My Ohio Columbus Mission (OCM) News Letter for the Month of December!

HELLO OCM! WHAT AN EXCITING TIME OF THE YEAR. THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST SURROUNDS US! ITS TRULY A REMARKABLE TIME TO BE ON EARTH. WHAT A BLESSING AND OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE TO BE HERE AS MISSIONARIES….

ELDERS AND SISTER WE WANT YOU TO KNOW WE LOVE YOU AND ARE HONORED TO BE SERVING WITH THE ELITE. WE HOPE THE BEST FOR ALL OF YOU.

KNOW ALSO PRESIDENT AND SISTER NILSEN LOVE YOU. WE HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING CLOSELY WITH THEM. WE SEE THE

DEVOTION AND PURE LOVE

THEY HAVE FOR ALL OF YOU. THEY ALWAYS HAVE HUGE SMILES ON THEIR FACES WHEN THEY HEAR ABOUT ALL YOUR NEAT EXPERIENCES, AND THEY EXPRESS THE DEEPEST CONCERN WHEN ONE OF THEIR MISSIONARIES IS FEELING DOWN.

STORY TIME:

THERE WAS A MAN NAMED JOHN, WHO LIVED ON THE 5^TH STORY OF AN APARTMENT BUILDING. ONE DAY, SINCE HE DIDN’T HAVE TO WORK, HE DECIDED TO TAKE A MID-DAY NAP. HE LAYED ON THE COUCH AND WENT TO SLEEP. NEXT THING HE KNEW HE WAS WAKING UP TO LOUD FIRE ALARMS AND A SMOKE FILLED ROOM. PANICED, CONFUSED, AND GASPING FOR AIR IN MIDST OF A BLACK CLOUD OF SMOKE. HE MANAGED TO FEEL HIS WAY OVER TO HIS WINDOW. HE OPENED THE WINDOW AND SMOKED BILLOWED OUT. HE COULD NOT SEE A THING, THE BLACK SMOKE CLOUDED HIS VISION. HE STUCK HIS HEAD OUT THE WINDOW AND DESPERATELY CRIED FOR HELP. STILL BLINDED BY THE SMOKE HE HEARD SOME ONE YELL

“ JUMP! WE GOT A NET DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH TO CATCH YOU!”

HE THOUGHT ABOUT IT, AND HE WANTED TO SO BADLY BUT HE JUST COULDN'T SUMMON UP THE COURAGE TO JUMP TO HIS FREEDOM. HE WAS TO SCARED AND COULD NOT MAKE THE EFFORT ON HIS OWN TO JUMP OUT OF THE SMOKE FILLED ROOM, WHICH WOULD ULTIMATELY LEAD TO HIS DESTRUCTION. KNOWING THAT HE NEEDED TO JUMP BUT LACKED THE FAITH TO DO SO, JOHN SAID A PRAYER BEGGING HEAVENLY FATHER TO HELP HIM. THEN JOHN HEARD A FAMILIAR VOICE,

“ JOHN THIS IS YOUR NEIGHBOR FROM DOWN THE HALL, YOU HAVE TO JUMP THEY WILL CATCH YOU!”

THAT SIMPLE FAMILIAR VOICE GAVE JOHN COURAGE, TRUST, ASSURANCE, AND THE FAITH HE NEEDED. JOHN THEN TOOK A STEP OF FAITH AND LEAPED FROM HIS WINDOW AND LANDED SAFELY IN THE NET.

SYMBOLISM OF THE STORY

LOUD FIRE ALARMS: NOISE AND CHAOS OF THE WORLD

BLACK SMOKE: SATAN CLOUDING PEOPLES VISION.

1^ST VOICE INVITING TO JUMP: MISSIONARIES.

PRAYER: PEOPLE ARE CRYING FOR HELP AND DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIND IT.

FAMILIAR VOICE: MEMBERS.

IN TODAY'S WORLD PEOPLE LIVE IN CHAOS, CLOUDED VIEWS, AND UNCERTAINTY. THEY ARE DESPERATELY SEARCHING FOR HELP. WE AS MISSIONARIES ARE THE ONES HOLDING THE NETS ASKING THEM TO TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH AND JUMP. EVEN THOUGH THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING WILL LEAD TO THEIR DESTRUCTION. OUR INVITATIONS AS MISSIONARIES, TO PARTAKE OF SALVATION, STILL ISN'T ALWAYS ENOUGH TO GET THEM TO TAKE THAT LEAP OF FAITH. WHAT THEY NEED IS A FAMILIAR VOICE. A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH WHO THEY CAN TRUST. SOME ONE THAT CAN ENCOURAGE AND SUPPORT THEM.

NUFF SAID.

REMINDERS

COOK BREAKFAST

100% MEMBER PRESENT AFTER FIRST LESSON

EFFECTIVE PLANNING.

WE LOVE YOU ALL! CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YA AT THE DEVOTIONALS!

PLEASE BE ON TIME, EVEN EARLY. BE ORDERLY AND COME PREPARED TO HAVE SOME GOOD OL’ OCM FUN!

Love, Elders Steglich and McClellan

Thank you Mom! I love you!

Yeah I just haven't had a full prep day and probably won't for awhile... =/ Yesterday we had a Christmas devotional which took place instead of our prep day so we only get to email today... so maybe next week I can write back to everyone.

 I have been out 4 months now!!

I'm so happy that Tommy was able to be helped out with my last letter. I've decided that not a lot of missionaries share what they learn or how their mission is teaching them to help improve their missions.

Our Mission President  has also been pushing what we call "No Sad Sundays"  What it means is… we go over to an investigators house and make them breakfast, while they prepare to get ready for church... it also gives us service opportunities…like doing their dishes for them. In so doing, it allows the spirit to be strong in there home… so that the adversary can't temp them to not go to church. It has been bringing success in our mission. We have plans to do this for the upcoming Sunday.

Last week we stopped by a former investigator and invited her and her husband to our ward Christmas party. We also expressed how the ward had been missing her at Church. Since she hadn't been attending…she was touched. She and her husband both came to the Christmas party and the next day she was at Church…. =)… just by a simple invitation!!

We set up an appointment at a members home for our “ministering visits” on Thursday the 13^th, which will be powerful because our Mission President and Stake President will be there to teach her!... =D… Hopefully she will gain the faith to decide to be baptized!! So please pray for us! Also pray that we can get some more investigators for that night!!!

 At the Christmas Devotional

 I was able to be with Taylor at our Christmas Devotional yesterday! …man… he has grown so much!  He is a strong and powerful missionary! He is truly  one of my best friends!!... =D Just in the short time we were able to eat and talk together I could feel the brotherly love from him! =)

I have also been thinking of how I wish I could have been… as prepared as I am now. Which is funny, I remember hearing the missionaries always saying that.  Looking back… I would try for a while to read the Book of Mormon daily and try to do real scripture study on my own but... I never really knew what or how I should be preparing.

So this is some helpful advice:

1. Read the Book of Mormon everyday at least 30 minutes.

2. Learn the Joseph Smith story and memorize his experience that he gives... (The short version)  "I saw a pillar of light... exactly above my head... which descended gradually until it fell upon me..... When the light rested upon me, I saw two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me… calling me by name and said pointing to the other "This is my beloved Son Hear him!"

3. Next learn the 1st lesson in Preach My Gospel.

4. Have a scripture for every principle that you can use, at hand if needed.

5. Especially continue to learn more and strive to broaden your understanding and knowledge as well as simplicity and power in your message.

Well I am running out of time!

 I love you all!

 Elder Henke