Missionary life, and beautiful virginia
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| That's President Riggs |
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| There he is again... |
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| Rossi, Stucki, & Schramm |
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| Some drunk guys spit tobacco on my companion... How rude! |
Hello everyone,
A few things about my week.
Monday we went to DC for preparation day. We walked around the Tidal Basin and took the Metro home. I will send a bunch of pictures today!
Tuesday was District meeting. The Assistants and office Elders are in our District.
Friday we had MVOC training. Which is basically Drivers Ed all over Again. Except they set up a course in the church parking lot and there was a section where they make you speed up to 45 mph and slam on the breaks and swerve into a parking spot. This is to help us practice avoiding an accident.
It was interesting.
Saturday and Sunday was Stake Conference. President and Sister Riggs spoke. (they are in our Stake) We went to a really cool fireside on Sunday night. It was called the “Why I Believe” Fireside. Two preachers talked about their experience in giving up their schooling and careers to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Pretty cool stuff. It was touching. I got to see a lot of old friends. Both missionaries and members from Manassas which was wonderful!
I found out that a man Sister Schramm and I gave a Mormon.org card to actually looked up the website and referred himself to the missionaries. He is now getting baptized. I'm hoping to be able to go to his baptism in Manassas this weekend! Man out of all the Mormon.org cards that I have given out I am SO HAPPY to know that it is all worth it. Literally… I've probably given out a thousand and a half cards. One life being changed… makes it all worth it.
I also got to talk to several people about online proselytizing. Which was cool. I had no idea the effect our random posts played on people. I have learned it really is the little things that count. Mormon.org cards.... Facebook posts... they get to people! It’s cool!
We also went on exchanges this week with the Sister Training Leaders (STL) in the Braddock Young Single Adult (YSA) Ward. Guess who was there?!?!
FREDERICK,!!
I was so happy to see him. We met with him and he is doing so awesome. He moved and is now going to the Singles Ward. He was so talkative and happy it was unbelievable. He still keeps in contact with the Beatty’s and Davies which is great. Ah. It was the greatest thing to see that he is doing well! SOOO GOOOD!
We have been finding New investigators and meeting some awesome new individuals. One of our investigators is on date for Baptism for October 18th. She is adorable and I'm really excited because I haven't had a girl recent convert since the beginning of my mission. She is so cute. We had a great talk with her.
She actually met the missionaries a few weeks ago when they came into Cafe Rio. She saw an older couple and noticed how happy they were. It made her want to be a missionary. She said she was to scared to go talk to them. Then a couple days later the Sisters came in and she walked up to them with all the courage she could muster and said she wanted to be a missionary because they were happy!
So we have been teaching her :)
So… when I heard about our Friends (above) story with how she was nervous to go talk to the missionaries. It really got me thinking. Because as missionaries we are ALWAYS searching for more people to teach! So it is crazy to me that some people want to talk to us but are to nervous, or put it aside, or don't know what to expect.
So I want to explain what it is we do so it's not this unknown or mixed up idea of
What exactly a Missionary is??
What Our Purpose is?
What we do all day?
And for those who may already know I have added in little *ideas* you can apply to Your Missionary Lifestyle or maybe life at home.
So Missionaries!
Who are we?
What do we do?
When a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints reaches the age 18 for young men or 19 for young women they have an option to serve a mission. We put off school, work, marriage, family and fun for 18 months for women and 2 years for young men to serve The Lord. We do this by preaching His Gospel.
To be a missionary you have an interview with your Bishop, you fill out an “application” regarding health and worthiness. Your Bishop can recommend you if you are living worthily and have a sincere desire to serve.
Next you fill out your application and take care of any medical, dental issues you may have. The application papers are approved by your Bishop, Stake President and then they are sent to the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Presidency of the church assigns each mission call separately through revelation and inspiration. This assignment will tell us where we will be serving for the next 18 months - 2 years. The “Mission Call“ is sent to us through the mail. We are given a date to report to the MTC (Missionary Training Center) where we spend 2 weeks to 3 months depending on our assignment and if we are learning a foreign language. Many of us learn a foreign language. Some learn to teach in our own native language and then we are sent out into the field.
I was called to a serve in the Washington DC South Mission.
When we get out here we are assigned a companion whom we do everything with. We have one day of the week where we may take care of personal needs, rest, explore and hangout. The rest of the time we are working and teaching and serving. We also have missionary meetings as groups or whole missions where we learn how to be better teachers and help each other learn and grow. We have over 200 missionaries in my mission which is only an hour radius travel time. We have a Mission President who is over us and assigns us our new companions each transfer and where we will be serving within our Mission boundaries.
Here is what my day usually looks like.
Every missionary has a relatively similar schedule.
6:30 am (Every Day) Wake up!
First thing we do is pray. (of course.)
Then workout. Some areas I have been in will have complex gyms. Some will not depending on where it is that I'm serving. So I try to be prepared for both. We workout in the morning for the full time so we can be ready, awake and energized for the day. (and especially if you want to stay in shape.) If you are preparing to serve getting ideas together to create an action plan on how you will carry out your workout routines throughout your mission is a great idea.
*idea: I brought a small iHome and ipod with church music. The iHome has an alarm but no radio. You can buy them just about anywhere. I have found cheap ones at Ross and Walmart. Music makes your living quarters more lively and working out more fun.*
*idea: Print off Pinterest workout ideas and keep in a folder when you come out*
-pointer: Just get out of bed the first time your alarm goes off. You will never get less tired. Sorry.
*idea: Jump roping is great cardio.*
7:00 am Breakfast / Get Ready
We come home and have an hour to eat breakfast, shower and get ready for the day. If you take forever to get ready… prepare now to have a short amount of time. Figure out easy hairdos and makeup styles that you can accomplish quickly. I have been a huge health nut lately and I’m trying to eat healthy. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Smoothies are a super easy (and healthy) breakfast option.
*idea: Green smoothies. Add spinach to your smoothies. You can't even taste it. Super good for you*
*idea: I have been trying to grow my hair out. What I have noticed is not using heat (blow dryers, straighteners and curling irons) Instead I let my hair air dry and go natural. It's helped immensely and saved time on getting ready in the mornings. Also I've been keeping track of how much my hair grows each transfer on the back of an old t-shirt. It’s fun*
8:00 am Personal Study.
Plan out the night before what you will study. Especially for your investigators and those you are working with. Discern their needs and study for what you feel inspired to share with them. If you plan an outline for your studies the night before you'll have a much more beneficial study hour. Read from the Book of Mormon and Preach My Gospel each day. Set goals for what you want to accomplished.
*idea: I have a goal to read all of the Standard works on my mission. I read from one of them each day.*
*idea: The first time I went through and read the Book of Mormon I highlighted all my favorite verses in one color. Then passed it on to my missionary who marked all his favorites as he read in another color. We plan on passing it down our family as the "missionary study book" fun idea for studying the Book of Mormon*
*idea: I have hoards of sticky notes. Whenever I have a quote that goes along with my scripture studies I write it down and stick it in there so I can use it in finding and teaching opportunities as well.*
*idea: Note taking is important. I have SEPARATE notebooks. One for personal study and meetings. Another for ideas, inspiration or cool things I need / want to remember for a while. Another for miracles, quotes and cool stories. Organize how you want your notebooks now. I also tab them for each transfer with sticky tabs*
*idea: I also have a two inch white binder with clear plastic paper covers to keep all my letters and notes in from family and friends. Great way to organize letters*
*idea: Invest in an expandable binder to keep documents, teaching aids, pictures and etc. in. It’s helpful*
9:00 am Companion study
You go over the days agenda. Teach each other what you learned in personal study. Practice teach your lessons for the day. Make phone calls to confirm appointments.
-pointer: Always practice teach. It is a great way to get the confusing bad version of your teaching out so you can teach better when it's the real deal. We practice teach at the beginning of companion study to ensure we always have time for it.
-pointer: Teach your companion how to lead music and read music so they don't embarrass themselves. Like me. Thanks!
*idea: My trainee and I practice teach in a mirror or out on the balcony in a sliding glass door so we can see our expressions and body language. Plus it is fun*
*idea: In each area our apartments have had massive white boards. I tape the whiteboards into a giant month calendar and color code our appointments so I have a visual of what the upcoming week looks like. How busy we are and when we have time to fit more in. Super helpful*
*idea: We use a separate whiteboard as a commitment board so we can keep track of the invitations we have extended. We use it to keep track of people we are teaching so we can keep track of their progress. This has been helpful for us in following up.*
10am -12 pm Online proselyting and lunch
During online proselyting you can message the people you have been teaching via Facebook and Skype lessons. Post uplifting and inspirational Facebook messages. Spread the Gospel just like we would normally but via the Internet. The Wards I have been in during my mission have had Ward Facebook pages in which they share information about upcoming events and activities which is wonderful. I will usually add Ward members, investigators and those we are working with online on Facebook. We take an hour for lunch to eat and prepare for the rest of the day.
*idea: If you are an Online Missionary organize the people you meet into groups by area. It is easier to remember and keep track of where you met and what Ward they are in*
*idea: When people like your posts message them and chat with them about it. Always encourage others to Share the Gospel and continue learning more.*
*idea: Bring ideas from home of quick recipes and healthy snacks you can make for lunch to get you energized and going for the rest of the afternoon*
*idea: Create a running grocery list so you don't over shop / spend on preparation days or don‘t forget anything*
*idea: Do a quick cleanup everyday during lunch so your apartment doesn't get nasty. It helps having a clean atmosphere. I promise.*
1 pm - 5 pm WORK
We go out and work. We will go to lessons, street contact, check on people we are working with or visit members. Do service or find more people to teach! During the afternoon we try to set up as many appointments as possible. We also visit people we have set up appointments with in advance.
-pointer: Try to find a place in your area where you can do service weekly. It is fun to do. It helps switch things up and helps the community.
-pointer: In our mission we strive to talk to twenty new people other than those we are already planning on. Aka: talk to everyone you see! Always have a smile on your face. You never know who is watching.
-pointer: Be on time and efficient with your time. Enough said.
5:00 pm Dinner
We take an hour to eat. Sometimes on our own. Either at our apartment, go out to eat or at a members home if invited. If at a members home we will teach their family a lesson as well.
*idea: Eat slow so you don't over eat. Eat small portions. Yes we know members make good food. But… if you eat their whole feast you’ll gain fifty lbs. trust me. I've experienced it.*
6 pm - 9 pm WORK
We go out and work again. This is when most people are home from work, school activities, etc. So we will do the same as we do from 1 pm - 5 pm. Usually we have more appointments set up for this time. So we are usually very busy in the evenings.
The average missionary lesson will teach principles from “Preach My Gospel” along with scriptural insight and evidence of what we are teaching. We will extend a commitment or invitation to read, pray, go to church or something else. We always invite people to be baptized whether it's the first or fifteenth lesson. It’s an Always! We always begin and end with a prayer. We strive to listen to the things that our friends are going through so we can best help them and encourage them on their spiritual journey.
We generally teach five standard lessons from “Preach My Gospel” a missionary handbook about our Basic Gospel Principles. These lessons however can be broken up according to peoples needs. The lessons are about things such as: The Restoration of the Gospel. The Plan of Salvation. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Commandments. The Laws and Ordinances. These lessons are broken down into points and principles and backed up with scriptural evidence and modern day revelation.
As missionaries Our Purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the Restored Gospel through Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Through repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.
Our main goal and purpose is to invite, to teach and talk to as many people as possible so we can share the gospel through all the world.
9:00 pm Plan
We plan for the next day. Make phone calls, schedule appointments, make plans and study ideas for the next morning. Seek inspiration on where to go and who to visit.
*idea: Write down what you will be teaching the next day so you have an outline of what to study for.*
10:00 Get ready for bed
*idea: Pick out your outfit the night before to save time in the morning when getting ready. Then you don’t have to worry about it being dirty or not having anything to wear*
*idea: Write in your journal while things are still fresh on your mind so you don't forget any of the cool things that have happened or wonderful miracles you wish to remember*
*idea: I do nightly exercises as well that are super easy such as sit-ups, planks, push-ups and squats because I always have more energy at night than in the morning*
10:30 pm Lights Out. Prayer and SLEEP!
*idea: Get to bed on time or you will be permanently exhausted. Forever.*
*idea: Use space bags to pack comforter, pillow and sheets to save room in suitcases for transfers*
That is pretty much my average schedule as a missionary. Give or take. We are teaching and serving 24/7! It's an exhausting job. But it's well worth it when you create relationships and are able to watch people learn, grow and progress.
If you have never met missionaries go to Mormon.org and refer yourself. They will stop by! If you have met missionaries go to Mormon.org and refer yourself anyways :)
If you are considering serving a mission Do it!!!
Serving a mission and learning from the missionaries is life changing.
So give it a shot!
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Much Love!
xoxo
s.stucki
Sister Stucki
(via e-mail September 22, 2014)
Sent from my iPad
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