felt prompted to tell him a little bit about Joseph Smith. I told him how Joseph was confused as to what church to join and didn't know what to do, so he prayed and asked God. Then Heavenly Father appeared to him with Jesus Christ and answered his prayer. He was so interested, he kept saying, "Really?!" and after I finished, he said "Wow, that is amazing. You just gave me the goose bumps!" He was excited to have us come back and tell him more. So we are going back tonight!
We had a lot of success tracting this week, which is not a usual thing. I am so confident that it came from our studies and practices in the morning. We did role plays of door approaches and read through Weston's tips and we prepared. Then we were blessed with success because we prepared. There really is so much power in being prepared.
Last night we had a great lesson with a less active man. He told us why he had left the church and his concerns. I felt like all we could do was listen. So I listened. After he told us his story and concerns, I felt exactly what I needed to share with him. We bore sincere testimony to him that God loves him and will guide him and answer his prayers as he seeks him. It was sad to hear about his downfall, but I know he can come back. He knows too. It is always amazing to leave a lesson feeling the approval of Heavenly Father knowing we did out part. It's up to the person to act, but we just invite.
I am so excited to train and to help a new missionary get started off the right way. I am so excited to work hard and be 100% obedient together. I know even more miracles are just waiting to happen here in St. Marys! There is so much power in preparing.
I love this. I can't believe I am 1/4 of the way done with my mission. I am terrified of finishing. There really is nothing else in the world I want to do or even want to think about. I know that this is truly the work of the Savior. Nothing else could change me like this is. It's easy to get distracted on other things, but He really is the center of all we do. I love Him so much.
Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Elder Heath Tenney
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