There is this song that Sister Tanner and I have been listening to a lot this last week. The words go like this " I've been troubled since the day that I got here Troubled to the day that I disappear
That'll be the day that I finally get it right There is hope for me yet Because God won't forget All the plans He's made for me I have to wait and see He's not finished with me yet" I'm not a perfect missionary, and for sure not a perfect person, which was hard for me to accept at the beginning of my mission but as I've continued pressing forward (despite my flaws and insecurities) I've seen the plans that Heavenly Father has made for me and how they have shaped me into a much better person.
That'll be the day that I finally get it right There is hope for me yet Because God won't forget All the plans He's made for me I have to wait and see He's not finished with me yet" I'm not a perfect missionary, and for sure not a perfect person, which was hard for me to accept at the beginning of my mission but as I've continued pressing forward (despite my flaws and insecurities) I've seen the plans that Heavenly Father has made for me and how they have shaped me into a much better person.
Something that Sister Tanner and I talk about quite often is missionary work (obviously...) and how in our missions we have found that it doesn't necessarily matter how diligent that you work or how obedient that you are baptisms are going to happen whenever the people are ready and it really has nothing to do with you but it's all god's miracle and it's HIS work. The reason why we want to be diligent and obedient in the mission is yes, it does certainly make for more solid conversions and the work to go better, but it is because that is when you qualify for the spirit, and it is the spirit that changes you. You have the choice to go home from your mission a new person because of how the atonement of Jesus Christ has changed you... or you have the choice to become hardened and bitter about how the work doesn't seem to go your way.
This quote from Elder Holland has often rang through my mind on the really tough days"Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn’t it go better? Why can’t oursuccess be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? It is the truth. We believe in angels. We trust in miracles.Why don’t people just flock to the font? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day andall night in the baptismal font?
You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convincedthat missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of JesusChrist, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy forHim? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries andmission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary.
Now, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about anything anywhere near what Christ experienced. That would be presumptuousand sacrilegious. But I believe that missionaries and investigators, to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of thisprice that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price.
For that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy, nor that conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continuedfaithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our soul.
If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup canpass, let it pass,” 16 then little wonder that salvation is not a whimsical or easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way,you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’tan easier way.
The Atonement will carry the missionaries perhaps even more importantly than it will carry the investigators. When you struggle, whenyou are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world hasever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living Godknows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way toeternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
I've been diligent my whole mission. I've been obedient my whole mission. but that does not mean that I will get baptisms. It does however mean that I will be changed by the atonement and it does mean that I will not stand blameless before God in the last days when I account on the work that I did during this time of my mission.
That being said... the work in Kalgoorlie is going AMAZING! This last week we have taught, and invited to baptism, and just loved the ward here and loved each other. being here feels like a vacation but I get to do my favourite thing ever... MISSIONARY WORK!! because lets be honest...it's my only talent.... and really it's not even mine because it's all Heavenly Father.
So we have this adorable investigator named Seany. Her friends invited her to come to this standards weekend that the young women's here did and she loved it! ever since then she's been coming to church and reads her scriptures more than the members do. In sunday school she answers the questions... not the members... SHE'S SO COOL! She's so ready to be baptized but we aren't sure what is holding her back. We went and taught her this week with the bishop's wife and it went great. She wants to be but she just doesn't feel ready so we are going to go over everything in depth with her and then hopefully by the 26th she'll feel ready. #prayertime... that's when we just turn everything over to the Lord and just try not to get in the way of the spirit. Which shouldn't be that hard... but sometimes my natural man ruins me. That's been my biggest challenge lately is fighting against the natural urge just to say whatever comes into my head and word vomit all over the lesson. I've been trying to think very carefully about what needs to be said and making sure that it's what the spirit wants me to say. Tough skill... don't over think it... but don't under think it either... hahha
any way I've taken forever writing this so I'm going to close with this funny and classic mission story that happened to me and sister tanner.
So funny thing about aussies... they put gates around everything... dad would love it. Their whole front yards are enclosed with these UGLY giant gates that are taller than me (not that its that hard to be taller than me) and always really intimidating to open. So on Saturday we were out on the bikes trying to find people to teach and we went to this former's house that had this massive gate so we opened it and we could see that the back yard was also fenced in with this same gate but it divided the front yard and the backyard so we weren't worried about any dogs or anything because there was this MASSIVE fence keeping it in the back if there was one. So here we go to the front door... it didn't look like any one was home but we weren't not going to try. As were walking this GIANT pit bull launches it's self over the fence and comes running at us. Sister Tanner SCREAMS and runs outside the front gate and held it shut but she left me in the front yard half way between the door and this dog. I was like... ok be calm... it probably wont bite you if you don't freak out... it's just saying hello... don't be judgy just because it's a pit bull and you know people who have been severally damaged by pit bulls on their missions (bekah jarman bradshaw...) so I just stood there and then this scrawny little aussie guy covered in tattoos comes running out the door swearing at the dog! I was so glad when he picked him up and got him inside but sister tanner still wasn't going to come inside the gate she just stood out there and was like "I'm terrified of dogs" and I was thinking "I'm terrified of this guy!" but we started chatting he's the partner of the former and he's a real nice guy but when we asked him if he believed in god he proceeded to pull off his shirt to show me his flabby stomach covered in anti-god tattoos.... I hate it when people don't wear clothes... and I especially hate it when they show me their gross tattoos....so there you had it all before lunch we were almost killed by a dog and exposed to gross shirtless men... people really should just wear clothes we all look better that way any way... so awkward. We have plans to go back there later this week #diligence
I love you! I'm so glad that a few of you have been trying the praying out loud thing and have told me about your experiences! THANK YOU! It strengthens my faith when you do that.
keep going strong. do the basics. read, pray, family home evening, church, and temple. You can't fail if you do that!
xoxo
Sister Wyatt
You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convincedthat missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of JesusChrist, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy forHim? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries andmission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary.
Now, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about anything anywhere near what Christ experienced. That would be presumptuousand sacrilegious. But I believe that missionaries and investigators, to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of thisprice that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price.
For that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy, nor that conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continuedfaithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our soul.
If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup canpass, let it pass,” 16 then little wonder that salvation is not a whimsical or easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way,you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’tan easier way.
The Atonement will carry the missionaries perhaps even more importantly than it will carry the investigators. When you struggle, whenyou are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world hasever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living Godknows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way toeternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
I've been diligent my whole mission. I've been obedient my whole mission. but that does not mean that I will get baptisms. It does however mean that I will be changed by the atonement and it does mean that I will not stand blameless before God in the last days when I account on the work that I did during this time of my mission.
That being said... the work in Kalgoorlie is going AMAZING! This last week we have taught, and invited to baptism, and just loved the ward here and loved each other. being here feels like a vacation but I get to do my favourite thing ever... MISSIONARY WORK!! because lets be honest...it's my only talent.... and really it's not even mine because it's all Heavenly Father.
So we have this adorable investigator named Seany. Her friends invited her to come to this standards weekend that the young women's here did and she loved it! ever since then she's been coming to church and reads her scriptures more than the members do. In sunday school she answers the questions... not the members... SHE'S SO COOL! She's so ready to be baptized but we aren't sure what is holding her back. We went and taught her this week with the bishop's wife and it went great. She wants to be but she just doesn't feel ready so we are going to go over everything in depth with her and then hopefully by the 26th she'll feel ready. #prayertime... that's when we just turn everything over to the Lord and just try not to get in the way of the spirit. Which shouldn't be that hard... but sometimes my natural man ruins me. That's been my biggest challenge lately is fighting against the natural urge just to say whatever comes into my head and word vomit all over the lesson. I've been trying to think very carefully about what needs to be said and making sure that it's what the spirit wants me to say. Tough skill... don't over think it... but don't under think it either... hahha
any way I've taken forever writing this so I'm going to close with this funny and classic mission story that happened to me and sister tanner.
So funny thing about aussies... they put gates around everything... dad would love it. Their whole front yards are enclosed with these UGLY giant gates that are taller than me (not that its that hard to be taller than me) and always really intimidating to open. So on Saturday we were out on the bikes trying to find people to teach and we went to this former's house that had this massive gate so we opened it and we could see that the back yard was also fenced in with this same gate but it divided the front yard and the backyard so we weren't worried about any dogs or anything because there was this MASSIVE fence keeping it in the back if there was one. So here we go to the front door... it didn't look like any one was home but we weren't not going to try. As were walking this GIANT pit bull launches it's self over the fence and comes running at us. Sister Tanner SCREAMS and runs outside the front gate and held it shut but she left me in the front yard half way between the door and this dog. I was like... ok be calm... it probably wont bite you if you don't freak out... it's just saying hello... don't be judgy just because it's a pit bull and you know people who have been severally damaged by pit bulls on their missions (bekah jarman bradshaw...) so I just stood there and then this scrawny little aussie guy covered in tattoos comes running out the door swearing at the dog! I was so glad when he picked him up and got him inside but sister tanner still wasn't going to come inside the gate she just stood out there and was like "I'm terrified of dogs" and I was thinking "I'm terrified of this guy!" but we started chatting he's the partner of the former and he's a real nice guy but when we asked him if he believed in god he proceeded to pull off his shirt to show me his flabby stomach covered in anti-god tattoos.... I hate it when people don't wear clothes... and I especially hate it when they show me their gross tattoos....so there you had it all before lunch we were almost killed by a dog and exposed to gross shirtless men... people really should just wear clothes we all look better that way any way... so awkward. We have plans to go back there later this week #diligence
I love you! I'm so glad that a few of you have been trying the praying out loud thing and have told me about your experiences! THANK YOU! It strengthens my faith when you do that.
keep going strong. do the basics. read, pray, family home evening, church, and temple. You can't fail if you do that!
xoxo
Sister Wyatt
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