So, we had Zone Conference this
week! It was very nice. I always love Zone Conferences. This one seemed to
focus a lot on our relationship with others, and how we interact with them. We
were instructed on how to introduce ourselves so that we're 'real people' and
see them as 'true brothers and sisters,' and not just another investigator or
contact. We also don't want to be seen as just another group of evangelists. The
way we interact with people is very vital to showing how we're true disciples
of Jesus Christ, authorized messengers of God. We discussed how we should share
with them the things we would like to know about them: our family, our age, our
background, where we live, etc. All these things helps us get to know them
better and puts us in a position to better serve them. It's very good counsel
for any member of the Church. Learning how to greet people - members,
investigators, nonmembers, anyone - in such a way that they can feel our love
for them as brothers and sisters, children of God, is a way that should set apart
Latter-Day Saints from any other people. We're suppose to be a peculiar people
(I forget the reference, but it's in the OT and D&C) in how we behave
ourselves. E. Bednar spoke of the same thing in the latest Priesthood session
(to the men, particularly, but it applies to us all).
Sis. Judd instructed on Charity, which links back to everything else we were
taught about. Sis. Judd explained that 'charity' is not the act of giving alms
or doing good deeds, but rather it is the power which motivates us to do it (I
believe she was quoting the Bible Dictionary; look it up and see!). It's like
Faith, but entirely centered on love, and is the most important of all the
attributes of Christ. If we have not charity, we are nothing (Paul teaches
that; I'm short on time and thus short on references today; haha. Good personal
research opportunity for you all!). We are also taught that Charity must be the
reason for our actions. If we serve someone, or do a good deed, with the desire
to be seen of men, or to gain reward, or any such thing, we are practicing
priestcraft and are under condemnation (see 2 Ne. 26:29). Our actions must be
motivated by charity, by "love unfeigned" (D&C 121; you find the
verse!), or they are counted evil before God (in Moroni; look it up!). Thus, we
cannot do anything begrudgingly, but must do it with a "sincere
heart" and with "real intent" (that's a freebee). It was a very
nice instruction. It really changes one's perspective on all those charity
verses, as well as help provide a means to examine our own attitude towards
serving others and doing our duty. After all, did Laman and Lemuel go get the
plates and help Nephi build a ship? Yes! They just complained first, and
murmured along the way.
Finally, Pres. Judd instructed us to teach the Restored Gospel, not just the gospel. He explains the difference in his letter, so I'll put that hereafter and you can ponder over it.
What was also cool was that I gave a short "testimony" / instruction on effective planning. I testified of how when we prepare to change others, the Lord is changing us. It is in our own efforts to serve others that our hearts are changed and we become "perfected in Christ" (Moroni; look up the rest). I spoke about other stuff, but that's all I'll put here.
Last for today, we had Br. McGill interviewed for baptism. He passed! Thus, he and Sis. Benedicta should be baptized this week. She was unable to be baptized last week due to some misunderstandings with the Bishopric, but it's resolved now and all will go forward. We also taught one Felix. Ths guy is prepared! He heard about Joseph Smith and the Church from a non-member friend (who's brother is a member) and fell in love with it. He heard about the Church in Tema (the MTC branch) and went there Saturday to confirm the time, then attended the next day (that's very far from here; it's not easy). We were referred to him by the Tema Elders and started teaching him. Every lesson we teach with him, the Spirit's presence is very powerful. He was well-prepared for what he's receiving. He has a testimony of it, and many times in the lesson the Spirit speaks to his heart and teaches him answers to his questions that we haven't even addressed! It's awesome. The Comforter truly does "teach [us] all things" (NT). He'll be baptized around the 18th of August. This month is looking to be quite good! We very well may baptize 4 people, depending on how the next few weeks go. I'm excited for it!
Welp, that's about it for this week. I love you all! I testify that all these things are true, and that this is The Lord's Church. Peace comes in no greater abundance than through the Restored Gospel, and that is taught no better than in the Book of Mormon. It is the most correct of any book on earth. Read it, ponder it, pray over it, and you will know this is true for yourself.
Take care, and God bless!
"Dear Elders and Sisters:
We have all had meals where we were fed, but not filled. We go away from these meals looking for something else to eat. There are other meals where we are filled, but not fed. We leave these meals with our stomachs full of food, but we have not been nourished in a way that will help us have the strength and energy we need to continue to grow and progress. An example of being "filled, but not fed" is my experience eating "Indomie" or "Ramen" as it was called in my days as a college student. My appetite may have been satisfied, but my body was not nourished in a way that allowed me to have the continued energy I needed.
The same is true with how we do our personal and companion study and how we teach our investigators. Are we just "filling the time" or filling our investigator's heads with information, or are we nourishing and being "nourished by the good word of God" (Moroni 6:4)? Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught the following about the importance of "nourishing" and not just "feeding" new members of the Church:
We do have a legitimate worry about the new member, wanting each one to stay with us and enjoy the full blessings of the Church. I am just simple enough to think that if we continue to teach them—with the same Christlike spirit, conviction, doctrine, and personal interest the missionaries have shown them-new converts will not only stay with us but, quite literally, could not be kept away. The need for continuing such solid teaching is obvious. In times like ours we all need what Mormon called "the virtue of the word of God" because, he said, it "had [a] more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them.” When crises come in our lives-and they will-the philosophies of men interlaced with a few scriptures and poems just won't do. Are we really nurturing our youth and our new members in a way that will sustain them when the stresses of life appear? Or are we giving them a kind of theological Twinkie-spiritually empty calories? President John Taylor once called such teaching "fried froth," the kind of thing you could eat all day and yet finish feeling totally unsatisfied. During a severe winter several years ago, President Boyd K. Packer noted that a goodly number of deer had died of starvation while their stomachs were full of hay. In an honest effort to assist, agencies had supplied the superficial when the substantial was what had been needed. Regrettably they had fed the deer but they had not nourished them. (Ensign, May 1998, p. 25)
As a follow-up to what was taught in our last zone conference, I believe there are several different levels of gospel teaching. We can and should teach good ethical principles such as being "trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind . . ." etc., but we also need to continually be aware of our responsibility to "preach my gospel" which consists of the doctrine of Christ----- faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end (see 2 Nephi 31-33). Also, remember that if we are only teaching the same gospel principles that are being taught by other Christian churches, we are not providing those we are teaching with the doctrinal and spiritual nourishment they desperately need. Make sure as you study and as you teach to give needed attention to the doctrines of the Restoration. Don't hesitate to study and to teach the doctrines associated with the Prophet Joseph Smith, the First Vision, and the Book of Mormon. Make sure those you teach understand the doctrines of the Restoration such as the reality of living prophets who are on the earth today who have priesthood power and authority. If those we teach don't understand salvation for the dead or that marriages and families can be sealed together for eternity, we are not nourishing them in the way they need to be nourished.
Dear Elders and Sisters, let's make sure we are not just feeding ourselves and our investigators spiritual and doctrinal Indomie. Let's do all we can to provide the "living water" (John 4:10) and "the bread of life" (John 6:35) contained in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Just as much of the food we eat today has been stripped of the nutritional value it once had, so too have many of the plain and precious doctrines of the gospel been removed from the Bible and the teachings of Christianity (see 1 Nephi 13:20-42). Studying and teaching from the Book of Mormon is one of the most important ways we can be assured that we are proving those we teach with the nourishment they need.
I will close with two scriptural texts I hope you will ponder and apply:
Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen. (2 Nephi 31:20-21)
Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. (John 6:31-35)
I am humbly proud of you and the great work you are doing. As a mission we baptized 194 people in the month of July. This is the number of people in a good sized ward of the Church. Much of the future strength of these wonderful people will depend on whether they have been nourished and will continue to be "nourished by the good word of God" (Moroni 6:4). I pray each of will do our part to truly bless those whom we have been sent to bless.
Much Love,
President Judd" ( Filled But Not Fed?, 30 July, 2012).
--Elder Collings
Finally, Pres. Judd instructed us to teach the Restored Gospel, not just the gospel. He explains the difference in his letter, so I'll put that hereafter and you can ponder over it.
What was also cool was that I gave a short "testimony" / instruction on effective planning. I testified of how when we prepare to change others, the Lord is changing us. It is in our own efforts to serve others that our hearts are changed and we become "perfected in Christ" (Moroni; look up the rest). I spoke about other stuff, but that's all I'll put here.
Last for today, we had Br. McGill interviewed for baptism. He passed! Thus, he and Sis. Benedicta should be baptized this week. She was unable to be baptized last week due to some misunderstandings with the Bishopric, but it's resolved now and all will go forward. We also taught one Felix. Ths guy is prepared! He heard about Joseph Smith and the Church from a non-member friend (who's brother is a member) and fell in love with it. He heard about the Church in Tema (the MTC branch) and went there Saturday to confirm the time, then attended the next day (that's very far from here; it's not easy). We were referred to him by the Tema Elders and started teaching him. Every lesson we teach with him, the Spirit's presence is very powerful. He was well-prepared for what he's receiving. He has a testimony of it, and many times in the lesson the Spirit speaks to his heart and teaches him answers to his questions that we haven't even addressed! It's awesome. The Comforter truly does "teach [us] all things" (NT). He'll be baptized around the 18th of August. This month is looking to be quite good! We very well may baptize 4 people, depending on how the next few weeks go. I'm excited for it!
Welp, that's about it for this week. I love you all! I testify that all these things are true, and that this is The Lord's Church. Peace comes in no greater abundance than through the Restored Gospel, and that is taught no better than in the Book of Mormon. It is the most correct of any book on earth. Read it, ponder it, pray over it, and you will know this is true for yourself.
Take care, and God bless!
"Dear Elders and Sisters:
We have all had meals where we were fed, but not filled. We go away from these meals looking for something else to eat. There are other meals where we are filled, but not fed. We leave these meals with our stomachs full of food, but we have not been nourished in a way that will help us have the strength and energy we need to continue to grow and progress. An example of being "filled, but not fed" is my experience eating "Indomie" or "Ramen" as it was called in my days as a college student. My appetite may have been satisfied, but my body was not nourished in a way that allowed me to have the continued energy I needed.
The same is true with how we do our personal and companion study and how we teach our investigators. Are we just "filling the time" or filling our investigator's heads with information, or are we nourishing and being "nourished by the good word of God" (Moroni 6:4)? Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught the following about the importance of "nourishing" and not just "feeding" new members of the Church:
We do have a legitimate worry about the new member, wanting each one to stay with us and enjoy the full blessings of the Church. I am just simple enough to think that if we continue to teach them—with the same Christlike spirit, conviction, doctrine, and personal interest the missionaries have shown them-new converts will not only stay with us but, quite literally, could not be kept away. The need for continuing such solid teaching is obvious. In times like ours we all need what Mormon called "the virtue of the word of God" because, he said, it "had [a] more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them.” When crises come in our lives-and they will-the philosophies of men interlaced with a few scriptures and poems just won't do. Are we really nurturing our youth and our new members in a way that will sustain them when the stresses of life appear? Or are we giving them a kind of theological Twinkie-spiritually empty calories? President John Taylor once called such teaching "fried froth," the kind of thing you could eat all day and yet finish feeling totally unsatisfied. During a severe winter several years ago, President Boyd K. Packer noted that a goodly number of deer had died of starvation while their stomachs were full of hay. In an honest effort to assist, agencies had supplied the superficial when the substantial was what had been needed. Regrettably they had fed the deer but they had not nourished them. (Ensign, May 1998, p. 25)
As a follow-up to what was taught in our last zone conference, I believe there are several different levels of gospel teaching. We can and should teach good ethical principles such as being "trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind . . ." etc., but we also need to continually be aware of our responsibility to "preach my gospel" which consists of the doctrine of Christ----- faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end (see 2 Nephi 31-33). Also, remember that if we are only teaching the same gospel principles that are being taught by other Christian churches, we are not providing those we are teaching with the doctrinal and spiritual nourishment they desperately need. Make sure as you study and as you teach to give needed attention to the doctrines of the Restoration. Don't hesitate to study and to teach the doctrines associated with the Prophet Joseph Smith, the First Vision, and the Book of Mormon. Make sure those you teach understand the doctrines of the Restoration such as the reality of living prophets who are on the earth today who have priesthood power and authority. If those we teach don't understand salvation for the dead or that marriages and families can be sealed together for eternity, we are not nourishing them in the way they need to be nourished.
Dear Elders and Sisters, let's make sure we are not just feeding ourselves and our investigators spiritual and doctrinal Indomie. Let's do all we can to provide the "living water" (John 4:10) and "the bread of life" (John 6:35) contained in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Just as much of the food we eat today has been stripped of the nutritional value it once had, so too have many of the plain and precious doctrines of the gospel been removed from the Bible and the teachings of Christianity (see 1 Nephi 13:20-42). Studying and teaching from the Book of Mormon is one of the most important ways we can be assured that we are proving those we teach with the nourishment they need.
I will close with two scriptural texts I hope you will ponder and apply:
Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen. (2 Nephi 31:20-21)
Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. (John 6:31-35)
I am humbly proud of you and the great work you are doing. As a mission we baptized 194 people in the month of July. This is the number of people in a good sized ward of the Church. Much of the future strength of these wonderful people will depend on whether they have been nourished and will continue to be "nourished by the good word of God" (Moroni 6:4). I pray each of will do our part to truly bless those whom we have been sent to bless.
Much Love,
President Judd" ( Filled But Not Fed?, 30 July, 2012).
--Elder Collings
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