Transfers and Tips for Terrific Missionaries

The Missionary Adventure - 

Everyday is an adventure here in the mission field . . . while each mission around the world has it's own unique fingerprint and blessings and challenges . . . there can be no doubt that here in Honduras each day is a blessing and an adventure.  You never know what is going to happen . . .

I'm sure it comes as no surprise that we, and the missionaries lead a challenging life full of the up days and the down days . . . the "high five" experiences and the really "I don't think I can do this any more" experiences . . .

My heart goes out daily to the many missionaries who are struggling with real life challenges . . . sad things . . . health problems . . . . under the best of circumstances here in Honduras . . . the missionary life is a challenge.   But they keep getting up every day . . .

And for EVERY SINGLE DAY that they get up, are obedient to the many missionary rules, hit the streets of Honduras, and share their valiant testimonies with another person . . . we are extremely grateful and so proud of their efforts.

(We say goodbye to 6 wonderful missionaries as they head for home

and their final transfer)

The Challenges are Real - 

I really don't feel like there is one missionary in the bunch who doesn't have a desire to serve our Heavenly Father.  And no doubt . . . some are a little further advanced when it comes to figuring out what the life of a missionary is all about . . . but what do you expect . . . they are 18-25 years old, with a larger and larger number of them in the 18-20 age bracket.  They still have MANY life's lessons yet to learn.  But they are learning . . .

But one things for sure . . . the majority of these missionaries find great joy and fulfillment in being the instrument that brings another to a knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Many have come to realize . . .
that serving a mission . . .
is not a sacrifice . . . but a privilege.  



Hints and Tips to a Successful Mission - 

That said . . . here are 11 hints and tips to a successful mission!
Penned by LDS writer Jason F. Wright, Deseret News.

(Enjoy the photos from our most recent RAINY transfer day)

Be obedient — period

1. Be obedient — period. Following mission rules brings blessings you cannot fathom until you are immersed in obedience. Learn the rules and follow them.

Don't judge

2. Don’t judge. At times, you will feel tempted to judge other missionaries and their efforts. Remember, your skills and natural abilities may be different than those you serve with. Their best effort doesn’t need to be good enough for you; it needs to be good enough for the Lord.

(It's a rainy day outside but the missionaries still gather with excitement.  They

always have many questions for our office elders.  They keep them running

every minute!)

Be obedient every minute of every day

3. Be obedient every minute of every day. You are unlikely to meet returned missionaries who were obedient but still regret their missions. But you will certainly encounter others who were never consistently obedient and never found the promised success and happiness. Being obedient doesn't mean you won't have difficult days, but it does mean more much success and happiness than otherwise.

Serve your companions

4. Serve your companions. Iron their shirts, make their beds and shine their shoes. If you’re blessed to be assigned a more challenging personality or someone who’s struggling, serve them even more.

Be obedient — even in the small things

5. Be obedient — even in the small things. Obedience is the only frequency that the Spirit operates in. Be sure you’re dialed in every time you walk out your front door to share the gospel.

(After transfer meeting they all head back to their areas in a

combination of buses and taxis - even in the pouring rain!)

Give praise

6. Give praise. Tell your companions, especially the challenging ones, that you think they're great missionaries and, eventually, they will be. At some point you will inevitably be assigned the companion with the “reputation.” Let them know you’ve only heard terrific things about them and offer a clean slate. When your mission is complete, be the one who says every single companion he had was amazing.

Be obedient

7. Be obedient. You will make mistakes and grow better each day at effectively teaching the gospel. But while you can't be perfect in all things, you can be perfectly obedient.

Love

8. Love. Love those you teach with all your heart, even the ones who ultimately reject the message. You will plant seeds that may not be harvested for months or years by others who will come after. But you'll harvest some that were planted by missionaries now home, married and gray.

Exercise faith

9. Exercise faith that obedience leads to greater success. If you have faith in this principle, you will see it unfold in miraculous ways.

Love each and every day

10. Love each and every day. Young missionaries only get this opportunity to serve 24/7. Leave nothing behind and don't regret a single day.

Be yourself

11. Be yourself! Smile! Laugh! Have fun! Sometimes elders and sisters think that obedience and the black name tag means you’re required to shelf your personality and become ultra serious. The Lord doesn’t want us to be different people — he wants us to be better versions of ourselves.

(President Klein and I with a few missionaries who still needed their final interview at the office)




At the bus stop . . .
Ready to hit the streets of the Honduras San Pedro Sula East Mission.

Way to go Elders y Hermanas -

Love you all!!

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The First 12 Weeks . . .

To the new Missionary . . .

Welcome!

We are so happy to welcome 22 new missionaries to the

San Pedro Sula East Mission

(Twenty missionaries arrived from the Guatemala CCM, one missionary arrived from the Mexico MTC,  and we received one new sister missionary, daughter of one of our Stake Presidents,  from Honduras who is waiting to serve where she was called in Phoenix, Arizona)
(The Family Zalaya)

Welcome!

We're going to talk a little about what your experience will be like during the

First 12 Weeks

of your mission.

When the time period spent in the CCM or the MTC was decreased with the increasingly high numbers of missionaries serving, a new inspired work was added to the missionary library for missionaries serving everywhere across the world.




(the mightly crew of Assistants and office staff who helped us prepare for the day!)

It's entitled  - 

"The First 12 Weeks"

YOUR First 12 Weeks - 

Your experience in the missionary training center was designed to help you learn your purpose as a missionary and how to prepare and teach investigators by the Spirit, according to their interests and needs.

 Your purpose for the rest of your mission is to follow the promptings of the Spirit as you invite an increasing number of people "to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end" (Preach My Gospel p1).

To accomplish this purpose, you will continue to build on the foundation established at the MTC or CCM by understanding and living all the principles of missionary work found in Preach My Gospel.  Strive to become the kind of missionary who could, if called upon, train a new missionary by the end of your first 12 weeks in the mission field.





(funny story - we were expecting ONE Missionary to arrive from the Mexico CCM. Much to our surprise - two came walking out of the customs area! (Whew - not a mistake . . . just another returning missionary from Tegucigalpa on his way back home :)

(enjoying a fun game of "Missionary Jeopardy")



To accomplish this objective, follow these principles:

• Be obedient - to mission rules and the direction contained in the Missionary Handbook.  
• Love, serve and listen to your companion.
• Eagerly participate as a fully contributing member of your companionship.

The Lord has blessed you with unique gifts and abilities; use them to become the BEST missionary you can be.  Learn all you can from your companion, and apply the following guidelines as you study and proselyte together:

• Focus your study on helping your investigators prepare to make and keep covenants!
• Stay anchored in the scriptures and Preach My Gospel.
• Learn to effectively teach the doctrines in Preach My Gospel, chapter 3.
• Conduct effective daily and weekly planning, and be diligent in carrying out and adjust ing your plans according to the Spirit.  Use this time to seek revelation.
• Follow the training schedule in the booklet, The First 12 Weeks.  

(Interesting info - we now have three missionaries from Guatemala whose native language is

Q'eqChi - a native language of the Mayan - totally different from Spanish.  We also received our first missionary from Brazil!  Four missionaries who are learning Spanish, whose native language is neither English or Spanish)

Why do we do Missionary Work?

When the Savior walked upon the earth and established his church and taught his gospel, he said, 

“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).

(Welcome to beautiful Honduras - the mountains between Olanchito and Yoro)




Missionaries everywhere don't dedicate 18 - 24 months of their lives just to increase the membership of the church, or to "bring people into the church" or persuade them to live better lives . . . those are great blessings that can and do occur . . . and as always, we are mindful of the many churches and organizations the persuade men to believe in the Savior and go about doing good works . . .

But we are concerned about a higher purpose . . . missionaries dedicate their service, and teach and testify to help people make covenants with our Heavenly Father, that allow them to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father and gain the blessings of Eternal Life.  The first of which is baptism and confirmation, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.  

Elder Oaks reminds us - 

The purpose of our missionary work is to help the children of God fulfill a condition prescribed by our Savior and Redeemer.

The doctrinal basis of missionary work is the word of God, revealed in every age, that man cannot be saved in the celestial kingdom without the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and that the only way to lay claim to the merits of that Atonement is to follow the command of its author: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you” (Acts 2:38).

We . . . are called to assist in that great effort.

Here in the beautiful country that is . . .

Honduras.

(I guess you can tell . . . I really do have a thing going with the cows here, they so delight me :)

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How Beautiful . . .

I've always loved the sound of this scripture . . . and until now associated it with the mountains that I love so much . . .

But today . . .

Something occurred to me . . .

and maybe you'll get a little glimpse from the message and photos that follow . . .

Abinadi quoting Isaiah  - 

15 And O how beautiful upon the mountains were their feet!

   

 16 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace!

 17 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who shall hereafter publish peace, yea, from this time henceforth and forever!

 18 And behold, I say unto you, this is not all. For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the ^afeet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of ^bpeace, yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people;

-- Mosiah 15:15-18

• •
  In Isaiah 52:7, Isaiah poetically described people bringing a great message. Why do you think Isaiah referred to the messengers’ feet? (In the ancient world, before electronic communications were available, important messages were often brought by runners traveling on foot. Isaiah uses the messengers’ feet to symbolize the messengers themselves.) 
• •
  Who else brings the message of the gospel to the world? 

I've often thought . . . how precious are the feet of these missionaries that appear all blistered, infected, bitten by moquitos, ants, dogs . . . but to Heavenly Father they are beautiful . . .

beautiful messengers publishing peace.

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A New Year . . . Putting First Things First

New Year . . . and New Beginnings . . .

AS we recognize that a new year symbolizes a new beginning, an opportunity to start again, to put old habits behind and make a new beginning, with great hope of changing prior activities to realize a new and improved self . . . or lifestyle . . .

 . . . There can be little doubt when it comes to making plans, setting goals, and being accountable for actions . . . these are fundamental principles that would benefit the lives of people everywhere . . . but for missionaries of the Lord, these principles are paramount to experiencing success in the mission field.

They principles will also bless their life, education, income and families forever more.

For this reason, we put much emphasis on these principles .

(We are as the army of Helaman!)

Many people are disinterested in goal setting, in pondering on and expressing "New Years Resolutions" as they feel a sense of failure when they fall to the wayside after a few weeks or months.  But those that preserver, and set realistic goals that are achievable are able to accomplish great things.

What does a realistic achievable goal look like?

•  For one thing it should be specific.  Don't just say I will lose weight . . . say, "I will lose 10 pounds".
• Another . . . it should be measurable, "I will workout every morning at 6am".
• The goal should be attainable, as a missionary, we encourage them rather than setting baptism goals which are dependent upon another's free agency . . . to set teaching goals each week.  To challenge each investigator to baptism.  Those are attainable goals for a missionary, goals they can meet each week.
• Timely - each goal or plan should be accomplished within a certain time frame.

Other hints and tips for being successful 

. . . review your plans on a frequent basis, weekly or monthly and make adjustments to the plan based on your experience, keeping the end goal post in sight.  Work on these things with a companion, a spouse, your favorite cheerleader, a parent, a close friend, a support group . . . someone you can feel an accountability to for continuing in the goal, or readjusting to better meet the purpose.  These sort of things are always much more pleasant if you include a social side in your plans and work on things together.  

For those of you who see setting goals and making plans as a form of drudgery . . .

Here's a few unique ideas - 

. . . Commit to reading four books, audition for a play, write a business plan, learn how to zumba, start guitar lessons,  unplug from technology one day a week for a month, send handwritten thank you notes to 30 people this month, set a goal to do something for someone else!

There's nothing like the sweet feeling of success . . . even in the small things in life.  And the small things can soon become the big things . . . as we slowly climb a mountain or . . eat an elephant . . . 

Become  your best self - starting now!

An old proverb says . . .

 "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.  The second best time is now."  

Now is the best time to start becoming the person we want to be . . . we can do it.  Not only for 20 years from now, but for eternity.  

 18 Whatever principle of ^aintelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the ^bresurrection.
 19 And if a person gains more ^aknowledge and intelligence in this life through his ^bdiligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the ^cadvantage in the world to come. - - D&C 130:18-19

Don't let your fears stand in the way of your success.

As President Dieter F. Uchtdorf explained (Ensign, Jan 2014) 

"that even when we fail to reach our goals we are still empowered.  Even though we might fall short of the finish line, just continuing the journey will make us greater than before."

When we approach our goals this way, failure doesn't have to limit us.  

We sometimes delay, waiting for the right moment to begin.  Fortunately, each new day is a new moment to begin.  Today is a good day to start moving towards that eternal self that you desire.  That pricking of the heart to change a behavior, make a new start, move in a different direction.  Setting goals is a worthy desire.  And in the case of sin, the wonderful process of repentance allows us to clear the burdens of our hearts, to be free from the oppression and darkness and come into the light once again through the atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ.  

Yes, there is much hope in new starts, in new years, new days and new beginnings.

And today is the day to get started.

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We Wish you a Merry Christmas . . .

To all of you wonderful missionaries!  

To those serving alongside us in Honduras, and to those serving from our wards back at home,
to all our Sunday School missionaries who prepared to teach and testify right alongside of us . . .

We want to share our testimony and holiday message of our Savior Jesus Christ.

We are so grateful to have this wonderful opportunity in our lives to bear testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ every day!  We hope to always carry this testimony in our hearts and remember to share it each day as we return home and continue in the

“Work of Salvation”. 

But what a blessing at this marvelous time in our lives to teach of the Savior and His sacrifice, love and atonement on our behalf each day of our lives. 

In Matthew 1:21 we read –

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins.”

How grateful we are for his infinite love and atonement, for he has truly saved us from our sins.

To understand this principle more fully we ask two questions . . .

Who is Jesus Christ?

And what is faith in Jesus Christ?

The easier question perhaps refers to our faith in Jesus Christ. 

Faith in Jesus Christ is the firm conviction that He is who He says He is and that He will help us when we seek Him.  Faith in Christ means trusting in Him, remembering Him, and following His teachings.  It is a conviction that He is the Son of God, “The way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)

Which leads us to . . . Who is Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and the Son of God.  He is our Redeemer.  Each title points to the truth that Jesus Christ is the only way by which we can return to live with our Heavenly Father.  He suffered and was crucified for the sins of the world, giving each one of us two gifts -
1) Repentance, and 2) Forgiveness.  

Two remarkable gifts that are two different things and important to each of us as we make our way through our mortal experience here on earth.

Only by His mercy and grace can anyone be saved.  

Then his resurrection prepared the way for each person to overcome physical death as well.  These events are the essence of the atonement.  He therefore saves us from both physical and spiritual death.  He is very literally our Savior and Redeemer.

We love these two very sacred and different principles that describe who is our Savior Jesus Christ. 

It brings us great joy to proclaim to all that he will once again return to earth and reign in peace for a thousand years.  Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He will be our Lord forever. 

On January 1, 2000 the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued the declaration titled
“The Living Christ”.   

It begins –

“As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice.  None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.”

Of Him the Prophet Joseph Smith also declared: “And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him; that he lives!” 

“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God’ and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father –

“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:22-24).

And we like the apostles and prophets bear testimony that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God.  "He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father.  He is the light, the life and the hope of the world.  His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. 

God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son”.

We are grateful to daily share this testimony now and seek to share this gospel message each day throughout our lives.

Much love to all

And best wishes for a wonderful holiday season!

President Norman Klein and Hna. Kristin Klein

Honduras San Pedro Sula East Mission

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Christmas in the Tropics

Thanks to Beckstrom Buzz . . .

Who created this for us here in the San Pedro Sula East mission . . .

Just wanted to share this holiday thought for the day!

Thanks a bunch.

It just about sums it up :)

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