This week went well, more or
less. We didn't get as many MP's, mainly due to investigators failing their
appointments, but we were able to teach a nice number of lessons overall. We
got 5 at Sacrament this week; the Swiss Sisters didn't come for some reason
(will find out Wednesday) and a few of the others were either sick or had a
football tournament (the 3 new guys, Daniel, Albert, and Commodore; darn).
Williams did come though! We've been teaching him for a week or two, and he
finally came. It was nice; during Priesthood opening exercises, our Bishop
invited all the new people to stand, and when Williams stood, he asked where he
stayed. He then assigned a member to fellowship him on the spot, and assigned
the Elder's Quorum President to take note of it and follow up with the brother
during the week. The brother was then assigned to make sure to help Williams
come next week. It was cool; if that would happen each week, and they would
follow through with it, we would be baptizing an estimate of 5 people every 2
weeks. No joke; the only reason why we're having such a hard time is we need
help from the Ward to fellowship. That's the difference in missionary work, and
that's what we've been begging and working with to get going here. Once they
learn how to sacrifice a small amount of their time and phone credit, this Ward
will grow rapidly. We also have the list of potential Ward Missionaries turned
in to Bishop, so that should 'come to pass' within the next week or so, we're
hoping.
We're doing well. E. John-Bull knows much of the doctrine, so we're able to work well and teach effectively. We're still adjusting to each others' teaching styles - he likes to toss a whole lot of doctrine onto them, I like to ask questions and use the scriptures to make sure they understand a principle before moving on. Overall, though, it's going well, so we just need to work on adjusting to each other. We're doing Role-Plays in District Council again (we haven't for a long time now) so that should help things as well.
I'll put Pres.'s letter here and then make a few comments of my own:
" Dear Elders and Sisters:
My message today has to do with how we talk to and how we talk about those with whom we serve. Many years ago when President Gordon B. Hinckley was speaking to a group of Regional Representatives (today known as Area Seventies) he taught:
Perhaps I can say in this company that on one occasion I received a great shock from my mission president. I was his assistant at the time. Some of the Saints in the district had with tremendous effort put on a great program. I suggested to my mission president that we write a letter of thanks to these people for what they had done. His response was, "We do not thank people in the Church for doing their duty." That was the only thing I ever disagreed with him about. I believe we should thank people. I think that thanks should be genuine and sincere, as it well can be when there is honest effort and dedicated service. (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, pp. 247-248)
I hope each of us take the time to express our appreciation to our companions, fellow missionaries, and others with whom we serve and associate. The relationships we develop in the mission field will be some of the most important friendships we will ever have. These relationships are not simply random events. The Lord has placed us with one another for for a divine purpose. Many of these purposes will not be known for many years to come. Take the time to nurture your relationships with your companions and others. There are lessons the Lord intends us to learn from one another we may miss if we allow our relationships to lose the spirit of the Lord. This can be especially true for those who have companionships were there are differences. This usually means there are important lessons the Lord would have you learn from one another.
My mission president taught me, "only strangers are perfect, our friends we know all too well." The more time we spend with someone, the more we come to know their weaknesses as well as their strengths. This is true for even the greatest among us. The Savior taught that, "A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house" (Matthew 13:57). One of the problems I see among missionaries is that sometimes we pass along stories about one another that we are not authorized to share. Such a practice is to be guilty of gossip. We should never speak evil of one another or spread rumor or gossip. It has been my observation that the gossip that sometimes circulates in the mission is simply not true. While there may on occasion be a part of the story that is true, much of what is being said has been exaggerated and has become a part of the adversary's plan to hurt us. Please do not gossip about one another, especially about missionaries that are being described as being guilty of serious sin. One of the reasons we do this is that doing so makes our own sins and weaknesses appear not so serious. It is my duty as the mission president to investigate these rumors from time to time and to provide correction if necessary, but these are duties of the mission president and not the missionary. Remember what the Lord said to the ancient Israelites: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" (Exodus 20:16). Even if what you know is true, do not be the one who who is guilty of gossip.
President N. Eldon Tanner, formerly of the First Presidency once said:
Gossip is the worst form of judging. The tongue is the most dangerous, destructive, and deadly weapon available to man. A vicious tongue can ruin the reputation and even the future of the one attacked. Insidious attacks against one's reputation, loathsome innuendoes, half-lies about an individual are as deadly as those insect parasites that kill the heart and life of a mighty oak. They are so stealthy and cowardly that one cannot guard against them. (Ensign, July 1972, p. 34)
My mother used to tell me on a regular basis, "if you can't say something kind, don't say anything at all." Pretty good counsel that has served me well.
There are, however, times when you are authorized and need to pass on information that is not so positive. This must be done in the right way, at the right time, and to the right person. If you do have information about a missionary being seriously disobedient call me directly and soon. Remember, "your loyalty is first to the Lord, then to your mission president, then to your companion" (Missionary Handbook, p. 32) The "code of silence" that exists when missionaries do not inform the mission president about the serious sins of other missionaries is one of Satan's most effective tools to weaken the growth of the Lord's Kingdom. It was true among the Gadianton Robbers in the Book of Mormon and it is true in our mission. This "code of silence" has hurt us. Such unreported sins will also lead to the eventual destruction of the missionary, perhaps his future family, and will limit the growth and the strength of the Church in the present and in the years to come.
Lastly, if you are a missionary that is trying to put his or her disobedient past behind you, I share the the following words of Elder Richard G. Scott:
You may have found that change is hard. But know you can do it. You may wonder why you are not believed when you decide to change from a life of disobedience to one of integrity and compliance to truth. Recognize that it takes time to build a reputation that overcomes the effects of past deliberate decisions to deceive and to take advantage of others–but it is worth it. (Ensign, November 1992, p. 60)
I am very pleased with the direction the mission is going. We need to continue to work hard, work smart, and be pure, but we are becoming stronger as a mission each week. Be truthful about the numbers you report. Deliberate deception will lead to a loss of the Lord's Spirit and a loss of your ability to be an effective missionary. Without the Spirit you will find your self turning to the world's ways of finding happiness. Its not worth it and it won't last. "Wickedness never was happiness" (Alma 41:10) and never will be.
The area in the Volta Region I described last week continues to show promise. The member of the Church who lives in the area reported to me that they have 110 people ready to be taught and baptized. Either myself or one of my counselors will be traveling there soon to investigate, but it looks like the "field is white already to harvest." Please continue to prepare and to be the kind of missionary who could be assigned to such an area. No matter where you serve, the Lord has prepared wonderful people who need you and are prepared to receive you. When you have shown yourself worthy of the Lord's trust, miracles will happen whether you are serving in Accra or Akuse. Remember the importance of "talk[ing] with as many people as you can each day" (PMG, p. 156). While you may be knocking on more of the "big gates" this does not mean that we should not continue to contact others as well. "These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone" (Luke 11:42). I'm sure we would be surprised if we could clearly see the people the Lord places in our path each day.
Much love to all,
President Judd" (Speak The Truth, June 4, 2012).
I wonder how often we thank the missionaries for the hard work they are doing. I admit, I never really did that before I came. I also never really saw the missionaries, especially at BYU; I didn't even know we had missionaries around there. Apparently, they do. They never visited my Ward; haha. Anyway, I would invite everyone to thank the missionaries in your wards, your stakes, or where ever you are. Any missionaries you see, give them thanks for the work they are doing. Thank them for bringing more people to Church. Thank them for teaching lessons. And most importantly, thank them by giving them people to teach! Nothing says "Thank you" to a missionary like a referral. The closest runner-up would be asking them when you could go with them to help teach someone. If you haven't taught with the missionaries before, do it! I invite you to contact them this week - not next week, not the week after that, but this week - and ask them who you could help fellowship. Best thing would be inviting them to your home to learn. Second best would be picking them to Church. Third would be giving them a call to invite them to Church or another activity. But anything like that shows a heart full of sincere thanks.
Second, I am fully aware that some missionaries are not up to the standards God has for them. I know there are some 'not-serious' missionaries. If you happen to have, what you feel to be, such missionaries in your ward, I echo what Pres. said: it is not our duty to judge or talk about such people. If you feel a missionary is disobeying standards, you should talk to your Bishop - not your neighbor, not your relief society president or even your home or visiting teachers. You talk to Bishop. He is your Priesthood authority, and he has the keys to talk with the Ward Mission Leader about such problems, who can then work it out with the missionaries. Do not gossip about the missionaries. Do not give them a bad reputation, no matter what. Many are unaware of what damage is done when members whisper gossip about the missionaries to one another. It destroys the work. It has a much greater area of effect than many might suppose. I know, because I have spent most of my mission "putting out fires," as Pres. has said it once, that other missionaries left in their wake. The hardest part is getting the Ward to trust the missionaries, and the single most destructive factor that must be overcome is the gossip about them that goes around. I plead with you: do not gossip about the missionaries.
Furthermore, do not gossip about anyone! The single-most destructive factor that we've been working on overcoming with our less-actives is gossip. Members take upon themselves to call others to repentance, often in a manner inconsistent with the Priesthood order of authority, and thus many are offended, and they leave the Church. Remember that "no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron" (Heb. 5:4). We must not take upon ourselves the authority to judge others. Such judgment is with the Bishop, and none other. He is the judge in Israel for the Ward. As our Bishop made clear a few weeks ago, if you feel that someone is behaving incorrectly, discuss it with the Bishop; do not gossip about it to other members. "See that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged" (Moro. 7:18).
Pres. Uchtdorf sums it all up nicely. When it comes to gossip and backbiting and all such manner of deceitfulness, "Stop it!"
When discussing such things, it is certain that not everyone has such a concern. However, as Pres. Hinckley said, "We can do better. So much better." It's not enough to simply not say bad things about people, but we should say good things about them. Go the extra mile. If you have to talk about someone behind their back, be sure it's nice things about them you'd be comfortable talking about to their face. Spread love, not gossip. Share of the nice things people have done for you. Talk more openly; so often we're glued to electronics, and we lose contact with the rest of the world. Go visit someone and talk about how wonderful fellow members in the Ward are. Go give someone a reason to say thanks to you. If we would spend more time worrying about other people, and less time worrying about our own lives, we would have a much happier life. For, as the Savior said, "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it" (Matt. 10:39). Lose your life "in the service of your fellow beings," and you shall find your life "in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17). Only then can the true blessings of this Gospel be brought forth in our lives. Only then will we "reap the rewards of [our] faith, and [our] diligence, and patience, and long-suffering" (Alma 32:43). Only then will we taste of the fruit of the tree of life, "which fruit...is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst" (Alma 32:42).
I love you all! I know that this is the Lord's Work, and all who diligently "thrust in [their] sickle with all [their] soul" (D&C 31:5) will surely receive the promised blessings. I know Jesus Christ is our Savior, and that God is our loving Heavenly Father. The Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith is a true prophet, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's kingdom. Go share this with a friend, today!
--Elder Collings
We're doing well. E. John-Bull knows much of the doctrine, so we're able to work well and teach effectively. We're still adjusting to each others' teaching styles - he likes to toss a whole lot of doctrine onto them, I like to ask questions and use the scriptures to make sure they understand a principle before moving on. Overall, though, it's going well, so we just need to work on adjusting to each other. We're doing Role-Plays in District Council again (we haven't for a long time now) so that should help things as well.
I'll put Pres.'s letter here and then make a few comments of my own:
" Dear Elders and Sisters:
My message today has to do with how we talk to and how we talk about those with whom we serve. Many years ago when President Gordon B. Hinckley was speaking to a group of Regional Representatives (today known as Area Seventies) he taught:
Perhaps I can say in this company that on one occasion I received a great shock from my mission president. I was his assistant at the time. Some of the Saints in the district had with tremendous effort put on a great program. I suggested to my mission president that we write a letter of thanks to these people for what they had done. His response was, "We do not thank people in the Church for doing their duty." That was the only thing I ever disagreed with him about. I believe we should thank people. I think that thanks should be genuine and sincere, as it well can be when there is honest effort and dedicated service. (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, pp. 247-248)
I hope each of us take the time to express our appreciation to our companions, fellow missionaries, and others with whom we serve and associate. The relationships we develop in the mission field will be some of the most important friendships we will ever have. These relationships are not simply random events. The Lord has placed us with one another for for a divine purpose. Many of these purposes will not be known for many years to come. Take the time to nurture your relationships with your companions and others. There are lessons the Lord intends us to learn from one another we may miss if we allow our relationships to lose the spirit of the Lord. This can be especially true for those who have companionships were there are differences. This usually means there are important lessons the Lord would have you learn from one another.
My mission president taught me, "only strangers are perfect, our friends we know all too well." The more time we spend with someone, the more we come to know their weaknesses as well as their strengths. This is true for even the greatest among us. The Savior taught that, "A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house" (Matthew 13:57). One of the problems I see among missionaries is that sometimes we pass along stories about one another that we are not authorized to share. Such a practice is to be guilty of gossip. We should never speak evil of one another or spread rumor or gossip. It has been my observation that the gossip that sometimes circulates in the mission is simply not true. While there may on occasion be a part of the story that is true, much of what is being said has been exaggerated and has become a part of the adversary's plan to hurt us. Please do not gossip about one another, especially about missionaries that are being described as being guilty of serious sin. One of the reasons we do this is that doing so makes our own sins and weaknesses appear not so serious. It is my duty as the mission president to investigate these rumors from time to time and to provide correction if necessary, but these are duties of the mission president and not the missionary. Remember what the Lord said to the ancient Israelites: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" (Exodus 20:16). Even if what you know is true, do not be the one who who is guilty of gossip.
President N. Eldon Tanner, formerly of the First Presidency once said:
Gossip is the worst form of judging. The tongue is the most dangerous, destructive, and deadly weapon available to man. A vicious tongue can ruin the reputation and even the future of the one attacked. Insidious attacks against one's reputation, loathsome innuendoes, half-lies about an individual are as deadly as those insect parasites that kill the heart and life of a mighty oak. They are so stealthy and cowardly that one cannot guard against them. (Ensign, July 1972, p. 34)
My mother used to tell me on a regular basis, "if you can't say something kind, don't say anything at all." Pretty good counsel that has served me well.
There are, however, times when you are authorized and need to pass on information that is not so positive. This must be done in the right way, at the right time, and to the right person. If you do have information about a missionary being seriously disobedient call me directly and soon. Remember, "your loyalty is first to the Lord, then to your mission president, then to your companion" (Missionary Handbook, p. 32) The "code of silence" that exists when missionaries do not inform the mission president about the serious sins of other missionaries is one of Satan's most effective tools to weaken the growth of the Lord's Kingdom. It was true among the Gadianton Robbers in the Book of Mormon and it is true in our mission. This "code of silence" has hurt us. Such unreported sins will also lead to the eventual destruction of the missionary, perhaps his future family, and will limit the growth and the strength of the Church in the present and in the years to come.
Lastly, if you are a missionary that is trying to put his or her disobedient past behind you, I share the the following words of Elder Richard G. Scott:
You may have found that change is hard. But know you can do it. You may wonder why you are not believed when you decide to change from a life of disobedience to one of integrity and compliance to truth. Recognize that it takes time to build a reputation that overcomes the effects of past deliberate decisions to deceive and to take advantage of others–but it is worth it. (Ensign, November 1992, p. 60)
I am very pleased with the direction the mission is going. We need to continue to work hard, work smart, and be pure, but we are becoming stronger as a mission each week. Be truthful about the numbers you report. Deliberate deception will lead to a loss of the Lord's Spirit and a loss of your ability to be an effective missionary. Without the Spirit you will find your self turning to the world's ways of finding happiness. Its not worth it and it won't last. "Wickedness never was happiness" (Alma 41:10) and never will be.
The area in the Volta Region I described last week continues to show promise. The member of the Church who lives in the area reported to me that they have 110 people ready to be taught and baptized. Either myself or one of my counselors will be traveling there soon to investigate, but it looks like the "field is white already to harvest." Please continue to prepare and to be the kind of missionary who could be assigned to such an area. No matter where you serve, the Lord has prepared wonderful people who need you and are prepared to receive you. When you have shown yourself worthy of the Lord's trust, miracles will happen whether you are serving in Accra or Akuse. Remember the importance of "talk[ing] with as many people as you can each day" (PMG, p. 156). While you may be knocking on more of the "big gates" this does not mean that we should not continue to contact others as well. "These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone" (Luke 11:42). I'm sure we would be surprised if we could clearly see the people the Lord places in our path each day.
Much love to all,
President Judd" (Speak The Truth, June 4, 2012).
I wonder how often we thank the missionaries for the hard work they are doing. I admit, I never really did that before I came. I also never really saw the missionaries, especially at BYU; I didn't even know we had missionaries around there. Apparently, they do. They never visited my Ward; haha. Anyway, I would invite everyone to thank the missionaries in your wards, your stakes, or where ever you are. Any missionaries you see, give them thanks for the work they are doing. Thank them for bringing more people to Church. Thank them for teaching lessons. And most importantly, thank them by giving them people to teach! Nothing says "Thank you" to a missionary like a referral. The closest runner-up would be asking them when you could go with them to help teach someone. If you haven't taught with the missionaries before, do it! I invite you to contact them this week - not next week, not the week after that, but this week - and ask them who you could help fellowship. Best thing would be inviting them to your home to learn. Second best would be picking them to Church. Third would be giving them a call to invite them to Church or another activity. But anything like that shows a heart full of sincere thanks.
Second, I am fully aware that some missionaries are not up to the standards God has for them. I know there are some 'not-serious' missionaries. If you happen to have, what you feel to be, such missionaries in your ward, I echo what Pres. said: it is not our duty to judge or talk about such people. If you feel a missionary is disobeying standards, you should talk to your Bishop - not your neighbor, not your relief society president or even your home or visiting teachers. You talk to Bishop. He is your Priesthood authority, and he has the keys to talk with the Ward Mission Leader about such problems, who can then work it out with the missionaries. Do not gossip about the missionaries. Do not give them a bad reputation, no matter what. Many are unaware of what damage is done when members whisper gossip about the missionaries to one another. It destroys the work. It has a much greater area of effect than many might suppose. I know, because I have spent most of my mission "putting out fires," as Pres. has said it once, that other missionaries left in their wake. The hardest part is getting the Ward to trust the missionaries, and the single most destructive factor that must be overcome is the gossip about them that goes around. I plead with you: do not gossip about the missionaries.
Furthermore, do not gossip about anyone! The single-most destructive factor that we've been working on overcoming with our less-actives is gossip. Members take upon themselves to call others to repentance, often in a manner inconsistent with the Priesthood order of authority, and thus many are offended, and they leave the Church. Remember that "no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron" (Heb. 5:4). We must not take upon ourselves the authority to judge others. Such judgment is with the Bishop, and none other. He is the judge in Israel for the Ward. As our Bishop made clear a few weeks ago, if you feel that someone is behaving incorrectly, discuss it with the Bishop; do not gossip about it to other members. "See that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged" (Moro. 7:18).
Pres. Uchtdorf sums it all up nicely. When it comes to gossip and backbiting and all such manner of deceitfulness, "Stop it!"
When discussing such things, it is certain that not everyone has such a concern. However, as Pres. Hinckley said, "We can do better. So much better." It's not enough to simply not say bad things about people, but we should say good things about them. Go the extra mile. If you have to talk about someone behind their back, be sure it's nice things about them you'd be comfortable talking about to their face. Spread love, not gossip. Share of the nice things people have done for you. Talk more openly; so often we're glued to electronics, and we lose contact with the rest of the world. Go visit someone and talk about how wonderful fellow members in the Ward are. Go give someone a reason to say thanks to you. If we would spend more time worrying about other people, and less time worrying about our own lives, we would have a much happier life. For, as the Savior said, "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it" (Matt. 10:39). Lose your life "in the service of your fellow beings," and you shall find your life "in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17). Only then can the true blessings of this Gospel be brought forth in our lives. Only then will we "reap the rewards of [our] faith, and [our] diligence, and patience, and long-suffering" (Alma 32:43). Only then will we taste of the fruit of the tree of life, "which fruit...is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst" (Alma 32:42).
I love you all! I know that this is the Lord's Work, and all who diligently "thrust in [their] sickle with all [their] soul" (D&C 31:5) will surely receive the promised blessings. I know Jesus Christ is our Savior, and that God is our loving Heavenly Father. The Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith is a true prophet, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's kingdom. Go share this with a friend, today!
--Elder Collings
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