Texas is good. This transfer I'll be staying here again, so I know I'll be here for sure for the next six weeks. That's cool because it'll make it a lot easier to care about making the new apartment nice when we move in.
It is moving week, and we will be moving tomorrow. We got to look at the apartment and it's pretty nice. We'll get some privacy at last... There have been guests in and out of the glory's home and it's made it really hard to study and focus and work because they share our bathroom and sleep in the room next to us, so they are constantly in and out of our study area... so yeah... it'll be good. I don't think we'll be with any other elders this transfer, but I'm sure some will be coming in in the next few.
Anyways, this week we've been talking about family mission plans and things of that sort. I have some instructions for those reading this.
1. Look up a talk by Elder Ballard in the April 2006 general conference titled "Creating a Gospel-Sharing Home." Also read it.
2. Hold a family council (slash FHE) and, as a family, make a family mission plan using the doctrine and principles taught by Elder Ballard in that discourse.
So who is tired of just having a bigger list of things to do from church? Almost everyone? Good! This isn't about that. He says that making a gospel sharing home isn't a program. It's not a list of steps, another thing to do during the day. It is your plan as to how you will make all the things you already do into ways to share the gospel. It is a way of life. He says everything way better than I could, so just read the talk... We do, however, have a template (which I can send if you would like), which I have found to be effective. It essentially consists of three sets of actions, which will be actions you already do, but with the gospel included in them. The first set is things that are easy to use to introduce yourself as a member of the church to people (e.g. when you walk out to take out the trash and meet your neighbor, you'll now ask how the weekend went, obligating yourself to answer the same question so you can mention how church was great, or reading your Book if Mormon in public rather than just reading it on your phone). The next set is the things that will get people to know more of the circle of member friends and be comfortable with them. This will mostly be things that are already planned (mutual, enrichment night, ward barbecue), but may also be something you set up yourself like a block party, dinner with some member and nonmember friends, etc. The difference now is that you will invite someone who isn't a member (who now knows that you are, and has received the opening actions of inviting friendship), which will help them to see the blessings of the gospel in the lives of others and create a preexisting support system when they begin to investigate the gospel. Now you have a group of friends who are not members of the church who you openly and easily can talk about church with because it's come up so many times since the beginning, and they have other friends who are members and they have a basic knowledge of your values. The last set of actions will essentially be how you will invite others to learn about the restored gospel. You now just include in those conversations that you have invitations to read the Book of Mormon, meet with the missionaries, attend church, pray to find out if the church is true. I hope all that makes sense... and reading the talk will make it make more sense. As you go through these steps, you will know that the people you are inviting have been prepared, because you will have helped prepare them. Do not set a very long timeframe. As you exercise faith in God by setting a goal that you don't feel you can reach without help, he will help you. I feel it is absolutely reasonable to have a goal to have invited a friend to meet with the missionaries within a month. Pray about it and do it. The work cannot go forth if it is left only to the full time missionaries. There are 132,000 people in the world to every one of us. that's 264,000 to every companionship. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is truly the church of Jesus Christ. I know that through the restored Gospel of Christ and His priesthood authority, families can receive more happiness in this life and in the next than by ant other way, in fact, it is the only way whereby they can be together forever as families. We are obligated to share it or be condemned for those we might have helped if we had been willing. Remember, though, that it doesn't matter what's happened up to this point as long as you are willing now to make the change.
Alright, I'm just kinda rambling now... I need to go. I love you all. Talk to you next week.
Elder Katzakian
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