Each week President asks the missionaries a couple of questions that they respond to in their weekly letters. Last week he asked them to share how the statement, "the thrill of soaring begins with the fear of falling." has been part of their missions. The following are a couple of responses he received. I think it gives a pretty good picture of the growth we are experiencing.
The thrill of soaring begins with the fear of falling
"The thrill of soaring begins with the fear of falling."
There's a line in a poem that says, "What if I fall? But, oh my darling, what if you fly?" I think too many times as missionaries we get so scared of failure. We would rather set cushy goals, stay in our comfort zone, or limit our reach, just because we don't want to fail. We're dealing with people's salvation, their eternal life is at stake. I can understand the fear. There's so many times when I say, "I'd rather not" or think, "Maybe tomorrow". I worry about messing up in lessons or forgetting a key point. We all do. But there's one thing that always comes to mind: GOD DID NOT SEND ME HERE TO FAIL. He did not plan on me ruining lives, messing up constantly, or being a bad missionary. He sent me here for a purpose; to succeed. It was not an easy decision for me to come on a mission and I do not plan on allowing my insecurities to mar the path God has placed before me. The Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals. If we allow God to be active in our lives, we will not fail. We cannot fall with Him by our side. We can build a boat, save some souls, or increase our faith. I try to remember this constantly. When I limit myself or my actions, I limit God. Then, what's the point? I've stopped worrying about falling and started to feel the wind beneath my wings over the last few weeks. I'm taking a more active role in lessons. I'm committing myself to learn more about the gospel and better plan for the needs of my investigators. I'm pushing my boundaries and leaving my comfort zone in the dust. Why? Because I want to fly. Now, it doesn't always work out. I trip and struggle and blunder through many activities. But, I'm looking towards the sky. One day I'll be soaring. Oh, dear sister. What if you fly?
1. I love that quote. It means to me that those times that we feel the most vulnerable, the most likely to fail-- those are the moments that determine our character because they force us to have faith. It's in that gap between comfortable and perfection where we found out what we are truly made of. It is pure faith that would allow us to push off from the edge, and rely fully on the Lord to teach us how to fly. It is in those moments that our faith is defined. Do we believe Him? Do we trust Him? Those are the moments when we show forth the answers to those questions. If we're afraid, that's okay because that means we are about to jump. We are about to have faith.
When we lose sight of the nest, when we no longer have anything we are holding onto besides our faith in the Lord that is the only place we can truly learn to fly. We have no choice but to learn, and learn quickly.
But how worth it that is when we begin to feel what it is to soar! When we suddenly realize that our wings are holding us that we aren't falling anymore but flying! When we look around and see how far we have come! Suddenly we are soaring-- and that is the truest form of freedom.
I also loved the quote shared at MLC that says, "Today's surrender is tomorrow's freedom." I think this goes right along the same lines. Also "Relax, and feel it. This is supposed to be fun!" Same message. We have to let go of our fears that we will not make it. That we will hit the canyon's floor and find ourselves broken and destroyed. That we will never learn to fly.
Instead we have to embrace our Savior, our master teacher, and have faith that he will not let us fall. We may not see the way yet, but if we listen to him soon we will find that we are soaring, with no thought of the ground beneath us, our faces turned towards the Savior of the world and his light. Suddenly we know that we can fly-- not because of ourselves, but because of the Savior. That's when the true thrill of soaring begins.
For me this week, I want to remember who I am. Sometimes, in the little everyday things the person that I truly am seems left behind and forgotten. I forget that I am a child of god who has the most exciting truth of our time to share! I forget the power of the Savior to bless people's lives through me. I forget that I am brave, that I am kind, and that I can make a difference. And I think Satan's biggest tool is to try to make us think we can't fly. If we believe we can fly, then we will fly. He knows that, so he tries to convince us we have no chance. I already know I will fly-- and I don't want to forget that ever again. I know that I have the Savior of the world by my side, I just have to remember that he trusts me, and that he will help me every single day, in every single thing I do. If I am truly listening to him, then he will remind me who I am!
The Savior wants us to know that we are designed to fly. He made us that way. So that is my goal-- to remember that I am a goddess in embryo, and not only that but a child of a living heavenly father, and I have the truth!
If I know those things, then my effectiveness as a missionary will increase a hundred fold, because the thrill of soaring will be worth overcoming the fear of falling.
9.Every day I am seeing the hand of God in my life. There have been times here on my mission where I feel down because some of our lessons were canceled, member families were not at their home or nobody wanted to listen to our message about the restoration. I felt like I was not doing my job of being a good missionary and I was afraid that I was not doing my best. I remember the words from my father in which he said that, “The hardest times on my mission were the times when I became stronger in the gospel." I know that to be true because it has happened to me and I have felt more and more grateful from these trials because now I am not afraid to not have times of success. Through these trials comes the trial of our faith and if I keep trying and have faith that all will go well that things will happen and they will be a blessing to me and to the person whose life needed a blessing.
So I will do my best to have a positive attitude to when things get hard and I start to struggle that I can raise my head high and say, "let's keep trying because I know that someone will want to hear the greatest message on earth."
One thing that I've thought about is setting a goal to knock on five doors every day. Sister ----- and I have tried to do this since we got the idea at district meeting. I love the idea of allowing the Lord to lead us. Five doors is not a lot. But, it's a test of our faith. As we make time, prayerfully choose where to go, and commit to doing this, the Lord will guide us. I know that this is true and I'm so excited for the experience and growth that this will bring to my life.
The thrill of soaring begins with the fear of falling
"The thrill of soaring begins with the fear of falling."
There's a line in a poem that says, "What if I fall? But, oh my darling, what if you fly?" I think too many times as missionaries we get so scared of failure. We would rather set cushy goals, stay in our comfort zone, or limit our reach, just because we don't want to fail. We're dealing with people's salvation, their eternal life is at stake. I can understand the fear. There's so many times when I say, "I'd rather not" or think, "Maybe tomorrow". I worry about messing up in lessons or forgetting a key point. We all do. But there's one thing that always comes to mind: GOD DID NOT SEND ME HERE TO FAIL. He did not plan on me ruining lives, messing up constantly, or being a bad missionary. He sent me here for a purpose; to succeed. It was not an easy decision for me to come on a mission and I do not plan on allowing my insecurities to mar the path God has placed before me. The Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals. If we allow God to be active in our lives, we will not fail. We cannot fall with Him by our side. We can build a boat, save some souls, or increase our faith. I try to remember this constantly. When I limit myself or my actions, I limit God. Then, what's the point? I've stopped worrying about falling and started to feel the wind beneath my wings over the last few weeks. I'm taking a more active role in lessons. I'm committing myself to learn more about the gospel and better plan for the needs of my investigators. I'm pushing my boundaries and leaving my comfort zone in the dust. Why? Because I want to fly. Now, it doesn't always work out. I trip and struggle and blunder through many activities. But, I'm looking towards the sky. One day I'll be soaring. Oh, dear sister. What if you fly?
1. I love that quote. It means to me that those times that we feel the most vulnerable, the most likely to fail-- those are the moments that determine our character because they force us to have faith. It's in that gap between comfortable and perfection where we found out what we are truly made of. It is pure faith that would allow us to push off from the edge, and rely fully on the Lord to teach us how to fly. It is in those moments that our faith is defined. Do we believe Him? Do we trust Him? Those are the moments when we show forth the answers to those questions. If we're afraid, that's okay because that means we are about to jump. We are about to have faith.
When we lose sight of the nest, when we no longer have anything we are holding onto besides our faith in the Lord that is the only place we can truly learn to fly. We have no choice but to learn, and learn quickly.
But how worth it that is when we begin to feel what it is to soar! When we suddenly realize that our wings are holding us that we aren't falling anymore but flying! When we look around and see how far we have come! Suddenly we are soaring-- and that is the truest form of freedom.
I also loved the quote shared at MLC that says, "Today's surrender is tomorrow's freedom." I think this goes right along the same lines. Also "Relax, and feel it. This is supposed to be fun!" Same message. We have to let go of our fears that we will not make it. That we will hit the canyon's floor and find ourselves broken and destroyed. That we will never learn to fly.
Instead we have to embrace our Savior, our master teacher, and have faith that he will not let us fall. We may not see the way yet, but if we listen to him soon we will find that we are soaring, with no thought of the ground beneath us, our faces turned towards the Savior of the world and his light. Suddenly we know that we can fly-- not because of ourselves, but because of the Savior. That's when the true thrill of soaring begins.
For me this week, I want to remember who I am. Sometimes, in the little everyday things the person that I truly am seems left behind and forgotten. I forget that I am a child of god who has the most exciting truth of our time to share! I forget the power of the Savior to bless people's lives through me. I forget that I am brave, that I am kind, and that I can make a difference. And I think Satan's biggest tool is to try to make us think we can't fly. If we believe we can fly, then we will fly. He knows that, so he tries to convince us we have no chance. I already know I will fly-- and I don't want to forget that ever again. I know that I have the Savior of the world by my side, I just have to remember that he trusts me, and that he will help me every single day, in every single thing I do. If I am truly listening to him, then he will remind me who I am!
The Savior wants us to know that we are designed to fly. He made us that way. So that is my goal-- to remember that I am a goddess in embryo, and not only that but a child of a living heavenly father, and I have the truth!
If I know those things, then my effectiveness as a missionary will increase a hundred fold, because the thrill of soaring will be worth overcoming the fear of falling.
- I think the quote President Uchtdorf is applicable to me because when I personally overcome opposition, the results and joy are so much greater. Knowing that I, in sticking with the analogy, have had faith to overcome the fear of falling, soaring becomes so much sweeter. This week I am going to make an effort to talk to everyone, and have faith that the Lord will put words in my mouth, and that I am meeting these people for a reason. This will help me become the type of lovingly bold missionary that I think the lord wants me to be.
- The analogy of the eagle learning to fly applies a lot to me and the principal of faith. The scriptures talk about not receiving a witness until after the trial of your faith, which means that we need to act before we get to see the miracle. This also applies to me in the fact that I need to be able to act without fear and know that the lord is with me. That I will not receive a witness until after the trial of my faith. Which is something that I think I am getting a lot better at. This week I will put a focus on not worrying about what could happen and just act knowing that the lord is with me and that I will receive strength in my hour of need.
- I feel that the quote "the thrill of soaring begins with the fear of falling" describes my mission experience. My whole life I have been a shy person. I struggled to talk to people and my teachers in elementary school would tell my parents that halfway through the year they still hadn't even heard me say one word. I know that the Lord sent me in certain directions in life so that I could overcome that and be ready to come on a mission. But I was still afraid to talk to people, I still wasn't good at it and that is what we do every single day! I had a fear of falling, or a fear of failing. But I relied on the Lord completely. Trusting that because He called me on a mission that He would help me be able to do this. And He has. He helps me every single day, every hour of the day no matter what I am doing. Now I love to talk to people! I love sharing the gospel with everyone that I can! It doesn't mean that the fear doesn't sometimes return but when it does I just refocus myself on my Savior, Jesus Christ, and the thrill of soaring begins again. I'm still working on overcoming it but I know that all things are possible with His Divine help!
One thing that I will do this week to increase my faith that the Lord will help me do and become is read through my journal before and remember the miracles that I have witnessed and all the things I've experienced so far. And also continue to write down more experiences and miracles. I know that looking back and seeing what the Lord has already done will give me more faith that He will do even more great things in the future as I rely on Him and strive to do my part. We learn about that a lot in the Book of Mormon as they read the records of their fathers they are reminded of all the Lord has done for them and are able to move forward with more faith in Him!
1. I feel like this applies to me personally in that I am really wanting to fly, but I feel like I am so bashed up already that I really do not want to jump again. I feel like I have been pushed out of the nest, multiple times, and particularly with coming out on my mission for the Lord. I have felt the feeling of soaring, and I have felt the pain of clashing with other birds, flying through trees, and pushing at headwinds. I feel like I am genuinely at the last 100 meters of the race, and now I am being faced with if I want to finish as strong and as hard as I did in my last race as an athlete, where I finally felt what it is supposed to feel like to finish with everything I had. I know that I need to and want to do that, but at the same time I am having a hard time getting past the pain and the wall in my mind. I have been pondering this issue for some time, and I have prayed on it as well. I do not have a solution as yet, but I am working on it. I am putting some thoughts and ideas together into what I hope will be a good last-six-weeks goal.
- I love the quote "the thrill of soaring begins with the fear of falling." I fully believe in this because if we never learn to fall how will we ever know if we can fly. Coming out on a mission has definitely made me step out of my comfort zone but I love how much it has made me grow. I love how much I have grown spiritually as well, it has helped me over come challenges. Life has a greater purpose and I love sharing the gospel with others and seeing how the gospel has changed their life for the better. It breaks my heart to see people reject it and my prayers are more meaningful and focused on others. I want to share my testimony even more then I already do. I believe that as I do so and follow the spirit, hearts can strengthen. I believe that that is one way to share my love of the Savoir. I pray that I can keep having the fear of falling so I can better enjoy the thrill of soaring in my life so I can better help others enjoy the same thrill. I love serving the Lord and I pray for hearts to be soften and full. Thank you for all you help with and I am excited for the new website. Have a wonderful day.
- The fright of falling for me comes from not knowing if I am doing God's will or if my will is different from His and I am doing it. I am afraid of messing things up for others and not being able to know what to do. However, just like the eagle pulls out its wings and discovers soaring the act of going forth lets me know if it really is God's will and if it isn't I need to quickly change.
I have discovered that as I truly try to keep my mind and body focused on what is going on around me and the people around me I am able to quickly learn where I am heading. I have seen that personal study changes this for me and that when I am studying for an investigator things are so much better. Another thing to help me soar has been lesson plans, even though they have not been as frequent as they should be. The thrill of soaring comes from seeing how the influence of the gospel and atonement help people. I love that feeling. It gives me peace, joy, and hope. It gives me hope for myself, my family, and others that we are working with. Just as Alma stated that helping others come to Christ helps us remember our conversion and the joy that comes to us from it I have seen it in my own life. The joy of our conversion continues to increase as we see others come unto Christ. My conversion gets sweeter each time I see someone reach out for our Heavenly Father and Savior.
9.Every day I am seeing the hand of God in my life. There have been times here on my mission where I feel down because some of our lessons were canceled, member families were not at their home or nobody wanted to listen to our message about the restoration. I felt like I was not doing my job of being a good missionary and I was afraid that I was not doing my best. I remember the words from my father in which he said that, “The hardest times on my mission were the times when I became stronger in the gospel." I know that to be true because it has happened to me and I have felt more and more grateful from these trials because now I am not afraid to not have times of success. Through these trials comes the trial of our faith and if I keep trying and have faith that all will go well that things will happen and they will be a blessing to me and to the person whose life needed a blessing.
So I will do my best to have a positive attitude to when things get hard and I start to struggle that I can raise my head high and say, "let's keep trying because I know that someone will want to hear the greatest message on earth."
- I think that President Uchtdorf's analogy really applies to my life. When I first came into the field, I was so scared to say anything in lessons because I thought that what I said would be wrong. I was scared that what I was going to say wasn't the Spirit speaking, and I didn't want to lead anyone astray. But as I have been practicing talking to people, I have noticed that the more I talk and teach, the more I recognize the Spirit speaking through me. I feel like I am now able to fly when I was so scared to fall in the beginning.
1. "The thrill of souring begins with the fear of falling" has helped me a ton recently! I feel like before I have been really scared and timid and shy and now I feel myself going out of my comfort zone and just doing what the spirit asks! Sometimes that fear of falling is getting a door in the face but we don't know that feeling unless we get out! This week we set a goal to knock 5 doors before we go in at night and that was awesome! One night 3 doors turned into lessons and even though the people weren't really interested, it showed the Lord we are willing and able!
One thing that I've thought about is setting a goal to knock on five doors every day. Sister ----- and I have tried to do this since we got the idea at district meeting. I love the idea of allowing the Lord to lead us. Five doors is not a lot. But, it's a test of our faith. As we make time, prayerfully choose where to go, and commit to doing this, the Lord will guide us. I know that this is true and I'm so excited for the experience and growth that this will bring to my life.