Jan 23, 2012

Sorry it has taken me so lone to fill you all in. It’s been a crazy week; it seems I can never get a head of things. Last week was Mlk day so the Library in Champaign was closed, and then I had to be in St. Louis for Leadership training, so that’s where I was all day Tuesday and Wednesday. Training was amazing! I learned so many things about how to become a better teacher and listener. During the training, our Mission president reminded us of when Elder Malm came and spoke to us. I guess before Elder Malm left President Clark asked what we could do to better consecrate ourselves to the work. Elder Malm replied back that if we went back to the basics of Missionary work and studied more intently from our PMG (Preach my Gospels) the Lord would bless us in our missionary efforts. As a mission, we have recommitted ourselves to become PMG missionaries. But he didn’t stop there. Our Zl’s brought up the idea in ZLC that we should also have our members become PMG members. So now we are trying to work with our members, getting them PMG and having them study from its pages as well. PMG is such an amazing tool. One of the ways we are trying to have members implement PMG into their homes is through FHE. PMG has lesson plans, activities, and scriptures already put together for you…I remember when PMG first came out. Santa was on top of things because I remember that all of us received one in our stockings that first year. I have learned so much from reading and studying from PMG. Sometimes I get frustrated with myself because I wish I could say things as eloquently as they are written in Preach. I know that as I have followed the counsel from Elder Malm/President Clark that I have been blessed in my studies and with working with my investigators. The second day of leadership training was just as good, and also humbling. During the latter part of the day I was called up to participate in a role play. I’ll be honest; I strongly dislike role plays, particularly in front of large groups of missionaries. But I was called up, I didn’t sufficiently humble myself. I let myself get cocky and demonstrated what not to do.  It wasn’t horrible, but if I had been listening more intently to the spirit it would have gone a lot smoother. That was a huge learning point for me. We need to be humble teachers.
ADDED BECAUSE IT WAS CRAZY AND BECAUSE I CAN :) I wanted to add that on Monday for P-day I took my companion to get her ears pierced for the first time. And then somehow during the night one of her earrings fell out and her hole closed up. She had me re pierce her ear. It was the weirdest craziest thing ever.
Wednesday night was a riot. I forgot to mention that we carpooled down in the Zl’s minivan; there were six of us. Two sets of elder and then me and another sister, whom we picked up in Centralia. We dropped off my companion there and did a switch because my companion wasn’t going to the leadership training. Anyway, on the way home Wednesday night after dinner we set out and after 30 miles of driving we realized we were on the wrong highway. So we had to back track to get on the right highway and we found ourselves back in St. Louis. It took us six hours to get home when it should’ve only taken maybe 4hrs. So we didn’t get home until 1:30am. But the ride was really fun; we need to remember, when you are in the car with people for longer than 2hrs you kind of take your friendship to a whole new level.
Lisa our most progressing investigator is doing amazing. She came to church yesterday and had amazing time. The Elders who are at church the previous hour started talking to her and pretty much told her that she seemed ready to be baptized and to pray about a date. This took her by surprise, mostly because she had been thinking about it. We’ve talked to her about it as well but I think she needed someone else to bring it up. It’s so great to see how the gospel can completely change people’s lives. When we went to go pick her up that morning she didn’t want to come, and told us she had thought up all these excuses to not come. But the lord new she needed to come and helped us overcome all her excuses. She’s becoming a different person. I just love her so much.
I have such a strong testimony of fasting, prayer and obedience. The Lord has blessed us so much this last week because of our desires to re consecrate ourselves to Him. I know that when we feast from the scriptures every day, the lord blesses us in our understanding of the scriptures. And our desires to follow him increases. I’m reminded of Ephesians 6 which talks about the armour of God. I know that as we do the things we know to be right the lord does bless us.

love sister salmon