This has been yet another great week for us. Taught 26 lessons! So I probably need to explain that. Our Mission President has said that if a Missionary companionship can teach 20 lessons a week, more success will come. 20 lessons a week is what is known as a Standard of Excellence. If we reach 20 lessons, we know that we are doing what we are supposed to and that the Lord is blessing us. :) MAN I LOVE MY JOB!!!
We are finding a lot more people to teach, and we are teaching a lot more towards commitment. Faith is not strengthened until it is put into practice. We are struggling with having people keep commitments, but that is where sorting the wheat from the tares comes into play. This week our focus is on sorting out the Investigators we have. Last night we counted, we have 18 investigators, 8 of which have a date that they are solid for, 5 are new within the last 2 weeks and the rest of them are the ones that we are focusing our efforts on their progression and eventually separate. It's hard dropping people that we have grown to love. It's the same story of why I am on my mission. We separate ourselves because we love them. We drop people because we love them and trust he Lord that He will keep them in His hands. We don't want to set people up for failure. So we refine them, and if they're not quite ready. We let them sit a little bit longer.
The Refiners Fire is one of my favorite analogies. I always learn something new when studying it. Basically, Silver is first cut as a raw material, CLEANSED through fire, then cooled through a process. The same can be said with us. We are a Natural Material. We are raw matter that God has created, then He refines us through fire, Trials. However he does not give us our trials, rather he ALLOWS them to happen. We have our agency, either we can go through trial ourselves OR we can turn to him. Eventually we come out of the fire cleaner than when we went in. The cool part I really like is this, How does the Refiner know when the Silver is ready? The Refiner knows that the Silver is Pure when He can see his reflection in the Silver. How does the Lord know when we are ready? When HE can see himself with US. SO COOL!! SO WE know when we take the Sacrament we promise to take His name upon us. Not just promise to remember Him, but ot ACT like Him. To essentially BE like Him.
Another Cool analogy is the Sun and the Moon. Which light do we want to be? Although the Full Moon is really bright.... FALSE. The Moon has NO light to it. The Moon simply REFLECTS light. Light from the Sun. The SUN is the Source of ALL Light. It Radiates Light, It IS Light. So when Christ tells us to let our Light Shine. He is NOT telling us to Reflect light but to Radiate Light. Do not simply live on Borrowed Light. We are Refined when we Radiate HIS Light. When Christ sees that we are Radiating Him. Dont Reflect, RADIATE!
The Gospel should be preached at ALL times. And if necessary, we should use words. We let our lights shine so that other see our good works and Glorify God. We are refined to Radiate.
The Church IS true! I see the blessings of this Gospel EACH Day! I am learning each day more about myself, my loved ones, and My Savior. I am not Earning Heaven, I am Learning Heaven. I am Learning more and more about WHO I am born to be. Not WHAT I am supposed to be.
I love you ALL!! Thanks For EVERYTHING! AND DONT BE AFRAID TO EMAIL!!!!!!!!!!:)
RISE AND SHOUT!!!!!! 41-7 KEEP IT UP!!!!
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