To mom: re: calculator

Hello. Time is short. My calculator should be in my room somewhere. Sorry I can't be more specific... Wish everybody good luck for me. Love you lots. You're great!

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

From Mom: Where is your expensive calculator? Hannah needs it.

Hannah is going to borrow your calculator for her pre-calc class. Both she and Sarah need one this year. Can you believe it? Sarah, Hannah, and Rachel are all studying ASL this year. It should be interesting! I think about you every day. People ask about you all the time. The house still feels like something is missing...I guess it's the absence of extra testosterone. :)

We all love you like crazy. Be well, young padowan! <3

Week 37: From Jordan

Thanks for the email! Everyone is still having a good time it seems. I look forward to hearing about Mom's experiences teaching at the elementary school. She'll have fun. :)

This week has been a bit rougher, but it's all good. The hotter weather has made a couple people slightly more edgy, and the rain "storms" have sent most of the Koreans... all the Koreans... running, but we have been able to meet the people we were supposed to meet. We met one man who met missionaries more than 20 years ago in a basketball game. He didn't convert then, but he's willing to meet again. We met a devout atheist who really just wanted to push our buttons and see what would happen. It was fun to see him be completely caught off guard by Elder Pons's response that he could find his answer through prayer. He was making claims about scriptures and revelation, but all the anti-theological books he read didn't prepare him for a suggestion to pray. We didn't get to get his number, but we left him feeling a lot better than when we met him.

It was fun to see that every single "question" (arguing point) could be answered by the plan of salvation. Every "logical" argument he had could be refuted with a sliver of doctrine. We didn't argue. We barely even discussed. We simply heard him out and told him we got our answer through prayer, and he could, too. He was knocked off-balance. So often as members of the church we don't realize what we have. Just like that story of the Ph.D. in Germany you sent a while ago said, we have the answers to questions people have had since before history began. That is an incredible thought.

Not only that, it was fun to see that, though every argument he had could've been refuted through logic alone, it was the simple testimony that we have an answer, and that he too can obtain one that really made him think. Never forget the power of an invitation to act. We could've just said "we know," but that wouldn't have helped him. It was sharing the idea that he can do something besides rely on his fears, the words of others, or even logic that made him feel there is something more. I hope to hear from him someday, but it's all on him to take that invitation and act.

We had a music night as a finding/ward-building (branch-building) activity. It went well, and quite a few people came. The missionaries did a lot, but the members were grateful, and love getting to do things here and there. If the ward back home were to try something like that, I'd be all for it. It's a great time. It really all comes down to people inviting their friends, though. Missionaries are great and all, but it is the members that make things happen. ... Excluding miracle people who speak a different language than the ward... less of a problem in Utah. On that note, Zack is still doing super well and is working on finding a wife. We can't really do anything for him there... 

Things continue to be great out here. Thank you for all your support. I am always happy to hear from you and to hear about what you are learning. We should be learning something new every moment, but, if that seems too hard, every day is okay, too. :) I love you all and am blessed to have you in my life. Thank you.

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 37 - Luke 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Dear Jordan,

 

We hope you are doing well. We have been telling people about what you are doing and they are very interested to find out that you have been teaching so many Muslims and that you have been able to reference the Koran. Please keep the stories coming of what you are doing, even if they don't sound very interesting to you.

 

On Monday we attended the Ward Family Home Evening. Unfortunately the Garnders (Ward Mission Leader now but you don't know because they moved in after you left for your mission) weren't able to attend. It was at the Websters house (backyard actually). So we had to come up with a lesson in the spur of the moment. We talked about cell phones and how we communicate with them. We then likened it to talking with Heavenly Father. We have to have the two-way communication and just like cell phones, we need to communicate many times a day.

 

On Tuesday we had three scouts but the Young Men wanted to play soccer. Ethan Futrell had his Eagle Board of Review and passed. Jacob Kreiter was able to get the signatures to start his Eagle Project (retiring flags). On Wednesday I didn't do too much because I was getting ready for a colonoscopy on Thursday. I had to clear my system so I was drinking lots of water and stuff to help clear the colon. Hence I wasn't very far from where I needed to be. 

 

On Thursday the girls started school and Mom started as a Teachers Assistant in front of students. For the last week she has been going to trainings to prepare. Grandma picked me up in the morning and took me to St Marks for the procedure. Everything turned out okay but I need to wait for the final results.  

 

On Friday I went to work and the girls went to school. It rained in the afternoon. We watched some shows at home. On Saturday Hannah and I mowed the lawn and then I did the shopping with Sarah. She doesn't want to have school lunch so she will bring her own. In the afternoon Mom and I saw "Maleficent." Mom didn't like it but I did. 

 

We took the car in to Burt Brothers because the low tire pressure light was on. It appears that the alignment was off and so we have to get new tires and struts. Aaaaargh! Well it is better that Mom can drive the car safely. Grandma flew to Minneapolis because she wanted to be there when Dan was sustained as the bishop in his ward. He actually told us at the cabin but I couldn't put it in you email until he was sustained today because your emails get put on the blog.

 

As you saw from the emails I forwarded, Dallin is finishing his mission on Wednesday and Lori is very excited. We are using Lori and Nathan's old van until Dallin comes out for school in January. They bought a new van when they came out for the cabin.

 

I am typing this during Sacrament meeting. Hannah gave the youth talk. I am trying to concentrate on your email but it is hard because Earl Webster is talking. The pulpit is shaking. Ha ha

 

We love you Jordan. We are so happy that you are enjoying the wonderful experiences. We are thrilled that you are using all of your languages. Please keep going strong and keep the Spirit with you. I went home teaching today at the Clements and Brother Johnson wasn't there so it was just me. I kept thinking of how great it was to have you as my companion. You are great.

 

Be obedient and stay busy.

Love,

Bekah, dad, Mom, Sarah, Hannah, Rachel

 

P.S.

Thought you might like this:

Mormon missionaries use song, ukuleles to share the gospel (Deseret News Published: Sunday, Aug. 17 2014 8:11 a.m. MDT)

 

Whether during Sunday's church services or Monday's family home evening, performances of hymns and Primary songs are important to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The preface to the church's hymn book states, "Inspirational music is an essential part of our church meetings. The hymns invite the Spirit of the Lord, create a feeling of reverence, unify us as members, and provide a way for us to offer praises to the Lord.

 

“Some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns. Hymns move us to repentance and good works, build testimony and faith, comfort the weary, console the mourning, and inspire us to endure to the end."

 

Often times, LDS missionaries use music to share their message. Recently, three LDS missionaries performed "When I am Baptized" (from the Children's Songbook) with a ukulele in a YouTube video posted by Laura Bohling on Aug. 10.

 

"These are great young men with a very simple message in song and ukulele. Enjoy," Bohling posted online.

Several years ago, two other missionaries found a way to encourage LDS members to share the gospel through their ukulele performance.

 

Elders Joseph Tanuvasa and John Berger were missionaries in the Illinois Peoria Mission in 2008 when they began performing the song "How Can I Be." A video was recorded and uploaded to YouTube and now has more than 175,000 views. The missionaries expressed their desire to use their talents to spread the gospel.

"I was told in the MTC from one of my cousins to use my tool of singing to the best of my abilities," Tanuvasa told the Deseret News.

 

"How Can I Be" was written by Elder Tanuvasa's relative, Nela Otuafi, who performed it before leaving on his own mission in 1996. Since then, the song has been How Can I Be.

Week 36: from Jordan

This week was a really fun one for everyone, it seems! How was the Xmen movie? And how is 드래건 길들이기 2? It has some fun posters!

This week we got to meet with a few good people. One is a missionary for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He really wants to know if what we're saying is true and he likes it, but he's not sure if he can make the commitment to join the church. He's currently signed on for life-time missionary service, so I understand the worry. Elder Pons also got to meet a 52 year-old man from Gambia. He is studying for a Master's degree so he can become minister of education in Gambia. He is loving the message and the only thing he doesn't like is that there are no missionaries in Gambia right now. He says he will personally translate the Book of Mormon in to Fillani because "the people of Gambia need this book!" He's doing really well, but since he is so old, and doing the entire master's program in one year, he is always really tired, and so sometimes sleeps through our appointments. I look forward to meeting him soon, though.

I didn't get to go to the lesson with Mr. Ba (Gambia) because of a conflicting appointment, but it worked out int he end it seems. In similar news, I was senior companion for a day because of exchanges with Elder Ashby. He's still struggling with the language and is noticing some gigantic differences between Korea and Utah, but he's working hard, and that's what matters. :) He said it was really weird to be with someone other than Elder Redd. That's fair. 

Other than that, we have had a pretty quiet week. We got to go visit the northern end of our district and walk by the river. People were much more willing to talk up there. Still not exactly leaping for baptism, but willing to hear us out. That was nice to experience in contrast with the always busy areas where we usually are. We should always be willing to give time to listen. We can learn a lot when we do. :) Not only that, it is through listening that we help others feel important. Granted, people need to want to talk first, but when they are, it is listening that helps them keep going. Maya Angelou said, "People will forget what you say. People will forget what you do. But people will never forget how you made them feel." As missionaries, we are helping people come closer to Christ, and, in large part, that means helping them see their true worth. 

Sorry there's less to report this week. We have had a lot of time street contacting in new areas. It hasn't yielded as many stories, but it has given us the opportunity to meet some people that possible never would have been found otherwise. It's been good. :) Thank you for all you're doing. I am always happy to hear about your adventures back home. Keep up the fun times, but now that school has started, 시간이 많이 없다. Hope you have fun anyway. And that you use this lack of time as an opportunity to focus on what is most important. :) Have a great week!

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 36 - Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? AND Acts 8:36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

Dear Jordan,

Thank you for your amazing last email. Mom was able to post the emails and send them out to everyone for the last two weeks. People asked questions of me because they hadn't seen anything for a bit. Bruce asked if everything was okay. Liz Merrill didn't know there was a blog so she had just been thinking of how you were doing.

Since returning home from the cabin, things have been pretty quiet. On Saturday Robert took his Pilot and I took Lori/Nate's van to be serviced at the dealership. Fortunately, Hannah and Rachel had mowed the lawn yesterday because it was Alpine Days and Saturday would have been a mess to get through. Hannah and I also worked on the Stake Farm removing weeds. I did the regular shopping and then picked up the van. Mom and I then went to the High Priest party and then went with Rachel to see the last Xmen movie. Sunday was pretty usual but after church Hannah and Bekah had interviews with the bishop. Bekah also received a calling. We were both surprised. Mom went with us to Robert's house for dinner and then we watched "The Butler". I got it for Mom for our anniversary (23rd). Mom got us big pillows so we can sleep better. On Monday we had Family Home Evening and the lesson was on Happiness. We also talked a little about your last email.

On Tuesday for scouts we talked about camping and two of the boys had their board of review. They both became Stars. On Wednesday I went around the ward getting the permission slips for the camp out this Friday. We wanted to go to Albion Basin, but it was booked for Friday. We decided to go to Alpine instead. We had a good campout. On Thursday Mom and the girls were supposed to go to a musical but they stayed home instead (Holly wasn't feeling well enough to go). On Friday, I checked on several campsites up little cottonwood canyon, but they were all full due to the fact that it was the last weekend before school starts. Only two scouts showed for the campout, so I also took Sarah and Pete Jensen. Kyle Herd and his boys came down for a little bit as well. They were late because Kyle sold the van for us, and the buyer was late arriving and the car wouldn't start. (We got a whopping $500 for it. At least it's gone!) At the camp out, we got to watch  Despicable Me 2. We all slept in separate tents. We ate "pigs in a blanket." On Saturday, we ate a "mountain man" breakfast and then the scouts mowed grandma's lawn as a service project.

We forgot two of our chairs, so when mom and Hannah arrived to mow the lawn, they discovered that the lawn had been mowed already. It was a busy day, so mom was frustrated (!) that she lost the time. The good news was that Hannah got to drive home (reluctantly). The hardest part for her was getting to  the mountain. Once she was up, she did great. There were probably 2 dozen bikers strewn along the way, so she was nervous about hitting one. We decided to have her drive in the left lane with her hazards on so that she didn't have to worry about her blind-spot so much. We then went as a family to the annual Sahara Cares Autism fair. It was the 10th year, and there were more than 3,500 autistic kids and their families. Sarah again bewildered us with her excitement about holding the pythons, a tarantula, a boa, a scorpion, 2 turtles, and three lizards. Sarah had no fear! Eventually, even Hannah and Rachel tried the tarantula and the turtles.

Once we were home, we raced off to Little Caesar's to get pizza for the missionaries, a cake and soda for the girls' party and ice to keep everything cool. We had rented White Towers Swim club for their birthday. They each had 4 friends so it was run having the place to ourselves. Even mom squeezed into a suit and actually dove off the diving board several times. Sarah tried to coach her about how to dive, but her belly kept causing belly-flops no matter how hard she tried. The rest of the girls had a great time.

Just a curiousity. Have you tried any of the following:
Banana Milkis (milk)
Ojingeo Ttangkong (roasted squid and peanut balls)
Misubong (fish sausage)
Tteok (rice cake with red bean)
Samanco (vanilla ice with red bean)?

I got this list from a video called "Americans try Korean snacks." Some of them liked some of the snacks, especially the Samanco. They didn't like the Misubong.

We love you and care about your well-being. We just got your shoes, so feel free to buy new ones. You'll have $270 new shoes to wear when you get home. (Hannah was bummed that they were too big for her.) You are constantly in our thoughts and prayers. G&G Stamps put your name on the temple roll every week. :) I can't remember if we told you that they got called to be in the temple presidency. They are exhausted. They are coming to visit this fall, so that will be fun.

Be well, my favorite son!

Love, Rachel, Bekah (now 12), dad, Mom, Sarah, Hannah (now 16)

Week 35: From Jordan

I'm glad to hear so many people got to go up to the cabin! I wish I could've been there, but I am very glad I am here. Congrats to Sarah for catching a fish! I hope everyone had a great time up there and enjoyed nature. Utah is blessed with a lot of nature very close to home. There is nature here, but it is a bit far, and... missionary work doesn't really allow for long trips. ;)

All in all, things are going well here in impossible 이문! We have continued to find really great people, but we have been having to drop a few who want to talk more than listen. We didn't plan this, but there was a streak of 3 days where we taught no one but Muslims. We won't be meeting with some of them because they want us to convert... They're hilarious at times (like when one was trying to disprove our view of God with the Koran. He struggled to find the section, so we nearly quoted it to him verbatim from hearing it so much already and told him where it was.), but some of them have literally no concept of religion outside of Islam. We've been studying for them a lot and we have gotten a lot of revelation on working with them. I look forward to talking about it when I get back. We also realized that there are really not very many missionaries who have much experience on working with Muslims. There are just not many people who serve around large groups of them.

Other than the Muslim crowd, we had a couple lessons, but there were a lot of meetings this week, so I have less to tell you about this week. Sorry about that... Either way, we have had a great week, and we look forward to many more. Lately we have been learning a lot about boldness, so we are going to try to be even more bold. It will probably cut into numbers of lessons, but I think it will help in the end. I look forward to the challenge.

A mission teaches many things, but one of the things I have learned the most is exactly how the spirit works with me. It is different with everyone, but there are few things- if any- that are more important than learning how the spirit works with you. I don't know when, but do something with the family about that. I suppose FHE would be the place, but follow your heart. ;) I am very glad to hear that everyone is doing well and enjoying the ending weeks of their summer. School is almost here again! School has started here, so students are back. I look forward to meeting new, excited students. 

Thank you for everything, and I look forward to continuing to hear from you. I am having the time of my life out here, and I will be sad to see it end. Thanks for the reminder that time is going so quickly... ;P Love you all, and I hope you notice the little things in life. Sometimes, they are actually the things that hold everything else together. :)

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 35 - Alma 37:35 - O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.

Dear Jordan,

    We are back from the cabin. It was a great time with all of my siblings except Juli. I was able to visit with her and her family before going to the cabin. Last Sunday they came by Robert's house and visited with us. So we had Grandma, Robert, David and Don, our family (except you), Lori and Nathan (except Dallin and Jason) with Brian, Josh, and Jemma, Daniel and Jackie with Bryson, Caleb, and Natalia, Debbi and Mark with Tyler and Sean, Bonni (Chris in Afghanistan) with Sam, Lizzy, Ann, Matthew, and Joseph, and Ben at the cabin. It was a full house (cabin). Dan rented a trailer so that he and his family could stay there but still enjoy the cabin.

We were supposed to go to the cabin on Friday; however, Mom, Sarah, and Bekah didn't get back from the cabin until evening. Hannah and I had gone to Alpine to mow the lawn in the morning. We couldn't pick up the trailer with the kayaks because Lisa drove Grandma's Pilot to Denver and Lisa wasn't back yet. When they arrived at home i drove to Alpine and picked up the trailer and kayaks. Since the sun was setting when I got back I decided that we would go up Saturday morning. On Saturday we packed up and drove to the cabin. Mom and Sarah came up later in the day. We unpacked and then most of the people went on a hike on the roller coaster trail. We ate well but surprisingly we didn't have a lot of extra food left over. On Sunday we went to church. It was Fast Sunday and our stake president had asked that we fast for missionary experiences. Back at the cabin  we played games inside because it was raining. On Monday most of the kids went into the river. Later we did some fishing. Sarah caught her first fish. I forwarded the pictures to you. On Tuesday we went to the open house for the renovated Ogden temple. It is beautiful and it has many paintings that I haven't seen before. It doesn't have a main chandelier but it does have four in each corner. It was raining again and it was a pretty good downpour. On Wednesday we went to Smith and Moorehouse to use the kayaks. On Thursday we did the river again. Mom, Sarah, and Hannah then went back home. Hannah went so that she could finish reading her book. Aunt Liz, Amanda, and Emma also visited on Wednesday. On Friday we cleaned the cabin and went home. Hannah, Rachel, and I then drove to Alpine to mow and drop off the trailer. I will borrow the Pilot for a camp-out this coming Friday. On Saturday we helped on the stake farm and did the shopping. In the evening Mom and I went to the High Priest party and then we went to a movie. Today we celebrated our 23rd anniversary.

    We received your letter. Mom said that it is kind of hard to read the green ink.

    Lori and Nathan bought a new van on the previous Saturday. They are letting us use their old van until Dallin starts school in January. He will be released on August 27th. You have now completed 1/3rd of your mission. Time is still passing quickly. We hope that you are enjoying all of your experiences.

    We love you. We continue to pray for you. Mom has been checking you bank balances and is working on getting you replacement shoes. Please let us know if there is anything else that you need.

    Please keep working hard and smart. Keep studying the languages and reading the scriptures. Be obedient.

Love,

Hannah, Rachel (back from Denver), Bekah (ditto), dad, Mom (ditto), Sarah (ditto)

Week 34: From Jordan

Thank you for the email! It is great to hear that everyone is doing so
well! I am sorry to hear about Mom falling in a dishwasher, though. I'm
glad she made it back out again safely. :) It's great to hear that Utah is
getting some rain! Seoul has gotten a bit less, so I'm glad it's going
someplace where it's needed! What book is Hannah reading for English?

Things are going really well here. We have been able to meet with a lot of
prepared people, and they have been fairly receptive. There are a couple of
language barriers, (we are meeting with people from: the DRC, Sweden,
Korea(sometimes ;) ), and China), but it's all good. Those who are ready to
hear the message are ready to hear what we can get across. One of the
people I am very happy we met is names Yves. He's from the DRC and attends
church elsewhere, but is wiling to listen and has been wanting to meet
since I met him my first week in Korea. He (like basically everyone...) is
sad that Elder South is gone, but he is happy to be meeting at last. He was
very excited to get *Le Livre de Mormon. *I look forward to working with
him more.

I'd tell you more about people progressing, but we've been meeting a lot of
people for the first time this week, so progress isn't quite applicable
yet. Still, things are going very well. The area continues to do well. The
branch is always happy to see missionaries work. All the missionaries are
having a great time, and are working hard. There has been a heavy rain
hanging in the clouds for the past week, but it just keeps drizzling from
time to time, never quite feeling ready to commit. Through it all, we're
having a great time and are looking for even more ways to serve. Apparently
when Elder Cook came, he told the mission president that he wants the
missionaries in Asia to do more physical service for the people. That is
now getting down to us. Any ideas on service projects? We're looking, but
the things we would do in America (moving, groceries, lawns) are either
done for pennies by companies, or don't exist... It's been an interesting
search. :)

I liked the article you attached. Elder Pons and I laughed out loud. We are
currently meeting with a few Seventh-day Adventists, and there are more
crosses on the skyscape here than Cahpel spires in Utah. Basically we feel
for the missionaries that experienced that. It is definitely a good
strategy to do research and then give an answer, and that is actually in
Preach My Gospel. It hasn't worked too well in the past, because everyone
either sees our not knowing as proof we are not real missionaries, or they
ask their preachers, who inevitably just say we are a cult. Basically we
are serving in a world of modern technology and speeds, but with the
religious fervor of Upstate New York in the early 1800s. It is a very
interesting juxtaposition. At times just plain funny. :) All I will say is
that I am glad we had those videos about the bible and church history back
home. ;)

Thank you for all you are doing. I am always so happy to hear about your
service, and experiences. It is a pleasure. I hope you all continue to enjoy
your summer and spend every moment doing what brings you joy. Say hello to
everyone at the cabin, though I think you will read this after the cabin is
over... Only another summer, then I can go. ;) Have a great time!

 Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,
Elder Jones

Week 34 - John 13:34 - A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Dear Jordan,
    Since we are going to the cabin on Friday, this email will only be from Sunday to Thursday. It is more important that you receive an email than it is that I include everything. With Mom, Sarah, Rachel, and Bekah in Denver, it has just been me and Hannah (and Michaela) at home. Hannah is in AP English so she has a book/paper report due over the summer. It is a 500 page book, which for Hannah generally is no problem. However, she hasn't been able to enjoy the reading so it has been slow going. I have had to ask her to meet certain goals in reading each day so that she would do it. She got to page 400 last night so we were able to watch a movie.

    On Sunday I finished writing your last email. It was just Hannah and me at church from our family. The Richards spoke as their farewell. They did a great job and Riley played a piano piece. After church Hannah and I finished getting the food ready and then we went to Robert's house for dinner. Robert and Hannah made Spencer Mix and we talked about the schedule for the cabin. On Monday we had Family Home Evening and we tried to get Mom and the girls on FaceTime but they didn't pick up. On Tuesday the Young Women were supposed to hike to Doughnut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon but there was rain so they canceled and had regular classes. For scouts we talked about the Eagle projects that are coming up and then we had a knot tying competition. On Wednesday I taught Hannah how to jump start the van and then I drove it over to Kyle Herd's house. He will try to sell it and then we will split the amount. If he can't sell it, we will donate it. I then watched the movie with Hannah after she read to page 400. Mom also called me last night to give me an update on her activities. Yesterday while doing dishes, she fell into the dishwasher at Bonni's house. She has some bruises but is otherwise well. The dishwasher carriage had to be repaired so she called a repairman and he was able to fix it. Today Hannah is supposed to mow the Terry's lawn while they are away. Friday morning we will go to Grandma's house to mow the lawn and get the trailer ready. Mom is expected around noon on Friday from Denver so I will need to make two trips to Alpine because I don't want to try to mow the lawn during the hot part of the day. It is still hot even with the rain we received so we even have some humidity. We will then drive to the cabin in the afternoon and stay for the week. On Sunday (Fast Sunday), the Stake President has asked that we fast for the missionaries and for missionary moments.

    Jason is in the MTC and Dallin is finishing his mission. Nathan will go through another round of chemo but the Colgrove's will be coming to the cabin. It will be a pretty full house, except for all of the missionaries. Bonni has asked for me to bring my fishing equipment to help teach Sam. By the way, your fishing license expired on 7/3/2014 so no fishing in Korea. ha ha

    Unfortunately this will be a shorter letter so I will add on the end an article that was referenced in the LDS Living email.

    Please keep working hard but enjoy the experience as well. Continue to watch for the many blessings that Heavenly Father continues to send to you, especially the ones that are only meant for you. We love you. We pray for you.

 

Love,
Sarah, Hannah, Rachel, Bekah, dad ,Mom

 

How a Missionary Can Answer Any Investigator’s Question

By Mission Home — 07-25-2014

I had a totally confused look on my face as my mind raced to understand what he’d just said. My new mission language was still really tough, so it took me a few moments to comprehend the question. He then repeated himself again, this time a little slower. “Why are there no crosses in Mormon churches?”

My investigator had a good point. “Why didn’t we have any crosses in our churches?” I thought to myself. Even though I’d been a member my whole life I didn’t really know the answer to this question. I could have tried answering with an educated guess, but I didn’t really know.

Little did I know that that moment was just the tip of the “I don’t know” iceberg.

Like most missionaries, I spent the MTC experience hoping no one would find out how few scriptures I’d memorized or little I knew about (cue deep echoing voice) “THE OLD TESTAMENT.”

Most missionaries in the MTC believe that they need to become a “super human bank of knowledge,” able to answer any question, anywhere, for anyone. And this gets them pretty stressed out. Is this really the expectation the Lord has for us?

The missionary purpose is to “invite others to come unto Christ.” It doesn’t mention anywhere answering everyone’s questions with sound gospel knowledge. Maybe that expectation is too big.

I think our objective should be to develop our ability to teach anything, anywhere, to anyone. But teaching doesn’t mean we have to be the smartest person in the room. We don’t need to memorize tons of facts and figures. We need to learn how to simplify what we know and continue our learning based on the needs of those we teach—especially according to the Spirit. Experience in the mission field will shape what you “need to know” over time. Believe me, you won’t figure that out until you have someone to teach.

For example, there was one investigator who we taught, the importance of the Sabbath day and then invited her to come to church. She didn’t say yes or no; she responded with a question, “Why in some faiths is the Sabbath day on a Sunday, and others, a Saturday?”

This question was really important to her. Her late husband (who had introduced her to Christianity) had gone to church every Saturday until he died at around age 40. Of course it was natural that she was confused about the division of understanding in regards to which day the Sabbath day should be.

My companion and I didn’t have a solid answer for her. It wasn’t something we’d ever considered or done any research on. We didn’t know any more than she did on the subject.

So I responded with, “We’re not too sure, but we can see that this is very important to you, so we will go away and study this together, come back later, and teach you what we learn in tomorrow’s lesson.”

The next morning, we franticly searched through our books together, trusting God would help us find an answer. Our investigator hadn’t been to a church in years, and we wanted to help her reconnect with God. We felt that finding an answer to her question was the key to unlocking this blessing.

We searched the Bible Dictionary and references in the four standard works on the topic of “Sabbath day.” We cross referenced Old and New Testament passages with Preach My Gospel. It was like a Da Vinci Code-style puzzle to solve, and it became really interesting.

I won’t tell you what we discovered, I’d hate to spoil all the fun, but in the end we did find what we were looking for. That helped us to teach our lesson with real power. Our investigator was so taken back by the effort we’d made that she came to church with us that Sunday—the first time she’d been to church since her husband’s passing.

If we want to “invite others to come unto Christ” we need to be willing to work. Missionary work is not a sales pitch; these people are not customers, and we certainly can’t bluff our way into “closing the deal.” Sometimes it’s good to identify when we don’t know something.

In that moment, I understood what a mission was all about. Loving your investigators! Which isn’t about “having all the answers” or sounding really smart. It’s about making an effort to go the extra mile, listen to the Spirit, and trust that God will help you say exactly what they need to hear. That’s the real way to answer any question—at any time, about anything, for anyone.

For more mission tips like this, check out www.missiongeek.net. You can also find Mission Geek on YouTube or Facebook. The Mission Geek

Week 33 P.S. from Jordan

Oh yeah. Elder Redd's trainee is from Alpine, Utah. Elder Ashby. Cool kid. Everybody in the house is now from Utah... that's something I was thinking I could avoid... I Korea... Oh well, things are good aside from the tremendous jet lag. I don't think people ever get over jet lag so much as they just accept being tired all the time. ;)

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 33: From Jordan

It sounds like everyone is having a great time! I hope the rest of the summer continues being fun! It's more than halfway done now, isn't it? Time sure flies when you're having fun. :) 시간이 발리 간다!

 

Things are going really well here. There are fewer investigators in this area and is basically the foreigner area, so we have done a fair bit of all three languages, but it has been 5 days, so we're still not quite to normal yet. This week we are hoping to do a lot more of everything. We have been doing a lot of finding lately, but we hope to be shifting to follow-up and teaching soon. There are a lot of really prepared people, we just need to be ready to work with them. Malvis, the man with the dream is in the other area, so I don't know how much I will be able to keep updated on him. I hope to hear if anything big happens. He has a Book of Mormon so you never know what will happen with that.

 

I can't think of anything extraordinary this week, though as Elder Pons often points out, we are in "Impossible Imun", so I may just be getting jaded to all the incredible things that are happening. Now that we are able to use a little of our Chinese study time, I feel I am almost back to where I was before my mission, though there is still a lot more to know. I'm feeling pretty okay talking to anyone on the street about whatever in Korean. Definitely not conversational, but sufficient. Chinese has definitely helped with that. If I remember the numbers, 2/3 of Korean words are taken from Chinese. I really struggle, though, on the pure Korean words... meaning all the words for everyday tasks. ;)

 

Overall, though, things are great. We're working hard and seeing a fair bit of results. They may not be full fruits until later, but we do get to see progress, and that is good. I am always grateful to hear from you about things back home. I hope things continue to go well, and I can't wait to hear about people's adventures in school this next year! Just around the corner! ;) Looking back on the email, I'm realizing I do quite a few more run-on sentences than usual. That's something Korean has done beyond a shadow of a doubt. Sorry about that... :) Still, thank you for your support and praters. They are felt. Love you all.

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 33 - Mosiah 7: 33 - But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.

Dear Jordan,

    It was great to hear that you are still in the Imun area. Hopefully your Korean is improving as much as your Chinese. On average, how much do you teach in Korean, Chinese, and/or English/other? We hope that you are getting along well with your new companion. Even though the goal of each missionary is to teach the gospel, it is interesting to see how different each person is and what strengths he/she brings to the companionship.

    It has been an interesting week. I returned home from the camping on Saturday and Mom and Sarah commented on how well they were able to coexist. I came home and Sarah and I had some confrontations. I guess I need to work on my parenting skills some more.

Chris Pratt is still assigned to Afghanistan; however, he was picked for some special training in Germany this week. So Bonni purchased a ticket and flew to Germany to be with him for the week. This left Rachel to take care of the kids. So Mom, Sarah, and Bekah drove to Denver to help Rachel for the week. They made it there safely. So it is just Hannah and me at home. It is pretty quiet except when Michaela comes over to visit Hannah.

On Monday we had Family Home Evening and then Mom went to the open house for the new elementary school in Bluffdale. In case she hasn't told you, she got the job as a TA at that school. On Tuesday Pete Jensen and I visited with each of the young men and/or parents about their eagle scout projects and what they still need to complete. There are 7 young men in that situation. On Wednesday Mom took Grandma's Pilot in for a checkup for her trip to Denver. That night she did some school item shopping. On Thursday it was the 24th, Pioneer Day, so the girls and I helped set up the flags in the morning and took them down at night. There were some young men that helped as well when Bruce and Pete picked them up. In the afternoon i watched two movies, Heaven Is For Real and Spiderman 2. On Friday Hannah and I drove to Alpine and mowed Grandma's lawn. We also visited with Debbi and Mark Pope since they were at the park for part of her 20th year reunion. They are doing well and will be at the cabin at the end of this next week. On Saturday I went to the temple for a sealing session. Hannah and I then went to Lagoon for a couple of hours. We rode some rides that we both liked and then ate lunch. We then went to Lagoon a Beach for 2 hours. Fortunately we didn't get sunburned. It is now Sunday and Hannah and I just returned from being home taught at the Urton's. They asked how you are and if you have had a chance to use your Chinese. I told them that you are using it probably a little more than Korean.

    Nathan and Lori Colgrove were in Houston this week to see what options they have for his reoccurring cancer. They will try chemo again. Jason flew into SLC on Wednesday and is in the MTC learning Spanish for his mission to Mexico. I think I already told you that Reilly Richards has been called to the NYC New York Spanish speaking mission.

    On Friday we will be going to the cabin and we will miss you and the other missionaries from our family. You are engaged in a great cause and you see that the elect who haven't received the gospel yet are now coming forward. Seek the Spirit in all that you do and you will be guided just like Nephi not knowing beforehand to those who are seeking but don't know where to find it. Your investigator with his dream is an example.

    We love you very much. You are great and the Lord will bless you with the things you need to do His work. Stay strong in the Spirit and please let us know if there is anything you need. I know that Mom is working on the shoe situation but I haven't heard the resolution yet.

    

Love,

    Mom, Sarah, Hannah, Rachel (still in Denver for 1 more week), Bekah, dad