'the Lamanites... are the principal ancestors of the American Indians'

Dear Sister Bassett,

I wanted to let you know of some of the miracles that we've seen as we have been using The Book of Mormon more. My goal has been to have a give-a-way copy of the Book of Mormon in my hands at all times. Through doing this, I've been able to use it in TTIs and see peoples' hearts soften and agree to meet with us.

Two days ago, we had dinner with a recent convert from another area who just moved into our area. During dinner, her son's fiancee said she was Navajo. For our after dinner message we read the introduction to The Book of Mormon. I asked her to read the second paragraph in which it says, "...the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians."

She was visibly touched and had a great sense of urgency in learning more about this book. She said she had grown up in a small, primarily LDS town in Southern Utah and no one had ever told her that. We invited her to learn more and to attend a Stake Missionary Fireside with Signa (the recent convert) that evening. She came to the fireside, and we taught her the first lesson yesterday. When she gave the closing prayer, she prayed that her fiancee and Signa's husband would "open themselves to this, because she was really into it."

The Book of Mormon truly is God's chosen tool for us to know of the truthfulness of the Gospel and the Restoration.

Thank you for your message and testimony at last Zone Conference.

Love,

Sister Tomoser

Fact or Fiction

Dogs hate mailmen and missionaries.

Fact or Fiction?

You decide.

OK, so my foot wasn't actually in the shoe while the dog was chewing on it. Still, it was a HUGE dog. It looked like a pony; a big, black, shaggy pony with the head of a bear. (New Foundling maybe?) I also used to think that Beethoven-type dog slobber was a movie stunt, but this dog proved that wrong, too. Gross.

So, what is your best dog story from the mission?

All You Have to Do is Ask

I hadn't seen my friend Nicole since before the mission. She had moved to Jacksonville, FL and I hadn't even talked to her since I returned. This Sunday we were able to meet up for about an hour while she was in town. She asked me about the mission and we had a great time, as if I had never left. I had really been praying for missionary experiences that week, and two days after seeing Nicole she popped into my head during my scripture study. I sent her a simple text message that said "I feel like a horrible friend for never giving you the opportunity to learn about why I left for 18 months. It would mean so much to me if you would allow me to send the missionaries by to share with you the most precious thing that I have. Would that be ok?" She replied "That would be fine :-)" Nicole is someone who had boldly enforced the idea that "God is just not for me". But trusting in our friendship, she allowed me to send the missionaries by. I called in the referral (she lives 1.5 hours away from me) and I can't wait to hear how it goes. It just goes to show you that all you have to do is ask. Ask the Lord for the opportunity, then ask the person when the opportunity is presented.

Stay Focused...no distractions!

Remember this one?

Clicking on the link should take you to the slide

show on Picasa where you can download individual pictures.

If it doesn't work, let me know.

Expanding or Shrinking?

I loved this thought that Steff Warren shared with me about the struggle to continue sharing the gospel after going home.

I knew that missionary work had started to be OUT of my comfort zone within the last two weeks, and I needed to do something drastic to fix that... I pulled over to help someone on the side of the road and gave them a card. No matter how uncomfortable I was. That principle never seems to change: you have to step out of your comfort zone, so the Lord can help your zone increase! What we DON'T emphasize enough, is that if you stay IN your comfort zone... IT SHRINKS! All of that explanation was me saying 'Yes, I will share some experiences because I think it will also help inspire me'. "

Haven't you found that to be true? There's no standing still in the gospel. You're either pressing forward or you're sliding back. No one wants to, or should, let their spirituality slip post-mission. The trick is how do you move forward? Elder LeSueur shared this thought with us, "It is easier to accelerate your efforts than to maintain them." Interesting, huh! The more I think about that, the more it seems to be true. Even though we go home and our focus broadens, we can increase our abilities by finding new ways and opportunities to be 'member-missionaries." What ideas have you found to keep accelerating your progress?

PS Look for past posts with stories from Steff and other RM's for experiences being a member missionary.

Coming and Going and Coming Back