A Sweet Teaching Appointment

   

Last night we were trying to see some people and well we ended up not having success until we met George and Sally. They are a really nice old couple who were really wanting to listen,. The best part about it was they gave us no grief or back talked. The only bad thing is they didn't ask any questions so we are not sure if they understood everything. Bless their hearts. We ended up giving them a Book of Mormon and a Finding faith in  Christ pass along card. The picture of Jesus. Taught them about the Book of Mormon.

 We had a good old time teaching them. We weren't able to set up a return appointment but we will go back and see them another day. It was so much fun. In all reality they were little dolls that Sister Spann got for Mothers Day. We decided we wanted to have fun and get pictures of them. It was great! These are some good ole times. After a sad pday we decided to brighten up our day. Hope this is a good ole laugh for you because when we came up with the idea it was great. I laughed and then proceeded forward with it. HAHA! Have a Great Day! God Bless

Latter-Day Saint Missionaries

Well it all starts out with having the Gospel in our lives. When we know how this Gospel has blessed our lives we voluntarily go on a mission paying all our own expenses to share it with others. We sacrifice two years to be able to bring other families together for eternities. We have left our families for 18 months(sisters) or 2 years(elders) to go and share this Gospel which has blessed our lives. This is the motivation behind most LDS Missionaries.

We have one day per week that we go and do what is needed for the upcoming week. Cleaning cars and apartments, email our families, shop, and relax. Well that is a full preparation day as it is called. We email our families once a week and we call them twice a year, Christmas and Mothers Day. We are sure excited when it comes to talking to our families if you could imagine, seems we do not talk to them on the phone for months at a time. What activities besides work you might ask happens on P-Day? Well it all starts with  pyramids, take pictures for memories, visit museums, sports, water balloon toss, write letters, or games at the Logan's and any other activites that we can come up with. We do all of this in about 7 hours. Other than that we study the scriptures in the morning and go to work at 6pm that night.

Throughout the rest of the week we are out knocking on doors and teaching people about Jesus. Trying to help build peoples faith in Him. It is amazing some of the responses given when we knock on peoples door. Such as kids running and yelling saying the police are here. Other asking after they open thier door, "Are you FBI?" I love these responses. They just make me laugh. Others such as guns being pulled and yelling in our faces, unhappy campers they are. But it is all part of the great calling to represent the Lord in His great work. I would continue doing this even though there are lots of bad times because the good times make up for the rest.

Well here is a pyramid of elders. This is team work. Trust me it was a little nerve racking knowing that if we fall there is a table just in front of us to fall on. But with true team work it can happen. You have to trust those with you in order to complete a team. You need to have confidence in them. We must also trust our God to help us in times of need.

This picture here reminds me how small I really am compared to all that is out there. No matter how big and tough I think I am, there is something bigger instore to humbly me if needed. It is crazy to think that one plan so huge is there but so simple it is to understand the basics of this plan. So much we go up against but so small we really are. This plan is the Plan of Salvation. It includes we lived with God before we came to earth, the reasoning for coming to earth, and where we are going after we die. Other parts of God plan includes the principles we need to live by here on earth in order to be received into Heaven to live with Him including FAITH, REPENTANCE, BAPTISM BY IMMERSION, RECEIVING THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST BY THE LAYING ON OF HANDS, AND ENDURING TO THE END. That is the Gospel of Jesus Christ laid out in front of your eyes. Look at it again and make sure you are abiding by this Gospel. If not you need to make some changes in your life to be in line with The Gospel of Jesus Christ. This truly is His Gospel and I do testify of it as one of His chosen representatives.

What do us as missionaries teach when we go out? Well we teach how there has been a Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ here upon the earth again. The same primitive Church that Christ set up on the earth has been restored after a time of being lost. Everything we teach focuses on that Restoration. If that Restoration truly happened then the Priesthood was restored through a Prophet of God named Joseph Smith. That THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS  is the Lord's Kingdom here upon the earth as stated in the Book of Mormon Introduction. It also means that the Gospel goes along with Later-Day Saint beliefs. How God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ are two separate beings. They  both have immortal glorified bodies of flesh and bones. We teach that through the Priesthood of God in our Temples, families can be sealed together for time and all eternity. So comforting is this message which we teach. We teach that there is life after death and we know our Heavenly Father's plan for us.  

I say unto all that this work which is going on is God's work. We are just His hands at the moment. We are led and guided by a living Prophet of God as well as deceased prophets in the scriptures. We are doing this becasuse of so many great blessings in our life. I know and do testify that THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS is led by our Savior Jesus Christ as He is the Chief Cornerstone. He does speak today to all who will listen.

I recommend all to listen to the glorious message of the Restoration that these missionaries share.

Visit mormon.org to learn more or to contact missionaries

Brought to you by

Elder Eric Hansen

Tennessee Nashville Mission

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

Missionary Work

Well it has been raining off and on for a week now. As you can imagine after the NASHVILLE FLOOD 2010 people are probably getting scared. Some of the rest of us are just sick and tired of all of the rain. It seems like it just won't stop. Well that is because it is not going to stop the Work of God from progressing. Missionary work will still move forward. Many homes and yards are being damaged from the wind and rain. We have gone times without power because of it. But it doesn't stop us until we are giving the call. Our Heavenly Father is watching over us for sure.

Most of you have probably seen 19 to 25 year old elders and 21+ year old sisters walking around with these name tags from THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS. We may have even knocked on your door. We do it all voluntarily. We do not get a reward in the church. They pay all their expenses by themselves. We are persecuted almost daily because of our beliefs. But I would do it over and over again because of the importance of it. We do this because of our love for the Savior. 

Some of you may be asking why there are missionaries. Lets find out why, shall we.

A Missionary Church

The blessings of the gospel are so precious that we try to share them with everyone we can. Imagine you found a cure for cancer. How urgently would you spread the news of your discovery? Who would you tell? The gospel of Jesus Christ is the cure for so many of life's ills that Mormons want to share the good news of eternal life with the same urgency.
The Lord's Church has always been a missionary church. Jesus Christ's life was the perfect example of missionary work. During His ministry on earth, He taught the gospel at all times, in all places, and to all kinds of people. Jesus taught the educated men in the temple, the sinners, the faithful and the unbelieving. He also called apostles and other disciples to preach the gospel so more people could hear about the blessings of His gospel. Most of their preaching during Christ's life was to their own people, the Jews. After Jesus was resurrected, He visited His apostles and sent them to preach to the gentiles. He commanded them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

Why Mormons send Missionaries Around the World?

We believe we are all part of one heavenly family, so missionary work isn't work so much as it is trying to help out our brothers and sisters.

That Mormons do missionary work is one of the Church's most recognized characteristics. Right now, tens of thousands of missionaries are walking, driving or riding their bikes around the world, handing out copies of the Book of Mormon and sharing the gospel with the people they meet. Why do these people, most of them under the age of 25, volunteer to leave their homes at their own expense and dedicate a period of their lives to preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ?
The Lord said, “proclaim my gospel from land to land, and from city to city… bear testimony in every place, unto every people” (Doctrine and Covenants 66:5,7). We take that commandment to heart and look for opportunities to share the blessings we've received from living the gospel with everyone we can. Jesus taught, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Knowing that certain ordinances like baptism are necessary for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father, we feel an urgent need to share this blessing with everyone we can. Our first interest as a Church—is that as many of the children of men as can, will be saved and exalted. While we work out our own salvation, we want to help those around us do the same. Because we are all sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, the more of us that are able to learn and keep His commandments and enjoy eternal life, the happier we'll all be.

What Missionaries Do

You might wonder what, exactly, a Mormon missionary does, other than ride a bike and knock on doors, or how a young man or woman just out of high school might end up on a mission. Here are the basics.

Most of the Church's missionaries are around twenty years old, though many members also volunteer to serve after they've retired. All prospective missionaries turn in applications to Church headquarters and they receive a call to a specific mission around the world. They spend a few weeks in a training center where some of them learn a new language and all of them rigorously study and practice teaching the gospel. Then they set off to their assigned locations and begin their service. Missionaries' lives are completely dedicated to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. They pay their own way and put off school, dating and work for two years in order to focus entirely on doing the Lord's work.
A common morning for a missionary might consist of waking up at 6:30 a.m., studying the scriptures, and meeting new people to share the gospel with. The afternoon might include discussing gospel lessons with people they meet and volunteering for service in the community. A good night has them teaching the gospel to interested individuals and helping them learn and keep God's commandments or attending a baptismal service for someone who's decided to join the Church. They return home around 9:30 p.m. and fall into bed, usually exhausted and happy.

We Teach of Jesus Christ

Mormons are known for the things they don't drink, their emphasis on the family and the Book of Mormon they read, but in the end the central message of our religion is our Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness for His children and the Atoning sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Missionaries share one thing and one thing only - the gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Like Nephi, “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins” (2 Nephi 25:26). It may seem strange to focus so much of our lives on Jesus Christ, but the wisdom of the gospel applies to everything from the purpose of life to how we approach our work, how we relate to others, even how we take care of our bodies. The teachings of Jesus Christ have more power to bring lasting happiness than all the success and pleasure the world can offer. Every message Mormon missionaries share revolves around Him and how His Atonement and ordinances allow us to return to live with our Father in Heaven and our families in heaven.

At the end of 2010 there were recorded 52, 483 missionaries in 340 missions throughout the world. That is huge. Each of these missionaries are doing the Lord's work. I am honored to be one of these missionaries sharing the Gospel. Bearing testimony about our Savior Jesus Christ. This is a great cause that needs to move forward. Sharing the Gospel has been the most rewarding and most educating time of my life. I am so very thankful for this opportunity. I LOVE IT!