Kenz in Knox: Don't You Dare Change Your Jersey

This week has been a good one! Did it go anything like we planned it to go? That would be a big fat NO so it seems that I am still a missionary or still a human being alive and well trusting that Heavenly Father's plan is better than anything we can come up with. Both are accurate.

But I have learned a lot this week about teamwork in missionary work, namely working together with members. Because my goodness last week when we were planning out our week everything fell into place where we were with members every single day either teaching them or having them come to a lesson with us or both. And let me tell ya it was SOOOO great. Because you know what we are all on the same team trying to figure this life thing out and ultimately the goal is to help each other back home and get there clean and in families. That is the ultimate trophy, prize, gold medal. But it takes the team to get there.

I want to share about some experiences with the dream team up here in Greeneville (sidenote the local high school football team is the Green Devils, if that isn't ironic here in the south and Bible belt I don't know what is, I cringe when people say Goooo devils!!!) But anyway I'll share stories and then I'll share my fiery half-time pep talk that has been running through my mind all week. It's a good one, so gear up and check your eyebrows because I'm fixing to singe them a little just like Elder Holland "when the game is on the line and victory is everything"

Alright first off, we went and had a lesson Monday evening with this couple from North Carolina. He is a recruiter for the Marines and she is a fairly recent convert that works as a personal trainer at the YMCA so basically they are hard core and really cool people. We loved talking with them, and drawing parallels between what he does as a recruiter and what we do as missionaries: talking to everybody, making house visits, calling people, reaching out over social media, focusing on the younger generation in their prime when they are at a crossroads, etc etc. It had a lasting impact on him because he was able to invite one of the people he had met to our Christmas activity Night in Bethlehem where church members bring in their personal nativity scenes and they are put on display and the community comes to view them and have refreshments and enjoy live music from local bell choirs and song performances from ward members (and missonaries who found out about it two days before and didn't rehearse, also "O Come O Come Immanuel" is a gorgeous song but don't EVER attempt to wing it and sing it without practicing it, I was hoping for silent night or Away in a Manger, oh well what's done is done I don't think anyone's ears bled so it must have been ok:) but anyway this mom of a guy that is in the Marines came and really enjoyed it and had never been in an LDS church building and was happy for the invite. The next day at church this same tough Marine guy got up to bear his testimony and broke down over the pulpit about how service makes your days better and how much happier you are when you reach out to others. He encouraged us to be more Christlike and gospellike, I loved it, definite peach. GO TEAM!

We went to see a ward member's less active daughter whose son wants to be baptized. He just turned 8 so it wouldn't technically be a "convert baptism" but that doesn't matter a lick to us we just want to help anyone and everyone draw closer to our Savior and make covenants with our Heavenly Father no matter their age! But we had a really good lesson with the grandma, mom, and little boy. We got the chance to share light the world and they really enjoyed it, I absolutely LOOOOVE that video, it brings the spirit and connects people and it never ever ever ceases to amaze and inspire me when I watch people's faces as they watch it and the moment it turns from the man putting glasses on the little girl's face to the Savior healing a blind woman there is a light that comes into their eyes and a smile across their face that is priceless. I just love it!!!!!! GO TEAM!

Alright y'all this might be my favorite so far. So I don't know if you remember that I share the same birthday as a girl in the ward... but regardless we were able to get to know her a lot better this week and take her with us to a lesson and my goodness her input she gave and the sincerity that she demonstrated as she bore her testimony was priceless. She is incredible I Iove her and plan on being friends long after my mission. She is AMAZING. She later posted on facebook: "After going out on a team-up with the sister missionaries in my area,I was told by one of the sisters that I would be a "companion's dream" and that is BY FAR...the best compliment I've ever received. I feel so much joy and peace when sharing the gospel with others and to hear that from a missionary,it makes me want to go on a mission that much more! I have an immense love for the gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Before you believe any rumours about the church that have been said by a non-member,ask a member or missionary yourself! I can ASSURE you that we will answer any question with kindness and respect."
I don't share this as a pat on my back because I was the one that told her that... actually
I share it because once upon a time a return missionary said that same thing to me "you'll be a companion's dream!" and I have never forgotten that, as we were talking with this girl from the ward that phrase popped into my head and so I decided to share it with her and it seems to have made an impact, and I meant it! I meant what I said and said what I meant! and I just think that she is the sweetest and is going to be an incredible missionary one day. Sister See and I speculate she'll go to Kobe, Japan so we'll just have to see!!!! GO TEAM!

Brace yourself, here comes my rant. So I was able to write a letter this week to someone from a past area where I gave him a pep talk about how in this game of life we know whose team wins but sometimes we have a hard time deciding whose jersey we are wearing. I talked to him about continuing to do the basics of prayer, scripture study and going to church, that is all what it boils down to because that is how we train for our own performance and that is how we help other people: by first helping ourselves and being as strong as possible so that we can lift others. I also wrote to him that the moment he stops doing one of those things is the moment that Satan gains a point. Now he isn't going to win in the end, we know that, but he might win in recruiting another team member if we sign over to his contracts. Which never amount to anything. I finished my letter by saying, "DON'T YOU DARE CHANGE YOUR JERSEY!" I firmly believe that, we cannot afford to change our jersey. The Lord needs us on His side, He needs us playing for His team. We know He wins, so why is there even a conflict of decision?

I hope y'all have a great week and go for gold and play your hearts out helping others along the way, because that's what teams do!!!!

"Who's on the Lord's (TEAM) who?"

DON'T YOU DARE CHANGE YOUR JERSEY!!!!

Love y'all

Love,
Hermana Hall