Preach My Gospel Created With You In Mind

Due to an unexpected illness, I am late in posting these very important pictures! Also a very Big THANK YOU to Simon for taking over the class solo today!!! What would we do without him???

Last week we had 2 class members share where they have been called to serve!!!

Jack Taylor will be serving in the Bulgaria Sofia Mission.  This includes all of Turkey (which is a non-proselytizing mission) and part of Greece. He will learn the Bulgarian language and reports to the MTC in August.  

Spencer Bradford received his call this week as well.  He has been called to serve in the Lima Peru Mission and will leave in June.  He will be speaking spanish.  

These fine young men have the desire to serve shining in their eyes!  Thank you for your love of missionary work and your commitment to being prepared to serve.

This is Elder Jensen.  His family is new to our stake.  He returned from the Jackson Mississippi Mission.  He told the class that he was impressed that you were here getting prepared for your missions.  He wished he had done more to prepare.  His first day in the MTC he was asked to stand and teach his group what the gospel of Jesus Christ was.  He felt inadequate, but right then committed to learn and get ready to share his testimony of the Book of Mormon and be able to answer that question.  He said that Preach My Gospel helped him come to know Jesus Christ and the doctrine.  It was created with you in mind.  

Our class noted that this fine Elder did not know any of us but still felt comfortable teaching us.  Thank you for sharing your testimony and love of Preach My Gospel!

Here is an inspiring picture.  A few had to leave early, but this group tracked in the 11th ward and taught the Restoration Lesson.  After they were finished they spontaneously knelt down to have a final prayer.  If you were outside that day and saw this sight.....I am sure a beam of light was right over their heads!!! What faithful dedicated youth our stake has.  Thank you parents for supporting them and raising these valiant men!

I told the class that I wanted to share the following links with them.

The first one is of a sister in our stake that is serving in Taiwan.  Sister Carissa Sears.  Her mission put together the following video that we would love you to watch.  

Your family will enjoy watching this for Family Home Evening!!!

And you hear us talk about Bro. Lee Donaldson all the time.  We found a presentation of his at Southern Virginia University about Missionary work.  There is a PDF slide show you can scroll through as you listen to his audio presentation.  He teaches the pamphlets using the pictures.  We think you will enjoy what he has to say.  

Next week is General Conference!!!  How exciting! thats your assignment.  Watch all the sessions!!

We will see you the following week.

Use Pictures To Ask Questions

Today we discussed some concerns from a letter we read about a missionary being discouraged and how that started to change.  We encourage you to share it with your family and discuss the things that you found important.  

We also talked about the MTC.  It is important to understand that our class is to help prepare you to know what you will be teaching once you are in your area.  The MTC will assist you in teaching skills, language training and extensive study time. I am attaching one of several MTC schedules that you can look over to help you understand how your time will be spent while there.  This MTC SCHEDULE is for missionaries that are in the MTC for 2 weeks.  If you are learning a language you will repeat week 2 over until your last week there.

As you can see, it is very structured.  As you choose to be obedient and patient with yourself as you begin to learn all that you will be taught, the Lord will bless you and you will see how the Lord needs you to find and love his children.

In this Stake Mission prep class, our responsibility is to help you know what you will be teaching and be familiar with the lessons before you go so you will hit the ground running when you are teaching real investigators.  As we continue to practice these lessons in class and tracting, we strongly encourage you to find opportunities in your family and with friends to teach them so you can become more comfortable with teaching these lessons.  

We invited Sister Sarah Mortensen to come back today and demonstrate how she was taught to teach the restoration using the pictures.  She explained how it changed their lessons.  They asked more questions about the pictures.  Their lessons were 20 minutes long, not 45.  This let investigators feel the spirit for shorter bursts so they can feel the difference more easily.  It helps you identify who is ready and who is not to hear the message.  Teaching this way also helps them desire to study and read the pamphlet after you have left.  Which is the goal that they study on their own.  That is the only way true knowledge and testimony are gained. Sarah said she tells people all the time you need to know in your mind and in your heart if what we are saying it true.  They have to match.  When they do, you will feel the Holy Ghost telling you this is true.

  

Sarah taught our whole class..one by one asking individual questions about the pictures in the pamphlet.  She taught the whole lesson in 10 minutes!   Look at the pictures and see what questions you can come up with. Test yourself and see if you can remember the order of the key points of this lesson just by looking at the pictures.  

Some of the things the class observed after her demonstration were:

First she told us up front how long she would take (10 min) people are more apt to listen if you give them a time reference.

She asked mostly questions.  The class really taught themselves by their answers.

If you ask someone "What They SEE"  the answer can't ever be wrong.  

She mentioned Jesus Christ with every picture.  

Now the class gets to practice :-)  What an amazing group of saints!!!!!!!!!

What did you discover?

We need to be confident in what we are saying or the people we teach won't believe what we are saying. 

Teach very simply.  As you practice, think of 3 main points with each picture.  As you teach the doctrine simply, they will feel the spirit the strongest. 

 Thank you for coming and participating.  Next week we will be tracting again and teaching this lesson.

So your Assignment for Next Week:
Read and re-read the restoration pamphlet.  Look at the pictures and think of questions you can ask about them that will help them understand the doctrine of the Restoration.
Then...Very Important....TEACH IT as much as you can to others.  We suggested younger siblings so you can practice asking simple questions.  Teach to their understanding.  Have fun!  Thank you for being willing to commit to doing this at home this week!

Invitation to be Baptized

This morning came an hour early!  But we still saw many happy faces.  Thank you for making the extra effort to attend even when the clocks were turned ahead!  That's dedication! Heaven is smiling down on you :)

We first heard several of you share missionary experiences you have had with your families and others.  They included conversations with non-members and being invited to attend church of other faiths.  Sharing what you learn in FHE, non-member cousin asking to know more about the church, using the priesthood to give a blessing to a sister.  

This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ in action.  Thank you for being observant and willing to be the Lords hands.

We then had the opportunity to hear from these three who just returned from their missions.

Left- Kenny Shoemig, middle- Drew Royster, Right- Sarah Mortensen. Bro Shoemig served in the Washington DC North mission American Sign Language speaking, Bro. Royster served in Brazil, and Sister Mortensen in the Tampa Florida Mission.

They all have a deep love of missionary work and strong testimony of Jesus Christ and His Church.

Elder Schoemig shared that a mission is the best two years FOR your life.  (which reminds me of this excellent general conference talk "Teaching After the Manner Of the Spirit" Its worth reading again!

He bore his testimony often on his mission and had to defend it many times.

Elder Royster said that a mission is not easy. But your life is very simple. You find people, Bring them to church, teach them and baptise them.  The more you put into it the more you get out of it.  Forget yourself and serve people.  He loved the people he served.  If you try, the Lord will bless you!

Sister Mortensen said its the hardest thing she has ever done, but nothing has brought her more happiness.  She suggested two qualities that are important to cultivate to be a successful missionary.

Obedience-  If you are not, you will not have the spirit and you will not help people.

Charity- Learn to love people.  Don't expect to be perfect.  Love with all your heart. Over time you will get better at what you are doing.  Be patient with yourself.   The message you will share is true.  It is the only way to lasting happiness in this life and to show people how to be forgiven of their sins.

Then we had them recite their purpose in their language.  As each one spoke/signed, the spirit testified that with God we can do a might work! 

The class gets to ask questions.  Some of them were how did you involve the members.  Bro. Royster said asking members for referrals never worked for him.  So they decided to just drop in on members and they usually had non-member friends over.  They would ask the non-member if their friend had ever invited them to their church?  Usually the answer was no.  So they extended the invitation. If you can show them in your face that the gospel works, they will be able to see it and want to find out what we have.

Another great question- what would you suggest we do to prepare to serve now?  1.All agreed, Read the Book of Mormon all the way through on your own and pray about it if you haven't already.  When you tell others about the book they will be able to feel  it is true if you know its true.  2. Also read all of Preach My Gospel.  If you skipped a paragraph, go back and read it.  Everything is important!  3. Prepare for the temple.  Go to lds.org and study and learn about the temple.  Here are some talks that will help.  "Prepare for Blessings of the Temple", Russel M. Nelson   and "The Holy Temple", Boyd K Packer.

We appreciated your questions that brought understanding and direction.  Thank you to these 3 missionaries and their wonderful examples of faith and testimony.

After the left, we watched a section of  the District 2  Specifically, Invitation to be baptized (German)- pronounced Ermon.
Parents and Class-  This is such a great resource to encourage discussions with your prospective missionaries.  They are short clips that are used for training out in the mission field.

We discussed this knowing this was German's first lesson with the Elders.  The class picked up on several things including the scripture he read in 2 Nephi 31 Follow thou Me?  The invitation is not "will you join our church"?, but Will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and Follow Him.
We talked about how German might have been prepared before this invitation.  This is a great thing to watch as a family and talk about it as you think about missionary opportunities right now.

Next weeks assignment.  We are going to be taking another month on the restoration.  We hopefully will spend most of the class time practicing teaching.
1. Please take the first two sections- God Is Our Loving Heavenly Father, and The Gospel Blesses Families, and write your own lesson plan.  Find scriptures to teach with and write down your own questions or questions investigators might have.  Think of how you can use the pictures to teach the information.
2.We handed out a letter from a missionary that was struggling and wanting to give up.  And a follow-up letter that started turning things around.  Please read them and discover specific things that were done to change their heart.

Questions are at the Heart of all Gospel Learning

 After standing and reciting "My Purpose" which you are doing very well by the way!, we share any spiritual thoughts or scriptures that impressed you during your personal study. These are amazing young men and women who come prepared and are learning how to open their mouth and speak from the heart.  The spirit testifies and teaches every time you share from the heart.  Thank you!

We learned that sometimes God tests us first, before we know the outcome of our choices.  Ty had to decide between the stake Encampment this summer and a football camp.  Both are very important to him.  After he chose the Stake Encampment, he found out that the Football camp dates had been changed.  Now he can attend both!  (Ether 12:6 "ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith")

Alex studied out the answer to his own question, "How to soften the hearts of others"? He went to the scriptures for answers. He learned we need to ask for humility, be meek, polite, mild, treat others with care, be gentler with people who have sinned, forgive them and help them.

Ryan shared how he tried something different with his family scripture study to engage the family more and he felt a difference.

Someone shared this quote "To be humble is not to tear yourself down, rather to remember your dependance on God"

 Its always a special treat when we get to hear from missionaries that have just returned in our stake.  We heard from Elder Harley (Left) and Elder Stufflebeam (Right).  Elder Harley served in Thailand.  Elder Stufflebeam in the Nebraska, Omaha mission.
These two shared and taught us like they had been companions for 2 years. They have learned how to listen to each other and teach together.  They taught us that your calling is specifically for you. As you serve you will realize that too.  They encouraged us to study Preach My Gospel and "How To Begin Teaching" pg 176-177.  As you memorize these points and use them, which they both said you would all the time, it lets your investigator know your goal and purpose of why you are there.

The class now gets to ask them questions.
How do you teach a Buddhist about Jesus?  Teach simply. By reading the Book Of Mormon.

What did you have to leave behind in order to serve?  School, lifestyle.  After you are set apart, overnight there is a culture switch in the MTC.  You need to find new ways to relieve stress. You can't text your friends, play video games, watch tv, go to the movies.  You learn that prayer is the best way to relieve stress.  You cant text friends, but you can always talk to your Heavenly Father.

How do you overcome rejection?  He dated :)  He got used to it before his mission.  (Humor is a great thing!)  But seriously, he said the idea of knowing that a miracle is just around the corner.  There are days you just want to stay home in your apartment.  But God will bless you for going out and trying to find people even if you get rejected.

How do you draw nearer to God?  By helping others come to Him.

What is the most important thing you can do to get ready for your mission?  Develop Faith. Know your purpose.  Learn from the example of others that have served.

How do you learn the language?  It takes time, have faith, work hard, it will come.

What great questions!  We were impressed by these. Questions are at the heart of all gospel learning!  

Thank you Elders for sharing with us!  Good luck to you both as you transition to a new routine.

Now its our turn to get ready to teach the restoration.  We will teach this to the 16th ward this afternoon.

Here is what they learned.  

-Focus on the positives of each family situation.  Every family is different and not the traditional family with 2 parents.  

- When teaching about the book of mormon, ask them questions.  Hunter asked this question. How would you feel if God came and stood right before you and gave you a book and said everything in this book is true.  What would you do with that book?  Excellent question!! It involves them and helps them see why its so important.

- Introduce yourself.  Get to know the family first.  

- Get references for other people that might like to hear this message.

- They didn't ask enough questions.  Just lectured.  

- There is power in reciting the first vision from memory!  Cameron did it!!  You can't deny the spirit you feel when you hear Josephs personal experience.  Thank you for keeping that commitment Cameron to memorize it.  

Simon shared this great example of the Restoration.  First its important to make sure you that you teach that God established His Church on the Earth.  If you don't explain that very well, then the idea of a restoration doesn't  make sense. He had a companion that compared the restoration to a Jenga Game.  When the tower is complete it represents Gods Church on the earth.  All the pieces are there. During the Apostasy, the tower fell.  The pieces were there, but not all in one place.  So people took the pieces they liked and tried to create a church.  It took the restoration to gather all the pieces in one place. 

We met this afternoon to share the Restoration lesson in the 16th ward.  Thank you Bishop Redd for doing such a great job of preparing your ward for us.  We had 18 show up to teach!  What an awesome site.  You could feel the energy from this group.  Please encourage your youth to join us.  Its a great opportunity!

Away they go.  They all had great experiences.  Some even got to street contact!  

And then we gather after to talk about how it went. 

This isn't the whole group, some are still coming.  It was fun to hear that they used the questions and examples from class today as they taught.  We also learned that while they were tracting, Jared Pyne got a phone call from a sister he baptized on his mission.  She called to inform him that she would be going to the temple.  Simon and Jared's example of continued missionary work are important to learn from.  

Thank you for making the effort now!  You will be glad you did.

We dont meet next week....which actually is today :/ because its fast sunday.  

Next weeks Assignment:

Please keep studying Chapter 10 of Preach My Gospel.  Work on memorizing the bullet points on page 176-177.  

Memorize the first vision, page 37, second paragraph.  

First Get To Know Your Investigators

LATE POST FROM FEB 16.

Here are some of the classes comments at the beginning of class:

Will was given the advice to treat our lives like we are on a mission now as we get ready for our mission.  Start living the missionary schedule now.  Wake up at 6:30. Go to bed at 10:30.  (Love it!)

Hunter shared the Plan of Salvation Pamphlet with his younger brother. His brother then taught FHE with it.  He shared this scripture Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt ^aseek the Lord thy God, thou shalt ^bfind him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

Tyler's family had the full time Elders over for dinner.  The elders taught a message to his family and gave them a challenge.  He saw them use the bullet points from "How to begin teaching" pg 176.  After this experience, they are now praying as a family for missionary experiences.

As follow up to what was shared, Sister Bascom who was a guest today explained to the class that when this class sent prospective missionaries into her home several months ago, she was very grateful because it helped remind her of the spirit she wants in her home.  She was very grateful that you came and shared your spirit with her family.

Jared pointed out that you should not be afraid of the last bullet point on page 177.  "As you accept our message, you will learn how to make covenants, or promises, with God.  You will learn how to make changes to bring your lives in closer harmony with His teachings.  You will want to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and be baptized by proper authority. (John 3:5) 

He also explained that you can increase the odds of them doing the assignments if you explain that you would like to discuss this with them the next time you meet with them.  Help them realize how it pertains to them.  Why do we do this? So they can feel the spirit. 

This is Sister Bascom.  She is a convert.  She joined the church when she was almost 16 in England.  She has a beautiful english accent and we loved listening to her.  She gave us wonderful counsel. She is also a returned missionary.  The key to missionary work is building relationships.  People will keep commitments because you love them.  She first had us ask her questions about her to get to know her better.  Like, "by looking at my scriptures where do you think I served my mission"?  (Scotland)  As you get to know people it is much less intimidating to share your message.  Also until you as an investigator feel like someone knows you, you are not going to share personal things with a stranger.  She shared how the missionaries knocked on her door.  They were the last house on the street.  They taught her how to pray.  She had never prayed before ever.  She encouraged you to serve a mission because without you- if you're not there- how will they feel the spirit?

The blessings she has received from joining the church are an eternal family.  She has been sealed in the temple.  Temple blessings are the ultimate goal as we bring others to Christ.  

She said to get comfortable talking about things you're not comfortable talking about.  

We all have weaknesses.  God will use them to your advantage.  She is dyslexic.  She has a very hard time reading.  She even took the childrens scripture readers on her mission so she could visualize the stories she would teach.  Also because she had a hard time reading, she would always ask her investigators to read for her and help her.  Which helped the investigators grow and feel needed.

Thank you Sister Bascom for sharing your love of missionary work with us and how the gospel has blessed your life!

Here are pictures of the class teaching the restoration lesson to each other using the pamphlet.  We can tell they are getting more comfortable doing this!!!  They are speaking with more confidence. But practice makes perfect.  So we will keep practicing :)

After we talked about how it went. What did you learn?

- that we use lots of mormon words.  We need to explain them or use different words.

- We need to first seek to obtain the word before we can declare it. (spend more time learning it first on our own before we try and teach it to someone else)

-Its easy to get frustrated when you don't know what you are doing.  Practice will help you.  

- Your personal testimony is your strongest witness.

-We cant do well now if we are focused on what we are doing next.

Here is Nathan Eddington.  He enters the MTC this week to serve in the Dallas Texas Mission. YEAH NATHAN!  He shared his testimony with us. He has been a great example of faith. A mission is going to challenge every one of you, but if we trust in God, all things are possible!  We will pray for you Nathan and know you will bless your brothers and sisters in Texas with your testimony and strong spirit!

NEXT WEEKS ASSIGNMENT:

1.Study the Restoration Lesson.

2.Memorize the first vision. Page 37 PMG.

"I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me...When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air.  One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other-This is My Beloved Son. Hear HIm!" (Joseph Smith-History 1:16-17)