Proactive and not just Active in the Church - June 30, 2014

Hello Family, 

It's been a long week. It's felt like having two lives in one.

Monday and Tuesday were somewhat draining since we dropped off Sister Chambers at the Church building by the Temple since she finished her mission and went home on Wednesday. Then Sister Done and I continued to get things figured out and set up for the coming days.

That night we had a lesson with Jason and Gaby. We talked about a Baptismal date, and then the law of chastity. They are really having a hard time since the can't get married until her immigration papers go through, and they're afraid to not live together because they don't know how long they have together. It was a very emotional charged lesson. Made my want to bawl my eyes out afterwards. Life can be difficult sometimes. And changing and matching our wills to God's requires sacrifice. Something Gaby said made me think a lot though. She said something along the lines of not wanting to pray to God for her papers to go through because she didn't want to "sway" God's will in a way. Basically, she felt like we were not worthy to ask God for help in our lives for ourselves. We could pray for other people, but she couldn't bring herself to ask God for something that she needed. Sister Done and I got in the car and started talking about it a lot. I know God honors those prayers. It may not always be in the way that we expected, or in the time that we want, but God does hear those prayers. And He answers them. I know that. I know it. It's caused me to reflect a lot on prayer this week in my studies.

Thursday, Sister Done was transferred to Austen, and my new companion came down from Austen. I stayed the day with Sister Clements (my companion from September) and her companions for the day while I waited. It was a weekly planning day as well, so basically I had three hours of personal study and time to fill while they were weekly planning. I didn't know what would be happening, so I didn't bring the area or member book to work on anything, luckily I did bring my Preach My Gospel. Remember when we were little kids and finally got to stay up 'til midnight on New Years Eve? We had so much time! That's what it felt like on Thursday. "First I'll study a little Preach My Gospel, then I'll take a little nap, then I'll read some Book of Mormon, and then the Ensign...ect." Yeah, not use to having that much time on my hands. It was fun to be with Sister Clements for the day again, it's been almost eight months since we were companions...weird how time flies.

My new companion is Sister Greenall from California. She's a visa waiter going to Brazil, so she speaks Portuguese. She has one Sister who's name is not only Danika, but Danika Marie. What are the chances? Hahaha I'm not even sure why I asked about her middle name...had a feeling :) Her Sister just went into the MTC and is heading to the Dallas Texas Mission. 

So about Sister Greenall. She drinks a lot of water. Like four 20oz bottles before lunch. Apparently it started with her last companions...so naturally, I've started to drink more water too because you just do things your companions do. I've had to use the bathroom so much it's not even funny. And that's after a half of a water bottle like hers. It's been helping me stay awake more, I've been nodding off quite a bit lately. You'd think I'd get better at this. Maybe it's just the heat and things. We have been walking a lot more out in the sun. I'm kind'a sore. And we both have been sleeping really hard, well, I have been. I wouldn't know about her, I'm sleeping too hard. She said that she thinks she's met her match in someone who falls asleep faster than her. I do have a talent for that I've been told.

Sister Felix who I live with is training a new missionary this transfer, Sister Winn. We were talking to her yesterday morning at breakfast, and she said that she feels like she's been taken and plopped right in the middle of Hell cause it's so hot, and all they do is walk and talk to people. Sister Greenall and I just looked at each other and smiled hahaha. Summer is here. 

I had the goal to read all of Preach My Gospel in the last two weeks of the Transfer again, and I just finished it. I really like reading it this way, it just brings it all back to the basics, the real stuff. Sharlan told me my first transfer to stop reading Jesus the Christ and to focus on Preach My Gospel and the Book of Mormon. Honestly, I was a bit frustrated by that. I felt like I knew those things. Uhhhh...I would tell any missionary to leave the missionary library at home until you hit your halfway point at least and then have your family send them to you. Or at least leave them in your suitcase and not touch them until your halfway point. Another new missionary (out two months and still in training) told me that she had read all of the Missionary Library already on her mission expect Jesus the Christ, which she was working on now. Not a good idea. I wish I would have left those things alone until I knew Preach My Gospel better. Only the ignorant would say that they know all of the things in Preach My Gospel. On that note...I'm getting on a lot of rants lately...sorry family.

So anyways...I was studying in Preach my Gospel this week, in chapter eight about planning and Key Indicators. We set goals each week as missionaries in a part of our planner that looks like this:

Wow, that was cool that I could put that in there :) to be brief I'll just explain my point, but if you want to learn more about missionary key indicators go here:

https://www.lds.org/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/how-do-i-use-time-wisely?lang=eng 

So I was looking at these and figuring out how I could apply them as a member missionary. Here's what I cam up with (All these of course would be backed up by names of real people, not just doing it for numbers).

Baptism and Confirmation: The number of baptisms I will attend this week (in my ward and stake or others), either as support for the investigators getting baptized, or in taking my friends to the service to see and learn more.

Friends at Church: The number and names of friends I will invite and help come to church with me this week.

Instead of lessons with Members Present I would have

Lessons with the Missionaries: The number of lessons with names of friends I would have with Missionaries teaching, either my own friends, or going with the missionaries to teach other investigators.

Other Lessons: The number of lessons with names of friends (conversations where I would teach a restored truth, bear my testimony and leave a commitment) with people I meet or am already friends with.

Progressing friends: The number and names of friends I am helping progress to baptism, or preparing to take the lessons with the missionaries.

Referrals: The number and names of friends that I have prepared and now feel can be introduced to the missionaries.

New Friends: The number of people I would like to come in contact with this week to eventually become friends and plans for how I will become better friends with them to be able to invite them to learn about the Gospel.

Less-Active/Recent Convert Visits: The number of individuals and families with in the ward  that I will visit and plans for what I will do to help them come closer to Christ.

Some people may think this is creepy or over baring...it's only creepy if we make it creepy. It's only awkward if we make it awkward. Anyways, these are my plans as a member missionary. It's has to start with a plan. So plans all around. I not only want to be active for the rest of my life in the church, but I want to be proactive.  The principles of missionary work are the same where ever we are, they just have to be applied a little differently in our situations. 

The Gospel is so true. And it's important to know it and act accordingly.

I love y'all :)

Hermana Montgomery