Fireside

Yesterday we went to a stake Fireside that was presented by our area authority Elder Packer (no, not that Elder Packer).  It was...tremendous.  The topic was on five things from Preach My Gospel that you can do to be a better member missionary.

Now usually when I hear a topic like that I feel like a guilt trip is coming up.  As our mission president, President Bunker, explained before Elder Packer spoke, a guilty feeling is not what they were aiming for.  They wanted us to feel excited, and to have tools at our disposal that we felt comfortable using.

To that end, Elder Packer talked about five "quivers" in our pack that we could use.

1.   In every prayer we offer (personal, family, meal, etc) we should pray for missionary experiences.
See Chapter 9 in Preach My Gospel

2.  Effective ward councils that focus on families and individuals as opposed to auxiliaries.  See Chapter 13

3.  Make a list, prayerfully select.  Elder Packer counseled us to make a list of EVERYONE we KNOW and prayerfully select a person that we feel the Lord has prepared to receive the Gospel.  He said we will fail if we try to do the preparation, but that the Lord is preparing people for us.  He said that they decided to have the missionaries practice this first.  They asked the missionaries to make a list of people they knew from home, pray about who the Lord has prepared, and then ask their families to extend the invitation.  He said that one missionary, who had initially been skeptical, decided that the Lord had prepared his football coach.  His football coach didn't get baptized, but the coach's wife and daughter did.  See Chapter 9

4.  Invite to commit.  When you get a comment (how many wives does your husband have?  I heard Mormons worship seagulls, etc), make a quick clarification, but INVITE them to commit.  For example, invite them to spend 20 minutes with the  missionaries, to come to a sacrament meeting, to read a book of Mormon, in order to learn more about that misconception.  Elder Packer said that so often, the nastier the comment, the more likely they will respond positively to your invitation.  See Chapter 9

5.  The Sabbath.  Use the Sabbath.  Think about it.  How many churches have lay ministry like ours?  Have you ever been invited to a bat or bar mitzvah?  A communion?  People usually feel honored to be invited, and curious about the religious events of others.  If you are giving a talk, invite a bunch of people that you know to come hear you speak!  Elder Packer said he invited 31 people to hear one of his sacrament talks - 18 showed up.  Don't be afraid that we'll weird them out.  Let them come and feel the Spirit.  See Chapter 11


Like, totally doable, right?  And exciting?  And fun?  I was thinking to myself...why don't I consider my "grandma's" from Native Daughters as part of my acquaintances.  80 years old is not too old to learn about the Gospel.  I definitely need to include them in my circle (and on my list).