Who else is excited that little green buds actually showed up on all the trees this week? Isn't Spring fantastic? I love how beautiful the earth is.
Here are the announcements for the week:
1. Tomorrow night is Bishopric FHE. Your group leaders will let you know what's going on with that.
2. Wednesday @ 7pm in B092 JFSB is Institute.
3. Saturday we will have a combined Relief Society dinner @ 5:30 pm in 4186 JFSB before the broadcast at 6pm.
4. Monday, the 31st, is our Ward Closing Social at Spring Haven Lodge in Springville from 5-11pm.
Our lesson was taught by Brittany from Elder Ballard's October Conference talk.
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/put-your-trust-in-the-lord?lang=eng
Brittany:Joseph Smith said that the most important duty that members have is to preach the gospel. Elder Ballard recalls when he heard President Kimball speak: Perhaps the greatest reason for missionary work is to give the world its chance to hear and accept the gospel. The scriptures are replete with commands and promises and calls and rewards for teaching the gospel. I use the word command deliberately for it seems to be an insistent directive from which we, singly and collectively, cannot escape
In July of that same year, Sister Ballard and I left with our children to preside over the Canada Toronto Mission. The words of President Kimball were ringing in my ears, especially when he said: “My brethren, I wonder if we are doing all we can. Are we complacent in our approach to teaching all the world? We have been proselyting now 144 years. Are we prepared to lengthen our stride? To enlarge our vision?”
When I read this I wanted to know who President Kimball was speaking to when he said this. He was speaking to a group of 70s and the 12. So if he’s telling them this, are we being complacent in sharing the gospel?
When you’re constantly asked to do something it’s easier to forget the reason for doing it.
Ky: I love this talk. I was listening to it a couple weeks ago. It was one of those talks that lit the fire. Not only are we commanded to do it, but we promised to do it with our baptism. You’ve promised to be a witness of God’s church. No matter where you’re at, it’s helping activate people, doing your visiting teaching, fulfilling your calling. You are a disciple of christ, you need to be doing this all the time. Don’t be complacent.
Brittany: Hastening the work doesn’t necessarily mean always going and having a gospel discussion, it’s any time we can share Christ’s light.
As I was reading through this first part of his talk and the danger of complacency, ELder Ballard continues to say that we need to work in partnership with our 80,000 missionaries now serving.
Anyone who’s ever seen a great missionary family and magnifying the missionaries’ efforts, who are those people, what are they doing that was so great? Ginger: One of my best friends, her family has traveled all over the world. When they lived in Korea they lived on a military base, and every Sunday they had people over to their house. I think it was a great example to me how you need to open your doors to others, not just your family. Even if it’s just to provide a good example of a family to them.
Brittany: Our homes are the most holy place beside the temple. People can feel that.
I’m going to make a list of the examples you share and invite you to try one you haven’t done before.
Brittany: When I was in California a few summers ago one of the leaders asked us to pray for a missionary opportunity for 3 weeks. I took the challenge, and I don’t know if there were opportunities that I haven’t seen or they were given to me, but I have a testimony that praying opens our ability to recognize the opportunities. It totally changes my perspective.
Arianne: I’ve always noticed that one thing we don’t do as much as we need to is say how we truly feel about things. As members of the church we feel very differently about things. It’s just sharing what you believe and what you know. We get afraid that other people will be offended. It brings up questions and helps you be more open.
Brittany: I think I’m definitely guilty of passively living my beliefs.
Kiersten: We had some good neighbor friends of years. The father came over and asked my dad if he could borrow a wheelbarrow, but my dad said no. He told him he shouldn’t be doing yard work on Sunday. They ended up getting baptized.
Christine: I think that when I was on my mission, the best families that were sharing the gospel because they saw people and truly wanted others to be happy. They would talk about it and say things like “If they had the gospel they would be so happy.” We don’t share the gospel not so that we can share, but because we love them.
Brittany: In Nashville there was a church leader that was sharing a great talk. He said Be who you are, See others for who they are, Extend invitations. The quality of an invitation isn’t measured by the person’s response, it’s measured by the person extending it.
Ashley: I was just going to add, when you’re talking about the gospel I think we can do this more with our families and others. Church was good, but we could actually say what we learned. I had that experience a couple weeks ago. I was going to do indexing, and a nonmember friend pulled up and asked me where I was going. I could have said I’m just going to a church activity, but I explained more about family history. It really opened up more of her thoughts and how she was just talking with her mom about family history.
Brittany: I feel like all these things are things I definitely should’ve learned before, but it’s so wonderful to hear them from you.
Christine: I love this comment from Elder Ballard:
Just be positive, and those whom you speak with will feel your love. They will never forget that feeling, though the timing may not be right for them to embrace the gospel. That too may change in the future when their circumstances change.Kelsey: Even though we’re talking about these things for nonmembers, members can use this too. Just because we all have the gospel, doesn’t mean we’re all on the same page. We could all use being positive people.
Kim: This past fall I took a religious study through Europe. One of the girls in our group challenged us to carry pass along cards. I never actually handed one out, but in every group I was with, someone needed one and I always had one.
Brittany: When I was on study abroad in Denmark, I was in Copenhagen. There were a lot of homeless people, but I didn’t know how to help these people. There was a week where I realized that I have something I could help them with. I kept a box of granola bars and pass along cards. You’re never going to expect it, but be ready to help people. I think it’s great to just be prepared for those opportunities.
Now I’m going to switch the question a bit. These things were applied to families, but is there anything you want to expound to being single?
Kiersten: I was thinking about all these things, and they’re all once you’re prepared to share the gospel. The biggest thing to get there is strengthen our testimonies. I think the biggest thing we can do right now is strengthen our testimony to where we can have something to share.
Ginger: Going along with fellowshipping members, we see a lot of people around us strong spiritually, but I think we should do this with everyone we see. I think Elder Eyring said, “If you treat everyone like they’re in trouble, you’re probably right 50% of the time.” I think we should just be generous with the gospel with everyone you meet.
Brittany: Even if they’re fine, who wouldn’t like talking with you? You’ll probably be uplifted too.
There was a friend in Nashville who did all these things. It didn’t matter who you were, but he would be your friend. He would make you feel like you're the most interesting and important person in the world. Then he would be a friend merger. It was a great way for him to help people make connections. He wasn’t just saying hi, but helped you have a constant friend in the church. Fellowshipping members, being positive, not taking for granted that we all need help, are all wonderful parts of this.
Kim: We are missionaries always. We should have those qualities that others can tell there’s something different about us.
Brittany: I’m going to close by reading just a few things.
Make the decision to do what Jesus Christ has asked us to do. The Savior has said: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
You don’t have to be an outgoing person or an eloquent, persuasive teacher. If you have an abiding love and hope within you, the Lord has promised if you “lift up your voices unto this people [and] speak the thoughts that [He] shall put into your hearts, … you shall not be confounded before men”
Pick one of these things that you think would be a good thing for you individually. I love the gospel and for a Savior I know, and who loves me. I know he loves all of you guys.
Ky: I have a testimony of missionary work. As members of the church we’ve all covenanted to be missionaries. In Sunday School the Savior went back to his disciples when they decided to go fishing, because you are important enough to him that this work needs to continue. With what you’ve been taught, what will you do?
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