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Sharing the Gospel Requires Practice
By Rebecca | April 27, 2008
This week I followed my own advice and gave out several copies of the March 2008 Ensign, Special Edition on Jesus Christ. I gave one to my daughter’s gymnastics teacher and another to my brother-in-law and his new wife. I have never been on a mission, and I have never been very comfortable discussing the church with non-members. Usually when I give someone a Book of Mormon or pamphlet, I wrap it up or hide it under a plate of cookies.
This time, I was determined to share the Ensign as a thing of worth and value on it’s own merit and back it up with my testimony. I selected several articles and marked them with post it notes. (I particularly liked “We Believe” (pg 54) and “Plain and Precious Truths” (pg 68) because they explain, in a simple, straight-forward manner, some of our doctrines about the Savior and his gospel that may be different from other faiths.) When I presented the Ensign, I opened to the marked articles, briefly described what it was about, why I liked it and why I thought the person would be interested in it.
With the gym teacher, she had expressed an interest in the doctrines of the LDS faith. She had previously asked questions about things she had read or heard about “Mormons.” My brother-in-law has not been active for many years. His wife was not familiar with the church but wanted to know about the religion that her husband had been taught in his youth. Since their marriage last year, she has asked thoughtful questions of him and members of his family. I loved and respected all of these people. Their interest and my love for them made sharing the message easier for me.
However, the greatest factor in easing my tension is that over the past several years I have had regular opportunities to teach the gospel. Primarily, I teach the gospel to my children in my home. I bear my testimony weekly in Family Home Evening. I read scriptures with them and answer their questions about life by teaching gospel principles. In my ward, I attend the Gospel Essentials class to fellowship investigators and new members. It has been a wonderful opportunity for me to practice sharing my experiences and testimony in a comfortable environment. Visiting Teaching is another chance to teach simple but beautiful truths of the gospel and testify of their impact in my life.
All of this practice helped to prepare me to share the gospel this week. I was able to sound confident and knowledgeable even though I was quaking inside. I even found that I was less nervous the second time around than I had been the first time. The conversation with my sister-in-law went so well that we ended up giving her a Book of Mormon so that she could look up scriptures referenced in the magazine.
I am grateful for the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and to share the gospel. I am grateful for the commandment to share the gospel. I am grateful for the organization of the church and the inspiration of church leaders that offer tremendous support to those who are seeking the gospel as well as those who are seeking to share the gospel.
Topics: Book of Mormon, Friends, Missionary Work, Relief Society, Young Women |
April 27th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
[…] Jeff from Tucson, AZ wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI gave one to my daughter’s gymnastics teacher and another to my brother-in-law and his new wife. I have never been on a mission, and I have never been very comfortable discussing the church […] […]