This week, my
companion and I got to teach a one hour class 5 times at the local Stake
Youth Conference. The whole conference was a simulated mission. Each
Youth had a nametag, was assigned to a mission, and had a companion.
Elder McKell and I were supposed to teach what a day in the life of a
missionary is like, so we brought in bedding and really acted out waking
up at 6:30 am with all its accompanying orneriness. Then we studied
from our scriptures and included the class in a "companion study" asking
them for input on what we should teach the people we would be teaching
during the class.
We had Betty, a lady we are teaching, come in and play a real
investigator. The kids did so great at teaching her and the other
"lessons" we had. (Elder McKell and I played the other characters).
It was a lot of fun, and the Youth were pretty impressive, being so involved and actively engaged. It was sweet!
But
my miracle for the week was when I looked out at the classes and
realized that there were three kids in attendance who I taught and got
to see baptized at different times on my mission. Now these three great
youth were sitting there with glowing faces and nametags of their own,
preparing to go serve their own missions. I cannot describe how this
felt! Remembering what each of these kids were like the first time that I
met them, comparing that to this moment. The Gospel of Jesus Christ
really does change lives!
Maybe these kids will go on missions, and maybe not, but
either way, their countenances and influence will bring others to
Christ, even if it is their own children in just a few years, but this
will continue to grow and spread until a couple generations down the
road, there will be hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of exalted
saints because of the faithfulness of great people who got a lazy Elder
Bell out on his mission, who happened to be in the area where these
three Youth were being taught, who grew up to serve their own missions
and raise righteous families, and the miracle goes on and on.
No comments:
Post a Comment