Imagine for a moment you are on board a ship that is being tossed about in a ferocious storm. The storm has thrown the ship against some rocks and your ship begins to take on water. There is hope…for out in the distance one can see a lighthouse standing tall to guide you into the harbor. So, you fire into the air a signal flare. A plan is launched to save your sinking ship. Your loved ones stand on the shore and watch as a rescue party seeks to come to your aid only to be tossed to fro as they work. Eventually they reach your vessel pull you to safety and to your home port.
Today there are many who stand awaiting the aid that only you can provide. Many are badly beaten down by the waves of life and need you to come their aid. They cannot make alone so they send up signal flares that need to be answered by you. I am talking about the newly baptized or those who are right on the edge of coming to church or not coming. Those who for whatever reason need an extra hand. No longer can we wait for disaster to occur before we are there to help. We need to be in the homes. Brethren our job is to be the watchmen. We must be fulfilling our stewardship of home teaching more effectively.
When each of us were baptized we made covenants to as Alma taught “mourn with those that mourn.” It always has been and always will be the responsibility of the members to answer the call when others are hurting. It is the job of missionaries to create a respite cover from the dark night and the members have the duty of being there for friendship, fellowship and caring for the retention of the Investigator or Recent convert. I think that when we start thinking of missionary work, or home teaching or any of those things we tune out or turn off because as simple as they are they often times seem fruitless and we may become a little disappointed and even sad. Brothers and Sisters now is the time to as Nephi says ( 2Nephi 8:24) No more is there the label of Home teaching or Missionary work or teaching or whatever job you are asked to do it is the work of saving souls.
It is our job to navigate the whirlpools of the adversary and bring them safely to shore.
Today I would like to purpose five ways that you and your families can as President Monson says “Come to the rescue.”
1- Know who your neighbors are. What is going on in their families? Be a friend. I call it the 2x4 method. You need to know the neighbors in front and in back of your house. Then the two to the right and two to the left.
This is going to accomplish a few things. Your neighbors are going to know who are and friendships are going to spark. People look out for those they know and care about. They will want to come to your aid. They will want to include you. And you will want the same for them. They will ask you questions. You will ask them questions and then one day you will have an experience like Carol Zoss. She had a member friend this friend and her one day were working on her car. They started a gospel conversation. Before they knew it they had spent 6 hours talking about the gospel. She had been hit hard by life and needed some help. This member recognized the need and was there for Carol. 6 hours later the missionaries were called in and the missionaries started to teach her. 2 weeks later she was baptized. The lessons were held always with members of the ward and she had a support group that was incredible.
You might have a n experience where a friend comes and asks you things that they have heard. And you are able to talk about those concerns which turns into an opportunity for teaching. Skipp Hudson had a friend that helped him overcome childhood concerns that people had told him that Mormons were bad. He came to his friend who he knew was a “Mormon” and asked his questions. Today he has a family and serves in his ward in Idaho.
(Talk about Kari Paugh if time allows)
The church has found that if the members are actively involved in missionary work that the retention of the new convert is so much better. May I suggest that we not focus on the baptism of the individual, but getting them to the temple. The missionaries give the investigator the respite needed for the short term. Members provide access to the ordinances that will last for eternity.
2-Pray daily that you will have missionary experiences and that you will recognize them.
Each day we are confronted with opportunities to share the gospel. It is up to us to open our mouths. One day I was riding a bus from Port Angeles to Forks. I started talking to the guy I was sitting next to. He told me a little about himself and as a missionary I started teaching him. The bishop of the branch was sitting right there with me but did not recognize the moment for what it was. I helped him by asking him to bear his testimony right there on the bus. He thanked me for it later. Flights are the best place to have gospel conversations. All you have to do is take a four year old along with you and have him start singing at the top of his lungs “I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ.” Matthew did that on the way home from California.
Take the time to act on the promptings of the spirit, from (DC 33:8) we learn
3-Set up a Mormon.org profile.
This is a great way for you to share your testimony if you feel you can not do it in public. Right now people are looking and asking questions. They are shooting a signal flare and need our help. The profile itself takes about 20 to 30 minutes to set up. You are able to chat with like minded people and are able to be the instrument that our heavenly father needs to help in very specific instantances. It is so very important that you know what is on this website because so many are going to the site. You need to be able to speak intelligently about what your church is doing. Knowledge is power. As we gain knowledge we are able to progress. We gain this knowledge by sharing with each other our testimonies. By reading our Scriptures and knowing the mind and will of our Father.
4-Each Family should participate in at least 2 church tours a year
I love church tours. They help me see what the missionaries are doing . What they are like and allows me to trust them with my friends. You get to see them in action. They ask questions and you get involved with the investegators. You may be asked to share your testimony. Two things happen. Both you and those you are with are edified. Second maybe what you have said helped the investegator to understand in a way that could not have been otherwise. I so enjoy the opportunity when the elders ask about the sacrament. They talk about the savior, his infinite atonement and then ask me what my thoughts are. At first it caught me off guard. I had to really think about it. What do I think about during the sacrament. I answered the question and I was able to focus better the following week on the sacrament. The investegator did not come to church the next week. However I was better for participating in the Church tour.
5- Participate in a 90 Challenge “Conversation to Conversion”
1-Prayerfully identify a neighbor or a friend
Include the Lord’s help. By so doing you are asking to be an instrument in his hands. This is his church, he will touch the hearts of those who are honestly seeking. We just need to know where he needs us to be… and then be there. Praying offers us the opportunity to pour out our concerns to our father. It makes it possible to make a plan c if A&B fall apart. Ultimatley, prayer takes out the guess work and makes what we are doing attainable.
2-Have a gospel conversation
Do not feel like you have to force a gospel conversation let it happen if it goes there. Seek the opportunity out and remember that if you are prepared. By praying and reading your scripture gaining knowledge then it will come. Realize that they have their free agency too. They have to choose. I love the Hymn “Know This That Every Soul Is Free” The message quite simply is that God is always there for us he persuades admonishes us and yet he will never force a man to heaven
The second verse reads:
3-Invite them to Dinner
The way to mans heart is through his stomache. Dedra knows she can get me to do anything as long as there is food involved. Not to mention that some find it an insult if you are sharing all of these special things and yet you won’t break bread with them. People need to be shown the value of something before they are willing to dive in. Not to mention you may even make a friend out of the deal
4-Invite them to FHE
Share with them the glue that holds your family together. Family is so important but to so many they don’t know how to juggle everyday life with the demands of family. Life seems like the thing that matters most and so eventually the family is destroyed because they left it on the back burner and the members were tired of taking a back seat so they move on. These new members and investegators need to realize that family comes first above anything. Everything that we are about should be strengthening our families.
5-Invite the missionaries to help formulate a plan to teach your friends in your home
The best place for missionaries to teach is in members homes they need to be teaching 20 lessons a week inside your homes collectively. That means that those who you home teach that are less active can be part of this 90 challenge. They need to be guided safely home….to the temple. Recognize that the temple is the goal NOT BAPTISM. While the baptisms are great the road does not end there. Our goal is to create eternal families…. Eternal relationships (DC 18:15-16)
Brothers and Sisters these are suggestions that will help us aid in the rescue of those souls who are right now being beaten up by the storms of life. They need us to answer promptly and willingly when the flare is lit an aid is requested. We are not participating in organizations for activity or points we are participating in the Salvation of Souls. It is time for us as a ward to take ownership of our stewardship and not rely just on the missionaries (who do an incredible job, I am so thankful for the sacrifice that they have made and that Jared is making)
Bear your testimony
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