6/6/16

So, one of our investigators Ray made us fried frog legs this week and I ate it and it wasn't that terrible, actually didn't taste like much. Needed a little more seasoning.  

My theme of my email this week is going to be member missionary work. Before I came out on the mission, member missionary work in my life was like nothing. We had the missionaries over for dinner sometimes and stuff, but I personally wasn't doing much cause I didn't think I had to. I didn't know it was a responsibility of being a member of the church. We see so many less active people and it is so interesting, like so much of the time, they don't come anymore because someone offended them or because they stopped going for a little bit and no one cared to check on them or something. It's always something to do with the members and never with the actual gospel of the church. I mean yes, as silly as it all is, but all of the things they talk about are so preventable. 

Like being a missionary, I get to see the huge impact that the tiniest things make. Like how important visiting and home teaching is and fellow shipping and just all the little things. Like we as missionaries have to rely on members SO much, because for the people we convert and re-activate, we aren't going to be there for them 24/7. We can't be their only friends. If they don't feel welcomed and accepted into the ward, they won't stay. They have brand new and fragile testimonies that won't survive on their own. They need fellow shipping and friends to help them along. It's very interesting working with a small branch here that averages 80 people per Sunday compared to my usual ward back home with like a billion and 4 people. Honestly, the branch here is a little dysfunctional and hostile. Like this branch needs to be a lot more unified and supportive of each other. 

Like I had some ideas of ways to get our investigators and the members together to fellow ship but then my companion was like yeah right, that could never happen in this branch. Just being in a branch is such a different concept to me. I'm so used to my huge ward back home with loving and supportive members. We are working on changing the branch though, it'll just take time. Ok, getting off track. 

SO I would like to challenge every one of you to go and visit someone who you haven't seen at church in a while or ask the Bishop for someone you could have over for dinner. It'll be fun, I promise. And it'll make a bigger impact than you know. In fact, it could affect generations. If that one person or family you visit or have over for dinner continues to go to church because you care, their kids and their kids kids and their kids kids kids could all end up growing up in the gospel. It's so worth the few hours of your time. I hope you all have a great week!! :-)

-Sister Peardon