Here's my plan of action, for any of you out there who want to share the gospel a little more each day:
1) My mantra, or "Mission Statement" if you will:
2 Nephi 2:8
"Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah..."
I'm diving into the scriptures a lot more, that's one thing all of us can do to understand the great importance of the gospel we have, and build our relationship with our Father, His son, and those around us yearning to hear that they can know Them too.
Remember, PMG is for everyone...every member a missionary, and we can be more effective than the full-time missionaries in the friendships and encounters we have at school, work, and social situations. Everytime I mention to someone that I go to BYU, that brings up the perfect situation to describe the happiness the gospel brings, and find out what they believe about religion (usually a positive response). Just riding the Railrunner train from SF to ABQ my first week home I got to go into depth about the values of the church (See the great talk by M. Russell Ballard, “Faith, Family, Facts, and Fruits,” Liahona, Nov 2007, 25–27). I think I also made her a little less bitter and close-minded about the missionaries who knock on her door all the time in her small North Dakota town. Planting the seeds, who knows what the future will bring, at least in her receptiveness to LDS people.
3) Ask the missionaries what you can do to help. Most of the time, they want the member involvement. Here's my experiences with the Elders and Sisters so far in our area...and why it's given me a pretty good taste of missionary life:
~Dinner Appointment: We had the elders over to our house and had great conversations, found out about the baptisms that were planned (one of them we went to on Saturday), and the investigators they are teaching. They gave us some pass-along cards, that are now "new and improved" businesscard size...pretty handy to keep in a wallet and give to people as you "offhandedly" have to write down info for them.
~Golden Appointment: Knowing my interest for getting involved in the work, the Elders called me the next morning for me and my dad to come along on an appointment. Not just any appointment though! Glenda is an amazing 71 year old woman who runs a small kennell here in SF. After her boyfriend in California joined the church, she liked what he told her about it. She called the stake president here in SF and asked to know more about the church, and says that since the missionaries gave her the Book of Mormon, it has "filled a whole in her soul that she has sought to fill her whole life", a hole that her Southern Baptist upbringing didn't fill. She loves the fact that she can communicate personally with Heavenly Father ALL day. She said that she used to suffer from anxiety, terrible anxiety and worry, (which I am also quite familiar with), and that since she found the gospel 5 months ago, she has not felt that anxiety anymore, that she is at peace. I told her of my personal struggles, and shared Matt 11:28-30 as a tool i use to remind myself that I am not alone. She responded that she has felt that exact thing the scripture promises: "rest unto her soul". Glenda will be baptized May 30th, and I am disappointed that I will be out of town. But that one encounter with her was a blessing to me reminding me that the grace (enabling POWER) of our Savior Jesus Christ is universally able to help us through every trial we face.And there are people who are out there who are ready, but they are only "kept from the truth because they know not where we find it" (D &C 123:12).
~Eternal Investigator Appointment: On Sunday the Sisters and I went to a less active family's house and taught a short lesson on the importance of fortifying ourselves (Alma 50). The sisters had little laminated cut-outs for the kids to put together as a castle, and each of the four children had an assignment to help their family pray, study scriptures, listen to the prophets, and go to church that week. They were all willing and cute about it, though a bit wild near the end (hard to feel the Spirit with rowdy kids)...but it's their parents who would really have to take the initiative to get those lil ones to primary. The oldest, a Freshman in High School, is "best at scripture mastery in his seminary class" and goes to Scouts and Mutual...I hope he can continue to press on in getting his family together, and that Visiting and Home teachers in the ward can keep encouraging the parents (plug for our jobs as members that we often underestimate).
~Tracting Appointment (A Finding Opportunity): So it's 4:00 Tuesday and I'm supposed to be meeting the LA sister missionaries on the corner of 44rth and Villa, so I park the car and sit on the bumper flipping through Chapter 9 of PMG "Finding People" on the best approaches to first encounters. I was saying prayers of faith in my mind that we would be able to present oursleves in a way that would represent the Savior, and maybe have some success with being invited in. This was my first tracting, or finding, opportunity, so I was anxious to get it started.
Unfortunately, the sisters never showed up, which is either a miscommunication in our timing or hopefully they were caught up in a great discussion at some other place that they could not leave. Regardless, as I sat there on the bumper still waiting 35 minutes later, I decided to be bold. There were tons of ppl outside, walking dogs, coming home from school, out in the garden. So I picked the lady doing yard work and asked her if I could help. Turns out she knew my mom from the hospital, and so we had some great conversations about that and also about the wards in LA, WR, and SF, and how wonderful they all are (I figured out by that point that she knew we were members). She remembered about Maggie's accident, was thrilled to hear about her marriage to Nate (she knows Sister Mason from the hospital too), and I was able to share how our faith helped us to get through that difficult time, that all things work together for our good. After a while I said goodbye to try and go look for my "friends" who had seeminly abandoned me, (she couldn't believe they didn't have a cell phone...I didn't explain who they were:), and walked to the corner where I saw a familiar name on the mailbox. I called my Mom to confirm the connection, and sure enough, it was the woman who has known me since I was "toddling", as she put it, and who I worked with extensively as a hospital volunteer. Great conversation there too, and fun to add gospel tidbits here and there. So I didn't go "tracting" in the usual sense, but I did find some friendly people whose minds might be a little more open now, once the missionaries do knock on their doors (supposing the sisters ever call me back about the two houses I found that would probably be receptive :).
So out of these four encounters I've gotten the preliminary taste of the up and down life of a missionary serving full-time. I had the joy and wonder of seeing someone embrace these glorious truths and realize the blessings of the Book of Mormon. I had the difficulty concentrating and getting through to parents who are stressed and whose children are loud, and who are just full of excuses for why they couldn't get out of bed for Sacrament meeting. I had the exhileration of Opening my Mouth to random community members and leaving a good impression, just by being there. And then I had the disappointment of people not showing up for appointments (though sadly it was the missionaries who didn't show up, not the investigators!). Up and down and Up and down. Only I realize that my short journey has been a very mini roller coaster ride. A ride that I intend to continue, because of how great the importance it is!
4) Pray to find someone who is ready for the message of the Restored Gospel, and commit to give them a Book of Mormon when the timing is right. The capstone (or should I say keystone:) of all my efforts came yesterday, when I gave a lifelong friend the greatest gift I could ever offer. I approached her with that precious book, carefully marked with important passages that remind me of her, supplemented with sticky note quotes, and my testimony of the truth of this book as the most correct book, which can bring us nearer to God than by any other means. We must never forget that it is THIS book, and the power of the Spirit, that changes souls. It is not us. We are just the instruments in His hands.
5) Finally, pray for opportunities to share, and more importantly the courage and strenght it takes to OPEN YOUR MOUTH, or OYM as our former New Mexico mission pres used to say. How great the importance of this work, of this message of Christ. Don't miss the chance! It just could lead to the opportunity of a lifetime!
Certainly, we don't need to wear the black nametag to be representatives of Jesus Christ. That's a name we took upon ourselves at baptism. So be not afraid. OYM!
