Well before Elder Bednar spoke, Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy spoke to us. He kinda gave a little intro and talked about how we missionaries have a 'glow' to us. Members and non members can recognize it, and our studies and diligence affect that glow. Something cool he said is, "The secret to life is to do the small things well." For example...studying and pondering your scriptures, not just reading it...making sure every prayer is with real intent, and not just going through the motions.
Before the question and answer sessions, Elder Bednar wanted us to read three talks from him titled 'Seek Learning by Faith, Ask in Faith, and Converted unto the Lord.' Super good talks by the way. A lot the the things we talked about were based on those talks. When we pray...it's super easy just to go through the motions. But we have to be specific with our questions, and once we say AMEN...we need to act and get moving.
He talked a lot about being AGENTS...and not just objects. As missionaries, or as teachers in general, it's important not to teach our investigators as though they are objects. Too many of us just want to jam the gospel or the truth into someone's heart. You hear missionaries say, "I'm gonna make 'em believe!" But that's not how it works. Our job is to invite, persuade, entice, and testify. Then the spirit will carry it unto the the heart...note how it says not INTO. Teaching is way more than teaching and telling. I learned that it is far more important what the investigator says than what I will ever say.
There was a missionary that asked Elder Bednar how can you stay active and strong years after your mission. I thought the answer was very interesting. He said to stay active and strong in the gospel we need to remember who we are as children of God and as the seed of Abraham. We were foreordained to obtain the priesthood...meaning that we were missionaries before this life, and we are to be missionaries forever. I read all of our patriarchal blessings that you sent, and all of them talk about our eternal identity and to never forget who we are.
Another question was about the selection process of missionaries. Before they do it they come in fasting. When Elder Bednar looks at our pictures and all the different missionaries...he asks, "what will this mission call mean 20 or 30 years down the road?" Needless to say, I learned so much more from Elder Bednar. It was so good and refreshing. That man is an Apostle of Jesus Christ. You could just feel it when he entered the room and when he talked to us.
My new area is amazing. So is my companion. I have a feeling this is going to be a good transfer. Elder Morales, my companion, is a straight up thug. He does everything from Preach My Gospel, and he's super organized. I've been learning a ton from him, and we get along great! He's a native so I've been learning a ton of Spanish the past couple of days. Right now we have 6 baptismal dates. A big chuck of that is with a family we have been teaching. We hope to set another date tonight with one of our investigators. Being a zone leader is pretty stressful haha, but it's super fun. We have some awesome missionaries in our zone, and I actually knew some of them back from my last area in Blackfoot! It's good to work with them again =)
So our area actually covers St. Anthony, Teton, and Sugar City...all of that in Spanish work. Sunday was pretty good. Super small! The branch was just organized about 2 years ago, so it's really young and there's lot's of potential. The branch president looks like Buddha, and he is from the Dominican Republic...which means I can't understand anything that guy says lololol. But he's super funny and nice. Having a missionary minded branch president or bishop makes all the difference. In a couple weeks we will be starting an English class as well.
Well that wraps up my novel for you guys. Valentine's day for me was full of keeping my heart locked and staying focused. YAY! Thanks for the updates in yalls lives.
con mucho amor, Elder Petitt
***
(The week before)
SO! I gotta keep this one short but I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED. AGAIN.
(The week before)
I'm going back into Spanish work...and I'm going to be a Zone Leader. WHaaaaa!? That totally caught me by surprise. So I'll be in Ashton, Idaho...My new companion is from Texas and he's got an incredibly good reputation in the mission. He is fluent in Spanish and he's been out for almost 19 months. Soooo he is a veteran. I'm so ready to work hard and learn more.
I'm not going to lie...I'm going to miss this area and my companion, even though our time was super short. I just had a blast here. Elder Stephens is going to be the new District Leader here. Gosh, Elder Stephens is such an incredible teacher. He blows me away with his teaching skillz. He's very good at asking inspired questions...which is something I've been working on this transfer.
Well this Saturday we are going to have a question and answer session withhhh....ELDER BEDNAR! woooo! He's awesome. He's one of my favorites because he just whips out that bold sauce.
Things are going fantastic. I'm loving my mission. I'm learning so much. I can't wait to see what lies ahead for the future.
"Open your mouths and they shall be filled, and you shall become even as Nephi of old, who journeyed from Jerusalem in the wilderness. Yeah, open your mouths and spare not, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your backs, for lo, I am with you. " - D&C 33:8-9
