Ward Mission Meeting #2

So last night I had my 2nd official Ward Mission Meeting.  I guess the ward mission leader, Brother O, and his wife were out of town last week, and forgot to tell anyone that the meeting was cancelled.  Well basically forgot to tell me that the meeting was cancelled.  Oh well, my feelings weren’t really hurt.  I proposed all the things I came up with for the harvest carnival and they LOVED IT, all we need is for the bishopric to approve and we can get this party on the road.  I know it will be very stressful getting it ready since I have 2 jobs already, but the Lord will be there to help me along the way.

So during our meeting we wrote down 2 names to invite the idea of meeting with the missionaries.  I came up with my 2 names and possibly a 3rd name, hopefully I will be able to invite them.  We also talked about ways to help loved ones that have fallen away from the church.  I always take notes when I am at any church thing, and I came up with a list to help a friend or family member that have fallen away from the church:

- Pray for them … I know it’s kind of a cliché, but obviously it works.  You can pray for them in your day to day prayers or even put their names down on the prayer list in the temple.  Heavenly Father listens to each of our prayers, and he’s sending them nudges back to the church, some big, but most of them are small.

- Talking to them, but not forcing them to come back.  People don’t like to be put on the spot, I know I don’t.  And when you are trying to force someone to come back to church, they will most likely get upset and will make them not want to come back even more.  Try inviting them to a church activity, or when you have the missionaries over have them come along.  But never force them.  I know I’ve said it 800 times already, but it’s true.

- When they do come back, welcome them back with open arms.  Welcome them as if they never left, which will probably make them feel better when they come back.

- Love them!  Love them the same way you did when were still in the church.  Don’t hate them for it, they do know that you feel bad, and they never intend on breaking your hearts.  Also, they’re your family, you should love them no matter what, that’s what being a family is all about … being there for each other.  

There is a great talk by Elder Brent H. Nielson in the April 2015 General Conference.  He talked about how his sister left the church, and their family journey as she slowly came back to the church.  It’s a wonderful talk which you can read here: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/waiting-for-the-prodigal?lang=eng.  Hopefully you learned something from this, I sure did.