Sunday, April 19, 2015

March 23

So to answer a previous question, people can send me emails or snail mail if they want to tell me something, both are fine. But if they want a response they should do snail mail so I have time to write a letter back, because email time is very limited.

To answer another question, we don't do like any tracting. We probably see equal parts investigators and less-active members. Brother Lindsey, the old branch mission leader, was talking to us and the elders yesterday at church about how different missions are nowadays. When he went on a mission, they were out of the house by 8:30 every morning (but now we have studies until 10-11), they tracted like all day (we don't do that much anymore because it's just really not that effective), and they only did service if there was extra time after tracting, which there usually wasn't. But now missionaries are supposed to make time for service every week and we don't tract a ton, we really depend on members to find us people. Next Sunday the missionaries of our branch are teaching a lesson in church about how missionaries are really just full-time teachers and members are supposed to be the full-time finders because nobody likes people knocking on their door asking them to join their church. It's much easier for members to just serve and be social and meet people and members don't even need to talk to people about church all the time, if they just be friends with people and serve and love them and be an example, church topics will come up and then they have the perfect opportunity to talk about the church and possibly refer them to the missionaries. People are just much more receptive to learning about the gospel from their friends, not random missionaries.

Not a ton of updates this week. Sorry this email is so short but the internet actually just went down in the library for a while so that cut my time pretty short. Here's the quote of the week!

"As you walk to the boundary of your understanding into the twilight of uncertainty, exercising faith, you will be led to find solutions you would not obtain otherwise. With even your strongest faith, God will not always reward you immediately according to your desires. Rather, God will respond with what in His eternal plan is best for you, when it will yield the greatest advantage. Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. That causes your faith to increase and your character to grow." ~Richard G. Scott
 
I love this quote so much because I've definitely found this to be true in my life since I left on a mission. My testimony was pretty shaky in the MTC and I prayed a lot looking for answers but I just never felt like God heard me. But, long story short, He did answer me, even though it took awhile. I couldn't understand why it took so long but then I found this quote in what's now probably one of my favorite talks ever, and the reason is because God wanted me to grow. And it worked. And now I'll never doubt anything God does ever again because ultimately it's all part of the plan and He perfectly knows what's best for each of us. If I had been answered immediately, I wouldn't have needed to exercise any faith and my testimony would not be nearly as strong as it is now. 

I know this church is true! That is all.
~Sister Temp


​Here's a picture of us


​and here's the sky. Again. I hope you love the sky as much as I do or these pictures are probably getting old. I hope you realize how hard it was to only pick one picture of the sky to share, out of like the 100 pictures I've taken of the sky this week.

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