A Prayer for Protection

Doug Brinley, a couples therapist and author of a dozen books, is a Senior Missionary here with us. When he and his wife were set apart as missionaries to go to Hawaii a few years ago, his Stake President said that they would become closer as a couple and more in love.

When they were called last year to come to the Calif. Fresno mission his Stake President gave him when he set him apart, "a blessing for protection".

Yep.  That's our mission!  Elder Pack and I have already had a man try to scam us with the "I have an inheritance coming in November and just need some money until then.  I'll pay you back" scam.

We have seen drug deals happening and even had to report one that was hurting an investigating family.  (Luckily no one has come to break our knee caps on that one yet.)

One young missionary told the mission President that everyone here had tatoos, piercings, just living together without being married, was on drugs or selling them, or was a criminal or gay.

So what are missionaries to do?  Love them.  Teach them.  Invite them to come unto Christ.  The Gospel is for everyone and can help anyone. One successful missionary says whenever he talks to someone he just imagines them standing there in white clothes preparing for the Temple and then he teaches them. 

And the Lord protects us if we listen.  As the scriptures teach us:  Them that be with us are more than those that be with them. I have felt the Lord's protection here and I am grateful.  With the Lord on our side we go about doing His work.

Be careful what you pray for!

Be careful what you pray for because you just might get it!  Today is Sunday and Elder Pack and I are exhausted.  All of our prayers for the branch came true today.  That means the Mitchell family came to church and Elder Pack took them to the English speaking ward's Sacrament meeting and got them to their respective classes. Then he substituted for a primary teacher there that went to talk to the Mitchells about something their family was concerned about.  But he had to get a substitute for the substitute too because he had to go pick up another investigating family for the Spanish branch meetings.

That left Sis. Pack going to Correlation meeting alone to bring many items to the Branch President that needed his attention. And she had to read the Relief Society Declaration to the class in Sunday School.  Everything in Spanish of course.

In Relief Society all the chairs were full!  So exciting.  And then we had Sacrament meeting where we had "brother investigators" come with their families! There were 46 people there which isn't a record number, but did we mention all the men?!

After, Sis. Pack helped with commodity orders while Elder Pack helped the Branch clerk update the member records for the Branch.  He also went with the President to teach him how to give a live temple recommend to a sister who is going for her own endowment now that she has  completed the Temple preparation class!

It was a great Sunday but without the Lord's help it is difficult to cope with all the blessings He is sending.
Thankfully, he is sending us help all day, every day. And that is an answer to our prayers.

What is the Worst that can happen?

What is the Worst that can happen to us in our missionary work?  The investigator can say no.  They don't want lessons, they don't want visits, they don't want what we have to offer.

On the other hand, what is the Best that can happen?  Ah-- blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see  God through you. They will recognize the truths they were taught in their Heavenly Father's  home. They will be baptized, sealed as families, and have eternal blessings.

 What is that worth to us when we are tired and discouraged and dissapointed? Remember President Hinckley felt that way once and then made a covenant with Heavenly Father "I will lose myself in your service."  Isaiah had no converts recorded in the scriptures and yet Christ himself quoted him.When the Savior took his First Presidency with him to the Garden of Gethsemane they couldn't stay awake for him.  They missed an opportunity but went on to lead his church.

If you want to know who you are, figure out who you were.  What did the Lord see in you before and what does he see in you now. Were we afraid to talk to everyone about Christ and the Plan of Salvation in heaven? Did we worry that people would think we were weird? Were we afraid they would say no?

 What if Christ was almost obedient? Almost committed? Almost willing and successful in his part of the plan? I'm sure that in our premortal life we were exactly obedient, committed, and focused. Now it is time to do our part here.

Satan is satisfied if we do good things that distract us from doing great things. Step up and ask if someone would like to hear about the restored gospel here on the earth today.  What is the worst that can happen?

Busy or Productive?

We are really busy.  Hopefully we are productive too. 

Yesterday we had a district meeting and were gone from 10:00 to 2:00. Then I had a Relief Society Presidency meeting at 3:30 and then we went as a Presidency to visit a sister with a birthday and a less active sister.  Then at 7:00 we went to the Temple Preparation class at the church where Elder Pack does the most work entertaining about nine kids with DVDs while the parents are in the class.

So today I thought it would slow down.  And it did because I fit in the pool exercise first thing. But I had to make dinner in the morning and put it in the fridge because I wouldn't have time later. Then we drove around delivering invitations to the Singles activity, visited a less, less active and her husband, ran back to feed the District Elders before another appointment with investigators, and then lastly to an investigator who is actually getting baptized this month!

Every day goes like this.  Plus we are going to parties to get to know the less actives, and encourage them to "come unto Christ." Again.

Here are pictures of people we are partying with, partying for, and being friends with.  Its fun.

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Can you have Relief Society without a tablecloth?

I am so excited!  My little Relief Society group has been delegated to a little double classroom for forever!  This really upset me. Spanish often are treated second rate but not in my Relief Society! There were extra stacked chairs being stored, the windows looked out on the air conditioner unit, there were no decorations except for a tissue paper flower, etc. It was not inspiring at all.

So today my friend helped me convert it into a real Relief Society room.  I knew it needed a lacy tablecloth!  And my friend Jenny Vasanni (English speaking) measured, bought and hung floor length drapes.  She also made up a flower arrangement.  Yeah, she has the talent I lack.

Glen cleaned the chairs, disposed of the ones being stored there and hung all the pictures.  He also found a songbook holder so I don't have to walk to the other side of the building to the R.S. closet each week to get the books. He also downloaded the LDS hymns on my phone so I can easily pull them up as prelude music at the start of the class.  You can pretty well figure if we had nothing else we don't have a piano either. Course none of the sisters play anyway.

So what did I do you might ask?  I played Robin Hood and "relocated" pictures hanging in the church house, found a beautiful tablecloth in a closet, moved hymn books to the new stand and cheered everyone else on. I can't hardly wait for the sisters to walk in Sunday.  They are so worth it!

Its official, I'm a missionary.

This last week I was bit by one dog and peed on by another.  So yeah, I'm officially a missionary now.

We also had our first Homemaking meeting since I've been put in the Relief Society and we learned how to bottle fruit.  We started with apricots since they are on now and everyone is passing them out free around here.  There is a lot of free fruit when it comes on and knowing how to bottle it is a huge blessing for these sisters. Thank you Eulala for teaching me.

For the next six weeks we are having Temple preparation lessons. Everyone is invited to come.  Those still with us on the last lesson are the serious ones.  One sister has already asked me to be her Escort when she goes to the temple. These people are really accepting of Elder Pack and I.  

 Today we took the Mitchell boys  to see a baptism.  They asked if their friend could come.  We said yes and he came with huge hanging circles in his ears and rods sticking in his lips.  He lives in a foster home. When we got to the church he asked if this was a mormon church.  Apparently he is already baptized and ordained a Deacon!  He doesn't remember much about it but he did remember the songs. Maybe he will listen in on the missionary lessons when we are teaching the Mitchell family.

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Who is Adam?

Yesterday we had a great time doing a service project with the other missionaries. It was great because we took Michael and Daniel to meet the other missionaries and help in the yard.  They loved it.  Daniel, 16, said it was the best day he could remember having. Think of that. Weeding, painting, sweeping, caulking.  It was his best day because he was with people with the same values as him who had fun working for others.

 We were especially busy today taking Elders down to Chowchilla (30 minutes south) to help a non-member family move in. Then we raced back home (not literally) to change and go to Atwater (30 minutes to the north) to teach brand new investigators that Elder Pack found.

We took the sister missionaries with us because it is out of our area and in theirs and so these are more investigators that we have to wean off us and hand over to other missionaries. But Elder Pack really related well to this couple so we went to their home for the first lesson.

We were doing so well, talking about the prophets of each dispensation, leading up to Joseph Smith. So we said, "just as Adam was the prophet of his time, Joseph Smith is the prophet of this time." And that is when the lady said, "Who was Adam?"  I had no idea there were people out here who don't know the most basic of basics.  All I could say was "As you learn about God and his dealings with mankind, you are in for such an adventure!"

Then we visited a couple of chuch members on the way home that don't get visited much because they are farther away and once again raced back home so I could go visit some sisters in the Branch with my wonderful Relief Society counselors. I'm not sure what all was said in Spanish but I could feel by the Spirit that the visits went very well.