Our Father

Pizza for Dinner!

Dear all, 

I cannot go another minute without declaring my absolute love for Texas and for the work of the Lord! The people I have come to know here have touched my heart for good and I cannot imagine life without serving. I will forever be grateful that I was counted worthy for so great a calling. I love this area and I love my companion. I love all my areas and all of my companions! They have changed me forever! 

The words of my favorite Primary song often come to my mind as I think of who I am and why I am here. 

"I am a child of God,

And he has sent me here,

Has given me an earthly home

With parents kind and dear.

"I am a child of God,

And so my needs are great;

Help me to understand his words

Before it grows too late.

"I am a child of God.

Rich blessings are in store;

If I but learn to do his will,

I’ll live with him once more.

"I am a child of God.

His promises are sure;

Celestial glory shall be mine

If I can but endure.

"Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,

Help me find the way.

Teach me all that I must do

To live with him someday."

I am a child of God. 

You are a child of God. 

We are all children of our loving Heavenly Father. 

This is the first point missionaries are to teach their investigators, and to be honest, it is the first thing that I ever really remember learning as a child.

Why is this the first thing that we are to know? 

Without a correct understanding of who our Father is, we cannot have a correct understanding of who we are. If we do not know who we or our Father are, we cannot know the purpose of this life or the happiness and glory that awaits us in the next. 

You are a child of God. He loves you. He weeps with you when you suffer and rejoices when you do what is right. He has provided you, His child, with a way to be successful in this life and to return to live in His presence. He sent His Son to earth so that through the Atonement you can be freed for the burden of sin and develop faith and strength to face your trials. 

You are a child of God. 

You are a child of God. 

Do you understand it? Am I getting through? 

I love what Nephi says: "I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things (1 Nephi 11:17)."

Once we understand this one thing, nothing else matters. 

I can still remember the day when I first knew-really knew-that I had a Heavenly Father who loved me. Suddenly, the things that were going on around me just didn't matter. It didn't matter that I didn't have many friends at school. Nor did it matter that I wasn't getting as much time on the court as I had hoped. Not a single one of my slew of admittedly tiny problems mattered. 

I still have hard days. I still have times when I really wish things would be a little bit better or a little bit easier. But when I remember the love that my Father has for me, I am able to recognize His hand in my life, making things a little bit better or easier than they would be otherwise. 

Of all the titles of respect and honor and admiration that are given to Deity, He has asked us to address Him as Father. Do you realize the significance of that? 

I like to imagine that just a little over 20 years ago, my Father in Heaven held me close in His arms before allowing me to come here. I imagine that perhaps He gave me words of advice and encouragement and told me that He believed in me. That He told me that if I would hold fast, I would be able to one day return to Him. That He knew that I would make Him proud. 

When this life is over and I stand before Him again, I want to be able to say that I did all that I could to make Him proud. That is all that I want in this life. That is all that I want for you. That is all that I want for the people I meet on the street each day. 

You are the child of a loving Heavenly Father. 

Please remember that. 

Love, 

Sister Waite

A Second Email From President Slaughter

This is the second email we've received from President Slaughter in the year that Abbie has been serving as a missionary. We're so grateful we have the experience of sharing our child with others. The Lord has brought us joy through her.



Dear Stacy and Melissa Waite:


I am pleased to inform you that your daughter, Abbigail Marie Waite, has been assigned to serve as a sister training leader in the Texas San Antonio Mission.  She is well respected and loved among the other missionaries and has demonstrated leadership skills throughout her mission.


As a sister training leader, your daughter will work directly with the mission president and wife, be involved in mission leadership councils, teach and train other missionaries, including exchanges with sister companionships.


I am grateful to your daughter for the diligence and faith she has demonstrated in her mission and the example she is to others serving in the mission.


May the Lord's richest blessings be yours.


Sincerely,
 


James E Slaughter, President, Texas San Antonio Mission

The Greatest Miracle of All

The greatest miracle in time and eternity is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made. (Alma 34:9)

We are not responsible for the Fall of Adam and Eve, but we are responsible for our own sins. We are taught in the scriptures that God cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance, and sin prevents us from living in His presence. 

Nephi teaches us that if our works have been filthiness, then we ourselves are filthy and "... the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God (1 Nephi 15:34)." 

Because we are fallen human beings, we "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)." 

None of us are perfect. None of us are clean enough to enter the kingdom of God on our own. 

In the ultimate act of mercy, Heavenly Father sent His Son to atone for our sins. 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:16-17)."

Christ paid the penalty for our sins. He alone was able to do so because He was perfectly clean. 

"Though He suffered beyond comprehension-so much so that He bled from every pore and asked whether it were possible that this burden be lifted from Him-He submitted to the Father's will in a supreme expression of love for His Father and for us (Preach My Gospel, pg. 52)."

"Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered (2 Nephi 2:7)." 

The triumph of Jesus Christ over sin through His suffering and over physical death by His Resurrection is called the Atonement. This is the greatest miracle of all time and eternity. 

Through the Atonement we become worthy to enter the presence of our Heavenly Father permanently. We grow. We change. We become clean. 

As a missionary, I have had many, many, many opportunities to see the Atonement work in people's lives. 

I have watched people I have taught apply the Atonement in their lives and it brings me such joy to see the change it has made in them. 

I have been a witness to missionaries around me growing and changing into powerful servants of the Lord.

I have seen my friends and family grow through living the gospel and accepting the Atonement of Jesus Christ more fully in their lives. 

I, myself, have experienced a mighty change of heart. I am not who I was one year ago. I am not who I was three months ago. I am not even who I was yesterday. 

This week has been one full of growth and change and love. I love my companion and I thank God every day that I was given the opportunity to finish her training, as unexpected as it was. I am grateful for the trust the Lord has in me. I am grateful for all of the companions I have had who have helped shape me. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a mission historian for the last two transfers, and a sister training leader for the next. The change that has taken place in me over the last 13 months would not have taken place had I not been called to serve the Lord. I cannot adequately express the joy that is in my heart because of the gospel I have the privilege to declare to these wonderful people of Texas. 

"Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold,who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel. 

"Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state (Alma 26:16-17)?"

"And now, beloved, marvel not that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him... (Jacob 4:12)"

The miracle of the Atonement is real. It has worked in my life. It will work in yours. 

And it works wonderfully! 

Love, 

Sister Waite

The Fire of the Restoration

Dear all, 

I don't really know how to describe this week. It was incredible, yes, but also crazy! But I guess those are both good things... 

This week was AMAZING! 

We had an incredible zone meeting and had the opportunity to learn at the feet of prophets, seers, and revelators on Wednesday during a world wide missionary broadcast. I have learned so much in so little time! 

Also on Wednesday, I had the opportunity to learn from Sister Reece. She is a powerful missionary with an incredible testimony of this gospel. I learned so much! 

Sister Kirkman and me! The only photo we took this week!

Early Thursday morning, though, we got a call from President Slaughter, informing us that Sister Johnson would be leaving the area immediately and I would be receiving a new companion. We were not expecting an emergency transfer, and after a whirlwind of packing, I found myself in the driver's seat of our Ford Fusion with a new companion, Sister Kirkman. She will be my companion for the rest of the transfer and I will be finishing her training. This was not something I expected to happen ever. It has taken a lot of prayer, but we're working together and the Lord is with us every step of the way! I am humbled by this sacred trust from the Lord, and I can feel His hand guiding me. 

Our first night together, we received a phone call from the man I talked about last week (the one who lived in the less active member's apartment and allowed us back to teach his family the Restoration). He asked us if we could come over that night, one night before our scheduled return appointment. We went by and taught them and they committed to be baptized on February 13! Sister Kirkman bore powerful testimony! It was great! We went by again on Saturday to teach them the Plan of Salvation and they loved it. They have wonderful questions and I can hardly wait for their baptism. At church yesterday, Sister Stephens (the mom of the family) told us that she has been looking for something all of her life and has finally found it. THEY LOVE THE GOSPEL AND IT'S ONLY BEEN ONE WEEK! The Lord is preparing the hearts of His people! 

We were part of a small gathering recently in which subjects for sacrament meeting talks were being discussed. Each member of the group gave suggestions, and eventually it was my turn. Without having to stop and consider my response, I answered: "The Restoration." Almost immediately the group was in a quiet uproar. "Do you think there's something we're not teaching our classes?" "Is someone struggling in their testimony?" "Why would you make that suggestion?" I waited for the group to get over their initial shock before I responded. As members of the church, especially if we grew up in member families, we are taught the Plan of Salvation so often that we can almost mouth the words our teacher is saying when we are taught about it yet again. We are taught that we must have faith, repent, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end almost before we can walk! But how many times do we just glaze over the Restoration, making it seem as though it is just another event in church history, instead of the reason FOR church history. How often do we forget that the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the second greatest thing to ever happen on the earth? If we can come to understand that, and help others understand, our testimonies will be built on the solid bedrock of truth!

The blood of the Restoration flows in my veins.

The fire of the Restoration burns deep within my bones.

As a missionary, I have come to know my loving Heavenly Father, who has taught His children His gospel since the very beginning. I have come to know my Father who chose Adam to teach his children the gospel. In like manner, He chose Noah, Abraham, and Moses to lead mankind and teach repentance.I know our loving Heavenly Father who sent His Only Begotten Son to not only lead us and teach us repentance, but to make repentance possible. It is only through Jesus Christ that we can be saved (see Mosiah 3:17). 

In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul talks of a 'falling away' that must happen before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This falling away happened, and we call it the Great Apostasy. 

I have come to know my Father who, after the foretold falling away, has called prophets today to lead us and teach us repentance.

President James E. Faust said: 

"What has happened to David’s living God? It is the greatest insult to reason to suggest that God, who spoke so freely to the prophets of the Old Testament including Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, and the other prophets, now stands mute, uncommunicative, and silent.

We may well ask, Does God love us less than those led by the ancient prophets? Do we need his guidance and instruction less? Reason suggests that this cannot be. Does he not care? Has he lost his voice? Has he gone on a permanent vacation? Does he sleep? The unreasonableness of each of these proposals is self-evident."

God does not sleep. 

He has not left us alone.

He will never leave us alone.

Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ when they appeared to him in a grove of trees near his home. They did indeed call him to be the Prophet of the Restoration. Through him, Christ restored His gospel. We can learn of it's fulness today. 

After enduring ridicule for his testimony, the Prophet Joseph said: 

"...I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it..."

Joseph knows it. God knows it. And I know it. And I will never deny it. 

Love, 

Sister Waite

I Testify

Dear all, 

What wonderful week it has been! We have seen many miracles and found so many who are so ready and prepared to receive the gospel. We have taught repentance and will baptize converts. We are fulfilling our missionary purpose! 

There are so many stories this week! I don't even know where to begin! I'll share two: 

• We were in search of a less-active member and got lost in her apartment complex. As we were searching, we passed a balcony with a small dog barking at us. Used to dogs, we continued onward, not noticing the much larger dog on the porch next to the balcony. A loud bark split the air and Sister Johnson and I turned to see this dog with it's teeth bared and quickly realized that nothing was restraining it from attacking us. Remembering someone once telling me that the best way to avoid a dog bite is to show the dog you aren't scared, I promptly turned and continued walking as if I didn't care about the dog, bracing myself for pain, Sister Johnson right by my side. We heard the dog run down the stairs, all the while snarling and barking- not something I ever want to hear again. Suddenly (out of literally nowhere), a woman appeared by our side and scolded the dog, who promptly slunk back up the stairs with it's tail between it's legs. Long story short, we didn't die and learned to avoid dogs that don't like us.

• We found this less-active member's apartment, and found out that she didn't live there anymore. But we didn't almost die for nothing! The man agreed to allow us to come back and teach his family. We taught them the Restoration last night and they are so prepared for the gospel! The First Vision left them speechless and they are excited to join us at church on Sunday! 

I learned much about testimony this week. 

When my family lived in Idaho Falls, I remember frequently standing at the pulpit and bearing my testimony on Fast Sunday. I testified of what my little 8 year old heart believed and quickly returned to sit with my family. I do not remember what I said (although I could probably guess), nor am I sure that it really was all that often, but I do remember the feeling of bearing testimony. 

After moving back to St. Johns the summer before fifth grade, the frequency of bearing my testimony diminished almost to nothing. At first it was because I was shy in front of new people, and then it was because I felt shy in front of everyone anyway. I did not feel like I had the words to express what I believed or that I could say anything particularly inspiring. So I sat in the pew and listened. For nearly 9 years. 

Preach My Gospel teaches that a powerful testimony is not dependent on eloquence (thank heavens!) or the volume of your voice but on the conviction of your heart. A testimony is a spiritual witness and assurance given by the Holy Ghost. We are taught that as we testify, we seal the truth of the principles or doctrine we are teaching. 

As a missionary, you have the opportunity to testify often. You do not have the time to shy away or think that you do not have anything to say. It is your privilege and duty to bear testimony to everyone you meet! I admit that the years of silence were difficult for me to shake. I would often find myself drawing back as we approached a door or someone on the street. I have worked hard to overcome that, and I still have work to do, but bearing testimony has become an experience I treasure. 

This week, I had many opportunities to testify. However, it seemed as though each time I opened my mouth, I would get cut off. 

"Joseph Smith was-" 

"The Book of Mormon is a powerful-" 

"Your family can receive-" 

"My family has been-" 

"Jesus Christ is our-" 

Sometimes it was the person we were talking to. 

Sometimes it was my companion. 

Sometimes it was a loud truck that just happened to drive by at that precise moment. 

As the week progressed, I began to wonder if perhaps I was not meant to testify of anything. I began to hold back. I allowed my companion to do the talking. I sat through moments of silence rather than be cut off just one more time. 

On Saturday, we had the opportunity to teach a couple who had visited the Mesa Temple Christmas Lights and wanted to learn more about our family-centered message. That morning in personal study I pored over the scriptures and practiced again and again what I would say. When we sat down to teach them, nothing went according to plan. The questions they asked were not the ones that we had prepared to answer and our train of thought was derailed several times by outside distractions. Finally, the thought came to me to pull out a picture of the Mesa temple. I showed it to the couple and they talked about how beautiful it was and how much they loved the lights. I do not remember the exact words that I said, but I do remember the strength of the Spirit that entered into the room as I testified of eternal families and the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ that makes that possible. I felt again that wonderful feeling of bearing testimony I was so familiar with as a young girl.  We were then able to successfully teach the message of the Restoration. They asked wonderful questions and committed to read from the Book of Mormon. 

As I have come to better understand my purpose as a missionary, I have concluded that in order to fulfill my purpose I must testify at every opportunity. This allows those we are talking to to feel the Spirit and desire it more in their lives. I will never allow myself to miss another opportunity to testify of truth. 

God is our loving Heavenly Father. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins. Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration and the instrument used to restore the true gospel of Christ to the earth. The Book of Mormon is powerful evidence of this. Because of the priesthood power that has been restored to the earth, all mankind may take part in the ordinances of salvation, including baptism by proper authority. There are living prophets and apostles who have been chosen by God to lead His children. This gospel has blessed my life, and it can bless your's as well if you will let it. 

Love, 

Sister Waite

Invitations From The Savior

Dear all, 

What a wonderful week of teaching repentance! We did not have our car, and were able to pull our bikes out! (It was a great review of the importance of angular momentum. By the end of the night you really have to focus on keeping that up or you'll fall over. Did I mention that I still love physics? Haha!) Many miracles happened as we were out on our bikes with our lines constantly in the water. 

I made my own birthday cupcakes and I feel like they would have won Cupcake Wars! ha ha!

One stands out in my mind. We were without our car and rode our bikes to a referral's apartment complex in hopes that she would be home and we could deliver the item she requested and teach some repentance. When we got there, the gate was locked and we did not know the code. Never to be discouraged, we realized that the next complex over was the home of a part-member family. We walked over and as we were going up the stairs to their apartment, a man stopped us before we could stop him and told us that he has family in Mississippi who are members. He immediately turned around and called his wife, who came out of their apartment and said "You were supposed to come months ago!" Apparently they had met missionaries a few months back and scheduled an appointment, but they never followed through. They excitedly listened as we taught repentance and then eagerly scheduled a return appointment. We are excited to return and baptize a convert family! 

biking!

Incidentally, the part-member family was not home, and as we walked back to the other apartment complex to retrieve our bikes, a man walked out of the gate and, assuming we were headed inside, held it open for us. Of course we talked to him and he told us that he was lined up for baptism many years ago, but it never happened. We asked him why and he said that he didn't know! We told him that we could make it happen, and he was excited to have us teach him. Exito!

I love this area because I get to pretend that I am fluent in Spanish (just like Zilker Park!) Just yesterday, we were walking in a neighborhood and saw that a family was moving into a house down the block. We rushed over and offered our help... but they only spoke Spanish! We quickly slipped into what little Spanish we know. "Necesita ayudar?" "Aqui?" "Podemos compartir una tarjeta con usted?" "En este pagina de web, puede ver un video sobre Jesu Cristo. Ha nacido un Salvidor!" "Buenos noches!" 

Mi Espanol es muy malo y hablo muy poquito, pero es muy divertido para declarar la palabra de Dios en este idioma! 

These cats.. they were funny.

I promise there are five cats in the picture.

I was studying more about repentance this week, and I came across this verse in 3 Nephi 9: 

"O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?"

I love the Savior's three invitations to us.
1. RETURN UNTO ME

We were recently teaching a returning less active member who did not want to come to church. We could not get her to agree to attend. She told us that she was afraid to return to church after breaking a few commandments. She felt that she was not good enough to worship her Savior at church on Sundays. That just about broke my heart. Then, one miraculous Sunday, she walked into the chapel. She stayed all three hours and when we saw her later that week, she told us that she felt so wonderful and she was never going to miss a Sunday again. She has since attended every Sunday, and is making steps toward the temple. We love her so much. 
The Savior's first invitation in this verse is to return unto Him. He does not ask us to make ourselves perfect before taking steps toward Him. His arm of mercy is extended toward us now (see 3 Nephi 9:14)!

2. REPENT OF YOUR SINS
This is the step that we make seem the hardest of them all. We live in fear of the day that we will have to put forth the effort to change and repent of our sins. We feel as though we are not strong enough to do so or that we do not have enough time. We fear falling back into sin, and so we do not even try to repent in the first place. I think that we sometimes make repentance too complicated in our minds. 
Elder C. Scott Grow said: "When we repent, the Lord allows us to put the mistakes of the past behind us." Isn't this what we all yearn for? It is available through repentance! 
Elder D. Todd Christofferson reassured us all when he said: "Christ died not to save indiscriminately but to offer repentance... and we do not need to achieve some minimum level of capacity or goodness before God will help--divine aid can be ours every hour of every day, no matter where we are in the path of obedience."
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland adds: "It takes exactly as long to repent as it takes you to say “I’ll change”--and mean it." 
It does not take a great effort or a great amount of time to repent, as long as we truly mean to change. Then repentance and all that comes with it will be sweet to us as we feel ourselves becoming better. 
"There is never a day in any man's life when repentance is not essential to his well-being and eternal progress." -President Spencer W. Kimball

3. BE CONVERTED
This one can also be a little discouraging if thought about in the wrong light. Too often we think of conversion as a single moment of time when we suddenly have an unwavering testimony of truth, but this is not the case. Conversion is a process. As we increase our faith in Jesus Christ and our faithfulness to His gospel, the depth of our conversion will also increase. In order to withstand the devils shafts in the whirlwind, we must build upon the rock of our Redeemer (see Helaman 5:12). As we do this, we are becoming converted. There will not be one single moment when we suddenly know, but rather one long journey of discipleship until we reach our final goal! 

As we accept these invitations, the Savior promises that He will heal us. He will heal us just as He healed those to whom these invitations were originally given (see 3 Nephi 17:6-10). 
May we all heed our Savior's invitation and come a little closer, change a little more, and be a little better! 
Love, 
Sister Waite

Teach Repentance and Baptize Converts

Dear all, 

What a wonderfully beautiful day! The sky is clear and the air is crisp! I can hardly believe that it is already January again! Time flies on wings of lightning! 

This house was insanely decorated! It rivaled Uncle Dana's house (No one tell him I said that! ha ha!)

It's come to my attention that I don't tell enough interesting stories about serving in the TSAM! My mom sent me some questions this week, and I decided to answer them where others can see! 

What do you normally do for breakfast and lunch? 

Well... I make food. Because missionaries like food. Scrambled eggs in the morning, and usually some chicken and veggies for lunch. Except for the last couple of weeks, because we got a lot of Christmas tamales. Those are my favorite things! 

What do you do when appointments cancel? 

We plan ahead and have back up plans. It's a weird balance to find, because you want to have the faith that appointments will happen and not fall through, but you also need to have plans for just in case. It's fun, though! Definitely something that I've learned over time, though. 

Do you knock on doors ever?  

We knock on doors daily. However, I haven't ever had to do any of the "traditional" missionary tracting while here in the TSAM. There are so many less-active members and part-member families to visit! We are also always finding by preaching by the way, so our schedule is always filled with people to visit. We get a lot of media referrals as well. For example, last week, we contacted (meaning we taught them a lesson and delivered the requested content) 10 referrals, and still had 10 who hadn't answered the door/phone. It's incredible! Choosing a street and knocking every door just isn't as effective as these other things we do. Don't get me wrong, though. We knock when we feel prompted to knock. We never pass by a door that the Spirit tells us is important. 

Do you have any favorite members? 

This isn't a fair question and you know that I can't answer it, Mom. Gosh. 

Any interesting stories? 

Last Saturday, our low tire pressure light came on. But... we didn't take care of it as quickly as we should have, and by the time we finally stopped somewhere to fill up our tires (about a week later), it was pouring rain and 40 degrees. But the car wouldn't stop beeping... so we had to do it. It was a lot of fun and everyone else at the gas station thought we were crazy. But all is well now. The crazy life of a missionary. 

**************************

The history is so long! And this is before President Slaughter adds his things!

This week we had a wonderful Mission Leadership Council (where the leaders of the mission-zone leaders, sister training leaders, etc. gather to discuss the needs of the mission). One of the main topics was our missionary purpose. President Slaughter pointed out that the scriptures tell us of a strait and narrow path that leads to eternal life. In order to get onto that path, one must enter through the gate. The gate is repentance and baptism (see 2 Nephi 31:17). Thus, our "laser-focused objective", as he called it, is to teach repentance and baptize converts. 

Coming out of MLC I had two goals. Number one: Floss every day. (The goals you make when your mission president also happens to be a dentist. Don't worry! I'm doing a lot better! Someone tell Dr. Platt! Haha!) Number two, the most important: TEACH REPENTANCE AND BAPTIZE CONVERTS. 

That night we had a lesson with a woman named Patricia. As we taught her the wonderful message of the Restoration, all I could think the whole time was: "Am I teaching repentance so that we can baptize a convert?" As we taught, there were several moments of silence as we allowed Patricia to ponder. We asked her how she felt after hearing of Joseph Smith's experience in the Sacred Grove, and she took a long time to think about it. She finally answered that she could not imagine having that happen to her. It was then that we were able to testify to her that although Christ Himself was not visible in the room, we were His representatives. We invited her to be baptized and she said: "I cannot deny an invitation from my Savior." All was sailing smoothly, until we invited her to church. She told us that she worked only on Saturday andSunday in order to provide for her family and would not be able to worship with us. Immediately, my missionary purpose came to mind: "TEACH REPENTANCE AND BAPTIZE CONVERTS!!" Where in previous months I would have said something like: "Well, that's okay. We'll figure something out," I was able to boldly say: "Patricia, as we teach you, we will invite you to make and keep commitments that show your Father in Heaven that you are willing to accept and live His gospel. One of those commitments is to attend church every week and partake of the sacrament. We realize that it may not seem like that is possible now, but as you move forward with faith, we promise that the Lord will provide a way for you to worship with us each week." I was able to feel such power behind my words as I invited Patrica to repent. I recognize now that there is a better way to do missionary work. It is only as we teach repentance boldy that we will truly be able to baptize converts and build the Lord's kingdom. 

On another occasion, we were teaching a man who likes to teach us. We are usually hesitant to schedule appointments with him, but he usually has read in the Book of Mormon and asks us to teach him more. This time, he allowed us to start teaching him the doctrine of Christ. We were reading in 2 Nephi 31, and as we got to the part where the Nephi talks about the baptism of fire, he suddenly had many questions. We started answering them, but it soon became apparent that he was not interested in learning, but in teaching us how we are wrong. He asked question after question, opening up to Bible verse after Bible verse and would not allow us to continue teaching. I could not think of a way to connect anything he was saying back to the restored gospel. Suddenly, a question popped into my head. "Do you believe the Bible?" I asked. He looked at me, in some sort of shock. I was surpised at his answer: "Well... parts of it. I believe that some of it is the word of God." I almost could not believe it. Here was this man, who was so intent on teaching us about the Bible, and he did not even believe it! It was incredible to be that I was then able to testify that the Bible and the Book of Mormon are scripture-the word of God. I told him that we believe the Bible, and we know that the doctrines contained in it are true. We also believe the Book of Mormon, and believe that teh doctrines contained in it are true. We believe that as we follow the words of scripture, the mysteries of God will be unfolded to our eyes. The man seemed to not be able to speak, and we soon closed with a word of prayer. We aren't sure if we will ever go back there, but I hope that he begins to see the Bible and the Book of Mormon as they truly are. 

There are no neutrals. Once we accept our call to serve, we solidify the choice we made before this life to stay on the Lord's side. We are disciples of Jesus Christ. There is no gray area to step back to and there never was a gray area in the first place. We are on the Lord's side. There is no going back to where we were before, no stepping closer to the dividing line. We have been called to be disciples forever, to continually walk closer to the Lord, and that starts here and now. It starts in knowing who we are and who we can become. We have crossed the line. We are disciples, now and forever.  

I love what it says in Preach My Gospel: "Some chapters in Preach My Gospel focus on what you need to do as a missionary-- how to study, how to teach, how to manage time wisely. Just as vital as what you do, however, is who you are." 

We, as a mission, know what we are to do: TEACH REPENTANCE AND BAPTIZE CONVERTS. Now, as we continue to do so, we must discover who we are and who we can and need to become. We can say that we teach repentance and baptize converts, but until we get to the point that we are actually to believe and internalize that as our purpose, nothing will happen. We must catch the vision of what a disciple of Christ truly is. This is not a temporary calling; this is eternal. 

I can hardly wait to continue teaching repentance and baptizing converts.

Love, 

Sister Waite