Training has been really interesting. Elder Baird is a natural and is doing amazing. He is still frustrated with the language but he is learning a ton. I am learning even more from him. He has been teaching me so much! He loves to bear his testimony to everyone he can. I don't really feel like I am training. I mean I am helping him with Spanish and answering a few questions but for the most part we are just going at it.
Fun quick story about Spanish. I remember a little how stressful it is to do everything is Spanish and something my trainer did with me is that we always said our nightly companionship prayer in English and I loved it, it was a nice little break at the end of the day. Well last night it was my turn. And I couldn't do it. Elder Baird was dying of laughter listening to me pray and saying so many words wrong and not remembering words in English. When you are learning to pray in Spanish a lot of times you say as much as you can but if you don't know something you just throw it out there in English. I had to do that exact same thing but the other way around. I guess that is what happens when you haven't had an American companion for over a year.
Okay the last story, this is about the importance of the Book of Mormon. I am growing to love this book sooo much! We have almost completely changed the way we teach, the way we contact and the way we do missionary work to focus on the Book of Mormon. We met this one lady who was from a different church and when we started talking to us she was nice but told us that she really was not a big fan of our church. She said that she had visited the church before and that she had talked with the missionaries a few years back. She respects the religion but she said her biggest problem is she doesn't like "our book." We tried to explain and clarify a little bit because, lets be honest, if someone has heard of the Book of Mormon and doesn't just absolutely love it, it is probably because they don't understand it. In the end she agreed to have ONE appointment with us but only one.
We went back a few days later and her husband wasn't there and she started making excuses. But just as we were about to leave and really sad that we probably missed our one opportunity her husband got home. We started the lesson by asking them to completely forget everything they had ever heard about the Book of Mormon and act as if they were hearing about it for the very first time. What Elder Baird and I had decided to do was ask about how much they knew about Jesus Christ. Obviously they knew just about everything there is to know in the Bible and they happily shared with us what they knew. But when we asked if they knew that Jesus came to the Americas they both looked at us puzzled. We then had an opportunity to read 3 Nephi 11 with them and share our testimonies about the divinity of our Savior and explain what the book really was. We could both tell that they were feeling the spirit. It was one of the best lessons I have ever had. He explained to us that he had heard and visited with many missionaries but none of them had ever presented the Book of Mormon in that way and he had completely misunderstood what it is.
My whole point in sharing this is there are so many people who have heard about the Book of Mormon but have no idea really what it is. It isn't a story about Joseph Smith, it isn't the Bible of the Mormons, nor is it anything similar, it is a divine witness that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer and through him and his Atonement, we can all be cleansed. If the entire world knew that and the importance of the book, imagine how different the world would be. It is our job to help them understand. A big part of it is how we present the book from the beginning.
I want to end with an invitation. One of the Elders from my group let me know that if we started reading the Book of Mormon today and read one chapter every day, we would finish the day we are scheduled to go home. I want to invite all of you at home to do the same. But don't read it just to read it. I would invite y'all to pick a topic of the gospel, faith, repentance, baptism, ect. Whatever it may be, and study especially for that topic. And study one chapter every day starting today.
I love yall a ton! I hope everyone is enjoying the fall! Have a great week! Share the gospel with someone this week!
Love,
Elder Robertson
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| It rained this week |
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| A picture from my first day together with my trainee Elder Baird as well as with President and Sister Smith. |
