Week 62: Transactional to Transformational Pt 1

Odds and Ends

●We picked up a bajillion pokey pinecones 🍂 then we had lunch with Ferman and Sherry

●Sister Bruce wore a collared shirt and had deaconitis real bad!

●Our zone has had a big push for member present lessons, and so the zone leaders made a song, entirely improv, about their member present lessons that day.

●We had lunch at Another Broken Egg on pday... we got 3 different orders and rotated plates around the table. Work smarter not harder!

●We had Bonfire district pday! The elders made ribs, almost all of them showed up in flannels, we got to meet all the chickens and pigs on the members property, and we played bananagrams and spoons! Core memories right there. Best pday ever!

●A member home had a sacred Grove painting in their home... so gorgeous!

●We made deep fried oreos. Yummy. But not worth the calories.

●We went to set up an activity at the church and it smelt BAD. Like something had burnt. We hurried and scoured the kitchen and started looking through other classrooms. We come across the Smiths, and apparently, Sister Smith had MEGA burnt popcorn in the church microwave and almost started a fire. Even when we came back to the church that evening, it still smelled bad haha!

●Sister Mickelson did a curly hair bun for my hair....so cutie. I felt like a princess!

●Sister Mickelson was standing below me on some porch steps, and I was looking at her head... we may or may not have found a gray hair. Looks like the mission gave her a singular gray hair!

●We had pasta 4 times in the past 6 days. Was it all yummy? Of course! But a little crazy.

●Sister Bruce just learned how to use the cut function (like copy, paste, cut? Yeah 🤣)

Miracles

★We were able to encourage the youth to serve missions by making our own missionary jeopardy!!

★We were able to teach the 5th Sunday lesson to encourage missionary and member involvement to help our friends progress in the gospel!

★We got our bananagrams H tile back with the help of Elder and Sister Smith snatching it during car inspections! Woohoo!

★We watched a video with Evarly and Haven that talked about Jesus and His life. We had them draw Jesus and asked what they learned. Haven said that she wants to be baptized! We still have to work with the family, but she has really potential!

★Fabio hyped Brandon up at our lesson! He was helping him realize that baptism is to help with our mistakes after baptism too. He is almost 100% getting baptized this weekend! Pray haaaarrrrddd! He's almost gone a month of no smoking, and he's more prepared than anyone I've taught. HE'S SO CLOSE!!!

★ANOTHER miracle is our friend Sandra. She's a part member family, and we just had our first return appointment! She opened up to us about her whole situation with the church, and how her baptism and being sealed to her family had the most memorable impact on her. She also told us that after the last time we stopped by, her son Chase read some of the Book of Mormon! We are so happy to have gained a good relationship with Sandra to help her son learn more about the gospel! Still in the love stage, but we are making big progress!

★I was walking in the store on pday and I say "SISTER WHITE????!!!" A member from my VERY FIRST AREA just happened to have a hair appointment up in Lexington and HAPPENED to stop at Walmart! I got to recount memories with her. Gotta love it!!!

★We were sleeping peacefully the night before zone conference, and all of a sudden...CHIRP CHIRP BEEP BEEP BEEP we all awaken in absolute confusion. The fire alarm was going off. My comps got out of bed, and I looked at them to see if they'd fix it. The beeping continued. I would've stayed there if I wasn't thinking it might be carbon monoxide. So we get our hoodies and shoes on and stand on our little porch. Then we call Elder Mueller. My compañeros laughed at me because I answered like "gOoD mOrNiNg ElDeR mUeLlER" even though it was BARELY morning. Poor guy, it's literally midnight and 3 sisters are slurring their words in exhaustion trying to explain the situation. He said we'd be fine and safe, but just to be sure we opened out window in our room to let fresh air in just in case carbon monoxide was poisoning us. I'm in the middle of our 3 beds and my head is by the window. So if anyone was going to live, it would've been me. But we all woke up the next morning Hallelujah!

Spiritual Thought

We reviewed something in zone conference I wanted to share. This is one of my favorite things President Monson has taught me: transactional obedience transformational obedience. He referenced a talk given by Elder Bednar. Below are must-understand principles before reading on.

Transactional Obedience- if I obey commandment A, then God will give me blessing B.

Transformational Obedience- comes from our love for God.

Its easy to follow God's commandments and expect an outcome you planned on. But we have to take a step back and realize. GOD HAS A BETTER PLAN. So don't be fooled by the ease of of following the commandments for satisfaction of getting what you want in blessings. If you look at it that way, keeping commandments almost seems like bribery. The prophet has asked us to live a higher and holier way. Any obedience is great, but transformational obedience is BETTER! To love God so much that you would do anything He asked because you KNOW he knows your needs best, and to do it because you want to live with Him again- THATS the kind of love that transforms you. Transactional obedience disregards God's will and timing. I know I'm not perfect at always being transformationally obedient, but when I am, I can see the change in myself. I need to trust in His will. Just like the song "Thy will be done, oh Lord not mine..." (Luke 22:42) So as I increase my love for God, I align my own will with God's, and I EXPERIENCE MORE CHANGE! Reflect please, and ponder how you can make your obedience to what God has asked of you more transformational.

Birthdays

None:)

Pictures