To start off class and help us engage our brains quicker so early in the morning, we invited Brandon to share a scenario that we could face when sharing the book of mormon. He chose a scenario of a member that participates in church but really does not have a testimony. They have only come because they are expected to.
Then we split into small groups and talked about what we could do to help them.
Each group was very thoughtful and used the spirit to think of inspired ways to approach such a person.
They came up with
1.actively involving them in your activities. Help them get re-excited about living the gospel.
2.As their friend you can ask them casual questions about any concerns they have and invite them to read from the scriptures with you and to study together. Caiden reminded us of the quote: "If you want to talk to God, Pray. If you want to hear God speak to you, read your scriptures."
3. Help them change habits that they may have that keep them from feeling the spirit.
4. Use a physical analogy to help them see the value of reading the scriptures daily. Simon said he would use the idea of a three legged stool. It has to have 3 legs as a minimum to stand.
Next we shared insights from the homework of practicing introducing the book of mormon.
Tyler learned that you should not try and explain everything you know about the book. Let them read it for themselves and ask questions about it.
Simon said a complaint he heard from converts was that missionaries will say "We have a great message we want to share with you" over and over again, but never actually get to the message. Why not just sit down and read from the Book of Mormon the message you want to share.
Make sure you have them hold their own copy of the Book of Mormon. There is power in just holding this sacred holy book!
He also shared explaining faith when you are talking to an investigator about a specific problem they are having and would like an answer to. They need faith that God will answer their questions. We can ask God directly for help. If you were taking a test and you were told you could ask one person for help for the answers to the test, who would you ask? Your neighbor, or the teacher? God knows all the answers for us personally and loves us perfectly! Ask him!
Which brings us to this. We are going to start having one person each week share a spiritual thought of a principle that they have gained a stronger testimony of and why. Simon first demonstrated this :)
He shared an amazing story of gaining a strong testimony of prayer while tracting on his mission. They had a hard day and he got upset with someone they spoke to that just wanted to fight about the gospel. His new companion suggested they say a prayer. He said no, they knocked a few more doors and again his companion suggested they should pray. So without conviction, he agreed and they stood in the street and said a prayer. The next door they knocked on had the sign he is holding hanging on it. When they knocked on the door, Elder Taylor just said, can I tell you about what has happened to us today. And I just wanted to know why you have this sign on your door? The couple let them in and his wife shared her experience with praying about her terminal cancer and getting her answer. I am leaving out lots of details to summarize, but he learned for himself and came to know that
Prayer works!
Next we discussed a question Carissa Sears had. What do you do when you ask someone if they say they have prayed about the book of mormon and they got a no answer.
What a great question and this sparked a really great discussion.
We talked about not giving up there but ask questions to find out more about their experience. Ask what were they expecting for an answer- One person prayed that if it was true the paper in front of them would miraculously turn over. Help them understand how God usually answers prayers.
Also, find out if they really read the book and how were they reading it- while the tv is on, with the kids yelling in the room. Share that if this really is God's book and he wants to talk to you about how you can improve your life, read it with that spirit and first desire to feel him speaking to you.
Lots of text---sorry--but we did not have a lot of you there today and I wanted to make sure you could catch up on what we discussed. Great class today and we hope you are starting to feel more comfortable sharing and discussing the gospel.
No Class next week-
Assignment for next week-
click on this to see what General conference has for you
And practice your missionary purpose now and invite others to come unto Christ every day. Share your experiences when we meet again in 2 weeks. Also make sure your three legged stool is able to stand by 1. pray every day, 2. read the book of mormon every day, and 3. Attend church every week.
Pay attention to the General Conference talks and how the messages apply to missionary work.
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