March 7th - Happy 20th Birthday to our Missionary!
This week has been a good week! We had so many great adventures
this week. We had MLC this week, and it was such an inspiring meeting.
President Mortensen had us ponder on the question of, " What would we need
to do differently as missionaries in order to double baptisms." As we were
there we were able to council as zone leaders and sister training leaders about
how we could accomplish this. President Mortensen then told us that this is the
new vision that the Lord has in store for our mission! And immediately the
spirit testified to me that this was true! President Mortensen then went on to
explain how the missionary department will be taking our missionary count from
270 to about 200. Now this wasn't to big of a surprise for me because in
previous transfers as an assistant we counseled about which wards we would pull
missionaries from and where we would place the ones we have to still get the
same amount of work done.
But we came together as zones to discuss what we could
commit to in terms of how many baptisms and our efforts with setting dates. And
we felt like for the month of March we could commit to 6 baptisms as a zone. So
that is what we committed to. And so we continued to council and discuss what kind
of efforts it would take in order to accomplish the new vision that the Lord
has for our mission. And at the end President Mortensen said to us, " this
might sound arbitrary but I want each of you to say your committed if your
in." And he proceeded to go around the room 1 missionary at a time, and
each missionary then said they were committed. At this point again the spirit
filled the room and testified to us this is what we needed to do. So I am
excited for what the Lord has in store.
After the meeting I sat pondering on the best way that we
could take this back to the zone. This was exciting to hear, but at the same
time you felt this wonderful burden upon you to make sure you could present it
well to our zone. So I continued pondering and my thoughts went to some
of the great missionaries we read about in the scriptures.
I started reading
through Alma 17 and 26, describing the way that they prepared themself, and as
well as the success they were able to have. Well I pondered on this over the
next several days, and little by little I felt I was able to receive revelation
of ways that were could share it. Elder DeLuca and I counseled about what we
wanted to accomplish and how we would go about teaching it powerfully. And we
truly were able to feel the Lords help. And we felt that as we got up on Friday
to teach that we were able o help elevate the vision of the zone. The spirit
truly was strong this week as we taught.
It was also a testimony builder to me
because this week as I have looked back through the baptisms that took place
over the last year here in the Klein zone, I found that we averaged to 2-3
baptisms a month. Well this was exciting to me because like I said before
during MLC we committed that 6 would happen. And so we can see that the Lord is
having this doubling baptisms take place! Right now for March we have a
potential of having 9 people baptized into the church! How exciting is that!
The Lord is truly hastening his work!
But we also knew that the meeting
would not be enough to get this change to take place. It would take
consistent follow up and accountability through our district leaders and the
zone. So that is now what we are working on in order to elevate ourselves to a
higher level of commitment.
Also this week we were able to meet with our investigator
Brenda. And she told us earlier in the week that she was ready and excited to
be baptized at the end of the month. She said she was ready to be baptized for
a remission of sins and feel clean again! We are so excited for her!
We met
with her yesterday also and when we first arrived she said, I have kinda a
weird question for yall that is kinda off topic. But I hear so much about the
temple but I have no idea what it is. And then Elder DeLuca and I just
looked at each other and smiled. We came prepared that day to teach about family
history and temple work. As we told that to Brenda and the spirit began to fill
the room.
We taught about the importance of baptism and how it is needed in
order for us to return home and live with God. It is the "key" that
can unlock the gate that leads to him. And we asked her about everyone else in
the world who had died with out a knowledge of Christ and his gospel. How would
they get that key? And she just looked at us and said I am not sure, but I feel
like the Lord would provide a way for them.
We then testified that he would and
we talked about how in the spirit world they have that opportunity to learn
about the gospel. But because they don't have bodies they can't be baptized.
And we then talked about the temple and about baptisms for the dead. We talked
about her ancestors and how she holds that "key" for her ancestors
salvation. And the spirit was so strong and she felt it! What a wonderful
blessing it was to be able to teach her about the temple! By the end of the
lesson she could not stop smiling! It was amazing.
Well to finish the week, we were out knocking doors for
almost 2 straight hours in the rain! We knew with this new vision that we had to make sure we are still out finding. And we knocked over 30 houses on this long
street, and each of them said they would not listen to us, and many of them
were in all honesty very rude. But door after door we kept going because we
knew what our message could mean for a family. We knew that we would find
someone who was being prepared.
We finished knocking all the houses on
the street. We were very wet by the time we had finished and on top of that as
we were walking back to our car a police officer pulled up. Someone had called
the cops and said that there were two guys dressed in dark slacks and coats who
were going door to door. But this is where the Lord blessed us, we tried to
still be as happy as we could, and the cop got out, and it turns out that she
was a member. She looked at us and laughed and said so you are the two guys who
are going door to door? We laughed and said we are, we are trying to find those
who the Lord has prepared.
She saw how wet we were, and she said that
there was no problem with what we were doing. She let us go, and we continued
back to our car. It was a tender mercy that she was a member. I have had other
times on my mission where cops are called and they aren't always the nicest.
But we went home that night knowing that we had done all we could that day to
find who was prepared.
It could have been so easy to just give up half way
through, and go back to the car. it could have been so easy to say the people
here aren't interested, and it is too cold and wet, but the fact is the message of
the restoration is far to important. I know how important this message
is to the world. I know of the power and the peace that it can bring to the
lives of families.
It truly is a joyful burden that we are blessed to be able
to carry to the world! At times it may get rough, but the Lord will always be
there to help lift our burdens as we come unto him. I know this to be true! We
are all blessed to be able to be instrument in the Lord's hands in bringing
souls unto Christ. I love this gospel, and I know it is true.
Please continue to do all you can to share it with friends
or family. I know as you do so it will bless your life forever. And know that
you truly do have the Lord on your side and he will guide you on what to say
and what to do. I testify of that!!
Well I hope y'all have a great week!
Elder Joshua V. Christensen
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