Member involvment

Hello everyone, Yesterday our Mission President came to our ward and shared a message on member involvment, as part of a major push for the help of the members. In the church handbook for Mission presidents, it says that the primary function of the full time missionaries is to TEACH. Missionary work is for the members. The finding, searching, contacting, fellowshipping, baptizing, confirming, and retaining is primarily the responsibility of the members. When they find people to teach, they call the missionaries to their home. Ideally, the members offer their home to be able to control the atmosphere of the lesson, and the members make themselves available to the investigators (phone calls, invitations to ward events, etc) to be able to answer questions in the absence of the missionaries. President shared the message using the new testament story of Zacchæus in Luke 19. He was an investigator who wanted to see Christ. The multitude blocked him out, so he climbed a Sycamore tree and waited the passing of Christ. Christ saw him and told him to get down and that he was to lodge him in his house. Sometimes as members, we are like the multitude, going about our church duties, but never acknowledging that sometimes, people not of our faith watch us, wondering, with a curiosity. Or as members we can be as the tree, which served its purpose in helping others to come unto Christ. Everything we do in the church is to invite and help others to come unto Christ...the meetings, conferences, activites, planning, everything. If it doesn´t serve that purpose, why do it? WE are just wasting time. If a tree, which doesn´t walk, talk, have talents, etc. served its purpose in helping someone come unto Christ, how much more should we, who walk, talk, and have talents, do the same. Let´s hope the tree doesn´t beat us. That´s my invitation today. That everyone of you can find your Zaccheus, someone who is curious, wondering, waiting, wishing, not knowing how to come unto Christ. Talk to him, invite him, and call the missionaries to come and teach your investigator, your convert, your soul with which you will rejoice in the kingdom of God. I love you all. keep serving. elder bunker

1 año

Well, beloved friends and family, I will be recognizing the 1-year mark this thursday. Wow, I know. Even for me, the time has gone terribly fast. Being so focused in the work, we count time by weeks. And stopping to recognize how much time has passed only once a week has caused that the time has passed even more quickly. I have learned many valuable lessons, many of which I have shared with all of you. The mission is a huge resposibility. One area of the mission to which a missionary is assigned has several thousand people. I am resposible for carrying the gospel message to every one of them. It is a huge task, but we are not alone. As the prophet Eliseo (in spanish...not sure of his name in english) said, we have hosts of angels in chariots on our side. And as Paul said, they that be with us are more than they that be with them. It has been like the blink of an eye. I just barely left BYU. I just barely left my cell phone in a lonely box in the basement. I just barely said good bye to my friends. But as Ecclesiastes says, To everything there is a purpose under heaven...a time for everything. And now my time here is half over. I hope and pray that my service is acceptable to God. I am striving to be better everyday. To learn patience, to learn hope, faith, love, charity, and all of the other virtues listed in D&C 4, along with those virtues of Christ. A true man is not one who has advanced in his education, work, social life, or anything of the sort, but rather a true manhood is measured by his dedication to God, his recognition that as a man before the Almighty, he is less than the dust of the earth and that as a child of the same Almighty, he has a potential so great that it is beyond his own understanding. As David pondered his existance before the vast array of stars, planets, and the great heaven, we too should ponder our position before God. Are we living up to his expectations? Are we allowing him to bless us as much as He wants to? I hope so. I love everyone of you, friends, family, and people that I know. I wish you the best, and I will see you in a year.

ISAIAH

Hello all. We have been having really cold weather here. about 45 in the mornings and about 60 in the day. But it is wonderful for when we are out walking all day. I am getting really nostalgic about home right now. I have been thinking of the cool weather, the fall fest in Rockton, the harvest, halloween, and most of all, General Conference, the talks, and MOTAB. We´re almost there! 3 more weeks! woohooo! I have been following the instruction that appears about 4 times in the Book of Mormon to study and search the prophecies of Isaiah. They have always been difficult for me. But I read Nephi´s words in 2 Nephi 25, which say that the people find the words difficult because they don´t understand the manner of prophesying in Israel. I have been reading in the OT, which has been really enlightening. I have learned more about that manner of prophesying. I am searching the differences between the book of Isaiah and the citation of Isaiah on the Brass Plates in 2 Nephi. I have understood that the manner of prophesiying is such that the prophesies can only be correctly understood when studied with the Spirit. The pharisees in Christ´s time did not have the spirit when they studied the books of the law of moses and the prophesies. They completely misunderstood, in fact. That´s why the Jews await a messiah even today. They misunderstood that the prophesies were testifying of Christ. So they crucified him. In a similar manner, Isaiah´s prophesies at first seem to apply only to Babylon and Jerusalem, but when understood correctly and wtih the spirit, they apply to the world concerning the second Coming as well. I´m still studying, but I hope to learn more. Similarly, the Book of Mormon, with the Spirit, is the greatest tool in missionary work. The greatest tool to convince ALL that Christ is the messiah. And when ALL believe that, then the abrahamic convenant will be fulfilled and the gathering of Israel will take place. Some people put the Book of Mormon aside, focusing on teh Bible. But the BIBLE testifies and points to the Book of MOrmon, more specifically, in its role in the gathering of israel. So, the BOM will go to all the world, to all the tribes of Israel, to convince them of Christ, and to carry out the gathering of Israel in preparation for the second Coming. It´s so exciting! Thats about it for this week. Love you all and i wish you success!