A few months ago I was called as a ward missionary. It’s always funny to me how callings bring me exactly what I need to experience in my life when I receive them. What a blessing to me this calling has already been! As my bishop extended the calling he asked that I work with my ward mission leader to be as creative as possible, working “outside the box” to encourage our ward members to fill the empty seats of our sacrament meetings with their neighbors and friends. We tried something different that has really seemed to work. We put together a night in early December and called it MORMON HISTORY THROUGH MUSIC. It was to be held in a member’s home, and it was to be an opportunity for non-members to learn about American/Mormon history in a casual, low pressure environment; to enjoy some great desserts and hear some good music and learn something about the history of a friend’s religion. We set up chairs in the large living room of the Anderson’s home in our ward. The time to begin was 6:00PM. Dress was casual, even though it was Sunday, which made all attending comfortable. The only way for members of our ward to attend was to bring a nonmember with them. We anxiously prepared for that day in hopes that someone, even one person would show up. To our amazement, members of our ward brought 25 nonmembers to the event. Dan Truman, Brad Hull, Tim Gates and Matt Lopez all once again brought their talents to the event, joining me and we did our best to teach and testify through our music. It was a wonderful night. The non-members attending stayed for more than an hour afterwards asking question after question and learning things that lifted so many misunderstandings that they had before. As luck would have it, the couple that I invited to the event have continued to ask questions and are now taking the discussions with the elders.
The word of the night’s success reached the mission president of the Tennessee Nashville Mission and he called me the week after. He asked if he could attend the next one that we did. I said that our ward mission would be honored. In February we had the next event at the Beaird’s home, and we were thrilled that 34 members brought 51 nonmembers! Incredible. Our members were brave and we love them for it.
The mission president asked me after the event if I, and perhaps others in NTB, would be willing to do some events like this in other units in the mission…in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. We decided to do events a couple of times a month, every other Tuesday, trying to reach as many of the 60 units in the mission as possible this year. Some of these rural wards and branches will only have one person sitting in a living room, others may have many, but whether it is just me, or me and as many of my NTB brothers as are available, I know that we will do our best to testify of the Restoration, praying for the Spirit as we do it, in hopes that hearts may be softened and changed.
Here is what this experience has taught me so far. Sometimes we, as members of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints, limit our good works to activities and callings that only fall within the assignments given to us in our wards, stakes and communities. Of course, it is a wonderful thing to fulfill our callings and obligations in our church and community. However, each of us has particular talents, unique to us. The Lord has planted those in us, to only be enriched and expanded as we magnify them. Is it not true that we should have one foot FIRMLY planted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the other foot FIRMLY planted smack dab in the middle of the world? Being “in the world, but not of the world” has never meant running and hiding from the world, safely in our little Mormon bubbles, free from all contact with the ever-present, worldy souls around us. No, the term means that we associate ourselves with the world, our neighbors, relatives and business associates, and we not only are gleaming examples of God fearing Latter-day Saints, but we testify with confident humility EVERY time the Spirit moves us to do so; regardless of the company we are keeping. If we use the guidance of the Spirit, as we communicate with our leaders, and with their blessing, we can operate “outside the box” in the ways we serve the three missions of the church. Of, course, the REDEEMING THE DEAD mission of the church doesn’t allow for much creative thinking because we are so blessed with the divinely structured use of our temples, and for that I am thankful. But, with regard to the PERFECTING THE SAINTS mission and the PREACHING THE GOSPEL mission, I believe that we are entitled to inspiration from the Spirit that may lead us to unique and influential ways to accomplish the Lords desires for his wards and stakes. I believe that if we are humble, and we communicate with our church leaders and work within the blessings of their guidance, that we can accomplish a synergy within our wards, stakes and communities that will open up opportunities that we cannot even fathom.
Let us pray to know our talents. Let’s pray to know what the Lord wants us to do with them. How can we become instruments in His hands, playing a tune that no one else on earth can play exactly as we do? The Lords currency is people. We are how He gets things done. We can be pennies, nickels or dimes if we do His will our way, but if we surrender all and do His will, His way, then we may be amazed to find ourselves much more valuable to Him than we ever dreamed of. That’s my prayer :o)
All my best from Nashville…Jason Deere
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