The routine is the enemy of time.
This was a training Elder Tonks and I gave last summer in Northampton, with the aim of helping our missionaries get excitement and fire back into missionary work. Now, I know I'm not the most exciting person in the world, but I miss the fire that I remember having as a brand-new missionary. New missionaries are like a new car, complete with that "new car smell", a full tank of petrol, and brand new tires that are ready to grip the road and take off out of the dealership. Of course, there are things that need to be broken in and experiences to be gained, but the fire remains. Over time, things become automatic. The exciting experience alone of driving a new car turns into simple transportation, which a grimy bus or underground network could do. So my question recently is: what can I do to restart the fire?
Experience is a great thing. But, in my old age as a missionary, I wish I could gain back some of the fire I had as a new missionary. I love seeing new missionaries come into the zone because they carry so much faith and enthusiasm because everything is a new experience. So, lately I have been working on how I can help myself with this and apply it to the whole zone.
The plan is still a work in progress, but the way to have this fire again is to let our creative minds solve a problem, rather than letting the automatic response happen. I want to ask the new missionaries in the zone what makes them uncomfortable in missionary work, and then do that myself. Just as President Stevens said a long time ago: "There is no comfort in the growth zone and no growth in the comfort zone".
This week will be a really crazy week. We will spend two days in London (MLC on Wednesday and a Mission Conference on Thursday), the sisters in our ward are having a baptism on Friday, and we have Zone Training Meeting on Saturday in Ipswich. Lots of travel and meetings, so almost all of our teaching is crammed into tomorrow, what is left on Saturday, and what is left on Sunday.
Cheers!
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Elder Spencer Ammermon
England London Mission
64-68 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road
South Kensington
London
SW7 2PA