Fredis was baptized! And he was so happy!
So we had a conference with Elder Zivic from the area presidency on Friday. It was really good. One of my favorite parts was him describing how the apostles make our mission calls. He got to sit in with Pres. Eyring once. Our picture we send pops up on the screen, and he peruses the info and prays over each one of us: "Heavenly Father, please tell me where this sister should go." And maybe he'll feel impressed about the area, and will say, "Hmm, Area Caribe, but which mission?" and he prays again. Elder Zivic said, "We like to see smiling missionary candidates! Smile in your pictures!" So to all you future missionaries: Remember to smile!
Elder Zivic also sent out some papers for the missionaries to help us get to work. One of them is about purifying ourselves so that we can be guided exactly by the Spirit and teach with authority AND the power of the Spirit. The document is taken from a letter from a stake president to his sons in the mission field. He said that they were in a lesson and finished testifying about the Restoration when a member that was with them bore his testimnoy at the end too. he says, 'He said the exact same words we did, but he said them with power. The Spirit filled the room and we began to weep.' This was disconcerting for him. Why was the testimony of the other man so different?
Later, he was in a training with a well-know (and unnamed) general authority who taught with such power, he decided he wanted to teach that way too. He managed to get a moment with him alone, and asked what he could do to be that way. He said that this general authority looked him in the eyes for about a minute without saying anything. He began to feel uncomfortable. But then the GA said, "Elder, when the pretty girls in the street pass by, what do you think of? Have you ever made a sarcastic comment to your junior companion? Are you following all of the mission rules?" And he continued with a list of questions about the conduct of this elder. He said, "These things offend the Spirit, and you need the Spirit to teach with power." He then told him a way to purify himself.
You start a fast for one day. During this fast you pray to know what behaviors or habits you need to give up. You write a list of every one. You pray, making a covenant with the Lord that you will not do any of these things for the next 40 days. If you mess up during that time, you pray about it to the Lord, analyze why you did, plan how to avoid it, and pray for strength to be able to follow through.
When the elder began his list, he realized how hard this would be, because he immediatly had the desires to do these things as he was writing them! (I realized how hard this would be as I read this story). There were things he didn't want to put on the list, like not playing golf on P-Day, but he realized that he obsessed about playing golf the other days of the week when he did that. But during the 40 days, his desires to do these things faded away.
At the end of the 40 days, he felt impressed to add to their pray before leaving the house to proselyte, "Lord we are now doing everything we can to live the Gospel and be worthy of the Spirit. We are in thy hands, direct us to do thy work." In their first appointment, their investigator began to say he could not make it to his baptismal date because he did not believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet. What the elder said next did not come from him, he said, "That is not true. Your real fear is that your mother will not aprove of you joining the 'Mormon' church. The Lord wants you to be baptized and it is necessary that you do so. I promise you that your entire family will accept the gospel through your example." This stake president said that he knew nothing about this man's mother, he had barely mentioned her once. But the investigator began to cry, and promised to be baptized the following Saturday. In 8 weeks, 16 people were baptized by these elders, thias was not common in their mission. They felt changed, they were sensitive to spiritual impressions and feelings during prayers, hymns, talks, scripture study. He said they were truly occupying all of their time to serve th people, and the trials of the people hurt them deeply.
Spirtuallu purifying yourself is scary. Why? Because we have to give up all of our will to the Lord. And you have to trust, that he is going to take care of you, and it will be better than your idea of what is best for you. Reading this story was a moving experience, because I knew that the Lord needs us to do this. And it was also terrifying. But after going to our lessons after reading this, and feeling how weak the Spirit is in our lessons, I have a better attitude. Because I want these people to make it. I want them to know what I know, and have what I have. And I am running out of time to give it to them. I've only got 4 months left.
So I'l let you know what happens after fast Sunday!
Take care, enjoy the slight drop in temperature!
Hna. J.
So we had a conference with Elder Zivic from the area presidency on Friday. It was really good. One of my favorite parts was him describing how the apostles make our mission calls. He got to sit in with Pres. Eyring once. Our picture we send pops up on the screen, and he peruses the info and prays over each one of us: "Heavenly Father, please tell me where this sister should go." And maybe he'll feel impressed about the area, and will say, "Hmm, Area Caribe, but which mission?" and he prays again. Elder Zivic said, "We like to see smiling missionary candidates! Smile in your pictures!" So to all you future missionaries: Remember to smile!
Elder Zivic also sent out some papers for the missionaries to help us get to work. One of them is about purifying ourselves so that we can be guided exactly by the Spirit and teach with authority AND the power of the Spirit. The document is taken from a letter from a stake president to his sons in the mission field. He said that they were in a lesson and finished testifying about the Restoration when a member that was with them bore his testimnoy at the end too. he says, 'He said the exact same words we did, but he said them with power. The Spirit filled the room and we began to weep.' This was disconcerting for him. Why was the testimony of the other man so different?
Later, he was in a training with a well-know (and unnamed) general authority who taught with such power, he decided he wanted to teach that way too. He managed to get a moment with him alone, and asked what he could do to be that way. He said that this general authority looked him in the eyes for about a minute without saying anything. He began to feel uncomfortable. But then the GA said, "Elder, when the pretty girls in the street pass by, what do you think of? Have you ever made a sarcastic comment to your junior companion? Are you following all of the mission rules?" And he continued with a list of questions about the conduct of this elder. He said, "These things offend the Spirit, and you need the Spirit to teach with power." He then told him a way to purify himself.
You start a fast for one day. During this fast you pray to know what behaviors or habits you need to give up. You write a list of every one. You pray, making a covenant with the Lord that you will not do any of these things for the next 40 days. If you mess up during that time, you pray about it to the Lord, analyze why you did, plan how to avoid it, and pray for strength to be able to follow through.
When the elder began his list, he realized how hard this would be, because he immediatly had the desires to do these things as he was writing them! (I realized how hard this would be as I read this story). There were things he didn't want to put on the list, like not playing golf on P-Day, but he realized that he obsessed about playing golf the other days of the week when he did that. But during the 40 days, his desires to do these things faded away.
At the end of the 40 days, he felt impressed to add to their pray before leaving the house to proselyte, "Lord we are now doing everything we can to live the Gospel and be worthy of the Spirit. We are in thy hands, direct us to do thy work." In their first appointment, their investigator began to say he could not make it to his baptismal date because he did not believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet. What the elder said next did not come from him, he said, "That is not true. Your real fear is that your mother will not aprove of you joining the 'Mormon' church. The Lord wants you to be baptized and it is necessary that you do so. I promise you that your entire family will accept the gospel through your example." This stake president said that he knew nothing about this man's mother, he had barely mentioned her once. But the investigator began to cry, and promised to be baptized the following Saturday. In 8 weeks, 16 people were baptized by these elders, thias was not common in their mission. They felt changed, they were sensitive to spiritual impressions and feelings during prayers, hymns, talks, scripture study. He said they were truly occupying all of their time to serve th people, and the trials of the people hurt them deeply.
Spirtuallu purifying yourself is scary. Why? Because we have to give up all of our will to the Lord. And you have to trust, that he is going to take care of you, and it will be better than your idea of what is best for you. Reading this story was a moving experience, because I knew that the Lord needs us to do this. And it was also terrifying. But after going to our lessons after reading this, and feeling how weak the Spirit is in our lessons, I have a better attitude. Because I want these people to make it. I want them to know what I know, and have what I have. And I am running out of time to give it to them. I've only got 4 months left.
So I'l let you know what happens after fast Sunday!
Take care, enjoy the slight drop in temperature!
Hna. J.