When Will We Ever Be Real Missionaries
4/3/09
Weather
Temp 58F
Wind 9 mph
Clear & sunny
Because we work in the office 6-12 hours a day, I have sometimes wondered aloud, when will we be real missionaries? When will we teach the discussions? When will we have the thrill of seeing an investigator (someone learning about the Church and God) suddenly have that "Aha" look and see them realize it is all true. When will we baptize someone?
Finally, I have come to the conclusion that we have been doing "real" missionary work
without realizing it. A typical week goes like this for example. We averaged 7-8 hours a day in the office, not counting the shopping for food to feed the missionaries and their investigators, then we have two families and the Elders over for Family Night to teach them about the Family Enrichment Program (Family Night),
Tuesday night we have another companionship over with their investigator, Wednesday we shop and I spend 3 hours washing produce so we can feed everyone. Thursday we feed two companionships and try to give
them a little comfort, a home-cooked meal, and friendly faces to balance with the rejection they face all day. Friday we serve 14-16 missionaries at District Meeting at 12pm and get to the office by 3 and home around 7 pm or later.
We sometimes have an evening alone at home to soak our feet and relax. Saturday I clean the apartment and do the laundry while Cindy cooks stuff for the weekend or early next week. If there is a convert baptism, we will attend, usually at 1 or 2pm. Then we go home to finish our projects and prepare for Sunday when we will
attend one or two branches and have 20+ Young Single Adults for a fireside where I teach the lesson and Cindy provides food (of course). After they all go home we get ready for Monday and start again.
So when do we do the real missionary work? In all reality, we are doing it every day. All of these things we do are the real missionary work for senior couples. When talking to other couples, we found that we have less time than any of them to do the basics, prayer, language study, gospel study, and inviting people to listen to the gospel message.
I'm feeling more and more that we really ARE doing real missionary work and I'm so proud of Cindy for getting out of her comfort zone with people she cannot talk to. She just smiles and gives them a hug. The ladies in the two branches we go to most often seem to really like her and the Relief Society has been to our house for classes a couple of times. She is a real inspiration.
We are grateful to be here doing real missionary work and supporting the missionaries. We love them and want to do all we can to help them find the elect and the lost tribes in this frozen land.
What a work. What a country
DS
4/3/09
Weather
Temp 58F
Wind 9 mph
Clear & sunny
Because we work in the office 6-12 hours a day, I have sometimes wondered aloud, when will we be real missionaries? When will we teach the discussions? When will we have the thrill of seeing an investigator (someone learning about the Church and God) suddenly have that "Aha" look and see them realize it is all true. When will we baptize someone?Finally, I have come to the conclusion that we have been doing "real" missionary work
without realizing it. A typical week goes like this for example. We averaged 7-8 hours a day in the office, not counting the shopping for food to feed the missionaries and their investigators, then we have two families and the Elders over for Family Night to teach them about the Family Enrichment Program (Family Night),Tuesday night we have another companionship over with their investigator, Wednesday we shop and I spend 3 hours washing produce so we can feed everyone. Thursday we feed two companionships and try to give
them a little comfort, a home-cooked meal, and friendly faces to balance with the rejection they face all day. Friday we serve 14-16 missionaries at District Meeting at 12pm and get to the office by 3 and home around 7 pm or later.We sometimes have an evening alone at home to soak our feet and relax. Saturday I clean the apartment and do the laundry while Cindy cooks stuff for the weekend or early next week. If there is a convert baptism, we will attend, usually at 1 or 2pm. Then we go home to finish our projects and prepare for Sunday when we will
attend one or two branches and have 20+ Young Single Adults for a fireside where I teach the lesson and Cindy provides food (of course). After they all go home we get ready for Monday and start again.So when do we do the real missionary work? In all reality, we are doing it every day. All of these things we do are the real missionary work for senior couples. When talking to other couples, we found that we have less time than any of them to do the basics, prayer, language study, gospel study, and inviting people to listen to the gospel message.
I'm feeling more and more that we really ARE doing real missionary work and I'm so proud of Cindy for getting out of her comfort zone with people she cannot talk to. She just smiles and gives them a hug. The ladies in the two branches we go to most often seem to really like her and the Relief Society has been to our house for classes a couple of times. She is a real inspiration.
We are grateful to be here doing real missionary work and supporting the missionaries. We love them and want to do all we can to help them find the elect and the lost tribes in this frozen land.
What a work. What a country
DS
2 comments:
My post is too long to leave here. See my email. I cant believe I somehow missed this blog entry!!!
Wow, I am so impressed. How long have you been going at this pace. You are amazing. I call that real missionary work. The missionaries in your mission are so lucky to have you as are the branch members and young adults. It certainly is a little different than the MTC training isn't it. But I always say we bring our talents and make our mission you two have certainly found your niche.
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