Ciao!
I'm glad I am not the only one who is really busy. This week has blended together; nothing spectacular has happened this week. We did the usual go to class learn the language and teach “investigators” in the language.
We have three investigators, Giosue just had the Restoration lesson again to repair the damage of the first lesson. It went really well. I think that he is gaining a testimony in the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. Next week we are teaching the Plan of Salvation and will ask him to be baptized when he knows these things are true.
Our second investigator is Susana, She has also had the Restoration lesson and it went well and we will be inviting her to be baptized next lesson after Plan of Salvation as well.
Our last investigator is Angela. She is my favorite investigator so far. She is such a golden investigator, however our last lesson did not go great in my eyes. We planned to teach her about the Atonement and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and when we asked her if she had read 2 Nephi 31, she told us she had. So I asked her if she had any questions and she told us something we weren't expecting. She told us that she has had 3 children and one of them has passed away. After she told us that I knew that she needed to hear about the Plan of Salvation. She proceeded to ask if we do infant baptism and Anziano Berg had her read in the Book of Mormon: Moroni 8, about infant baptism. 10. Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach – repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as little children, and that they shall all be saved with their little children. 11. And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins. 12. But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter of persons; for how many little children have died without baptism. 13. Wherefore, if little children could not be saved without baptism, then these must have gone to an endless hell. 19. Little children cannot repent; wherefore, it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are alive in him because of his mercy. 20. And he that saith little children need baptism denieth the mercies of Christ and setteth at naught the atonement of him and the power of his redemption. But after she had read the verses, he continued with the lesson. I cut him off mid-sentence because we were not addressing her need. So, I did the only thing I could think of doing, which was to tell her that the next time we return we will teach her how she can be with her child again. She said that would be great and we proceeded with the lesson on baptism. It was a great lesson but it was a “fail” at addressing the needs of our investigators. It felt to me, kind of like a Kinder Egg Surprise only the egg was empty. There was no 'Surprise!' or gift of knowledge that helped her come closer to Christ; it was just a lesson. We will be teaching her about the Plan of Salvation next week and I am really looking forward to it. She has agreed to get baptized when she knows these things are true. Just to clarify, our investigators are our teachers; they act as investigators that they had taught while on their missions.
I talked with Sorella Urban, our teacher who is Angela, about the lesson and I told her how I thought it went and what I thought we did wrong and how I thought it should have gone and she agreed with me. I told her that I felt like we didn't teach her, but we just taught a standard lesson to a person. That does not work- each person is unique and, so too, are the lessons. You can have the same principles taught in a lesson, but expressed a different way to meet the needs of the investigators. I told her that I felt it was a great lesson but we didn't address Angela's concern enough. Sorella Urban thanked me for telling her that we would teach her the Plan of Salvation next time during the lesson. She said it was good because it showed I cared. I was really concerned during the lesson, because if I had have been the investigator I would have felt hurt. I had just told two people who I don't know really well that I lost a child and they act like 'Oh thats too bad; so this is Baptism'. But I did as much as I could to connect baptism to her child. I told her it is through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end, that we can live with God and that she can live with her child again.
Even though that experience wasn't fun, I am thankful because it made me realize that it's not just some person, this person has concerns and needs and it is our job to find them and administer like the Savior would. I like teaching Angela for some reason I just connect with her a lot and can't wait to teach her again - to show her the love that Jesus has to offer.
Io so che il vangelo di Gesù Cristo è speranza eterna. Io so che Joesph Smith era un profetà di Dio e che Joseph Smith ha avuto la potere di Dio. Anche, grazie l'Espiazione di Gesù Cristo possiamo tornare a Dio e possiamo avere famiglia eterna. Io so che le persone in Italia dove il vangelo di Dio e voule famiglia eterna. Io so che Gesù Cristo vive e Dio ci ama. Io so che Dio si ama il persone in Italia.
I saw Sister Orth 10 days ago but haven't seen her since. Also I saw Sister Felhauer last Wednesday. I made the Canadian flag out of gummy fish on an Elders bed because we have a friendly feud about Canada. So I left him a gift on his bed, ha-ha. We did Matrix pictures last P-Day and they turned out well. That’s about all that really happened this week.
Oh and John 8:12 (Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, I am the light of the world:he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.) is what I would like on the plaque also if he can (Tutti persone possono ascotare il vangelo di Gesù Cristo!) I look forward to finding out more about what has been going on next week.
Sincerely Anziano Luening
I'm glad I am not the only one who is really busy. This week has blended together; nothing spectacular has happened this week. We did the usual go to class learn the language and teach “investigators” in the language.
We have three investigators, Giosue just had the Restoration lesson again to repair the damage of the first lesson. It went really well. I think that he is gaining a testimony in the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. Next week we are teaching the Plan of Salvation and will ask him to be baptized when he knows these things are true.
Our second investigator is Susana, She has also had the Restoration lesson and it went well and we will be inviting her to be baptized next lesson after Plan of Salvation as well.
Our last investigator is Angela. She is my favorite investigator so far. She is such a golden investigator, however our last lesson did not go great in my eyes. We planned to teach her about the Atonement and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and when we asked her if she had read 2 Nephi 31, she told us she had. So I asked her if she had any questions and she told us something we weren't expecting. She told us that she has had 3 children and one of them has passed away. After she told us that I knew that she needed to hear about the Plan of Salvation. She proceeded to ask if we do infant baptism and Anziano Berg had her read in the Book of Mormon: Moroni 8, about infant baptism. 10. Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach – repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as little children, and that they shall all be saved with their little children. 11. And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins. 12. But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter of persons; for how many little children have died without baptism. 13. Wherefore, if little children could not be saved without baptism, then these must have gone to an endless hell. 19. Little children cannot repent; wherefore, it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are alive in him because of his mercy. 20. And he that saith little children need baptism denieth the mercies of Christ and setteth at naught the atonement of him and the power of his redemption. But after she had read the verses, he continued with the lesson. I cut him off mid-sentence because we were not addressing her need. So, I did the only thing I could think of doing, which was to tell her that the next time we return we will teach her how she can be with her child again. She said that would be great and we proceeded with the lesson on baptism. It was a great lesson but it was a “fail” at addressing the needs of our investigators. It felt to me, kind of like a Kinder Egg Surprise only the egg was empty. There was no 'Surprise!' or gift of knowledge that helped her come closer to Christ; it was just a lesson. We will be teaching her about the Plan of Salvation next week and I am really looking forward to it. She has agreed to get baptized when she knows these things are true. Just to clarify, our investigators are our teachers; they act as investigators that they had taught while on their missions.
I talked with Sorella Urban, our teacher who is Angela, about the lesson and I told her how I thought it went and what I thought we did wrong and how I thought it should have gone and she agreed with me. I told her that I felt like we didn't teach her, but we just taught a standard lesson to a person. That does not work- each person is unique and, so too, are the lessons. You can have the same principles taught in a lesson, but expressed a different way to meet the needs of the investigators. I told her that I felt it was a great lesson but we didn't address Angela's concern enough. Sorella Urban thanked me for telling her that we would teach her the Plan of Salvation next time during the lesson. She said it was good because it showed I cared. I was really concerned during the lesson, because if I had have been the investigator I would have felt hurt. I had just told two people who I don't know really well that I lost a child and they act like 'Oh thats too bad; so this is Baptism'. But I did as much as I could to connect baptism to her child. I told her it is through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end, that we can live with God and that she can live with her child again.
Even though that experience wasn't fun, I am thankful because it made me realize that it's not just some person, this person has concerns and needs and it is our job to find them and administer like the Savior would. I like teaching Angela for some reason I just connect with her a lot and can't wait to teach her again - to show her the love that Jesus has to offer.
Io so che il vangelo di Gesù Cristo è speranza eterna. Io so che Joesph Smith era un profetà di Dio e che Joseph Smith ha avuto la potere di Dio. Anche, grazie l'Espiazione di Gesù Cristo possiamo tornare a Dio e possiamo avere famiglia eterna. Io so che le persone in Italia dove il vangelo di Dio e voule famiglia eterna. Io so che Gesù Cristo vive e Dio ci ama. Io so che Dio si ama il persone in Italia.
I saw Sister Orth 10 days ago but haven't seen her since. Also I saw Sister Felhauer last Wednesday. I made the Canadian flag out of gummy fish on an Elders bed because we have a friendly feud about Canada. So I left him a gift on his bed, ha-ha. We did Matrix pictures last P-Day and they turned out well. That’s about all that really happened this week.
Oh and John 8:12 (Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, I am the light of the world:he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.) is what I would like on the plaque also if he can (Tutti persone possono ascotare il vangelo di Gesù Cristo!) I look forward to finding out more about what has been going on next week.
Sincerely Anziano Luening
