Dad finished up teaching his course yesterday. He was very pleased with how things went overall and received some positive feedback from the guys on the course. We were able to stay in Melbourne to complete the course so we were really happy about that. Dad had to go to the airport late on Thursday and Friday night this week as that was the time they were able to use the plane to complete the hands-on part of the course with the guys. Dad was able to have as much time as he wanted on the plane and so was able to give the guys a very thorough look at the cockpit which was the part he was mainly focused on.
Dad asked his company if we could stay in Melbourne for a few days and so we don't have to leave here until Tuesday morning. We wanted to catch up with a few people before we left. Ian (a guy who served his mission in HB and who lives in Melbourne) met us at church today and then came over to our house for lunch. We didn't have much to offer him as we had let our supplies run down since we are leaving on Tuesday. We had a really nice visit with him, though. We have also planned on going to see our friends, Wendy and Norm (Nana's friends) tomorrow, which we are really looking forward to. We especially want to treat them out to lunch to thank them for hosting us at their place when Nana and Warren were here.
The weather in Melbourne was not very conducive to going for walks this week. Melbourne is known for cloudy skies and rain and it didn't vary from that much this week. We did get to go out for a lovely walk yesterday, though. When I was in Canada, Dad was going for a walk almost every day (when the weather held up) and he preferred to go to this park nearby where we are staying. So, that's where we went for our walk yesterday. It is a lovely park full of trees, shrubs and grass - and because of the rain, it's really green. Dad and I even commented that it reminded us of our trip to Ireland (which has so many shades of green, you wouldn't believe it!). My camera stopped working in Canada and so I wasn't able to get any photos of the park - when I get a new camera and we get back to Melbourne, I will take some photos so that you can see how beautiful it is there. It was a cool day which was perfect for a long walk and we really enjoyed getting out in the fresh air and sunshine.
I loved watching General Conference today - here in Australia, they download the conference videos during the week after the conference is shown in North America and then broadcast it the following Sunday. The talk which really spoke to me was given by Elder M.Russell Ballard entitled "Following Up". In it, he spoke of the importance of sharing the gospel with others. In part, he said "may I suggest that we can all be more consistently involved in missionary work by replacing our fear with real faith, inviting someone at least once a quarter—or four times every year—to be taught by the full-time missionaries. They are prepared to teach by the Spirit, with sincere and heartfelt inspiration from the Lord. Together we can follow up on our invitations, take others by the hand, lift them up, and walk with them on their spiritual journey.
To help you in this process, I invite all members, regardless of your current calling or level of activity in the Church, to obtain a copy of Preach My Gospel. It is available through our distribution centers and also online. The online version can be read or downloaded at no cost. It is a guidebook for missionary work—which means it is a guidebook for all of us. Read it, study it, and then apply what you learn to help you understand how to bring souls to Christ through invitation and follow-up. As President Thomas S. Monson has said, “Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together, to work together, to labor in the Lord’s vineyard to bring souls unto Him.”
There are practical ways for members to help and support our remarkable missionaries. For example, you can tell the missionaries that you are studying Preach My Gospel and ask them to show you what they are learning in their studies. As you share with each other, increased confidence between members and full-time missionaries will surely develop, just as the Lord commanded:
“But that every man [and woman] might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world.”7
And “Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.”8
Brothers and sisters, can you imagine the impact if family and friends included things they are learning from their personal study of Preach My Gospel in their letters and emails to their full-time missionaries? Can you picture the blessings that will come to families when they know and understand better what their sons and daughters will be studying and teaching on their missions? Can you even begin to fathom the extraordinary outpouring of atoning grace that will be ours, individually and collectively, according to the Savior’s promise to all who bear testimony in the process of inviting souls to come unto Him—and then following up on those invitations?"
I have been thinking about studying "Preach My Gospel" for a while and have actually perused the book to see what each section talked about. Dad and I want to serve a mission one day and know that this book can really help us to be better missionaries. I have even kept on hand in my Inbox a series of Family Home Evening lessons which will help us to use the book more effectively. Dad and I both want to start studying these lessons and plan to start this coming week.
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