what i'm learning in institute | mission prep

the power of repentance. "twas i, but 'tis not i". the blessings of repentance begin immediately.

missionary work can never be done alone.

with the spirit, you have greater power than satan.

create a delete key for your mind. when impurity enters your mind, immediately delete it. persistence is key.

d&c 109:22-23

the temple endowment trumps the mission call in importance.

wearing white in the temple = purity | we are all equal in the eyes of god.

we leave our baggage outside of the temple and after our temple experience, we find that our baggage is much lighter than before.

pray to have the gifts of the spirit, they are not just handed to you. you must humbly seek for them. as long as you are seeking that gift to serve others, the lord will give it to you. you cannot expect to receive a spiritual gift if you only want it for yourself.

want something because you want to please god.

the gift of knowledge is never ending.

when you see everyone as a child of god, it's not so hard to be rejected and keep trying.

how do we invite the spirit? alma 17:2-3

the spirit can't bring to our mind something we haven't studied beforehand. do your part.

nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.

when you start to be obedient, the lord expands your capacity to be obedient.

allow investigators time to think, that is when the spirit will speak to their heart.

thank heavenly father for the testimony you have.

the work of salvation | missionary broadcast

heavenly father has a profound, personal interest in missionary work.

use the internet to its fullest on a ward level.

"being one" implies more than working towards the same goal, we all have a part.

all members are commissioned to bring others unto christ. help the missionaries.

if a gospel invitation is not accepted, continue with friendship.

do not wait for an assignment to reach out and teach.

efforts are most effective when done out of love for christ and for the individual you are helping. an invitation coming from love will never be seen as offensive.

see your potential to help others come unto christ. fulfill your purpose. volunteer to be the one who reaches out.

while we sit together in ward council, our work begins on our knees.

"it's nice to be wanted."

as we do our best, the lord will not let us fail.

we cannot always see the end from the beginning, but the lord accomplishes his work.

wishing will not make it so, the lord expects our action.

follow impulses to check on god's children. do so out of love.

love all, not just a favored few. the work of salvation excludes no one.

act and love as christ would.

we can learn to teach. everybody is a teacher. trust that the spirit will be there.

decide to be better.

the lord is calling us to move his work forward. let missionary work become your life.

the greatest and most important duty is to preach the gospel.

members and missionaries must work together.

recommendation has been submitted

those are the four words i saw tonight as i finished filling out my mission papers, recommendation has been submitted. i'm sure you are well aware that the process has been a slow one, not because of serious issues or anything, i mostly just needed to grow up a little bit (physically, mentally, and spiritually). nine months ago was when i took that first (small) step forward into the life of a future missionary, i was afraid of what was being asked of me and i was definitely not super committed. it wasn't until january of this year that i announced my plans publicly, i'm not sure why i kept it a secret for so long, but under wraps it stayed.

even though it took me a while to get to this point, the point where my papers are in and the final preparations begin, i see now that i needed that extra time to grow. i wanted to reach a certain level of dedication and positivity before submitting something so important and life changing. not only am i certain that this is what heavenly father wants me to do, but i'm certain that this is something i want to do. i want to help people and share with them the goodness of the gospel. i think this self-confidence and determination was the missing piece preventing me from getting anything done. once you find the missing puzzle piece, everything else falls right into place. i still have interviews, but i'm nearly there. soon enough i'll have a mission call and a departure date. soon enough i will wear a nametag and become a representative of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints.

soon enough i will embark on the hardest and greatest experience of my life. and you know what? i sort of can't wait.