I am bound and determined that everyone should read this talk by Elder Uchtdorf. One of my favorite talks I have ever listened to! 

What happened last night...

STORY TIME!

Sister Anderson and I have set some pretty hefty goals for the transfer. How do we accomplish these goals? We set smaller ones, silly! And those goals lead to bigger goals, which lead to bigger goals, which lead to.... well, you get the picture.

To be quite Sister Franson because my name is not Frank, the past couple of weeks have been... fine. Just fine. Nothing spectacular or magnificent, so Sister Anderson and I decided we were going to change that, starting with following up on our goals and managing our time better.

And here's the story:

Sister Franson: "Sister Anderson, how many lessons did we set a goal to have today?"
Sister Anderson: "One."
SF: "Oh really? And how many lessons with a member present did we have today?"
SA: "One!"
SF: "Really? That's fantastic! Sister Anderson, how many other lessons did we set a goal to have today?"
SA: "Three."
SF: "And how many other lessons did we have today?"
SA: "Three!
SF: "Really?! Hmm... Sister Anderson, how many referrals did we set a goal to receive today? And how many new investigators did we set a goal to find?"
SA: "One each."
SF: "Sister Anderson, did we reach that goal?"
SA: "Why yes, Sister Franson, we did!"
SF: "And sister Anderson, how many member visits did we set a goal to have today?"
SA: "Two, Sister Franson."
SF: "And how many member visits did we make today?"
SA: "Two, Sister Franson."

Yes. We set our goals, and we MET them. Today was weekly planning. Because we have been working hard to reach our goals, and we have reached them, we set the bar a little higher for the next week. That's right. We're turning Gallatin into a missionary paradise, one lesson at a time. And it all starts with setting goals...

"Behold, I say unto you, that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted unto him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth."

-Mormon 9:21

Have an action-packed day!

Sister Franson

Something Good, Round 2

So, a while ago, I asked what it means to be blessed. Thank you so much for your comments! I love hearing how the Lord communicates with each of us in a very personal way. I've been thinking about that question again lately, about what blessed really means. And, strangely enough, part of a song from the Sound of Music comes to mind: 

"Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever could, so somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good."* 

To me, a blessing is simply something good. When the Lord gives us those "somethings", it's receiving a blessing. To go even further, something good is something that we want in our lives, something we accept, something that makes us happy, something we are grateful for, something that makes us better children of our Heavenly Father. We can obtain those good things when we do other good things- that's how it works!

So, I ask you again, look around your life, and find those blessings, those something good's in your life, and you will see how much the Lord has given you.

Have an action-packed day!

Sister Franson

*("Something Good" from the Sound of Music).

Where do you stand?

Gotta be honest. I love the missionary rules. I love every. single. one- all the way from the music we can listen to, to the length of our skirts, to the dinner appointments and time management. Does that mean that I don't struggle to keep them sometimes? Of course not. Sometimes I would really love to listen to the radio. Sometimes I would love to wear pants during the week. Sometimes it's nice to sit and visit with people for an evening who understand the fullness of the gospel. Waking up at 6:30 every morning to exercise isn't always peaches and cream. But do you know what? I love it when I obey the rules. 

Why do I love it so much? Because I can feel the Lord's love. It's one of the blessings He gives to us. I can mark a gold star for the day. I did something hard, and I did it well! Doesn't it feel good to do something right? Doesn't it feel good to know that you are better today than you were yesterday, even if today means you obeyed all the rules TWO TIMES IN A ROW!!!??? (I promise that I've been obedient to the rules for longer than two days...)

So... here's the gospel connection for the day, and I hope you think about it. There is an excellent talk written by President Boyd K. Packer talking about Lehi's dream. It talks about where people stand in the world in respect to accepting the gospel, but it also talks about the importance of the dream to everyone. There are so many applications we can take away from that dream.  There are those who accept the fruit (The gospel, or obeying rules/commandments), embrace it, and want to share it with their families. There are those who accept the fruit, and then turn away ashamed that they do so. There are those along the iron rod with one hand on the rod but looking back and reaching with their other hand to see what else there is. And of course there are those in the great and spacious building laughing and mocking at those who are eating the fruit. 

There definitely are those who don't understand why we have all the rules we have as missionaries. we as missionaries have been known to make full, drawn-out conversations as to why some rules are in place, but does it really matter? Or does the principle of simple obedience matter?

... So... Where do you stand when it comes to obeying the rules?

Have an action-packed day!

Sister Franson