Hello Seminary
Students...
Let me see if I can
name you all first... Conner, Raegan, Cody, Zach, Erica, Missy, Nicole,
Michael, Anupam and others, like Abby Donaldson???
The challenges that
are seen as a missionary can be a lot one day and none one day. It really boils
down at the end of the day of what I did was my best and if it wasn't, what can
I do better, because just as God knows your thoughts and heart, Satan knows
your purpose. Where God will give you the chances to do better on what you said
you would do, Satan is over there making you remember why you couldn't do it
yesterday. And honestly the same thing happens in all of life. Believe it or
not, but seminary is one of the main things that prepared me for my
mission.
Here is the nitty
gritty of some of the challenges that I have faced on a mission:
· Awkward
contacts
· Forgetting
to invite (which is to extended a commitment - that is how people are able to
turn to Christ and begin to use repentance)(when our leaders invite you to do
something for the better that is how we can repent and turn to Christ)
· Just
not even thinking its worth to mention about Christ
· Assuming
they don't know English
· Not
testifying
· Silent
tours
· Antis
(Anti-Mormon)
· Sisters
not answering their phones or giving lame excuses
· People
who ask too many questions
· People
who just want the history (of Temple Square)
· Pride
· Selfishness
- (thinking such as these are MY investigators. I don't want to share them with
my companion)
· “Trying”
to be on time
· People
who talk forever on teaching center
· People
who never pick up the phone on teaching center
· Not
being sure when you are feeling the Spirit during a contact/tour/phone call or
not
· Wanting
to just take a really long nap
· Falling
asleep during personal study (this one doesn't surprise me)
· Local
missionaries that don't contact referrals or cannot solve the problem of how to
contact the person themselves
The number one way
for help for any of these problems is the most easiest and simplest thing you
can do: PRAY! Pray for a love of
those people who make you frustrated, pray for those people who didn't answer (the
phone during the teaching center calls) that they will be elect for the next
missionaries that come around, pray for energy, pray to remember what you need
to do. Make that prayer meaningful, make it worth the time you put into
it.
There are other ways
to help these problems, such as: setting goals. Remembering the goals is key to
helping me improve. To think of everyone as a child of God with that limitless
potential that Heavenly Father sees in them. When I fall asleep during personal
study, I get up and get some water and that usually wakes me up. Talking about
the challenges with my companion is another way.
I will be honest, I
have been out 7 months and there are times where I think that another sister will
talk to investigators, another sister will help them find their needs or share
the message. Thinking that way is WRONG. Don’t ever think that someone else will
pick up the slack for you. As a student, as a missionary, and as a human being,
everything God does is for the salvation of mankind. Your hardships = salvation;
your sadness = salvation; your needing to overcome some small or big sin = salvation;
someone letting you know that you have a flaw = salvation; you sharing what
your standards are (GOD'S STANDARDS) = salvation; feelings of guilt = salvation
(so you know that you are wrong and need to do better); your friends ask you
religion questions = salvation; you helping someone = salvation; being kind = salvation;
telling the truth = salvation. Missionary work is salvation for others and the
missionary and for those who support the missionary.
Satan makes
salvation hard, like me not wanting to talk with people or just having chit-chat
conversations, being angry with other sisters, seeing the flaws in people and
holding on to them, not doing those primary answers. That is what makes
salvation hard. For a year and a half, I am in the business of salvation, for
others and… myself at the same time.
Seminary is a great
precursor to your future whether you are going to serve a mission, going to
college, straight to the workforce, or whatever, develop those good salvation
habits now so you can continue to try save yourself, share what you know, and
everyone will have salvation!
Go forth children,
and magnify your callings as students of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You have
been enduring to the end since you were 8 years old, except (Aunupam). You are
doing great for your desire to endure these months of seminary.
Cheers my friends,
see you in 11 months.
:)
Sister Allison
Glanzer
Temple Square
Missionary
September 2016 –
March 2018
Also, if you do serve
a mission, when you get an HQ referral, please contact that person as soon as
you can, and as often as you can, until the Lord has said you can stop and use
your problem solving to figure out who can contact these people, who are the
Lord's people, the Lord's investigators. BYE!
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