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 Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2005 10:49 pm
(I swear I am normally not this elitist.. well flip.. this is even coming across to me as be being all 'elite' but thats not how I am meaning it sweatdrop I have some small irks that get to me when it comes to promptings and the 'every member a missionary' thing)
In a reply in Sankyuus' thread talking about his mission call. I wanted to extend my thoughts on promptings into a thread. To ask people about promptings they have had, ask for opinion on promptings, and for people to talk about things that have happened from acting on promptings.
I am not directing this that anyone didnt say anything wrong. I was in a ward awhile back that was very 'strong' in the church. But did nothing to support missionary's investigators or even inactive members. I have noticed these things to be issues in many wards, and even a stake-wide problem in some places.
In your youth groups, the advisors and bishopric always tell us to act on the promptings of the spirit to do good. We are told to help your friends come to church, or activate inactive members by 'helping' them come to church, or church activities. There are many different promptings which we have to help use choose right from wrong. Wrong from right, and just in the middle situations. There is one area of Promptings I want to focus my attention on however. That would be promptings of the spirit to talk to a random person about the church. Yup, promptings of missionary work.
If anyone has any questions, or insights from their own promptings. Post them. The only bad question is an unasked one.
A note right now. If one person even says "Thats what missionaries are for" I will throw the biggest trolling talk into your face about the "Every member a missionary program" that I believe President Kimball talked about in '86.. it was in one of the May ensigns from the 80s.
(the proceeding is my rant/opinion on the matter)
If anyone is aware of some past talks from the you would be aware of the responsibility we have as members. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We hold the responsibility to fellowship: Investigators, Inactive members, Active members, and eachother. A missionary once told me "Not many investigators and new-members will stay in the church, if they dont have friends there. It is important for members to fellowship them, keep them active and happy to be a member."
I never knew how right he was until last week. When I found out a friend of mine, whom I went to every one of her appointments with the elders, every time she came to church I was there, and even stopping by her house to see how she was doing and if she needed any help with anything. My sister (whom I was living with at the time) would take her into town and they would do girl things. I got an email from her telling me she was engaged. She told me that if it had not been for my family, she would not have made it through the discussions, and would not committed to baptism had it not been for my family being here support in the church. My family, nor myself had to do this. We were prompted to do this, not only through our responsibility, but through the guidance of the spirit to be there for her. I would be riding somewhere on my bike and I would be like "hey, lets go see thany" or "lets go see the lopes' and see how they are doing."
Promptings come in all shapes and sizes, whether they be quick and suddle, or as soft as the early morning dew. Promptings can be a "hey dont do that" or even a "hey, go talk to that guy on the bench there" or even when you are asked if the seat is taken the simple soft voice telling you to tell them "nope, its not taken."
There are people who say they do not have time, but I have to ask you, if you had a prompting, a plain prompting, to maybe talk to that lonely person in the back of class, and you choose to ignore it because of 'I do not have the time.' Then where do you show your compassion for your fellow man? What if that person needs a friend at that moment and you ignore it? Who do you think will answer for that?
Promptings are not ment to be burdens. Helping someone else grew, helps you grow. Causing your own self conversion, and a stronger testimony.
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Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2005 9:31 am
Yay! I am the result of a prompting my friend had, and now I've been a member for over a year. It is also very important for new converts, and converts in general to feel included, and such, because some of us (like me) don't have family in the church and friends are all we have!
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2005 3:11 pm
I had a prompting a few days ago to give a Book of Mormon to a friend of mine who claims to be non-demoninational, and looks into a lot of churches. I won''t know how it turns out until tomarrow when I see her (first day of school)
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