GUIDElines 2000 Vol I, No 8 – September 8, 2000

Dear Paige:

This is getting exciting!  We're beginning to have a "little band."  I've added you to the registrants email list and will get something to you each day or so, I imagine.

Tell me a little about you and what you hope to get out of ZionsArmy.com.

Also, what do you like most about the site?  How did you find us?

Bro. P.

Hi!  I am a cyber-friend of Leslie's from the scrapbook sites.  I happened to notice that many of the participants were from Utah and Arizona and would occasionally say something that just made me think that they would be LDS, and they were!  Just shows you that you can't *hide* when you are a full-on follower of Christ.

Leslie is the one who sent out a mass e-mail inviting many of her friends to check out your site.  Last night I checked it out and although I do have some reservations because I don't know how to *open my mouth* (my patriarchal blessing says that I will be an example to others and they will ask about the light coming from me - not me *shouting the good news from the rooftops*. I figure your inspiration will help me to work on this area that has not yet been developed.

My parents joined the church when I was 6 (tracted out), met my husband in Sunday School when we were 7, married in the temple, two kids and one more child will join our family when the time is right. I didn't wander around your site much, but I felt I should sign up for the newsletter for some earthly inspiration to get on with my spiritual progression.  I look forward to your e-mail newsletters!

Paige

Hi!  Paige:

Scrapmom3 is somthin' else, isn't she.    She has been a grrrr8! help to me with these two new sites.

Thanx! for answering my questions.  You are the perfect person we are looking for at ZionsArmy.com.  Someone who already is cybersavvy, understands that life is busy but we can get it done if we try, and wants to know more about being a better member missionary.  Our Youth Guides, Leslie was one, were the busiest people in the world!  Yet, they accomplished
miracles in the Gardens.

Here's how you can.

On the ZionsArmy.com home page is the Tool Chest.  I'd like you to click on Standard of Performance and read about it.  It will teach you how to get ready to approach those the Lord puts in your path.  Studying the gospel may be a chore unless you approach it the easy way.  Be sure that the Ensign, New Era, Friend and any books you may have by General Authorities
are where you can read them in snatches throughout the day.  If you have five minutes, open the Ensign almost anywhere and find a quick story you can read.  You can look at the end of the article and it will say, Gospel Topics:  Atonement, keeping covenants, obedience (or whatever that article is about).  These are the topics of a future conversation you can have with someone.  "You know, just yesterday I was reading an article that was about obedience.  It said...." Get the idea?  Recently they have come out saying that if you exercise in snatches all during the day, the accumulative effect is as good as if you had done it all at once!

Of course, I would encourage you to read in the Book of Mormon daily.  My wife and I read a chapter either at breakfast or dinnertime, but then again, we don't have any kids at home, so we can pretty well do what we want.  The idea is the accumulative effect on your spirit and mind is worth the effort.  If you can honestly say that you are studying the gospel daily (whether it is 5 and 10 minutes snatches here and there or a full hour before everyone else gets up) then the way you look at yourself will improve and you will feel more confident in knowing you're on the right track.

Next, SETADATE.  There are two parts to it.  The first part is before you set the date and the second part is after.  Simple!  Before you set the date you have not proved to the Lord that you have the faith that you really can find someone to refer to the missionaries.  As you pray about a date will come to mind. As soon as you set a date, the spiritual part --faith—the part that went on in your mind as you made the decision--has been done and you've proven you have the faith. Without works it is dead, but the works are just as easy as the date setting is.  Learn F.O.R.M. and you can talk to anyone.  The reason we want you to learn F.O.R.M. is so that you have confidence to start conversations. You're just asking a few questions to see if they are ready for the message.

If you know a little about their family, their occupation and what they do for recreation, you know whether they are happy at work, and if they spend Sundays off in the mountains or on the lake.  It doesn't mean that they don't need or want the message, it just means that some things take more work than others.  Before I joined the Church I smoked four packs of cigarettes a day.  Asking me to give that up was tantamount to asking me to cut off my arm!  I laughed the first time it was mentioned.  However, when it came down to the asking if what the Sisters was telling me was true, and getting a positive response it led to my quitting, cold turkey, within days. And I haven’t had a cigarette in 25 years! If we choose the truth, everything else falls by the wayside.

Nothing is too hard for the Lord.  Working with Him has many benefits!

As you SETADATE and begin to pray morning and night for missionary experiences, your prayers will begin to change.  It will become more important for you to be in the right frame of mind for praying and soon you will learn how to plead for the Lord's help in finding someone.

With Gospel Study under your belt, with a firm SETADATE marked on the calendar and shared with family and friends, and armed with some conversation starters, it is time to invite those you meet to come to a Church function.  You have to be aware of what is going on in the ward and stake and perhaps you have to have something to fall back on.  In your city you have a Visitors' Center, I believe, as we do in Mesa.  If nothing else, you know that it is open 7 days a week from 9 til 9 and you can go there where others will help with the work.  Keep a current list of what is happening in your ward and stake handy.

Lastly, we found that if we did it as a group we had more success.  There are many sites on the Net full of information, but when you go to your Scrappers sites and find a bunch of other girls doing the same thing and helping each other, doesn't it make you feel good?  I know Leslie loves it! We at ZionsArmy.com are doing this together.  Reach out to some of your Church friends, either on the Net or in your area, and invite them to come along on this adventure with you.

You will notice that in the space of about five minutes of reading I have completely outlined what you can do to have success as a member missionary. Success is studying, praying, getting closer to the Lord and talking to others about His Gospel. If you do that, He’ll soften the hearts of those He has chosen for you to meet.

Have a grrrr8! day!  And remember...Let's all work to grow the Church!

Bro. P.