Dear Family,
This week too has been busy. On Tuesday we got the new missionaries,
so, after having been greeted by President, I put them into four taxis
and the mission van and we all left for downtown to do paperwork. The
next morning, I had them again downtown for the same reason, and then
the day after that the same. They're good missionaries -- I think they
taught about five people who were also waiting for visa papers
downtown.
I enjoyed conference! I was a bit sleepy and thus slept through parts
of some talks, and it was available only in Spanish, but I feel that
our investigators and I were edified and inspired. Some highlights for
me were Elder Holland's talk (which every young man should see), and
everything that President Monson said! I know that President Monson is
a prophet just like those we read about in the Bible and the Book of
Mormon.
I decided the revise my personal study plan this week. I was thinking
that I need to focus my study a bit more, and also make it more
comprehensive, or, focus in many different things, but well. For
example, I had been reading a lot it the Book of Mormon, and studying
some of the lessons, but didn't feel that I was studying Christ-like
attributes or teaching skills enough. Thus, I was reminded about a
favourite dancing thought from my Swing IV class. It's that a
beginning dancer is, well, beginning and thus is interested in
learning the basics as quickly as he can so that he can move onto
something more interesting. The intermediate dancer focuses avidly on
these more interesting things. The advanced dancer, however, focuses
on doing the basics, better. That's what I'm hoping to do with my
studies right now: learn the basics of missionary work better. Thus,
I'm following the prophet's advice to use Preach My Gospel 'daily' in
personal preparation, and I'll be studying it with the Book of Mormon
in a flexible but consistent way in order to invite revelation on a
variety of topics. I feel that consistency will be a key to effective
learning, so I'll be studying downtown in the Migrations department or
the post office if necessary!
Unsurprisingly, gospel study is related to gospel learning. I like
some words of Elder Holland which I'll loosely quote here:
'Now, if your mother needs heart surgery, who are you going to choose
to do it? We have two Russels here in the quorum of the twelve --
which one would you like to do the operation? Both great men; both
apostles; both experienced! Now, I'm sure that Elder Ballard could
pull out his, Swiss Army knife, but --which one do you want!? The one
that has practised! You want the one who has been in the operating
room ten thousand times! It's the same in missionary work --when
you're in a lesson, or down on your knees with an investigator, you've
got to come through!!! And that's why we ask you to study!'
(That's from a talk that he gave in my last week in the MTC. It turns
out that it's being used in various missions for training, including
ours, so I usually hear it about once a week in the office while
somebody listens to it in the background)
Today we're in a nearby town, La Calera, where we came to picnic and 'pasear.'
Hope you are well, I love you all!
Love,
Elder Schlachter
