"I got the baby!"
Things are happy, as usual, here in Stafford. Exciting
things will be happening in the next few weeks! Tonya's baptismal date
is going to be pushed back a bit, but we're still planning on it! The
Fishers are progressing. We had a really deep conversation with them and
Bishop about what their concerns are for baptism. They enjoy church,
and they want it to be true, but they want to gain personal testimonies.
I love this family a ton and I'm grateful for the opportunity to teach
them!
The Christlike attribute I'm focusing on for the
month of January is knowledge. D&C 88:78-80 is especially
instructive. The more we learn about the world, the more influence we
can have in it! Learning comes by study and faith (D&C 88:118) and
also diligence and obedience (D&C 130:18-19). Why is it important to
gain knowledge? The Bible Dictionary explains that "knowledge of divine
and spiritual things is absolutely essential for one's salvation...it
is one of the endowments of the Holy Ghost." Jesus Christ gained his
knowledge through prayer, fasting, and meditation. He wasn't born
knowing that he was the Savior of the world. He gained that knowledge
line upon line, precept upon precept. Wisdom is the ability to use
knowledge in righteous ways. True to the Faith suggests that we should
"use [our] education to be an influence for good." As missionaries, the
three main lessons that we teach are the restoration, the plan of
salvation, and the doctrine of Christ. Knowing and understanding these
main tenets of our faith will deepen our conversion.
One goal that I've set for this month is to read the
Bible Dictionary. I skim through some of the less important terms, and
focus on doctrine and important figures in Bible history. There's some
pretty neat stuff in there:) One aspect of my study has been especially
enlightening, considering an experience we had this past week:
Sister Olsen and I have talked a lot about the
apocrypha. I was able to learn more about it and what it contains by
reading the Bible Dictionary. If you don't know what the apocrypha is, I
highly suggest looking it up in the BD!
Later this past week, while we were serving at
Aquia's Table (the Episcopalian Church), we were invited to attend their
Bible study class. We decided to go since our appointment had fallen
through. The preacher was talking about the apocrypha! He talked about
the diaspora (scattering of Israel) and how they spread out over all the
land about 600 years before the coming of Christ. He said that they had
kept a lot of records that were not included in the typical Bible
Canon. Without realizing it, he was legitimizing the Book of Mormon;)
The Bible study class wasn't necessarily informative, since the
scattering of Israel is something we emphasize as Latter-day Saints, but
it was interesting to sit-in and see how they teach compared to how we
teach.
Anyway... Sister Wilson has
issued a "Mission President's Wife Challenge" called "More Fit for the
Kingdom!" Over the next three months, we earn points for our zone based
on how often we exercise "vigorously" and how many pounds we lose. We
did a weigh-in at zone meeting, and I'm please to announce that I'm the
exact same weight as I was 3.5 months ago! I don't think I can lose
weight at this point, but Sister Olsen and I have been working out
harder in the mornings. (I can probably lose weight, but it wouldn't be
reasonable.) Now I feel guilty whenever I eat a treat:P Please don't
send any Valentine's Day candy!!!
Thursday was car fast, where we aren't allowed to use our car until 5 pm.
(Lots of walking, and we were already sore because of the
aforementioned tidbit...) We walked over to the apartment complex where
the Sister Training Leaders live so we could go on a mini tracting
exchange. They serve in the YSA ward, and it's difficult to find
investigators. They wanted to go tracting with us so we can find
families and they can find YSA's. On our way there, we street contacted a
YSA to refer to them! We didn't find anyone tracting, but we were able
to give them the referral:) God is so good to us.
The Fredericksburg Stake has been hosting a life
skills course called "Launching Leaders," taught by Elder and Sister
Ritchie of the DC South Mission. The Fishers went to it on Saturday, so we were able to attend! It was very informative:) Here are some things I learned:
*This is Elder Ritchie's formula for success:
Get up early
Work hard
Get an education
Find your oil (what makes you valuable)
Make your mark
Prepare to serve
He talked about writing a
personal constitution with "I am" and "I will" statements--which I've
already been working on:) He said that the gap between where we are and
who we want to become is painful, but transforming our values into
habits will close that gap, creating inner peace. The Atonement is what
can completely close the gap, and we should learn how to use it every
day. Then, of course, he talked about Covey's 7 Habits of Highly
Effective People! (He was in management of Franklin-Covey.)
"Private Victory Precedes Public Victory," and the best example is how Gethsemane preceded Calvary.
*The three private habits are:
Be proactive
Begin with the end in mind
First things first
*The three public habits are:
Think win/win
Understand, then be understood
Create synergy (1+1>2)
*The last habit is to sharpen the saw, or to keep learning!
It was interesting to hear him discuss the habits
(which we've heard about for forever) in a Gospel light. He talked about
how missions are the best training ground to implement these habits and
the formula for success. Yay!
I hope some of all of that was insightful:) Wisdom
is to use knowledge in righteous ways. Please make sure to always be
setting goals! God's greatest goal is for your immortality and eternal
life. All of your goals should point to that end. God prepared the way
by sending His Son to pay for our imperfections.
I love you so much! Love, Sister Crandall
*PS - Any new mormon.org profiles???
*PPS - I got my new scriptures!!
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