Aug. 5, 2019

Saying good-bye in Shelley

Ammon missionaries

Back w/Elder Smith

Part of his zone in Ammon

Saying hi to Elder Brazier at transfers

Favorite Companion ever

 Here is Elder Trezise's letter for this week:


 Ammon is awesome! The area is on fire! This week was seriously super awesome! We got a ton done, talked to about 500 new people, found 4 new people to teach, and put someone on date to be baptized! So the work is going great! Being a Zone Leader isn't too bad. It was more hands on as a District Leader, and I have been trying to come up with ways to magnify my calling. I've come up with some pretty good ones. Zone Conference was this week, and we watched a talk called "The Character of Christ" by Elder Bednar. It's an AWESOME talk! 10/10, would recommend. It has really helped me find more charity and love for those around me, and helped me understand the Atonement more fully.

Mission Leader Council (MLC) was this week. It was a 5 and a half hour meeting with President, the Assistants, the other Zone Leaders, and the Sister Training Leaders. We set goals for the month of August, and discussed struggles the mission is having, and it was awesome! We have a great group of leaders! Of course I sat right by Elder Oringdulph, and Steele, and Rich. But one of the main things we discussed was accountability. And honestly, that topic has been on my mind a lot recently. If we don't hold someone accountable, if we don't follow up on commitments, there is no improvement. I have learned so much being out here, and I can honestly say I have seen improvement in myself. And I firmly believe that my improvement has come from the missionaries around me that hold me accountable when I fall short. It is a principle that Heavenly Father Himself made clear from the beginning. "Return and Report." Even the Plan of Salvation is basically outlined as, come down to Earth, gain a body, and then in the end, He is going to follow-up. He is going to hold us accountable. That's basically what final judgement is right? And I know sometimes it is hard, but it is 100% worth it. I had a good conversation with a missionary recently. I knew he was struggling with something, and he had covered the struggle up. I looked at him and said, "Elder. Do you trust me?" He answered yes. I then said, "I know that you have been doing this thing. I want to help you be the best missionary you can be, and I feel like this is something holding you back." We talked for about half an hour, discussing exact obedience, and coming up with solutions. It was amazing. And it all happened because I held him accountable.

 

The same principle applies in home life as well. We report things. We keep track of things. We do this so that we can hold each other accountable and measure improvement. There is a quote I love by President Monson. He said, "When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates." I know this is probably not what you thought I'd email about today, but I urge each of you to take a look at where you are at, especially with your testimony of the Gospel, and think about ways to work on it. Hold yourself accountable. In your nightly prayers to the Lord, report how you did that day, and measure your improvement. I promise that it'll strengthen your testimony. I love you all and keep you in my prayers!

 

-Elder Trezise