FAREWELL
Hello everyone! Dobry den! I am Elder Starkie, I have been in the at home MTC for 8 weeks now. My calling is to the Czech/Slovak mission speaking the Czech language, though just this past Friday I received a temporary reassignment to the Cincinnati Ohio mission. It has been an exciting and stressful couple of days to say the least. Today I will be talking about how I have seen the influence of the spirit while I have prepared for my mission.
The at home MTC has been a very good experience for me. When I had first received my mission call I hoped so much that I would get to go to the MTC in person, I remember being a little disappointed when I learned that I would be receiving my missionary training remotely. While I am sure that the MTC is great, looking back, I don't think I would want to have it any other way. I have been so blessed with my amazing district that has helped me to appreciate and learn from our at home experience. One of the greatest things that I have learned from being in the home MTC is that whether in person or over zoom the spirit will be there all the same. I have loved being a part of all of the amazing classes over zoom where the spirit has resided. It is incredible to me that the spirit knows no bounds whether it be the medium of technology or passing through the translation of languages, as long as we are inviting the spirit and speaking of the truth of the gospel the spirit will testify of our words.
The spirit has helped guide the decisions I have made
The biggest decision I made in preparation for my mission was obviously deciding to go on a mission. Ever since I was a little boy singing “I hope I’m going on a mission” in primary I knew that I wanted to go on a mission. As long as I can remember I have always known that I wanted to serve a mission someday, and having both of my siblings go out and serve their own missions only strengthened that desire. It wasn't until the time got close for me to actually turn in my mission papers and commit to serving that I realized that wanting to go on a mission didn't necessarily make it easy to. Giving two years of my life and being with those I love to serve God has been the hardest decision I have ever made, but through the assurances of the holy ghost I know that it was a good decision.
During my MTC experience I have had to make various decisions every day, whether it be “ should I wake up and get some exercise in or just lay in bed for another 30 minuets?” or “how can I best prepare to teach about the restoration tomorrow?”. While I have not been perfect with these decisions, I have seen and felt the direction of the holy spirit guiding me toward my potential. I know that if I follow the promptings of the holy ghost I can be a successful missionary and a true disciple of Christ. I know that when we follow the promptings of the holy ghost we cannot be led astray.
The spirit has guided the things I have said.
The scariest thing about being a missionary has always been that I was afraid that I wouldn’t know what to say when I am teaching someone, add in that I will be speaking a completely different language and it becomes even worse. I have often been worried that someone would ask me a question or ask to hear my thoughts about something, and I would only be able to stare back at them dumbfounded. I have always heard and had faith that the holy ghost would guide and direct my words as I teach, but over the course of my home MTC experience I have gained a testimony of it. The MTC has a program where the missionaries can practice teaching discussions with people acting as investigators, the first time that my companion, Elder Allred, and I gave one of these practice lessons we learned a valuable lesson. Elder Allred and I had created a very long and specific lesson plan that we had planned to teach the first lesson with, but when we joined the zoom meeting with the investigator my computer decided to have audio issues. For the first 10 minutes of the 20 minute meeting I worked on solving my microphone problem while elder Allred gave smalltalk. When I was finally able to join the discussion we had much much less time than we had planned for. Our extensive lesson plan went out the window, and the conversation moved towards prayer. Elder Allred and I hadn’t been planning on talking much in depth about prayer, but we both knew what to say. In the end we didn’t get around to teaching the whole first lesson like we had planned, but I feel like the lesson went exactly where it needed to go. While at the time I was frustrated that my computer hadn’t worked correctly at first, I am now grateful, looking back, that I was able to have that experience of having my words guided by the spirit and letting the lesson be what that specific investigator needed.
The spirit has helped me remember things I have studied
During my MTC experience I have had to spend a lot of time studying. I have studied the scriptures, I have studied preach my gospel, I have studied the lessons, and last but certainly not least, I have been studying the Czech language. With so much to do and so much to learn it is incredible that I have been able to remember anything that I have studied. When preparing to teach or even during lessons I am always amazed at what the spirit prompts me to remember, whether it be a personal experience that I have had that relates to the topic, a scripture that I read recently or even Czech vocabulary that I had forgotten. I know that I have had god’s help as I have tried to learn how to teach the people of the Czech Republic, I know that without the guidance of the spirit I would not have even the small amount of preparation that I have gained from my MTC experience.
The spirit has given me comfort in times of stress and anguish.
I have loved my MTC experience, I am so grateful for my amazing district and my amazing teachers who have all taught me so much. At home MTC has been a great experience for me, I have learned so much and I’ve had a lot of fun with my district, that said it has not been without trials. There have been many times where I have felt sad, lonely, or discouraged. Learning Czech has been one of the bigger sources for my discouragement because as the elders and sisters in my district could tell you, Czech is a hard language. But through every trial and every hardship, every time that I have felt discouraged, I have had the spirit as my companion to help pick me up. Pretty soon I’ll be leaving to go and actually teach people, which I am still scared half to death about, But I am so glad that I know I will not be alone. God cares about me, and he cares about the work that I will be doing on my mission. I am so grateful for the gift of the holy ghost and the blessings that the spirit brings to our lives. As I mentioned earlier, I recently received a temporary reassignment to cincinnati ohio. Just a few days ago I was almost certain that I was going to be going straight to the Czech republic, today I am almost certain that I will not. I am grateful for the comfort of the holy ghost that has helped me through this emotional rollercoaster. I know that this temporary reassignment was given to me through the same power and authority that my original assignment was. I know that there is work to be done all around the world, and I am glad to know that I can be useful to God wherever I go. I am sure that my mission has plenty more surprises in store for me, but I know that no matter what happens I will always have God there to help me through whatever challenges arise.
Listening to the holy ghost.
In one of the MTC devotionals that I watched with my district Dale G Renlund compared listening to the holy ghost to listening to a stethoscope, He talked about how just like using a stethoscope effectively, listening to the spirit takes effort. He talked about how learning to use a stethoscope takes years of careful practice, like practicing to use a stethoscope we must also prepare ourselves to be able to listen to the promptings of the holy spirit. Elder Renlund also talked about removing distractions. Like listening to a stethoscope, listening to the spirit is much harder to do when there is a lot of other noise. Making time for quiet reflection each day can be a great way to listen to the quiet promptings of the holy ghost. In the wise words of Starší Allred, Bůh miluje ucili. God loves effort. As we put forth effort to hear the still small voice of the spirit we will be blessed with a greater ability to hear and understand the promptings of the spirit.
Sharing the spirit with others.
As a missionary it is my purpose to invite others to come unto christ, I am supposed to introduce people to the gospel of christ and show them that it is true. As just an ordinary person my words don’t hold a whole lot of weight, I could not convert anyone by myself, but if I can help people to feel and recognise the spirit then they will be able to know for themselves that this message is true. I hope that I will be able to help others to feel the joy of the holy spirit in their lives because I know that if I can do that, if I can have the spirit teach with and through me then I will be a successful missionary. As a missionary I am so excited to be able to introduce others to the holy ghost and hopefully eventually help them receive the gift of the holy ghost for themselves.
Testimony
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