51. Member Missionary Work
- L Rshaw
- Oct 31, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 19, 2022
"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted"
--- Aesop (Greek storyteller; 620 B.C. - 564 B.C.)
We usually think of missionary work as a religious discussion, which it often is, but there's more than one way to share the gospel. Simple acts of sincere kindness have the power to change people's hearts. Actions speak louder than words. In any case, we shouldn't do things for others because we want something in return. We do it because we care and it's what Jesus would do. Kindness is a universal language and you don't need a missionary name tag to spread it.
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REFERRALS
It was relatively rare for my companions and me to receive a referral (referencia in Spanish) to visit someone, but when we did, it was always a blessing. A referral is exactly what it sounds like. It's long and exhaustive labor to walk down every street, two missionaries trying to talk to every person when just as easily, any member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints can befriend and invite their neighbors, coworkers, or anybody else they meet. That's why there's a common phrase in the church, "Every member a missionary". The easiest way to get in contact with the missionaries nowadays, if you don't have the opportunity to come across them in person, or through a friend, is online. Members of the Church have membership accounts that give them access to a special "referral" website to put friends in contact. But otherwise, if you wish to get in contact with the missionaries or refer someone to meet with some, anybody can visit the church's official website at: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/sg/form/request-missionary-visit
As a reminder, a "Ward" is what we call local congregations of the Church (See "Church Organization"). If a congregation is too small to operate as a full Ward, it is called a "Branch". Individuals who have been baptized into the church are either Ward members or Branch members depending on the congregation that pertains to their geographical location. So, from time to time, you will hear missionaries talking about getting most of their "referrals" from "Ward members", "members of the Ward", "Branch members", or "members of the branch".
HERMANA RANGEL
One of the elderly couples in the Ward, the L. family, introduced us to a neighbor of theirs whom we started teaching. Hermana L. accompanied us to most of Hermana Rangel's lessons. Hermana Rangel (Rahng-ehl) was an Evangelical who had stopped attending her church but was still full of faith and love of Jesus Christ. From the get-go, she lovingly drank in all that we had to say. She was honest in heart (See "Turn the Other Cheek"). She knew the truth when she heard it and she acted on what she knew was true. She had little to no issues that would prevent her from being baptized and she accepted the invitation to prepare for baptism after the first lesson (See "Sí, Dios Quiere"). We loved her as much as she loved us. We taught her very quickly and she started coming to church except when she was sick or unable to leave the house because of the cold weather which had a greater effect on her in her older age.
On one occasion, we had come by to check in on her because she didn’t make it to church and found her bedridden and ill. Her granddaughter Candy (what a name!) let us in and we took that opportunity to teach her about Priesthood Blessings (See "Priesthood" and "Administering to the Sick and Afflicted"). We explained that Elder Lopez and I, having the Melchezidek Priesthood, could give blessings -- administer to the sick and afflicted -- according to the faith of those present including herself, and according to the will of the Lord. I learned a lot about priesthood blessings while participating in the ordinance, just like when my dad went to the hospital before the mission. We blessed her and she recovered within a few days. We finished preparing her with the lessons and she was baptized.
Elder Lopez and I lived with Elder Urias (Oo-ree-ahs), and Elder Rangel who was our District Leader (See "Mission Administration"). Elder Rangel conducted the baptismal interview because that was one of his responsibilities as District Leader (See "Baptism by Immersion" and "The Baptismal Interview"). Since he had the same last name as Hermana Rangel, she asked him in the Baptismal Interview if he would baptize her. She said that he felt like her grandson, so he did. Juana Rangel Hernandez was baptized by Elder Rangel on Friday, February 27, 2015. We couldn’t protest because it was ultimately her baptism, not ours. But she did ask me to perform the confirmation, which I felt honored to do and did on Sunday, March 1, 2015.
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