The transfer is already half over and that is one of the saddest things of my life. I love this area. I love my companion. I love my district and zone. I love the Gila Valley!
Aaaannnddd another week has come and gone and time time hasn't slowed down.
But that being said, Hello family! This week's letter is kind of short, as I have been bad about writing in my journal :(
This week was a little rough, especially since it was a holiday on Monday and people are out of town, and it is now summer, so people have better things to do than hear about the gospel! Nothing is better than talking to missionaries about your eternal salvation!!! It's the besssstttt. :)
Monday was... stressful. But on the plus side, I got some new music! I get tired of listening to the same stuff all of the time, so it was nice! We got to sports late, so we didn't really have enough time to play a full game with everyone, because they had already been there awhile. But they were playing chair soccer which is HARD! I always get super nervous playing those games where I have to be coordinated with my feet, because I am definitely not. At all. But it is still always fun to be around the other missionaries.
Tuesday morning we had Pancake Tuesday where we have breakfast with our district before studies at 8am. Fun stuff! We tried a ton of people that weren't home or didn't show up. Everyone has those days every once in a while.
Wednesday we did not have district meeting because of the Zone Conference on Thursday. BUT, we met this guy named Phil. He's an interesting man. We knocked on the door and this big guy came out without a shirt on. He had long, scraggly white hair, and his suspenders barely held his pants up. Kind of gross and made us uncomfortable, but... he answered the door and said, "I'll go put a shirt on so you guys don't have to be so uncomfortable." We were thankful. But unfortunately (fortunately) his wife was not home, so we could not stay. But his son is a potential investigator that we are hoping to start teaching, and his wife has never really been active. But yeah, we might even be having dinner with them soon! They said they are excellent cooks.
Thursday we had zone conference and it was AWESOME! We learned so much about working with members, using family history, and Sister Passey gave an AWESOME training about Focusing on the Doctrines. A couple of things I loved from the Conference:
-"The Preaching of the Word of God is the MOST effective way to change hearts, even more than the sword!" See Alma 31:5
-The WHOLE gospel is founded upon the basic doctrine that God is our Loving Heavenly Father. No wonder it is the very FIRST thing we teach to people! Upon that Eternal Truth rests every other part of the gospel.
-When we teach PURE DOCTRINE, or the Eternal Truths that never change regardless of modern day revelation or opinions, such as "God is Our Loving Heavenly Father" (and always will be), the Spirit will be the most strong, and THAT is where conversion comes from. We can teach a lot of principles, or the WHAT and HOW, but unless we teach the WHY, it is not likely to cause people to change and to act, because that pure doctrine of "WHY" has not become a part of them.
-If you want to better understand pure doctrine, study a talk by a general authority. Teaching pure doctrine is hard, but that is how true conversion happens.
-We are here to help people know how to return back. When we understand WHY we are here, we are more able to have the motivation to be better.
-It is good to read what the spirit has taught other people, but we must learn for ourselves what the Spirit wants us to know and understand about the Gospel! Read the scriptures, pure doctrine, and allow the Spirit to teach you!
We were challenged to teach pure doctrine most of the time, and to always refer each principle we teach back to the core doctrine from which it is based. It is hard to do! But will be worth it. :)
We were also challenged to find a family name to take to the September temple trip! I gave all of them to you, so I will look for my own! We get an hour a week to do FH work! We talked about how FH work is a huge tool for missionary purposes! A lot of people will be more open to "Can we help you find your family?" than any other approach. Cool! DO FAMILY HISTORY!
Well, I would write more, but am out of time. I love you all! I hope you have a fantastic week! The Gospel is true, the Savior Lives. I had a particularly meaningful Sunday yesterday, and the sacrament was very special. When we prepare the night before, and come with a broken heart and contrite spirit, we are more receptive to the Holy Ghost.
I love this work, and I love this Gospel. I try to be better a little more each day. the mornings are going great, and Sister Chandler and I are going to get rock solid abs by the end of our companionship. :)
Love you!
Sister Inman
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