Well I think since I last wrote you we have pretty much just been doing transfer prep, and prep for the trainings we will do at interviews while Kaicho is interviewing everyone. Interviews will start the Monday after transfer week, so there isn't really anytime to prepare for it, so we are ganbaruing to finish all transfer prep earlier that usual so we can prep for mensetsu training as well.
Unfortunately Satan has been stronger that usual this week and has caused me to get sick, but I think I will be healthy soon.
Things I learned this week, I've been studying quite a bit about how people's hearts change and how we receive personal revelation. Because that is what we want to train about is how we teach to help people's hearts change. And the main thing I learned is that as missionaries we are basically GPS installer technicians. I'll explain.
So let's say you are lost in the city of Fukuoka. It is a pretty big city, and you want to understand where you want to go. You have your tour guide, he starts explaining to you the layout of Fukuoka. what buildings are on what street, what restaurants are on what corner, if you are on this street and take 2 lefts you will find yourself in this area. He's a real smart tour guide knows the city well, so he can basically explain the entire city from a bird's eye view. So there's that help. Or, you could have a personal gps installed into your heart, so you can understand and feel where you want to go, what turns to take, and what buildings will be in what area. You don't have to remember every little detail, because you have this GPS to guide and show evidence what is true. Which help would you prefer? As missionaries we can lay down the blueprint of the entire gospel, explain which principles go where and why it all makes sense, and hope that they understand everything without getting confused. Or we simply teach them how they recognize the Lord's guidance in their life, and how to get their own answers to what is true and where they want to go. And the best part is, because these feelings will be coming from their own heart, it will be their own desires and help from God, they will not feel like they are having to change their life, like they are having to change themselves, because deep down these are their own desires and they are being guided in their own personal GPS where they want to go.
So that is the path we are wanting to take in our training. So we will talk about using tools we have to teach simply and use the spirit, focus on their heart, and certain commitments which cause investigators to have their own spiritual experiences and build their own relationship with Christ.
Anyways here is the message Elder Sasaki and I wrote for the FM news this transfer.
Hope everyone is doing well and genki.
Love ya!
We would like to share a recently found
experience Brother Stephen R. Covey had about changing hearts.
“I was invited to
speak to a sorority-fraternity exchange at the Chi Omega house [in Arizona] on the subject of morality.
I basically gave our Church's approach to it…
I felt very alone because there seemed to be considerable difference in
thinking. Two individuals were very articulate in expressing their opposition
to my position. One, sitting in front, said basically, ‘Well, I don't know. It
seems to me that true, mature love gives more freedom than you're giving it.’
I tried to reason and
indicate what would happen if one were to take poison, even if he were unaware
of it, and how also if one violated the law of chastity he would suffer great
consequences. He argued, indicating that this didn't give the kind of freedom
that a careful, mature, responsible love would give people. I prayed and
remembered the scripture in Revelations, ‘Behold,
I stand at the door, and knock: if any man will hear my voice, and open the
door, I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with me’ (Revelations
3:20). So I asked them, ‘Would you listen for just a minute? Inwardly sense what might happen, what the real answer
is to this question that we have tonight. I'll ask a question, and you
be still and listen. I'll promise you, you will sense inwardly—you won't hear
it in your ear—that what I've been speaking about is true on this principle of
chastity.’ They became still. Some of them were looking around to see who was going to take it seriously. And I really
pressed the point: ‘Just listen for one minute.’ During that quiet minute I
asked the question ‘Now, is chastity, as I have explained it tonight, a true
principle or not?’ Then I paused. At the end of a full minute, I turned to the
fellow who had been the spokesman in front and I asked him, ‘My friend, in all
honesty, what did you feel? What did you hear?’
He said, ‘What I heard
is not what I've been saying.’
I asked the other,
‘What did you hear?’
He said, ‘I don't
know. I just don't know any more.’ One stood up in the back independently,
spontaneously, on his own, and said, ‘I want to say something to my fraternity
brothers that I've never said before. I believe in God.’ And he sat down. A
completely different spirit was present. It softened everybody. They were very
interested in the restored gospel and in the Book of Mormon. We invited many to
the institute of religion and gave some books out.”
We testify that Christ is much
closer to us than we sometimes expect. He is anxious to help
us in this work, always knocking, waiting for us and our investigators to hear His voice. As
Brother Covey remembered Christ’s promise, he showed faith and was able to
open the hearts of the fraternity brothers to hear Christ’s voice. As a mission we are focusing on the hearts of our
investigators, but we must never forget that
in the end we cannot change their
hearts, we can only help their
hearts to be changed by Christ. When we
learn to teach in a way that allows their heart’s to be changed
by Christ, and give commitments that not only
test our investigator’s faith, but
our faith as well, we allow investigators to build a personal relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ. We would like to challenge everyone to the
following 2 things…
1.
Be obedient and worthy at all times. In order for their heart’s to
be changed, our heart first must change. We must learn to recognize His voice.
However, when we are disobedient we shut the door on Christ and His help we
receive when he comes knocking.
2.
Similar to Brother Covey’s experiences, in your lessons, use
“faith challenging” commitments and inspired questions with at least 3 people
you meet. Help them recognize the Lord’s answers they feel in their heart. We
challenge you to do this within 1 week from today. Date: ____________
We promise you as you do this, your investigators will be blessed
with a changed heart and even better, a closer relationship with Christ. You
will be blessed to see a bigger change in them as they keep their commitments.
We are so thankful for the example you are to us and the sacrifices you make.
We are blessed to get to serve with you at this time! We love you so much and
can’t wait to see you at mensetsus!
Hope everyone is doing well and genki.
Love ya!
Elder Bloomfield
Thought for the week:
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