Email update from Mom: We enjoyed a fun visit with Jason and Tyler this evening. We all shared missionary stories. We had a great day of training today. Pres. Uchtdorf (sp) spoke this morning. It was execellent. Elder Bednar spoke this evening at an all missionary devotional. We got to meet 3 of our missionaries this evening... I'm thinking that many will have hard to pronounce names. They will be coming into the field on July 16. We sure have alot to learn. Sister Holland spoke and told a great little poem. I will get it off my fancy Kenny pen and send you a copy.
(There are a couple of familiar heads at the bottom of this picture from the church website)
Dad's Journal: Today we began with President Uchtdorf as the first speaker. The following are some thoughts from his talk:
• Remember, this is God’s work, it is always about Him, not about us.
• Listen to the Spirit to know what the true success will be in your mission.
• Always look at your missionaries from an eternal perspective.
• You are called to help focus the missionaries on their purpose.
• Increase the number of new and enduring converts.
• Missionaries and members all belong to the same church. Treat members as if all the mission success depended on them. Teach the missionaries to work as if all the mission success depended on them.
• The fruit of their labors will reach far beyond the end of their missions.
• As your missionaries endure rejection, discouragement, and disappointment, their confidence will wax strong in the Lord.
• Mission Presidents have a powerful influence on their missionaries. When the teaching comes from you, it has a special influence.
He made an analogy of flying a 747 with a missionary’s progress in the mission field. He described taking off in a 747 as something fairly rough and clumsy. Even after taking off, while the landing gear is still down and the flaps are down, the plane does not handle smoothly. The control of the plane is not smooth like it is once the landing gear is up and the flaps are retracted. Once that happens, the plane handles with great ease and grace. He suggested that when a missionary first comes into the field, he is rather clumsy and needs lots of training and teaching. Even after his first few weeks of teaching, he will still be like the 747 that has taken off but still has the landing gear down and the flaps still out. As they learn to let go of those habits and thoughts that cause them to be a little sluggish in the work, they will become a tool in the Lord’s hands that works smoothly and effectively.
Elder Nelson gave a stirring talk following President Uchtdorf. He started by expressing a wish that we could all be his children. He then made some suggestions to us:
• Get regular exercise and good sleep
• Your reaction to stress will be eased as you are fully yoked with the Savior.
• Learn to handle stress by developing an eternal perspective.
• Don’t add to your missionaries stress by creating new rules.
• PMG – you need not create any other teaching aid, other than the scriptures. Know it, use it, teach it.
• Spiritual communication and true conversion comes only through the Holy Ghost.
• Harness the power of missionaries as members and the power of members as missionaries.
• Advise your missionaries not to ask for referrals but to earn them.
• Focus on the ordinances.
• Exit interviews –
o Teach about the eternal nature of the family
o Teach them to maintain contact with you.
o Solidify your relationship with them.
o Teach them to be good citizens.
o Focus on marriage and family.
o Teach the Doctrine of Christ
o Religious obligation to obtain a good education
• Be one with your wife, your local leaders, the missionaries, and the members
We finished the day by attending a fireside with Elder David Bednar as the speaker. His main points were regarding how to become a Preach My Gospel Missionary and included:
1. Understand that you serve and represent Jesus Christ
2. Are worthy
3. Treasure up the words of eternal life.
4. Understand that the Holy Ghost is the ultimate and true teachers.
5. Understand that teaching is much more than talking and telling.
a. Observing
b. Listening
c. Discerning
d. Teaching
His final promise was a very stirring and emotional statement, “You can do this!”
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