Dear Family,
It's terrific to hear that you are home safe, JT! Way to serve honourably and fight as hard as you could until the end of your mission. You have always set a beautiful Christlike example for me over the years and I hope to continue to emulate your love for people out here in Atlantic Canada. Just want to let you know that your mission is not done. None of our missions are ever done. This is the Work of Salvation. It was Elder Bednar who stated this concerning how to do the work of salvation: "With everyone that you interact with, ensure that you are preparing them for the next ordinance that they can receive." With a lot of people in our lives, the next ordinance that they can receive is baptism, but if you look at your family, and your member friends, help them prepare for the sacred ordinances they can receive in the temple.
I usually update you all about my studies from the week and the insights that I have gained, so I will do that now. This ward/branch is in need of a lot of help. The church in the maritimes is a lot of converts who don't exactly know what they are doing. So, because as representatives of Jesus Christ we fill people's needs, this means that my studies are focused on how a ward/branch should function. I downloaded the entire handbook 2, and that with PMG Ch. 13, I will know how the ward works and how best I can help people in their calling. It's an interesting role to play as a missionary. You aren't supposed to run the show. I feel like a lot of missionaries feel like they can receive revelation for the ward and then just usurp authority from the bishop. Doesn't work like that. It requires faith to do what other people want who have authority. We had a terrific pow wow with Bishop Doskas yesterday and just talked about how we can serve the ward better. To be brief: no one besides the missionaries and bishop, fulfill their callings or do their home teaching. I will explain how I plan to solve this problem later.
Quote of the Week:
*Elder McGuire and Elder Wolvers street contacting in -15 degree weather
*In mid contact
Elder Wolvers: (Total church history films moment): The Book of Mormon is the fruit prophesied in the Bible that testifies that God has reached out in love and restored His church through a prophet.
Elder McGuire: We'd love to share more of this message with you. Will you allow us to?
 Contact: Yeah I'm pretty sure I've heard that message before from my Baptist church.
St. Stephen Elders:......
So yes, many people blantantly reject the gospel even when it's laid out for them. It's frustrating as a missionary because you have to arrange your vocabulary to explain gospel truths in a non-gospel. We are like physicians who have a unique vocabulary. Something new that just really hit me this week while we were out street contacting, is to just bear testimony of the restoration. The restoration is our unique message to the world. No other church believes that. It's great to think that original truths have been restored. We have the priesthood. We have personal revelation. We have prophets. No other church has that.
This past week I have been trying to solve this problem: "No one is fulfilling their calling, but I can't usurp authority by asking people to do so, that's the bishop's job." So here's what has come to my mind as I studied from PMG Ch. 13. With each member that we interact with, we inform their home and visiting teachers and their quorum or auxiliary president. The members seem to be fine with this. Even last night we were making these contacts and one member remarked as I explained one of their families was going through a rough time: "Well he was doing just fine last month" Your home and visiting teaching is never done!!!!!!! I think Heavenly Father is prepping me to be an Elders Quorum president or something. The more things that remind us of the gospel, the more we stay in tune with the gospel.
This is why we take the sacrament, go to church, wear garments, do home teaching, go to seminary etc. They are a reminder of the covenants we have made. The promises we have made. Heavenly Father sets up these contracts called covenants so that we do what we need to do.
I haven't been as diligent in updating you all about my district meetings. They have gone well. I created feedback sheets and with everything that I do for the district I do follow-up calls with them for how I can improve. This past district meeting, I did a training and presentation on change. Using the liahona as a parable I explained this: Had there been no change in religion, we would still be in apostasy. If you aren't changing, if you don't apply revelation and the atonement, then you are in a state of apostasy. Through explaining all of this and motivating my district members to change their finding activities (NO MORE KNOCKING!) we did role-plays on using Facebook. Seriously, you can contact members, the ward council, non-members, potential investigators, pretty much anyone over Facebook. The best part: you don't have to expend the tithing money of church members by using gas to contact these people who may not even be home. I want to spend time on Facebook every day because it is seriously the most effective thing we do. We were teaching two member present lessons at the same time. You just can't do that without Facebook.
(Every one needs a Brother Wood (Frere Bois as he says-he's from the north shore of Ontario next to Quebec). He gave us 15 referrals, and invited one woman he drives around for a church tour! I don't know of any other members in the world that would do that. This is him helping us set up appointments with people he's asked to learn about the gospel)
 Brother Wood is seriously the man. We need to get him a Preach My Gospel and Power of Everyday Missionaries book because he just loves missionary work. Personally it would be nice if he were the ward mission leader because we don't have one right now. He invited one of our new investigators, Tina, to learn more about the gospel. We gave Tina a church tour and she just loved the whole thing. She remarked that had we just knocked on her door she would have said no, but that "I think you just need that initial contact before missionaries start teaching" Words from an investigator for why member-missionary work is the best way to do this thing. Tina is a single mother and has been through a hard time with her ex-husband. She really wants to change her life and start going to church more. The prepared people are the one's the members know. That's the Work of Salvation.
I love you all so much. Have a gospel conversation with one non-member daily and I can promise you that you will feel a different spirit that you have never felt before.
HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!
Elder McGuire (Now the one and only :D)
We were teaching two member present lessons over Facebook at one time. Tell me Facebook isn't an effective missionary tool. This is the Work of Salvation!!!!
  
Cooking breakfast before zone leadership council
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Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Ye Have Done It Unto Me
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Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Ye Have Done It Unto Me
Dear Family,
It's terrific to hear that you are home safe, JT! Way to serve honourably and fight as hard as you could until the end of your mission. You have always set a beautiful Christlike example for me over the years and I hope to continue to emulate your love for people out here in Atlantic Canada. Just want to let you know that your mission is not done. None of our missions are ever done. This is the Work of Salvation. It was Elder Bednar who stated this concerning how to do the work of salvation: "With everyone that you interact with, ensure that you are preparing them for the next ordinance that they can receive." With a lot of people in our lives, the next ordinance that they can receive is baptism, but if you look at your family, and your member friends, help them prepare for the sacred ordinances they can receive in the temple.
I usually update you all about my studies from the week and the insights that I have gained, so I will do that now. This ward/branch is in need of a lot of help. The church in the maritimes is a lot of converts who don't exactly know what they are doing. So, because as representatives of Jesus Christ we fill people's needs, this means that my studies are focused on how a ward/branch should function. I downloaded the entire handbook 2, and that with PMG Ch. 13, I will know how the ward works and how best I can help people in their calling. It's an interesting role to play as a missionary. You aren't supposed to run the show. I feel like a lot of missionaries feel like they can receive revelation for the ward and then just usurp authority from the bishop. Doesn't work like that. It requires faith to do what other people want who have authority. We had a terrific pow wow with Bishop Doskas yesterday and just talked about how we can serve the ward better. To be brief: no one besides the missionaries and bishop, fulfill their callings or do their home teaching. I will explain how I plan to solve this problem later.
Quote of the Week:
*Elder McGuire and Elder Wolvers street contacting in -15 degree weather
*In mid contact
Elder Wolvers: (Total church history films moment): The Book of Mormon is the fruit prophesied in the Bible that testifies that God has reached out in love and restored His church through a prophet.
Elder McGuire: We'd love to share more of this message with you. Will you allow us to?
Contact: Yeah I'm pretty sure I've heard that message before from my Baptist church.
St. Stephen Elders:......
So yes, many people blantantly reject the gospel even when it's laid out for them. It's frustrating as a missionary because you have to arrange your vocabulary to explain gospel truths in a non-gospel. We are like physicians who have a unique vocabulary. Something new that just really hit me this week while we were out street contacting, is to just bear testimony of the restoration. The restoration is our unique message to the world. No other church believes that. It's great to think that original truths have been restored. We have the priesthood. We have personal revelation. We have prophets. No other church has that.
This past week I have been trying to solve this problem: "No one is fulfilling their calling, but I can't usurp authority by asking people to do so, that's the bishop's job." So here's what has come to my mind as I studied from PMG Ch. 13. With each member that we interact with, we inform their home and visiting teachers and their quorum or auxiliary president. The members seem to be fine with this. Even last night we were making these contacts and one member remarked as I explained one of their families was going through a rough time: "Well he was doing just fine last month" Your home and visiting teaching is never done!!!!!!! I think Heavenly Father is prepping me to be an Elders Quorum president or something. The more things that remind us of the gospel, the more we stay in tune with the gospel.
This is why we take the sacrament, go to church, wear garments, do home teaching, go to seminary etc. They are a reminder of the covenants we have made. The promises we have made. Heavenly Father sets up these contracts called covenants so that we do what we need to do.
I haven't been as diligent in updating you all about my district meetings. They have gone well. I created feedback sheets and with everything that I do for the district I do follow-up calls with them for how I can improve. This past district meeting, I did a training and presentation on change. Using the liahona as a parable I explained this: Had there been no change in religion, we would still be in apostasy. If you aren't changing, if you don't apply revelation and the atonement, then you are in a state of apostasy. Through explaining all of this and motivating my district members to change their finding activities (NO MORE KNOCKING!) we did role-plays on using Facebook. Seriously, you can contact members, the ward council, non-members, potential investigators, pretty much anyone over Facebook. The best part: you don't have to expend the tithing money of church members by using gas to contact these people who may not even be home. I want to spend time on Facebook every day because it is seriously the most effective thing we do. We were teaching two member present lessons at the same time. You just can't do that without Facebook.
(Every one needs a Brother Wood (Frere Bois as he says-he's from the north shore of Ontario next to Quebec). He gave us 15 referrals, and invited one woman he drives around for a church tour! I don't know of any other members in the world that would do that. This is him helping us set up appointments with people he's asked to learn about the gospel)
Brother Wood is seriously the man. We need to get him a Preach My Gospel and Power of Everyday Missionaries book because he just loves missionary work. Personally it would be nice if he were the ward mission leader because we don't have one right now. He invited one of our new investigators, Tina, to learn more about the gospel. We gave Tina a church tour and she just loved the whole thing. She remarked that had we just knocked on her door she would have said no, but that "I think you just need that initial contact before missionaries start teaching" Words from an investigator for why member-missionary work is the best way to do this thing. Tina is a single mother and has been through a hard time with her ex-husband. She really wants to change her life and start going to church more. The prepared people are the one's the members know. That's the Work of Salvation.
I love you all so much. Have a gospel conversation with one non-member daily and I can promise you that you will feel a different spirit that you have never felt before.
HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!
Elder McGuire (Now the one and only :D)
We were teaching two member present lessons over Facebook at one time. Tell me Facebook isn't an effective missionary tool. This is the Work of Salvation!!!!
Cooking breakfast before zone leadership council
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