Because of a new tool that we
now have, I will be able to give more
detailed emails about the week. This week we will go day by day. :)
On Tuesday we had MLC. These leadership councils have always been one
of my favorite times of the month. Every time I am there with all of
the leaders of the mission I am able to clearly see the revelation
that flows into the room. This week was no different. At the
beginning they passed out new tools we are now able to use. They are
rectangular, a blackish color, and they will light your face if you
hold it close to you and push a button. Pretty neat how it all works.
Not only are these rectangles going to assist us an unfathomably large
amount in our planning, finding, and teaching... But they are also
going to help us learn skills and discipline that will help us use
other similar rectangular devices for the rest of our lives. The rest
of our meeting consisted of direct revelation that helped us make
changes to the mission that are going to be so helpful. President Jardine
then gave a training on the basics of missionary work and our purpose for
being here. It was mind blowing how powerful he is when he teaches.
That night we organized a pick up game of basketball at the church and
got a bunch of investigators there. We do things like that to find
investigators in a YSA ward.
Wednesday we were able to sit down as a companionship and learn how to
use our cool little tools more effectively. We spent time setting them
up and preparing to use them in lessons. We spent some time helping
out at the food bank, and then taught a lesson to Tony. Tony is our
investigator friend that needs to quit smoking. He wants to be
baptized on the 27th so bad. He knows these things are true because of
different experiences with the spirit he has had. Later that night we
had an awesome ward activity that we were able to get investigators
to. The activities here in the YSA are so on point. They had a big hot
dog bar, then played volleyball. It gives investigators a chance to
get to know the ward in a non threatening environment. Plus I love
being able to spent time with the ward.
We had a zone conference on Thursday. It was all about how we can use
the spirit more effectively in our work and rely on it while we are
teaching. It is something I have worked on my whole mission. The
spirit that comes when 100+ missionaries are in a room singing a hymn
or bearing testimony is so powerful. I gave a departing testimony
because I go home in July. Now that was a weird feeling being up there
bearing testimony like all the old missionaries do. At the end of the
conference the rest of the missionaries got their neat little black
rectangular tools. They were freaking out when they knew the leaders
had been using them since Tuesday. Overall it was a great conference.
We had a meeting with the stake president after to discuss the work
happening here in Elk Grove.
Friday was the day we got to help the rest of the zone set up their
little black rectangles. You can imagine the struggle of helping 20
missionaries trying to use technology they haven't touched in
months/years. Their are 2 missionaries from the islands of Kiribati
that have never used one or really seen one. That was an adventure. We
then went and helped set up a Polynesian festival here in Elk Grove.
They fed us a bunch of Tongan food after... Sooo good. We knocked some
doors after and met a very grumpy man. Poor guy. His life must be
miserable and he felt the need to take it out on 2 well dressed young men
trying to spread happiness.
We had a good day on Saturday. We were able to find a few new people
to teach through different things. We had a member take us out to
lunch with her non member man friend. We were able to teach him. We
also met some twin sisters that just graduated high school that wanted
to check out the YSA ward and get baptized the summer. We ensured them
we would be able to help them out with that. I also realized that
Sacramento has some really awesome taco trucks on the side of the
road. They are almost as good as the Utah county waffle truck.
Our Sabbath fast Sunday was lovely. The bishop had to stand up at the
beginning and tell people to not get up and bear testimony unless they
really felt the spirit telling them to get up because last month they
went 45 minutes over on testimony meeting. It isn't very often that
the bishop has to tell people that. This ward is awesome.
It is safe to say that there have been more selfies taken by the
missionaries here over the past few days than they have ever taken in
their life. I personally have some that are pretty quality. It is a
really exciting to be a missionary during this new era of combining
missionary work with technology. It is easy to see that God gave the
world technology to help his work move forward in a hastened way.
Everyone else just got lucky and gets to use it too. Our mission is
going to progress in so many ways in the next few months as we move to
doing missionary work through technology.
Like I have said basically every week... I absolutely love being a
missionary. I have learned so many different things that have laid the
foundation for my life, and now I will be laying another foundation of
using electronic devices effectively instead of meandering the maze of
mediocricy. God knows what he is doing. I'm so grateful he is allowing
me to be part of his work.
Elder Gage Black
detailed emails about the week. This week we will go day by day. :)
On Tuesday we had MLC. These leadership councils have always been one
of my favorite times of the month. Every time I am there with all of
the leaders of the mission I am able to clearly see the revelation
that flows into the room. This week was no different. At the
beginning they passed out new tools we are now able to use. They are
rectangular, a blackish color, and they will light your face if you
hold it close to you and push a button. Pretty neat how it all works.
Not only are these rectangles going to assist us an unfathomably large
amount in our planning, finding, and teaching... But they are also
going to help us learn skills and discipline that will help us use
other similar rectangular devices for the rest of our lives. The rest
of our meeting consisted of direct revelation that helped us make
changes to the mission that are going to be so helpful. President Jardine
then gave a training on the basics of missionary work and our purpose for
being here. It was mind blowing how powerful he is when he teaches.
That night we organized a pick up game of basketball at the church and
got a bunch of investigators there. We do things like that to find
investigators in a YSA ward.
Wednesday we were able to sit down as a companionship and learn how to
use our cool little tools more effectively. We spent time setting them
up and preparing to use them in lessons. We spent some time helping
out at the food bank, and then taught a lesson to Tony. Tony is our
investigator friend that needs to quit smoking. He wants to be
baptized on the 27th so bad. He knows these things are true because of
different experiences with the spirit he has had. Later that night we
had an awesome ward activity that we were able to get investigators
to. The activities here in the YSA are so on point. They had a big hot
dog bar, then played volleyball. It gives investigators a chance to
get to know the ward in a non threatening environment. Plus I love
being able to spent time with the ward.
We had a zone conference on Thursday. It was all about how we can use
the spirit more effectively in our work and rely on it while we are
teaching. It is something I have worked on my whole mission. The
spirit that comes when 100+ missionaries are in a room singing a hymn
or bearing testimony is so powerful. I gave a departing testimony
because I go home in July. Now that was a weird feeling being up there
bearing testimony like all the old missionaries do. At the end of the
conference the rest of the missionaries got their neat little black
rectangular tools. They were freaking out when they knew the leaders
had been using them since Tuesday. Overall it was a great conference.
We had a meeting with the stake president after to discuss the work
happening here in Elk Grove.
Friday was the day we got to help the rest of the zone set up their
little black rectangles. You can imagine the struggle of helping 20
missionaries trying to use technology they haven't touched in
months/years. Their are 2 missionaries from the islands of Kiribati
that have never used one or really seen one. That was an adventure. We
then went and helped set up a Polynesian festival here in Elk Grove.
They fed us a bunch of Tongan food after... Sooo good. We knocked some
doors after and met a very grumpy man. Poor guy. His life must be
miserable and he felt the need to take it out on 2 well dressed young men
trying to spread happiness.
We had a good day on Saturday. We were able to find a few new people
to teach through different things. We had a member take us out to
lunch with her non member man friend. We were able to teach him. We
also met some twin sisters that just graduated high school that wanted
to check out the YSA ward and get baptized the summer. We ensured them
we would be able to help them out with that. I also realized that
Sacramento has some really awesome taco trucks on the side of the
road. They are almost as good as the Utah county waffle truck.
Our Sabbath fast Sunday was lovely. The bishop had to stand up at the
beginning and tell people to not get up and bear testimony unless they
really felt the spirit telling them to get up because last month they
went 45 minutes over on testimony meeting. It isn't very often that
the bishop has to tell people that. This ward is awesome.
It is safe to say that there have been more selfies taken by the
missionaries here over the past few days than they have ever taken in
their life. I personally have some that are pretty quality. It is a
really exciting to be a missionary during this new era of combining
missionary work with technology. It is easy to see that God gave the
world technology to help his work move forward in a hastened way.
Everyone else just got lucky and gets to use it too. Our mission is
going to progress in so many ways in the next few months as we move to
doing missionary work through technology.
Like I have said basically every week... I absolutely love being a
missionary. I have learned so many different things that have laid the
foundation for my life, and now I will be laying another foundation of
using electronic devices effectively instead of meandering the maze of
mediocricy. God knows what he is doing. I'm so grateful he is allowing
me to be part of his work.
Elder Gage Black
 |
| This is the first selfie I took on the iPad when we got them at MLC |
 |
| Group selfie right after MLC |
 |
| Zone picture at MLC |
 |
| Sister Clark, Elder Witt and I. We all went to Lone Peak together |
 |
| Picture with Minh (The recent convert) during his first week at work |
A picture of all the missionaries first getting their iPads.
So much joy in that room.
No comments:
Post a Comment