Those of you who remember talking about the “12 second challenge” That happened last year august will love what is happening now. The purpose of this challenge was not only to get us to talk to more people, but to challenge them to be baptized, using the Book of Mormon. Here is an example of what we were challenged to do at least 10 times per day: “Hello! If you knew in your heart that this Book, the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ, was true, and thus that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is His true church, would you join us and be baptized?” There can be many variations to this. Here is one that Elder Alonso shared with us: “Hello! We are your missionaries, and we are here to baptize you into Christ’s true church!”
While not taking any emphasis off working with part member families, our mission president wants us all to challenge 10 people a day to baptism, using the BOM. Let’s start on December 1, and do at least 10 per day for the whole month. Just talk to people and challenge them wherever you see them. It shouldn’t take any more time. Be creative, but be bold and fast! If each companionship does this, we will have challenged nearly 14,000 people to be baptized by New Years Eve. Have fun. Have faith. Be obedient. Be prayerful. Expect miracles. This simple exercise will bring passion and excitement to your day.
As I was reading in Alma 57 today, I likened Helaman’s 2000 stripling warriors to you. Starting in verse 20: And as the remainder of our army were about to give way before the Lamanites, behold, those two thousand and sixty were firm and undaunted.
21: Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; . . .
22: And now behold, it was these my sons, . . . to whom we owe this great victory; . . .
25: . . . according to the goodness of God, and to our great astonishment, and also the joy of our whole army, there was not one soul of them that did perish; . . . .
26: And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe – that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his miraculous power.
27: Now this was the faith of those of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually.
So how did Helaman’s 2,000 develop that exceeding faith, that they did not doubt, which led to miracles? I believe it was because, as it states in verse 21, “they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness;” How are we doing on obedience? Do we obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness? If we do, we will have exceeding faith, and we will not doubt. This is what it takes to get the kind of miracles that Helaman’s 2,000 earned.
But we have really been working with some part member families here in mandeville, speaking of that we have a young man by the name of mosiah who is being baptized this next week! I am so excited and in the process of that we have been able to reactivate the mom and one of the daughters so we are seeing so many miracles!
