This week has had some great things happen in it. First off, I was able to participate in my first lesson that was entirely in Korean. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that one of the Korean members of the ward has started bringing a friend, Chul-Hee, to church. Yesterday at church, we had a lesson with him. As we started, I realized that this would be incredibly difficult due to the language barrier that still existed. During the opening prayer, I was just praying that Heavenly Father would let this lesson go well. The lesson did end up going alright, and thankfully, the member who had brought him was able to fill in the gaps that I couldn't. We taught the restoration and invited him to be baptized. He agreed to be baptized when he learns that our message is true, so we will set a date with him next week. This was the first time I think I've ever invited someone to be baptized in Korean since the MTC, and I know that Heavenly Father gave me the gift of tongues in order to teach his gospel, and now I'm doing it.
During our ward-listing this week, we ran into one of the active members of our ward. She had been feeling sick that day due to a medical condition. We asked her if she wanted a blessing and she said that she would like one. Unfortunately, we couldn't go into her house without another man present, and giving the blessing on her front porch would have been inappropriate. Thankfully, the church has a remarkable program that provides the opportunity for each member to receive the help they need from priesthood holders: Home-Teachers. We tried to get in touch with them, but it appeared that she did not have them. That night, we got a call from the Elders Quorum First Counselor. He and his companion (her brand-new home teachers) were on their way to give her a blessing. This teaches me something about what it means to go the extra mile. These men were more focused on making sure that the member's needs were being met rather than just visiting their assigned families and reporting it at the end of the month.
I think that the area that I've had to grow in the most over this last year has been humility. I remember that about a year ago, I left UNSW and went to Hassall Grove. I thought that I knew basically everything that was important to know in missionary work. Going to such a different area changed that really quickly. I remember one prompting I had as we were finishing an assignment that Bishop had given us. I was wondering what we were going to do then, and then the prompting came: "Do you have humility to tract?". I'd never been tracting before. We had never needed to at UNSW and I had no idea how to tract properly, much less effectively. But, the question was still there, so we went out and just did it. It wasn't ever the most productive thing to do, but it beat staying in the flat all day and we did end up meeting some people that I still think about now. This is something that has continued throughout the year. Every new companion and every new area has taught me more about humility and compassion.
We've come to the end of Preach My Gospel. I hope that something you've read has meant something to you. I know I've learned new things as I've read it this time around. Every one of us in this church have a responsibility to help each other live the gospel. I know that this book is a true book.During our ward-listing this week, we ran into one of the active members of our ward. She had been feeling sick that day due to a medical condition. We asked her if she wanted a blessing and she said that she would like one. Unfortunately, we couldn't go into her house without another man present, and giving the blessing on her front porch would have been inappropriate. Thankfully, the church has a remarkable program that provides the opportunity for each member to receive the help they need from priesthood holders: Home-Teachers. We tried to get in touch with them, but it appeared that she did not have them. That night, we got a call from the Elders Quorum First Counselor. He and his companion (her brand-new home teachers) were on their way to give her a blessing. This teaches me something about what it means to go the extra mile. These men were more focused on making sure that the member's needs were being met rather than just visiting their assigned families and reporting it at the end of the month.
I think that the area that I've had to grow in the most over this last year has been humility. I remember that about a year ago, I left UNSW and went to Hassall Grove. I thought that I knew basically everything that was important to know in missionary work. Going to such a different area changed that really quickly. I remember one prompting I had as we were finishing an assignment that Bishop had given us. I was wondering what we were going to do then, and then the prompting came: "Do you have humility to tract?". I'd never been tracting before. We had never needed to at UNSW and I had no idea how to tract properly, much less effectively. But, the question was still there, so we went out and just did it. It wasn't ever the most productive thing to do, but it beat staying in the flat all day and we did end up meeting some people that I still think about now. This is something that has continued throughout the year. Every new companion and every new area has taught me more about humility and compassion.
Elder Clark
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| Harbour Suburbs Zone, plus one last transfer |
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