We had
another great week! It was a little hectic but it is all good, I like it when
things are busy! I want to thank my Father in Heaven for helping me grow and
for giving me the strength needed to do this wonderful work of the Lord.
He has
caused me to grow and become more proficient in my training lessons as a Zone
Leader. I have grown so much in the last 11 months.
I love the
challenges I am given and will do my very best to tackle them…
…all with
the help of the Lord.
We began
with a Zone Conference with many of the other Zones where we got to hear from
Elder James Hamula, a General Authority Seventy. I learned some awesome things!
Elder Hamula
talked about the scriptures in Jacob …..
Jacob
5:65-66 ….and I wanted to share that with you!
65 And as
they begin to grow ye shall clear away the branches which bring forth bitter
fruit, according to the strength of the good and the size thereof; and ye shall
not clear away the bad thereof all at once, lest the roots thereof should be
too strong for the graft, and the graft thereof shall perish, and I lose the
trees of my vineyard.
66 For it
grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard; wherefore ye shall
clear away the bad according as the good shall grow, that the root and the top
may be equal in strength, until the good shall overcome the bad, and the bad be
hewn down and cast into the fire, that they cumber not the ground of my
vineyard; and thus will I sweep away the bad out of my vineyard.
This
principle and this scripture really stood out to me. Contemplating if we have a
bad tree in our garden, we try to graft good into it. But if we graft or cut
away too much at one time it will kill the tree. And it is the same with
people.
Elder Hamula
said that almost always when the scriptures talk about trees it is referring to
people. So as a missionary, if there is an elder or sister that is doing things
they shouldn't be doing, we need to try to help them change, little by little, remembering
if we graft too much it will kill the tree. It's such a simple yet amazing principle!
I think this knowledge will help me be more considerate of others and help me
know how to work better with them.
I really
loved Zone Conference.
Then
Wednesday came around and we had MLC (Missionary Leadership Council) where we
again received great counsel[D1] from Elder
Hamula and his wife. We received great guidance and direction on how to improve
our missionary work and become more effective. One principle that he talked
about that I love is; We shouldn’t let
our numbers define us, BUT… to let
the love we have for the people we come in contact with and teach define us.
So many missionaries get caught up in the numbers and in doing so tend
to forget
the people themselves.
We must not focus on just getting a Baptism but to help create a
true conversion to Christ.
For if someone is not truly converted to Christ, there is no point
in baptizing them.
If they are baptized without a true conversion to Jesus Christ
then they are making covenants and promises they don’t actually
understand.
So in our
training we were admonished to see people with sincere love and desire for them
to truly come unto Christ.
Friday’s
Zone Training went well. I gave a training session on how our investigators can
receive revelation through Sacrament Meeting. During Sacrament Meeting they can
feel the Spirit of Christ as the Sacrament is served.
They can
gain testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel and of the Scriptures through
the talks given as Jesus Christ witnesses to them that what they are hearing is
true.
I am
thankful that no one has to merely take MY word it.
They can
ask God himself and He will answer.
I am truly
thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and enjoy this privilege to be able to
do Missionary work. I am very grateful God has blessed me with this opportunity
to teach others of His great Love and of the wonderful work of the Lord to
bring happiness to others and make their lives more fulfilling, selfless and
Eternal.
Families
CAN Be Together Forever!
With Love, Elder Odland
 |
| P-Day BBall |
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