Monday, February 25, 2013
Becoming Converted To This Gospel
There's something interesting that we as missionaries have learned from one of our mission leaders. On the other side of the veil, there are spirits of the righteous doing the exact same thing as us who wear the tag. They find, teach, and convert people, all free of any sort of charge. They don't get tired, they don't need to buy things like food or pay for lodgings. So why does the church send out thousands of missionaries every month? Because we, the missionaries, need to become converted to this Gospel.
Sure, we help people. For example, the L family picked up everything and moved two hours away from their nearest family just so they could be closer to the church. Brother L is getting baptized on Saturday, and his wife will follow two weeks after. Their lives will be infinitely blessed by this glorious restored gospel, and yet the same thing could have happened in the spirit world free of charge. I would not trade a single moment with this family for all the treasures on earth.
Another example is Sister N. I've talked about her several times. She chased us away at the beginning, but then progressed to simply tolerating us and (reluctantly) saying recited prayers. Now she'll pray willingly, and the messages she sends to our Heavenly Father are short and sweet. When I listen to her, I can tell she knows who she is talking to.
Being around all these wonderful, humble people are making me question the way I live my life. Why can't I have the faith of Brother L? Why can't I understand my relationship with Heavenly Father like Sister N? But the wonderful thing about this Gospel is that we are all equipped with the ability to change.
One thing I can think of is a caterpillar just when it comes out of it's cocoon. It's a completely new creature. At first, it's unsure of what exactly it is, and so it will just sit there for a while. As for myself, I'm like that caterpillar-just-turned-butterfly. I'm seeing things in a new light, and while I'm eager to learn I'm not sure exactly where--or how--to start. But I know that if I just get on my knees and pray to the Lord I'll be able to get instruction on the way forward.
There was some exciting news in the branch this past week: everyone's passports came through! Several young men have been waiting just for this so they could move forward with their mission papers, and I think the branches are going to be planning a temple trip soon. It's so cool to see their excited faces at the prospect of going to Joberg and getting temple work done, and it makes me so very humbled to know that we in Utah don't have to go to such lengths to attend the temple. Which reminds me--The morning after I get home, I want to go straight to the temple. I don't care which one, I just want to go. Maybe I'll spend the whole day there...
One of the funniest joys I have is trying to describe snow to Malawians. Or just Africans in general. They really don't get the concept of freezing cold all around, and I would trade a year's supply of peanut butter just to see a few of their faces in the dead of a Utah winter. I once was trying to convince one of our Branch missionaries that she would serve her mission on Temple square, and that she would just disappear beneath all the snowdrifts because she's so small. Her eyes were just big and she had very few words to say (a rare occurrence for this sister).
**
I would like to share a bit of something that has really helped me progress as a missionary, as a sister, and even as a human being. Verse four of How Firm a Foundation. I read it, and I had to quickly try to hide my face and the pending tears (because I was in sacrament meeting). Those words really touched me, and I knew that I am not alone in this crazy endeavor. Nobody is. Because the Lord is always with us, no matter what. If nothing else, read through all seven verses of that song, and ponder for a moment the promises the Lord is making to us. I leave you these things in our Savior's name, even Jesus Christ. Amen.
Sister Adams
Monday, February 18, 2013
Things that are good to know in advance...
So this past Sunday, I learned a lot about preparation. There I was, sitting with a lovely family who are preparing to be baptized, playing with their young boy, and somewhat listening to the announcements (which I know by heart now, by the way). They then said the opening hymn and announced my companion as pianist. The direct next words out of brother M's mouth was "and our chorister will be Sister Adams."
I looked up in surprise. They didn't tell me beforehand that I was going to be waving my arms around in front of the congregation. But I shrugged my shoulders and got up to lead the music. It was really no big deal, because I've been a semi-trained singer since I was fifteen. It got me thinking though...
If I hadn't taken choir for all of high school and also college, I would not even know how to read music. And if that had been the case, I would have probably frozen in my seat when my name was called on Sunday (actually I wouldn't even be on mission, but that's a longer story for another day). I've pondered about this experience, and about the purpose of this life.
One day we will be called from this mortal existence, and the time for preparation will have passed. We'll be standing before the judgement bar of God and there won't be a thing we can do to change the way we will be at that point. So it is extremely important that all of us use this life to the fullest, and prepare as best we can to meet our Heavenly Father with no regrets!
About personal revelation: Saturday night, we were making dinner in the flat, and I was putting a package of instant noodles on the stove to cook. I was chatting with my companion about the blessings of serving a mission, and I was looking at my small square of noodles in the pot. I walked out and got the other package I had from the room and walked back in, saying I'd received personal revelation. My companion looked at me like she was impressed, and then I held up the noodles and said "One package will not be enough."
On a serious note though, I have had a bit of revelation. The Lord wants me to learn something in Zambia, and while I'm looking forward to the day President says I'm getting transferred there, I still want to be in Lilongwe for a while longer.
The work here is progressing as always. President P just raised our Zone goal of 26 lessons a week to 28 lessons! It makes me happy that he (and the Lord) has such faith in the way we work, and it shows that he knows we can do it! (Of course, there are some weeks that my companion and I just laugh because we're hitting 30+ lessons a week!)
Love you so much! I'm so happy you are my father for all eternity!
**
Well, the closing remarks of this lesson will be brought to you by Coke, without which my companion would be sprawled on the floor with her scriptures on her face.
To put it in short, God Be With You Til We Meet Again!
Sister Adams
I looked up in surprise. They didn't tell me beforehand that I was going to be waving my arms around in front of the congregation. But I shrugged my shoulders and got up to lead the music. It was really no big deal, because I've been a semi-trained singer since I was fifteen. It got me thinking though...
If I hadn't taken choir for all of high school and also college, I would not even know how to read music. And if that had been the case, I would have probably frozen in my seat when my name was called on Sunday (actually I wouldn't even be on mission, but that's a longer story for another day). I've pondered about this experience, and about the purpose of this life.
One day we will be called from this mortal existence, and the time for preparation will have passed. We'll be standing before the judgement bar of God and there won't be a thing we can do to change the way we will be at that point. So it is extremely important that all of us use this life to the fullest, and prepare as best we can to meet our Heavenly Father with no regrets!
About personal revelation: Saturday night, we were making dinner in the flat, and I was putting a package of instant noodles on the stove to cook. I was chatting with my companion about the blessings of serving a mission, and I was looking at my small square of noodles in the pot. I walked out and got the other package I had from the room and walked back in, saying I'd received personal revelation. My companion looked at me like she was impressed, and then I held up the noodles and said "One package will not be enough."
On a serious note though, I have had a bit of revelation. The Lord wants me to learn something in Zambia, and while I'm looking forward to the day President says I'm getting transferred there, I still want to be in Lilongwe for a while longer.
The work here is progressing as always. President P just raised our Zone goal of 26 lessons a week to 28 lessons! It makes me happy that he (and the Lord) has such faith in the way we work, and it shows that he knows we can do it! (Of course, there are some weeks that my companion and I just laugh because we're hitting 30+ lessons a week!)
Love you so much! I'm so happy you are my father for all eternity!
**
Well, the closing remarks of this lesson will be brought to you by Coke, without which my companion would be sprawled on the floor with her scriptures on her face.
To put it in short, God Be With You Til We Meet Again!
Sister Adams
Monday, February 11, 2013
The magic word this week is Unity
Saturday night I was preparing for bed when my comp and I got a call from President D (of 2nd branch). He asked to speak to me, and asked me if I would be so kind as to give a talk in Sacrament meeting the following day. The topic was unity, he said. I said I would love to, as we had discussed earlier that day about some issues in the branch and it had been my idea to help the members understand about love and *ahem* unity.
As I sat down at my desk to begin writing the talk, I felt the familiar jitters of apprehension that seem to always come with speaking (at one point they came with teaching, but that was really only at the MTC). I absently flipped through Liahona's and Conference magazines, trying to find something that could give me a good idea of how to start. When I picked up one from May 2011, I saw from the YW broadcast a talk that was called "Remember this: Kindness begins with me". Thinking to myself that it looked promising, I turned to the page. (this is where I invite you all to find this particular talk, as it is powerful!)
After I sat down from sharing my thoughts and ponderings on the subject, I felt calm as I prayed the things I shared would be carried to the hearts of those who heard. It is my witness to you that the Holy Ghost does work in the hearts of the people, as long as they are willing to have an open heart.
I found a really nice scripture on Sunday about missionary work. 1 Peter 5:2-4. I was actually reading through the words of Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd, and I was curious about the matching scriptures. These verses are really nice, and I'm making it my goal to be like the undershepherds mentioned in these verses. Its funny--nobody ever mentioned this section to me when giving me missionary scriptures. Now I can pass it on to others!
**
The motivational hymn for the week is Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd (223?). Heavenly Father wants us all to be missionaries as much as we can, and this hymn, as well as the accompanying scriptures, provide some excellent guidelines of how we can do so. I encourage each of you to ponder about the words in the verses, and to apply them to your life where you can. I promise that as you forget about yourself and go out and help others, you'll find a rare sort of happiness (one that I'm still trying to get 24/7!). I love you all,
Sister Adams
As I sat down at my desk to begin writing the talk, I felt the familiar jitters of apprehension that seem to always come with speaking (at one point they came with teaching, but that was really only at the MTC). I absently flipped through Liahona's and Conference magazines, trying to find something that could give me a good idea of how to start. When I picked up one from May 2011, I saw from the YW broadcast a talk that was called "Remember this: Kindness begins with me". Thinking to myself that it looked promising, I turned to the page. (this is where I invite you all to find this particular talk, as it is powerful!)
After I sat down from sharing my thoughts and ponderings on the subject, I felt calm as I prayed the things I shared would be carried to the hearts of those who heard. It is my witness to you that the Holy Ghost does work in the hearts of the people, as long as they are willing to have an open heart.
I found a really nice scripture on Sunday about missionary work. 1 Peter 5:2-4. I was actually reading through the words of Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd, and I was curious about the matching scriptures. These verses are really nice, and I'm making it my goal to be like the undershepherds mentioned in these verses. Its funny--nobody ever mentioned this section to me when giving me missionary scriptures. Now I can pass it on to others!
**
The motivational hymn for the week is Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd (223?). Heavenly Father wants us all to be missionaries as much as we can, and this hymn, as well as the accompanying scriptures, provide some excellent guidelines of how we can do so. I encourage each of you to ponder about the words in the verses, and to apply them to your life where you can. I promise that as you forget about yourself and go out and help others, you'll find a rare sort of happiness (one that I'm still trying to get 24/7!). I love you all,
Sister Adams
Monday, February 4, 2013
Divide and Conquer
Something wonderful happened this past week: the branch in which I'm serving was split! There's about one hundred members in each branch, and the new presidencies are powerful! President D (2nd Branch) has already called about half a dozen people! My comp and I have realized that we weren't transferred because we need to help get these branches on their feet. Because yes, they're doing good in some points, but there are some struggles. But those things happen when the church is just new. And I'm pretty sure that by the time I'm done in Lilongwe I'll know just about all the duties of every auxiliary in the church.
We have a new sister with us! Well, she's not really new, she just got transferred from Blantyre. She is Sister K, from Zimbabwe, and she is what we call a 'Top Shayela' (really fancy person) and we were joking that she will be shocked by the dustiness of the village where she'll work. But we're excited to have her here, and the flat has gotten just a little louder since she came!
This Saturday, I got to have a peek in the life of a Zone Leader. After my comp and I got done in the area (not even after we got done--before we were even finished with our last lesson!) our phone almost blew up with calls! We were asked to help a sister move, and also to pick up the Mtandiri elders, and the Sisters from area 47 and to also drop a branch missionary in area 25 (about a half hour drive on dirt road) , and on top of that we were designated to take a cake to a sister who was having a birthday, and also to help another family get supper. And we were expected to do all this in the 45 minutes we had before the daylight would be gone. I went to bed early that night.
When you get on mission, you learn quickly that little things like a cold don't mean you can stay at home and sleep. President P says when you get a cold, you can either 1) stay at home, drink hot soup, and eat oranges, and your cold will go away in a week; or you can 2) go out and work and it will go away in 7 days. So when I had a cold I didn't really see the point of staying home when I could go out and help other people come unto Christ.
This past week (well, the past several months, actually) I have been able to realize just how much of a blessing it is to have a priesthood holder as my dad. A lot of the young people in the branches are the only members in their families, and so it is kind of hard for them to keep their standards up.
**
The scripture I would like to share with you all in closing is from Doctrine and Covenants, section 121, verses 7 & 8. Read those verses and think about it. Heavenly Father never gives us a challenge that we cannot overcome. So if you are facing something that seems impossible, just remember that our Father in Heaven knows that you can do it. You can go through it. Never forget that.
I love you all so much!
Sister Adams
We have a new sister with us! Well, she's not really new, she just got transferred from Blantyre. She is Sister K, from Zimbabwe, and she is what we call a 'Top Shayela' (really fancy person) and we were joking that she will be shocked by the dustiness of the village where she'll work. But we're excited to have her here, and the flat has gotten just a little louder since she came!
This Saturday, I got to have a peek in the life of a Zone Leader. After my comp and I got done in the area (not even after we got done--before we were even finished with our last lesson!) our phone almost blew up with calls! We were asked to help a sister move, and also to pick up the Mtandiri elders, and the Sisters from area 47 and to also drop a branch missionary in area 25 (about a half hour drive on dirt road) , and on top of that we were designated to take a cake to a sister who was having a birthday, and also to help another family get supper. And we were expected to do all this in the 45 minutes we had before the daylight would be gone. I went to bed early that night.
When you get on mission, you learn quickly that little things like a cold don't mean you can stay at home and sleep. President P says when you get a cold, you can either 1) stay at home, drink hot soup, and eat oranges, and your cold will go away in a week; or you can 2) go out and work and it will go away in 7 days. So when I had a cold I didn't really see the point of staying home when I could go out and help other people come unto Christ.
This past week (well, the past several months, actually) I have been able to realize just how much of a blessing it is to have a priesthood holder as my dad. A lot of the young people in the branches are the only members in their families, and so it is kind of hard for them to keep their standards up.
**
The scripture I would like to share with you all in closing is from Doctrine and Covenants, section 121, verses 7 & 8. Read those verses and think about it. Heavenly Father never gives us a challenge that we cannot overcome. So if you are facing something that seems impossible, just remember that our Father in Heaven knows that you can do it. You can go through it. Never forget that.
I love you all so much!
Sister Adams
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