Good morning everyone! It is a sunny morning here in Basingstoke.
The only bad news is that today is the last day that I can obtain the
McDonalds Monopoly stickers that provide us free food and adorn one of
the "notes" pages in my planner. Elder Aichele actually won a "20% Off"
coupon at a hotel. Too bad it expires in August! P-Day will be
relatively uneventful today. Just cleaning and shopping. It'll be good
though- just what I need. Last week's Zone P-Day in Oxford was
wonderful. We arrived at about 1 and found out the Zone was at Pizza
Hut. We went to Pizza Hut. I then found out that the original plan for the rest
of the day involved "just playing some football." Instead, we went
to the top of this big tower that overlooked all of Oxford. Beautiful!
Then we went to this church. It is not an ordinary church however, it is
a church where HARRY POTTER was filmed! Yes, we saw the Great Hall.
Yes, we saw several sites from Hogwarts. Yes, it was magical (no pun
intended.) We also were informed this morning that there is a Zone
Conference next week in Staines. Our train involves us changing at one
of the London stations. So I'll be in London for like a few minuets. I
guess that will be awesome.
What a wonderful week it has been! Our investigators are
progressing wonderfully in the gospel. I am so grateful to be a
missionary.
This week a major focus of mine has been to teach people, not lessons. Throughout my mission, up until now, I've had a tendency to put a lot of thought into what I was going to say. Last week, I decided to let the spirit take over- to prayerfully study the lessons that we would teach that day and then, whilst actually teaching, focus a lot more on listening! I've found that if I don't over-think things and don't always decide what I am going to say beforehand, the Spirit becomes the teacher. I become a mouthpiece for the Holy Ghost and there is really nothing that compares to it. Sometimes I stumble over words a little bit (because relying THAT much on the spirit takes a bit of getting used to!) but with divine guidance, I speak the words Jesus Christ would have me speak. The fruits of this effort have been wonderful. I figured that it would have a major impact on the investigators, but it's actually had a major impact on our finding efforts! Our finding is now far more powerful. We've been able to meet several "kingdom builders" this week, what a blessing! I am so grateful that as we do our part (being obedient, following the spirit, and recognizing that our success comes from God alone) then the rest will be taken care of. We just need to lift where we stand, joyfully (and that's important!) fulfil our duty, and the Lord will provide.
This week a major focus of mine has been to teach people, not lessons. Throughout my mission, up until now, I've had a tendency to put a lot of thought into what I was going to say. Last week, I decided to let the spirit take over- to prayerfully study the lessons that we would teach that day and then, whilst actually teaching, focus a lot more on listening! I've found that if I don't over-think things and don't always decide what I am going to say beforehand, the Spirit becomes the teacher. I become a mouthpiece for the Holy Ghost and there is really nothing that compares to it. Sometimes I stumble over words a little bit (because relying THAT much on the spirit takes a bit of getting used to!) but with divine guidance, I speak the words Jesus Christ would have me speak. The fruits of this effort have been wonderful. I figured that it would have a major impact on the investigators, but it's actually had a major impact on our finding efforts! Our finding is now far more powerful. We've been able to meet several "kingdom builders" this week, what a blessing! I am so grateful that as we do our part (being obedient, following the spirit, and recognizing that our success comes from God alone) then the rest will be taken care of. We just need to lift where we stand, joyfully (and that's important!) fulfil our duty, and the Lord will provide.
It's funny how when you and your companion teach in unity, you can
know what the other is thinking and silently make adjustments on the
fly, as the spirit directs. One of the biggest evidences of the Spirit
being the true teacher is that often times I'll think of a scripture or
feel how I need to address a concern, and then Elder Aichele will do it
in the exact same words I would've used. It's really cool to see that!
We no longer really need to look at each other during the lesson, we
just know when to transition. What a blessing!
I now know the meaning of serving with all your "heart, might,
mind, and strength." Funnily enough, out of those things, I think my
mind is what I need to put the most focus on when it comes to giving
myself to the Lord. I am very easily distracted! Usually by silly
things, but Satan takes advantage of that weakness and causes me to
stress. He finds even the most minute chinks in my armor and endlessly
works at them... however, I have my agency. It's up to me. If I continue
to do my best to be obedient, he can't prevail. The only true power
that the adversary has is the power we give him. If we turn ourselves
over to the Lord, He will fight our battles. I recognize, however, that I
need to play a role in this or nothign will happen. I have decided that
the best solution is to be "anxiously engaged in a good cause." I need
to always be focused! I need to have an urgency in the way that I work.
When we get home at night, I need to write in my journal. If I fill all
my time with efforts on the work, Satan (at the very least) has his
power severely limited. That's my gameplan this week. I do believe it is
inspired, I know it will work. I guess now I just have to do my part
and wait for the miracles God will provide.
I hope to hear from all of you soon :) I love you and feel your prayers each and every day!
-Elder Frederickson
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