Lesson
by Michelle
Teachings
of the Presidents of the Church
Lorenzo
Snow
Lesson
19
“Missionary
Work: “To Reach Every Human Heart””
Michelle began her
lesson by quoting from Lorenzo Snow, “There is a way to reach every
human heart, and it is your business to find the way to the hearts of
those to whom you are called.”
Michelle asked
those who are converts who were contacted first by missionaries stand
up and then she asked all those who are converts who first came in
contact with the Church to stand. There were far more converts who
were first introduced to the Church by friends than by the
missionaries.
While the
missionaries are invaluable, it is our friendships that make the
difference. We want to share something, the Gospel, with others.
Michelle asked the
converts in the audience to share their stories of introduction and
conversion to the Church.
Ann told of her
neighbors and co-workers who were members of the Church who set
wonderful examples for her. Some missionaries showed up at her
doorstep to teach her and answer her questions.
Joann spoke about
a specific family friend who had joined the Church and was so
enthusiastic that he told her family that they needed to investigate
the Church.
Michelle quoted
Lorenzo Snow, “Having received the fullness of the gospel, we
desire to help others rejoice in the same blessings.”
Kathleen related
that she had dated her husband in high school and when he went on his
mission, he challenged her to learn more about the LDS church which
she did and joined the Church.
Sylvia told the
story of when she was six, she had a friend who wasn’t a member of
the Church. She was at his house one day when her mother came to
pick her up for Primary and he said that he wanted to go too. When
they brought him home from Primary that day, his father mentioned
that he was an inactive member of the Church. Eventually, the rest
of the family was baptized.
Lisa told about a
couple of LDS students she had met while doing graduate work at
Indiana University. These students were very open about their
religion and one, in particular, mentioned that he kept the Sabbath
holy by not doing work on Sunday. That intrigued Lisa who wanted to
know more about the Church through his example.
Diana spoke about
the students in Seminary. Sometimes we take for granted the
testimonies of our children, assuming that theirs are at the same
level as ours. We need to share our testimonies, and set good
examples for our children as if they are investigators.
Michelle asked and
listed what are some effective ways to share the Gospel.
Some responses
were:
Be an example—we
have a responsibility to set an example to others outside the Church.
Invite them to
Church activities
Show how the
Gospel helps us in our everyday lives/problems
Share experiences
Community
involvement—expand our borders and who we interact with. Dispel
any misconceptions of the Church. “Cast Our Nets Wide”. We have
so much to share.
Get to know our
neighbors individually
If we live our
lives as we should, people will gravitate towards us. People feel
good when they are around us. People/friends want to know the “Good
News” we have, most times they don’t know they want it. But the
seed will be planted.
We should ask
Heavenly Father to help us to be ready, to know who needs to hear
about the Church and how we can teach them and introduce the Gospel
to them.
Follow the example
of Christ, to be more Christ-like and it is natural that others will
feel that goodness and they will feel comfortable asking questions
about the Gospel.
Don’t be afraid
to speak about the Church. We need to be ready to talk about it but
it shouldn’t be a stumbling block if we don’t have all the
answers.
Michelle closed by
saying, “We have the fullness of the Gospel and we want to share
it. We do that by living our lives and not being afraid to be who we
are as members of the Church. And don’t be shy in our beliefs and
as we do that people will see that light and goodness and will want
what we have. And I know this to be true because that is how I came
to where I am today.”
