Erich's "Rant"

Blargh. I'm in some downtime. Some of what I type here may not make sense after I reread, so I'm just hoping that the Spirit knows better. Maybe. Gah.
Alright. This last week was interesting, because after a few days of following up with some deadwood investigators we switched into full-on member-work mode. No knocking doors unless absolutely necessary. And now we've got an enormous list of people to visit, and a handful of references and appointments with members for the week. Only this week will that start to give fruit...but we got to know a LOT of less actives and incomplete families. And now we're doling out responsibilities for the members, in hopes of helping them be a better-interconnected ward. I'm excited for this week, and another turnover of investigators.

The training we had was also great. I felt vindicated with many of the things that were said in that broadcast. First off, I agree that members need better training with respect to how to support each other, especially the less-actives - this makes the ward a more cohesive "family", and in an age where there are many less converts in the Mormon population we need to start using members as an appendage of the missionary work. The only function limited to the missionaries is the authority of convert baptisms and the responsibility for effective teaching of the basic principles of the gospel - besides that, members can participate in the following:

- Finding

- Following Up

- Retention

These parts are actually quite huge, and the most difficult parts from my point of view are the finding and the retaining. Finding is the most tiring, and least productive, part of missionary work in the mission work I've come to know. It's easy to find people who will let you into the door, but people that want something to do with the Church is something else. People that already know the members, though, already have a friend, and can recognize positive Church values through the member's example. There's a certain barrier with missionaries that becomes much more easily navigated when a member is able to insert them into the lives of other normal people. Finding is simply much, much more effective when you seek to find them through members - though it requires patience, diligence, and organizational skills.

Retention is the other part I think that is the hardest, simply because it doesn't start with baptism - the members have to participate in helping the baptism staying firm, and the sooner the process starts the better. I note that the ward mission leader is an excellent solution for this, since he ought to know the ward better than any missionary. The ward missionary should be the point of coordination with the members, and direct the ward's mission as if he were personally responsible for every person that the missionaries find - because he is! He's the crucial link between the missionary spirit carried by those ordained, and the local knowledge necessary for effective teamwork in the ward. He ought to know the spiritual strengths of the ward, so that he can bring them to the fore as the need arises in the missionary work. And he also serves as the leader that helps to train the ward, a point of leadership that doesn't fade when a missionary gets transferred. He's necessary to making sure the members are working with the missionaries like they could be.

I frankly got sick of knocking doors, dealing with so many people that don't want anything to do with you, when I started learning how to work with the members. It's so much more pleasant, and when you focus on them the members also benefit spiritually. They become part of the work, and could be important in helping some from turning away simply because they didn't have enough attention in the ward. Missionaries have the entire day to meet up with whomever they need to, and I believe that in two transfers it's possible to have made a visit in every single house in a member's home in a reasonably-sized ward (80-120 members), should the missionaries focus. The majority of baptism stories in the training were...hello? Incomplete families! You don't know who's incomplete until somebody tells you - and you gotta get to know the members to ask them. When you involve them, they start to become appendages of the work - they become your eyes, and ears. If you train them, they can spot people that you might never have noticed, because the missionaries only have one body - they can't be everywhere at the same time. But the members are in many places. And I strongly believe that God uses members, not just missionaries, to soften the hearts of those who have yet to know the true Church, and for this reason "Every member a missionary." Through the members' examples people see the incredible blessing of the restored Gospel...and when they start to get involved, they make the missionary work more than just the missionaries. And the Church needs that to keep the work accelerating.

Working with members requires the missionary to use his brain. It requires him to organize himself, and be patient when things go wrong on something they weren't responsible for. It requires more than a callused hand and endurance - it requires a soft heart and a love for the people who serve alongside you as representatives of Christ, albeit at a different level. It requires you think about how to build up wherever you go, and confide in God. Baptism is promoted as the strongest indicator of growth in the Church, and the fact is that baptism is the highest a missionary can take another human being while they serve. We need to seek to build up all others around us - and if we really are looking, really are seeking to love others around us, which REALLY isn't that different from what we should do as members, God will inspire us to find members. We need to pay attention. It needs blood, sweat, and tears like Nephi shed as he worried and worked and did all he could to keep his people a righteous one in

2 Nephi 33:3. We need to lean on His arm, and do His work. And when His leaders are telling us that member work is the most effective way to do it...well, what do you *think* we should do?

Anyway. That's my rant for today. All the less actives and non-members who want to come to Church will. I've seen it happen. And I testify that member missionary work will be instrumental in the evolution of the missionary work that God needs. The Church is true, and thus God shall never stop sending us signals to help us serve Him better. The Book of Mormon is the best missionary, because it's the centerpiece of the work in the Latter Days. It's a true book, and serves us better than any other. It proves, and has given me testimony, that Joseph Smith was a prophet that was essential in having returned to us the tools necessary for our salvation. I'm grateful to be a part of the true Church, and the privilege to lead as a missionary of the Savior.

Don't forget to write, y'all. I love you.

-Erich

Convertion

Hey everyone!


I'm here, I'm happy, I'm healthy! Funny thing about that last part is that this week is the first week I seriously planned some nutrition, and bought everything for two weeks with a nutritional plan...and it's working. I'm feeling better after two days of it. What is this?! E. Gubler is evolving!

There's been a few other advances too, mainly in my testimony. This new area has some interesting people that I'm sure God has prepared me to meet, and now he's adding on some of the things I need to learn to best serve them.

I've learned especially about my calling, and about how much I need to put myself into my calling. In the last few months the calling has no longer been something I do...but something I am. I wake up thinking about my district, the wonderful Sisters I've been tasked to take care of, and the investigators that I pray for. I hope so much to find somebody who really is willing to be converted. This last week, I was saddened by the family we were teaching...all of them had a testimony, but for some reason they simply didn't have the willpower to go to Church, to do what they were supposed to. They bore their testimonies to us, stating that they knew the Church was true, but something was missing. What was it?

It was conversion. Conversion is something I've thought about a lot in the last few days. I remember E. Bednar talk about it, and as I connect it to the change occuring in my conversion I'm more and more interested in learning about it. I WANT to help other people understand the truth. I WANT to help others have the precious moments I've had, where I felt an immense love and friendship from the Savior. I've deepened my understanding of how the Savior feels for me, and now I'm reminded of Alma's words in Alma 5...the way I've been teaching has changed. It's less about speaking. It's more about feeling. It's less about leaving what I know - it's about leaving the sweet substance that I've tasted. I'm not sure how to describe how I've felt about...well, mankind these last few weeks. The world has become more beautiful. Hope seems to be in greater abundance. Disappointment I felt was swallowed up as I applied advice that Christ provided for me in Alma 31:26-38. I've...forgotten about myself, until the point that I need to take care of my body and mind's needs. It's been a wonderful experience.

My district is a wonderful experience. I've never led Sisters before, and as I wrote to Mom I believe that the Sisters I've had in my ward are some of the most converted missionaries I've worked with. They're admirable. They'ev got their needs, and I sincerely hope I'll be led to take care of them. I hope I can be an example for them, because they deserve no less.

This ward's rather interesting, because it's composed of almost entirely young single adults. I only half-joked with the counselor (since this ward has lacked a bishop for some time) that perhaps an effective way to baptize would just be to give seminars/workshops on eternal marriage and just reap the horde of non-member girlfriend/boyfriends and send them off on missions. There's a lot of return missionaries here too...so we gotta get using that spiritual momentum for something useful!

My point of view of my calling has changed since I prayed and pondered about John 15:13-15. I realized that...I'm called to be a friend for others. If I'm not seeking to befriend others, I'm not truly being a missionary. The reason I should be trying to lift others up, and helping them be baptized is because I believe it's the best thing I could do...as a friend. I need to love the people I interact with, so they can become better. I read Sis. Elaine S. Dalton's talk about what a true friend is, almost seemingly by coincidence...and I'm sure now that there should be no difference in the way I should treat anybody - members, non-members, companions, leaders, those I lead. I need to feel the same thing for them all; that is, Christ's love, Christ's friendship. I may not be able to count on everyone I come to know to be a Christlike friend, but I can count on Him - and He wants me to do as He did too. I'm...quite happy to have had this personal revelation as I've sought something to help my district and myself. I hope that by writing this I've served to benefit the beloved readers of my blog too - that's why I'm writing this, right?

In any case...my time is up! I hope that the letters I shall be sending soon I shall be able to further strengthen those that have expressed interest in receiving. I love you guys! Don't forget towrite!

And also: in less than 6 months I'm released. o_0 Holy cooooooooooooooooow!



-Erich

Alright, well, this email's gonna be a lot shorter than I wanted it to be, but hey. Exciting news. I got TRANSFERRED, involved in an emergency transfer that happened because of all the little Americanzinhos that're getting their visas stuck and arriving in the middle of the transfers. Now I'm the LD of 4 Sisters, 2 of them being the Trainer Leaders of the mission. I've heard some interesting comments from President about the emails he gets from Sisters about their leaders, so looks like I'm gonna have to be a tip-top chap to do what's gotta be done for now. The only thing that actually changes is that I can't do divisions with them, because it's expressly forbidden that I step into their area unless I'm interviewing somebody. For now, we'll see how things coast out until the transfer here in two weeks. I miss E. Mechaileh, but now I'm with an interesting guy from Pará whose name is E. Bispo - a certain irony, seeing as my new area, which is called Gurguri, has only one counselor representing a bishopric here! For now, the stake president is the bishop...so I'm gonna have to call him up and get things coordinated with him soon. This ward's almost entirely composed of young adults - remember play church, Dad? It's kind of like that. Except a lot more little kids. More info next time!

Brief spiritual trace from the studies: John 15:13-15. I'm a missionary, a representative called of God...therefore I'm called to be a friend to all. I hadn't thought of that this before. It helps to remind me of the love I need to show to people the best way I can. Because Christ is MY best friend. And I'm representing Him. He didn't have to bother with me, but He went ahead and sacrificed himself for me anyway. Because of the love that He felt.

I know how I feel about it. How do _you_ feel about it?

...aaaaaand the lan house here has a very decent net connection. So I'll be able to send people photos soon. I hope you're all happy and well! Don't forget to write, as always, and always know that I'm planning on coming back home exhausted...because there's work to do everywhere.

Alright, gang, this last week was awesome. We finally got Matheus in the water! His family came up and told us that they'd booked everything for last Saturday...much to our surprise! And even better, there was family from EVERY corner. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents from BOTH sides of the family - a lot of members to reactivate and non-members to contact. Even though in this photo I've got the baptism pants on, it was his father that stepped up and baptized him - it as a little unplanned, but there you have it. And we're gonna be baptizing somebody else in the family too. Or, rather, we're gonna be baptizing a FUTURE member of the family - Emanuel, whose photo I'm currently missing. But worry not! We'll have a shot of him in the baptismal jumpsuit in a jiffy here. Just pray that it all works out, and we'll do our part here. He's the boyfriend of a member of the ward here, and he's been going to church for a few months - and we've been aware and trying to fix that since we've gotten here. He's been a tough cookie, but he told us this last week that he's been talking to God and that God's telling him to get going with following His gospel. I've learned a bit this last week about being more discerning, and being more submissive to God's will. It's been an interesting lesson in fighting the natural man. And I'm glad to have been learning it. I've got a feeling I'll be using it a lot more on my mission...and beyond. Anyway. Time's up! I love y'all, and DON'T FORGET TO WRITE! I hope everybody's well! -Erich