I know, I know. It isn't Monday, and I'm sending out an email. Tomorrow transfers happen. When it is the week of transfers our Preperation Day is on a Tuesday. Transfers happen every 6 weeks, you find out Monday night if you are getting transfered, you have Tuesday to pack and then you are off on Wednesday.
Elder Hales and I are staying together, so there is no getting transfered for us. We get to stay in Parkway! I am excited for that, Elder Hales is a great misisonary and I am glad I get to continue to be his companion.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were great! On Christmas Eve, we had an amazing meal brought to us, and then we went to a members home and watched their families nativity. It was wonderful, better then staying in the apartment. Christmas was good, we were able to talk with our families and open some gifts. Thank you to everyone who sent gifts and cards, they mean a lot! For Christmas dinner we got together as a District and had another potluck, that was so good. We had lots of laughs and the food was amazing. Later that night we got to watch some Chosen episodes!
A couple days before Christmas Elder Hales and I went to a members home and made close to 20 dozen cookies! That was really fun, especially as we got to deliver a few after and that was wonderful, spreading the Christmas joy around.
Oh, and on the 23 we had a multi-zone conference. (Sorry this email is all over the place :)) But that was a blast. Each district made a skit and we preformed them for everyone else, there were some pretty great ones.
On more of a spiritual note, our Mission President showed us a wonderful presentation on the Atonement. It was very powerful and I learned lots and developed a greater appreiciation for all that Jesus went through so we didn't have to suffer as He did. I am so grateful for the Atonement in my life, and I know that we can ALWAYS turn to Jesus, there is nothing that can stop Jesus from loving YOU.
I was asked to give a talk in my ward's sacrament meeting, it was on preperation, I will find a way to attach it to this email. (ignore any spelling mistakes in it and in this email haha, it stinks not having a spell check :))
Anyways that is about all that happened, missionary work is going slow as we are mainly trying to find new people to teach.
Talk is at the bottom. Read it if you want to!
Dec 27th Talk
Good morning Brothers and Sisters. I hope you all had a healthy, happy Christmas this week! I
am grateful for the opportunity that I have to speak to you today. Before I begin I would like to
quickly introduce myself to those who don't know me. My name is Elder Spencer, I am from
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I have 4 brothers, one of which is my twin, who is currently serving
a mission in Bentonville, Arkansas, he is older then me, and the other 3 boys are younger then
us. I enjoy music and sports, mainly hockey and basketball. I also love to swim and spend time
outside. I have loved being a missionary, I have been out for just over a month and I have loved
getting to know this wonderful ward. Each of you brighten our day whether it is a meal being
brought or words of encouragement, I am so grateful to be in this ward.
For today I was asked to speak about preparation. The first thing that came to my mind when I
heard the topic was the Scout motto "Be Prepared". I believe that it is very important to be
prepared, especially as a Scout. Whenever we went on a Scout camp, our leaders would make
sure everyone had everything they needed, they made lists and asked each scout to pack
everything on it. Most of the time we would be camping far away from anything, so we needed
to have everything to survive with, with us, otherwise it would make for a very difficult trip. I can
remember some boys came prepared with everything from the list given to us, others came
without some items from the list. Those who came prepared were able to enjoy the camping trip,
while those who didn't prepare were scrambling around trying to stay warm, stay comfortable or
to stay dry.
The motto "Be Prepared" is great for scouting, but it is also a great motto for everyone else in
the world. Students need to prepare for tests by studying the material they are given, teachers
need to prepare the lessons to give, athletes need to prepare before big games, and so on.
Preperation is a very important part of our lives. If we never prepared for anything, life would be
a lot more stressful and uncomfortable.
Everyday we have the opportunity to prepare. One of the best ways to start a day is prayer.
Prayer begins to prepare us for the remainder of the day. I know that when I miss saying my
morning prayer, my day doesn't go as well as I would like. I don't have the Spirit as much as I
want and I feel like I am scrambling to get things done. On the other hand, when I do say my
morning prayers I am able to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost much more. My day goes
better, I am more happy and willing to help and I am able to accomplish more because I am
more focused and prepared. Prayer, one great way to start the day, a great way to prepare.
A scripture I really like that talks about preparation is D and C 38:30 it states:
"I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms,
lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which
shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are
prepared ye shall not fear."
Wow, what an amazing promise! If we are prepared there is no reason to fear. We will be able
to drown out the loud voices and focus on that still, small, voice from the Holy Ghost.
I know it is hard sometimes to hear and follow the Holy Ghost, I can say there are many times in
my life where I have wondered "Was that the Spirit? Or just my own thoughts?" But when I pray,
it becomes easier to discern what is what, and I am able to follow the Spirit more closely.
Another great way to prepare is scripture study. As a missionary I do a lot of this. Usually 1-2
hours a day! I'm not saying that everyone here needs to study for multiple hours a day but
scripture study is very important. Reading for even 15 minutes a day and writing down thoughts
or questions is a great to prepare.
When I study the scriptures sincerely, I get more out of them. I am able to see what the Lord
wants me to do. I am able to learn and grow and come closer to Jesus Christ. The scriptures are
a great tool that have been given to us to show us the way in life.
When I do these two things, prayer and scripture study. I begin to have less fear. Just as D and
C 38:30 states, "if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear"! It truly is amazing that consinstent prayer
and scripture study can lead to less fear. There is so much fear in the world today, especailly
with this global pandemic raging around us. It is so important to hold onto any peace we can
find, and prayer and scripture study help us find that peace.
I've talked a lot about preparing, but that leads to a question: "What are we preparing for?"
Well there are many things we prepare for, many temporal, or worldly things such as work,
sporting and music events, exams in school, the list goes on and on. However there are just as
many spiritual things to prepare for. I got to prepare a talk, some need to prepare lessons.
Leaders plan activities, we all have callings in the church, those take preparation. I know that
when we take time to prepare for our church callings, the spirit is stronger and we can learn
much more.
Before I became a missionary I had a few church callings, one of which included being a
ministering brother to a few families in my ward. My ministering companion and I would try our
best to meet with each family every month. Every month we would switch off who taught the
lesson, we would each take turns preparing a lesson. I can say there were definitely some
lessons that could've used more preparation on my part. When I taught something I wasn't
prepared to teach, I stumbled over my words, got lost in thought and sometimes my companion
had to step in and save the lesson. This happened a few times before I began to realize the
importance of spending a few more minutes really thinking and preparing a spiritual message.
When I took even just 10 extra minutes to study a bit more and to pray about what I had
prepared, the lesson went smoother and the Spirit was stronger. I learned a great lesson, the
more prepared, the more in tune with God's will that someone is, the more spirit led their
message will be.
As missionaries we do a lot of planning and teaching. If we aren't prepared to teach lessons, if
we haven't studied and prayed about the messages we share, it is way harder to have the Spirit
in the lesson. When that happens people may stop wanting to meet as they do not feel the
Spirit, or feel that their needs aren't being met. It is crucial in missionary work to be prepared to
teach by the Spirit!
However, as important as all these things are, there is one thing that I would say is the most
important to prepare for in this life. As stated in Alma chapter 34 verse 32 "For behold, this life is
the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to
perform their labors." This time on earth is very important. This is the time to learn and grow,
develop talents and gain knowledge, do good and live rightesouly. We know that what we learn
on earth is what we will have in Heaven. That is why it is very important to do all that we can
now to prepare for when we meet God again. Gratefully Heavenly Father is a loving Father, and
has given us many resources to help us on our earthly journey, resources as mentioned earlier,
prayer and scripture study. There are also prophets and apostles, local church leaders, and
church programs. However the best place to go is Jesus Christ and His teachings. Christ's
doctrine teaches us all what we need to do to prepare: first have faith, then repent, be baptized,
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and endure to the end. This is a life long process that is
repeated over and over, I make mistakes every day and I am so grateful that the Atonement is
there, that I can turn to Jesus for forgiveness and for guidance. He truly knows how to best help
each and every one of us.
When we use these resources given to us, we can prepare to live with God again. Just as some
Scouts were prepared for camp and others were not, I know that when our earthly lives are
over, there will be those who are prepared to meet God again, and those who are not. I strive to
do my best to be prepared and to help others on their journey to prepare to meet God again.
I would like to conlude by bearing my testimony. Life is crazy at times, many things can
overwhelm and distract us. I know that if we take the time to prepare and to listen to the Holy
Ghost, we will be able to make better choices each day. We will be able to come closer to Jesus
Christ. Preparation helps us overcome fear and feelings of helplessness. I know that mistakes
happen, we slip up. However Jesus Christ will always be there to lift us up and forgive us. I love
my Saviour and Heavenly Father, they are so good to me. I am gratful for all of you and for my
family. This church is true, Jospeh Smith was a true prophet of God, Jesus is the Christ, and I
say these things in His name, Amen.
