Baldwin Village Week 04

Why Hello!

I am just glowing because we just got out of the temple! I love it in there! Really, I wish we could go more often but there is work to be done :) haha I invite all of you who live close to a temple and are able to attend to go more often than you do now, especially since I can't go! haha It just brightens up your whole week. How could you pass up a deal like that? 

This week has been INSANE for us here. Due to some crazy things that happened, the mission is moving us to a new apartment. However, it has to get approved by Salt Lake and the mission etc. etc. and so we have been temporarily living at the patron apartments behind the temple for the past 2 days. This has been both a good thing and a bad thing haha It's about a 30 minute drive from our area, and so it takes at least 1 hour of time each day to travel, and a lot of our stuff (like our food) is still at the old apartment and so we keep forgetting things. BUT we were able to wash our clothes today for a LOT cheaper than we can in our area, and we are around all the VC (Visitor Center) sisters so if there is ever anything that we need, it's pretty easy to get it.

Because of the commute and other office-y things that are associated with moving, we haven't been able to teach a ton of lessons this week. Also, on Friday Sister Deskins and I both got really sick. A lot of the members and investigators have had the flu this past month, and somehow we came down with a watered-down version of it, which knocked us out on Friday. But, we were able to get Priesthood blessings and we were up and about the next day working. The poor people we have been teaching haven't really been able to see us much, but we are on the mend and ready to get back to work! (that is, after we take a breather on our p-day today ha)

Other than those things, not much to report. We get to go to a museum today! So that's exciting. The work here is good :) And the Lord loves us! Also, I've been thinking a lot about how to help the members we work with share the gospel - especially with all of the political things going on. We are SO in the spotlight and a lot of times it can be pretty intimidating to share the Gospel. I just found this awesome article on lds.org that I think has some great suggestions, and I invite all of you to take just one of them, and try to work on that this week. :) I hope you enjoy and I love you all!

Sister Hensley

Sharing the gospel should be a natural part of life as a Latter-day Saint. As the Church grows, more and more people will ask questions, and it will be easier to respond with confidence if we pay attention to some basic principles.

One of those principles, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles teaches, is that the gift of discernment operates best when we are listening. So while talking about the Church, remember that it may help to ask clarifying questions and to do as much listening as we do talking. With that principle in mind, here are seven simple suggestions: 

1. LIVE YOUR RELIGION. A Latter-day Saint’s life is his or her best sermon. Our conversations ought to be open, genuine, and engaged in with a spirit of kindness. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are most believable when our actions are in harmony with our beliefs.

2. ESTABLISH A FOUNDATION. Rather than responding to random questions, it might be helpful to establish a foundation—explain that we embrace Jesus Christ as our Savior and accept the Bible’s teachings, but believe that the Christian world departed from basic truths, and so Christ needed to restore His Church.

3. CONNECT THE DOTS. Try to discern the gospel principle at the heart of a question, and connect the answer back to the Savior. We do not need complicated, sophisticated arguments when the principles we try to live by come from the Son of God.

4. SHARE EXPERIENCES. Answering questions is not about reciting memorized answers. Sharing genuine, personal experiences can invite the Spirit to bear witness and carry the message into the listener’s heart. 

5. UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE. The same conversation isn’t going to work for everyone—we all have different backgrounds. And remember that a casual question doesn’t require a half-hour lecture as a reply. Be sensitive to interest, comfort, and level of understanding. Signal that sensitivity so that those who are curious can feel at ease.

6. USE RESOURCES. The Church has created online resources that can be helpful for members to share with those who have questions. Church magazines are available online and in print, and items available at distribution centers may be helpful. Sharing a copy of the Book of Mormon may also be appropriate

7. BE A FORCE FOR GOOD. Members of the Church can help clear up misconceptions and increase understanding of who we are and what we believe. People may see differences between what they believe and what Latter-day Saints believe, but they may also find common ground on which to build better relationships.