dahlia
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Posts posted by dahlia
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I just had an eyeopening and uplifting conversation with one of my missionaries. He was not supported by his family, didn't know how he was going to go, and has some learning disabilities which he has overcome but which still taint his belief in himself. Yet here he is, a wonderful missionary, very knowledgeable in the Scripture, and growing and maturing before my eyes. You can do this. I gather all the missionaries are a little nervous and unsure, but that will fade in time. I don't think Heavenly Father cares when you got your first Bible or when you were baptized. If this is what you want to do, continue to pray on it and ask for help from the Holy Ghost. I get the feeling, though, that you would make a good missionary. Somebody out there needs to hear from you.
This is only me talking, but I think that you will find support from your serious investigators and the ward to which you are attached.
There are Catholic nuns who stay in the convent and pray for the world. I think our praying for the missionaries is similar in a way. You don't know us, be we are there, praying for and supporting you, wherever you are. Take heart in that.
Good luck in coming to your decision.
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When I was first getting lessons, I had a very painful condition and hadn't yet been properly diagnosed. I asked the missionaries for prayers for my health.
And then I took myself to another doctor and to a pain clinic and I got the help I needed.
Psychologically, I needed the prayers, but I also knew it was unlikely that I would be cured on the spot. The prayers, as I saw it, were to help me persevere and deal with the issue until I could find the right medical help. While I sought prayer, I never thought that prayer alone would cure me. Maybe I could be better at having such beliefs, but that's where I am now. Y'all can smack me for saying this, but I get a feeling that if you went to President Monson, he would say a prayer and then tell you to go to the hospital. As to raising the dead, y'all are on your own for that one.
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Let us know how it goes, Jason_J. I took my elders to lunch yesterday and we talked about how happy they are to get a referral. They so want to teach the Gospel and introduce you to the Church! Let 'em! Keep playing telephone tag if you ahve to, but make sure they get to you.
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They want someone exciting and intense=Bytor..... funny and unpredictable=Bytor.... romantic and fun=Bytor..... and a great kisser= Bytor again. This is the wild person, who you know will sweep you off your feet and take you on a great ride....all=Bytor!!
Great job...Funky! You forget devastatingly handsome and powerfully built :)
So Bytor, how old are you and could you see yourself living in Iowa?
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I can write in cursive, but it is so bad looking, I avoid it. One reason I use PowerPoint is that my handwriting is so poor. There's no way I could write on the board and have students read it. It isn't just me, but most people that I know who use computers constantly.
In addition, I hear from professors who teach undergrads that these kids didn't learn cursive in school. I'm afraid it's going the way of the dodo. I don't think I care if students write in cursive (all of mine hand their papers in electronically, anyway), but people need to be able to read cursive as many of our historical documents are in cursive - and I'm including documents from the 1960's and '70's in that group.
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At least three of the missionaries here are from Idaho. At one point, I considered moving to Idaho to get away from the government; I had no idea it was full of Mormons. : )
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Thanks for sharing CTS.
I used to go to Mass at the National Shrine in DC, and loved being there
One day I took my then young son to the Shrine. When walked in, he stopped and asked, "Does God live here?" He was probably 3 at the time.
Jason_J - You might find this useful: Scripture Stories. It is the BOM for kids. I ended up reading/listening to it when I realized I was never going to make it through the BOM on my own and I wanted some background when I had my lessons. I found it a good way to get an overview of the BOM.
You can go to Gospel Principles class w/o being a member of the Church. You might find it interesting to sit in on a class or two to get a feel for the Mormon viewpoint.
Maybe I should warn you though - I've only been a member for a few weeks and they've already given me a calling and I said the closing prayer at our ward talent show. They don't let you rest on your baptism very long!
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Dahlia, somewhat random, but I was reading/stalking your older posts (haha), and noticed that you are black. So am I, and I just wanted to say its great to find another black [former] Catholic here. :)
Back atcha, Jason J!
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The man is a socialist, with socialist activist friends, who wants nothing less than to substantially change the US as we know it. When I was in college in the 70's, I was a member of one of the socialist parties. I know what these people believe politically. Now they think they have a friend in Obama and that the time has finally come to make the Utopian (and ultimately doomed to failure) changes they think will make the country more like the socialist and communist governments they idolize. And of course, they all assume that the people are dumb and that they, as the intelligentsia and the elite, must lead. Not on my watch, kids.
The man has no business sense, generally hates business and sees businesses as thieves, making profit on the backs of the poor. There is no gray area for these people, no 'good' businesses, no good business people (unless they are big contributors, of course). In a time of nearly economic collapse, he has fewer people with a business background in his cabinet than any president for many, many years. What business he and his ilk do 'allow,' will be so regulated that any entrepreneur with any sense is going to take outsource the business to a country with fewer restrictions. I'm not talking about going someplace where they can hire people at $2 a day or empty toxins into rivers, I'm talking about 1st world countries that have looked around the economic landscape and revised their tax system so that responsible businesses aren't penalized for - gee, doing business in their country.
He isn't fit to say the name 'Reagan,' much less try to be Reaganesque.
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I can't give a suggestion, but just the other day I was thinking of purchasing a Kindle as a gift and was going to populate it with LDS scriptures. I looked around amazon, but all of the reviews were rather half-hearted; there seemed to be problems with all of them. You might look around the reviews and see if the issues are those you can live with. It's one thing to buy it for yourself, another to give as a gift.
I got a scriptures app for my iPad which works for my purposes, but I've seen better if one is willing to pay a lot of money for them (for an app). I wasn't.
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Maybe i shouldnt come here any more if u get so huffy about someones question or questions geesh,,,,,,,,,
No big deal, Roseslipper. People answered before I could get back to the boards. I don't know who this person is, but it's not me.
I was able to take one of my regular elders and a newbie to lunch. Turns out the newbie's great (great?) grandfather came through here with one of the handcart companies. It's like living history to meet a direct descendant of the handcart treks. I suppose there are many of them out West, but since they moved on from here, I guess there aren't too many descendants around this area. Very cool!
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So, I went out to visit this investigator last night with this other set of elders. Boy, was it humbling. She really knew her Bible and I learned a lot just listening to her. She ended up helping me and giving me ways on how to make time to read more Scripture, etc. I admit to being a little disconcerted coming to her home; pretty much everyone I know know lives the way I do (or better) and it was a shock to see someone with so little.
If she converts, she'll do so from a much higher place of faith and belief than I'm ever likely to reach. I've been thinking of this visit all night. I'm glad I went, not because of what I could teach, but what I learned.
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And yes, it's because they want the Elders engaged in the work of helping to bring people into the church. Not to work on those who are already in it and active. At least that's the idea. But each mission has it's own approach to what's appropriate for it's missionaries according to it's local congregations. For here, that's what has been decided. Your needs may vary.
I was told that they should be fed most nights of the week, with the thinking that we want their money to go as far as possible and not all have to be spent on food. We are in the Midwest. We are a thrifty people.
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In our ward, we do the calendar method also. But it usually is stuck on the announcement wall (next to the materials library), then it gets passed around in Sunday School time. A lot of the couples are in the same class so it is easier for them to plan a date (instead of having to check with the spouse and remembering to sign up on the calendar on the 2nd go round).
Also, single women cannot have male missionaries over in their house unless the missionaries have members that go with them (I think they have to be female as well - not really sure).
So, now I know we must be a little different in getting names because it was specifically mentioned to me that our many stay-at-home moms would have to check with their husbands for a good day. This would indicate to me that no signup sheet is passed around where both are present.
Also, I'm a single woman and have had the missionaries over several times, outside of lessons. I guess if the person was single w/no kids it would be an issue, but the missionaries can come over when my son is home. He doesn't eat with us (more's the pity), but he is in the house and will take them home. When teaching a lesson when my son wasn't home, they would often bring a man from the ward; it didn't have to be a female.
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Lucky! In the mission I live in, members are no longer permitted to feed the Missionaries (per the Mission President).
Why is that? You'd think people would want to feed them and that they would want to be fed. It's such a good opportunity to get to know them and get a nice lesson or discussion. Too bad.
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Maybe we're more hi-tech. I've been going to church for a few months now and only missed 1 Sunday. I've never seen a meal signup sheet in RS, though I have seen sheets for other purposes. Obviously I have to talk to the person who's currently doing the work, but I think she must do it differently.
So, I got a call from one of the brothers saying I need to be set aside and blessed next Sunday after church. Do people get a blessing for each calling? Cool! I'll take all I can get.
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Congrats, It sounds like you will be good at it. Do not forget to take the list by the Primary. :))) When I have served in the Primary I sometimes would never see the missionaries' list.
So, apparently there is a ward directory online that I'm supposed to use. Considering this, should I still make an effort to contact the folks serving in the Primary, or will I get around to them at some point?
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I promise not to post every time I have a new 'first,' but since this is my first first, I'm excited. I was worried about what kind of calling I'd get and today I was called to be the person who calls up members and asks them to feed the missionaries. OK, I can do that.
Personally, I'd feed the missionaries every night if I could. I love having them over, I give them a bag of food whenever they come over, and I so worry that they don't get enough decent food, this is a great calling for me because now I know they will be fed.
I got a request to go with some other missionaries to visit an investigator. They heard me speak at my baptism and thought I had something to offer. I don't know that I do, but I'm willing to go and do what I can. I gather the woman is around my age, so maybe my presence will help. As you all know, I wasn't real thrilled about having young people come preach to me (I've admitted to being wrong about that, so mea culpa), so I can understand how having an older person along might be appreciated. I just hope I don't mess up.
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As a former Catholic, I found reading 'Catholic roots, Mormon Harvest ' by Eric Shuster, to be instructive. Even though I had long ago left the Church, I was raised in it and some things just run deep. The author's wife has a degree in Catholic theology and together they go doctrine by doctrine, comparing and contrasting. I expect to turn to this work often.
Maybe I won't be the best Mormon, but I was able to tell myself that some things are just history and there's nothing I can do about them now (Brigham Young), some things I'll never know, but I can look to the LDS Church as currently constructed and say that it is good. I would rather be LDS than not. I do believe Joseph Smith had a vision, but sometimes it gets a little murky after that. I think that's OK. As so many have told me, baptism is the initial step, not the last step. I will learn more and my testimony will be come stronger. All I know is that for many of my doubts, all I needed was a point to scripture. As a Catholic, I just never read the Bible in depth. There was a lot I didn't/don't know. But people point out the Scripture to me, I read for myself, and so far, I've been satisfied.
I don't think we will know every thing while we are here on earth. I'm OK with that.
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Wow. The 'creating an investigator' article was beyond sad. I understand this are young people who will not always follow orders, or who want to see a bit of the country they are in, etc., but to be so calculating about creating investigators does not speak well for the process.
It seems that much of the fabrication comes about because of mission presidents or other persons in charge of the missionary. Is this just a human thing of wanting to look good to their superiors or is there pressure of SLC on everybody all the way down the line?
One of the comments mentioned a "three weeks to baptism model." How can anyone decide to change their religion (or get one) in 3 weeks? What kind of convert do you get with that model? I realize they don't want people who are investigating for years, but 3 weeks and baptized? I wouldn't feel honest with myself if I did something like that. No wonder people fall away - they were never 'there' to begin with.
I love my missionaries, but I'm beginning to get a bad taste in my mouth.
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I am reading these posts with sadness. I can only imagine how hard it is to be a missionary. Today was 6 degrees and I got a call from one of my missionaries while they were out in the cold looking for apartment buildings so they could come in for a bit - and that's just the weather. I can't imagine tracting and dealing with so many negative people, or having such a generally unpleasant missionary experience as the OP.
The one thing I've always wondered about, and didn't want to embarrass my missionaries with, is - how pressured are they to get baptisms? I understand there has been change from they way it was years ago; I get the feeling they really want investigators to know about the Church, they don't shy away from hard topics, etc. But I've also read RM's discussing how many people they got 'dunked.' How rude. I know that all work situations have their own jargon and ways of looking at people outside the work group, but getting people baptized should be something higher.
So, what's the real point of missionary work - spreading the gospel or getting people dunked? What happens if a missionary doesn't have any baptisms? Can they still consider their time a success or have they been failures? Do they get 'credit' for baptisms, with more baptisms resulting in better assignments or staying in one place longer before getting transferred? As a newbie, no one wants to be considered a notch on someone's belt.
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Amazing story.
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LDS missionary shot and killed in Jamaica - ksl.com
Always heartbreaking to hear of this.
I saw this yesterday and was heartbroken for this poor missionary and his family. I thought of my guys and got misty. On the whole, it's not very dangerous here, but who knows what can happen knocking on individual doors? All missionaries need our prayer and support.
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Very nice! It looks like they were knocking on doors in a dorm. I realize they were making a video and probably used what locations they could, but are missionaries allowed to tract in dorms? Just curious.
My Bishop bugs me...
in LDS Gospel Discussion
Posted
Whew, I'm glad this doesn't happen in my ward! I sit pretty close to the front and being beige in a sea of white faces, I know the bishop can see me. Well, today's testimonies really got to me as I was thinking about my own situation. I started sniffling, then tears, and had to pull out a hankie. I kept thinking, 'Oh please don't call on me. Please don't think I have a testimony because I'm sitting here crying.' Even my missionary was looking at me sideways. I guess I would have fumbled through something, but I'm glad I didn't have to. I was also a mess in Gospel Principles but got myself together for RS.
I never had it this rough going to Mass. What is with LDS and all the emotion?!