Courage to Change

The Manchester Zone Leaders gave us a call last week asking us if we could come help out on oxford road for Freshers week going on at the universities. I was anxious to see what it would be like to visit my previous area again. We went on Wednesday and it was so great to be back. I prayed that the Lord would place people I have taught in the past there in my path.  I meet so many humble Chinese students, gave a few tours, and had fun talking to so many people on the busy street called Oxford Road. My prayer was answered and ran into a couple of investigators I taught while I was serving the YSA with Sister Merrill. Needless to say, I got some really great sleep after being on Oxford Road all day :)

We had our 4 hour finding this weekend. President wanted us to focus on using family history. I have never been that confident in my ability to use family history as a finding tool but it was actually pretty successful.

On Saturday we also helped out at a Clothing swap for Charity that was organized by a friend of a member in the ward. It was such a great opportunity to share the gospel. I had a great conversation with the father of the lady that organized the event. His name is Lez and he LOVES to do family history. His family knows quite a few members of the church. He brought up how the church does baptisms for the dead and I was very surprised he knew about it. I felt impressed to ask him if he knew why we did baptisms for the dead. His response was ''to get others into the fold and increase church membership.'' I was able to teach the true doctrine of temples and family history work as I simply explained the plan of salvation to him. Although Lez said he was an atheist, He listened intently without building up a protective wall of disbelief. Nothing immediate came from going to this event but I know we were the Lord needed us to be for those few hours.

We ran into Anu and her children last night. It was a miracle that I spotted and recognized them because it was pretty dark. We walked with them as they were heading home and Anu invited us in. We haven't been able to teach her family lately because Anu has been busy at work. She is free this Friday though and Sister Klemm will go over to teach them while we are on exchanges.

I have been praying a lot lately to know how we can work better with the ward. I have been able to receive revelation on what things we can do to unite the members and missionaries. One of the ideas that came to my mind was to have the members ''adopt'' our investigators. This responsibility includes being involved with the teaching of that specific investigator and inviting them to be taught in their home which would in turn make us, the missionaries, more of just the teachers and the investigators only link to the church. During our lesson after our tea appointment the Pattenden family, we shared this idea. Brother Pattenden, who happens to be Elders Quroum President in the Ward, is was on board with the idea. I know this will hasten the work here in Wrexham but a part of me is afraid to hand off our investigators to the ward because I have been doing things differently my whole mission. I shared with the family my anxieties and Brother Pattenden shared with me how the adversary may be using fear to keep me from acting on this idea because it will be successful. We both agreed that the members and missionaries both need to make a few changes so that we can act more united in missionary efforts. I have since shared with the Bishop my idea and he wants me to give a 5 minute presentation on it in the next ward council. Things are rolling forward and our plans are being transformed into action.

There will always be times in our life where we need the courage to change. As promised to Nephi, the Lord will always prepare the way for us to accomplish the things which He has asked us to do. We may doubt our ability to do these things or we may doubt that the desired result will come to us if we do it. I now understand a bit more how non-members might feel when they are invited to change their lives; As a missionary I KNOW that if the investigators live the gospel they will see the promised blessings from the Lord. I am sure the Lord has the same attitude towards me right now. He KNOWS this idea He as given to me through revelation will work. I cannot let the adversary tell me otherwise. Likewise, you cannot let the adversary tell you that the gospel or anything from Heavenly Father will not work.

This gospel is true and I know the enabling power of the Atonement to change is real. Have the courage to change.

Love,

Sister Jordan