So this week I was doing my district leader Study and I had this great revelation and what was sharing with it some people around the mission! well I came to the conclusion that I need to share that with the whole mission! So I did what has never been done before, And I sent the whole mission an Email! It was awesome but the scariest thing I have done yet on my mission! It was so fun!
I will add it in to the email if you are really interested what I sent! It's nothing bad so there for it is of God!
But as I get further and further into my mission I become more and more outgoing and BOLD to the world! I start doing stuff I never though I would be able to do! It's awesome! I have came to the conclusion that is how the Lord wants me to be! It's me against the world! I could let the world conquer and win but I will not! It's to much fun being on top of the world! I just keep giving thanks to god who place me there! I do have my days though, where I am on bottom but through the God's grace I always come out on top!
No to our investigators... Marie has been coming out to church again now that she is feeling better! She is progressing on and doing great! It is really fun to teach her because she asks great question and that is how you are tell she understands what we are teaching, or at least she is trying to at least!
Then there is Scott! He is the man and doing great! He realize that now he is falling into old habits again that he has potential to be where he once was when he started meeting with us! He is really good at teaching himself!
But the other night we went to a born again church and that was alright I really enjoy our church much better. I just left as though nothing was accomplished by the end of church! I did no feel edify at all! But I might be able to teach some of them we will have to talk about it and ask god What we need to do!
But hey that is me and my life is always a roller-coaster! thanks for you Love and support!
God Bless!
-Elder Smith
What I sent to whole mission!
So the other night I was talking with the missionaries in my district about the Holy Ghost Principle. It seemed like the hardest thing between all of them it that they all have a hard time identifying to the investigator that he or she is feeling the Holy Ghost!
I read this talk titles
The Unspeakable Gift of the Holy Ghost, and in the talk it points out different ways people express that they are feeling the Holy Ghost! After share my insight from the talk to the district I then realized that I really didn't help them help the investigator identify that he or she is feeling the Holy Ghost. Then the heavens were open and God enlightened my mind on how the investigator can identify the Holy Ghost.
So, I told the District that I would send them this talk so they could get a better understanding and I planned on sharing my further insight in the email. Well that is just a long way to say that is the purpose of this Email. To help the mission help their investigators identify the Holy Ghost, and it all starts with the Holy Ghost Principle. (all the red marks in the principle are my insights)
The Missing Link - The Principle of Identifying
The Holy Ghost Principle:
- How to begin teaching:
- We have to create the environment for the Holy Ghost we do this by removing all distractions, and starting with a pray.
- As you go through the bullet points in HTBT one of the most important ones to prepare the investigator for the Spirit is "We will be guides so that you can learn the truth of our message for yourselves. It is your choice to accept and act on the message. Therefore, you should feel free to ask questions." Make sure the investigator understands his job is the understand us.
- Messengers sent from God:
- They have to realize that we are more then young men.
- The Mission of the Holy Ghost:
- The people in the Scotland/ Ireland mission are spiritually dead. They need a refresh course on what they learn in the Pre-Earth Life.
- Explain HOW we can tell it's the Holy Ghost:
- They need to know what to look for or else they are shooting in the dark.
- We do they by give examples in our lives and in the lives of others. What I personally like to do is not give specific examples but give them the general Idea of it all. I love the scriptures because the way Preach My Gospel puts it, "The scriptures invite the Holy Ghost into your teaching. They teach God’s word with power."
- The way I would explain how we can tell it's the Holy Ghost is to turn to Galatians 5:22-23 and asking the investigators what is the connections between all the different type of the fruit of the Spirit. Then we help them realize that it is our feelings, the feeling of love, the feeling of Joy... Peace... ect.
- We make the Prophecy:
- This is only possible if on is worth to do so.
- When we make the Prophecy we tell them that they will feel the Holy Ghost threw their FEELINGS.
- We teach the lesson we prepared.
- During the lesson it is important we leave silence so investigators have "time to think about and reply to questions or to express what they are feeling." (PMG pg. 178)
- We also have to listen and observe. The great question now is what are we looking or listening for? In the talk listed above Elder Jensen points out ways people express that they are feeling the Holy Ghost. I want you to ask yourself if you have ever seen investigators do or ask any of these thing. (Alam 32:28)
- " 'It beginneth to enlarge my soul,' evidenced in sincere seekers of truth by tears, a sigh, a nod of the head, or some other body gesture that the Holy Ghost had planted true words in their hearts.
- " 'It beginneth to enlighten my understanding,' evidenced by comments such as 'that makes sense' or 'I have always believed that' or a question, 'Are you saying then that … ?'
- " 'It beginneth to be delicious to me,' evidenced, for example, by investigators with comments like 'please tell me more' or 'where did you say your church is located?' or 'won’t you stay a little longer and teach us more?'—meaning they are hungry and want more."
- Now I know some of these are rarer then others but I can promise you all that I have seem seen all 3 of these examples.
- Helping them realize the Holy Ghost:
- We point out to the investigator that her or she is feeling the Holy Ghost. This is the hardest part because we can tell that they have the Holy Ghost but they can't. The objective of this is to have them figure out they are feeling the Holy Ghost, and we this by first asking them a question.
- Once you see them nod their head, say that makes sense, or whatever it maybe ask them why they did it. They will come with some reason to answer your question, but then ask them how they feel. That way we whatever they did to their feelings and their response be good or some type of good feeling.
- Now that we identify that they feel good we show them that is the Holy Ghost, we do this by reading with them Moroni 10:5-7
- 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
6 And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.
7 And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.
- This way it completes the circle; it tells our investigators that they "nodded" because they felt good about it, and they felt good about it because of the Holy Ghost. Now they are open for you to ask to be baptized. If they do say "no" and they will say "no" then just fallow the council I received from President Donaldson, "Don't forget the invitation and calendar are an important part of the Holy Ghost principle. We should invite our investigators to be baptised whilst they are feeling the Holy Ghost. If they say no then we ask "as you continue to have such feelings will you follow the example of Jesus..."
Elder and Sisters, I do hope that the Principle of Identifying helps you all understand the Holy Ghost Principle better. I do hope through this more and more people will enter the waters of baptism and they mill drew closer to Christ. Elder and Sister I do know these principles came from God and God loves every single one of us. I know this is the true church and the only church to part take of the "fruit of the tree of life". and this I leave with you all in the name ofJesus Christ, amen.
