Week #28, Social Media Missionary

This week has been fabulous!  As of Thursday, we were given accesses to social media to share the gospel message.  Sure, there are conditions and regulations, but we are now able to share this gospel message to all the world!  I am still in the process of cleaning up my Facebook page and making it mirror the sacred nature of my calling as a missionary before I use it actively.  After zone conference, Sister Awerkamp and I went on exchanges!  It was SO fun to be with her in Morningside Heights and in the Harlem area.  We were walking through Columbia University's campus to get to a few of our appointments! 

There were so many amazing experiences we had, just in one night!  We met with the Crystal and her beautiful family of 5 children!  They taught me so much!  They were so kind, so loving, and so inviting.  As of last year, they are new converts to the church.  Crystal is covered in tattoos and lives in the projects.  She has a part time job on top of her full time job as a single parent!  What an amazing woman! Her and her beautiful family stole my heart instantly!  I want to adopt them all! 

Later that night, we went to visit Breena.  She is an investigator and lives in the home of a member (Maritza).  Maritza's testimony was SO solid.  She is a less active member, but was bearing the most powerful testimony to Breena (in a very casual, natural, and affirmative way) that Jesus is the Christ and will be her lawyer at the judgement day.  She said she can't wait until Satan is bound for 1000 years during the millennium.  She kept testifying to her as we read through the Book of Mormon with Breena.  Maritza's faith and Breena's honest seeking further inspired me as a missionary.  I want to go out and find as many people as I can to share the gospel message with!   

We then went to our dinner appointment, who just happened to bring a non-member friend along for the ride. Josephina is from the Philippines, and has many questions regarding the church, doctrine, and beliefs of the people, as well as the culture.  It was wonderful to connect with her and to invite her to meet with the missionaries in her area.  She is considering it!  How amazing!  What a wonderful experience!

We've also seen some progression in our wonderful investigators!  They are so diligent in their searches, but almost all of them feel they need to know everything and get lightning bolt answers (haha... or so I think).  Chris and Travis have made baby steps this week that are like giant steps in my eyes! We are excited to see their progress!  And KJ and Aimee came to our ward this week to hear us speak! They are AMAZING!  We are so lucky to have all of them in our lives!  What amazing, golden people they are! So genuine...so real... so perfect!  God is good! 

Love Always,
Sister Weyandt

P.S. These are the bullet points I used for my talk this past Sunday as we introduced the new Social Media push to our ward members.  It was a hit!  Look out world, here come the Mormons!

• “The missionaries are now authorized to use the Internet in their proselyting efforts. During less-productive times of the day...missionaries will use computers ...to contact investigators and members, work with local priesthood leaders and mission leaders, receive and contact referrals, follow up on commitments, confirm appointments, and teach principles from Preach My Gospel using mormon.org, Facebook, blogs, email, and text messages.Of course, safety is paramount in this new frontier of missionary work. Mission presidents will monitor missionaries’ online work to help them remain safe in all they do.” -Elder Perry
• As of this past Thursday, we've been given access to use Skype, Facebook, blogging, and emailing as proselyting tools.

Convenience

• Update area book and records on the go
• Have planner, phone, area book, maps, pamphlets, scriptures, etc all on one device
• Allows us to teach more lessons without travel time

• Allows yourself and the world to watch comfortably from a distance and really see what we as missionaries do. Perspectives will change and hearts will be softened as they SEE.
• Allows us to teach people on their lunch break, during nap time, while traveling, etc.
• Allows us to teach those we contact in efforts to encourage them to meet with local missionaries in their area. Allows us to establish a relationship and provide a good handoff to local missionaries.
• Can connect with so many more people without being intrusive.

Changing World

• People are less likely to let strangers into their home. They're closing doors, but God is opening their hearts and eyes.
• Missionaries must adapt to the changing world. Members must change their perspectives of missionary work. It is still the same work.

Far Reaching Impact

• Young adults know how to use social media, and they know how to do it well. So, God is using those talents
• Not to simply share our belief, but to create conversation
• Hundreds and thousands will see it online, not just our Mom's. Our APF video got 25,000 views in just 5 days. Within 1 week we had 40,000 views.
• “Gets the message where people who want to see it will find it and a place where it will stay.”
• Can teach our LA or non-member family members through Facebook or Skype if they ask.

God is Hastening His Work

• “The work is hastening. Tell the people to pick up the pace.” - Brother Doxford
• “The internet was created to share the gospel.” -Elder Eyring
• “As surely as the Lord has inspired more missionaries to serve, He is also awakening the minds and opening the hearts of more good and honest people to receive His missionaries. You already know them or will know them. They are in your family and live in your neighborhood. They walk past you on the street, sit by you in school, and connect with you online. You too are an important part of this unfolding miracle. ” -Elder Andersen
• “There are many ...who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it—Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.” -D and C 123
• “This is a responsibility that we sometimes avoid because we fear that an invitation to meet with the missionaries or attend church may offend a neighbor or a friend—or even a member of our own family. However, an invitation that is born of our love for others and for the Lord Jesus Christ and our desire for the happiness of these friends and family members will never be seen as offensive or judgmental.” -Elder Holland
• Let each member realize their potential in bringing others to Christ
• “Perhaps the Lord’s encouragement to “open [your] mouths” might today include “use your hands” to blog and text message the gospel to all the world! But please remember, all at the right time and at the right place.” -Elder Uchtdorf
• Proverbs 3:5-6
• Lily baptized through Kat's blog

Conditions

• “If misused, it will be taken “swiftly and permanently”
• iPads and iPhones will have many lock downs
• Facebook to be cleaned up and used only as a proselyting tool
• “Has power to change the world or to condemn your soul” -President Morgan

Commitments

• Add us on Facebook
• Share the gospel by Christmas time

**********************************************************************Pictures:

#1- My aunts and uncle came to visit me before they went on a cruise leaving from NYC!  So fun to see them again!  And yes, we had permission :) 

#2- We went singing in Times Square as a zone!  It. Was. SWEET! #EverydayNYCMissionaries

#3- So, I'm now an online Facebook proselyting missionary!!! This was my first view of real life again!