We spent Friday with the Antwerp and Rotterdam Zones. We loved every minute of this day spent together!
We Plan Well and Strive to Reach Our Goals
Assistants showed chart on how we’re doing on baptisms. Baptismal calendar helped a lot. Set personal goals. These are people, not numbers. E. Ballard talked about the importance of setting goals – if we don’t, we look back on life and not have accomplished much. If learn how to set goals, will progress so much faster, and God will be able to work through us. We’re His tools. If we do our best to reach our goals, and that’s all we can do. If others won’t hear our message, we have the satisfaction of knowing we’ve done our best.
Sis Garvin spoke on setting goals. 1Nephi - part about Liahona. Key indicators are such a blessing to missionary work so we don’t just talk to people without any results. Shouldn’t be afraid of setting goals – even if you set a high goal and you don’t reach it, but still think of all the people you did touch. Try to set goals that are going to be really hard to reach. Goals are seriously a blessings. We can do anything with the Lord on our side. Do everything in your power to reach your goals, but respect people’s agency. Service you render is more important than whether you met all your goals.
We Contact Everyone
With the spirit, at least 20/day, with quality gospel conversations, to get appointments, in consecrated hours. Look through the eyes of the Lord as you teach people – see them as the Lord sees them. Perfect love castest out all fear. There’s a sense of urgency, we’re only here for a short time. Missionaries spoke of how they learn to follow the spirit.
E. van Doesburg talked about finding people. We all have a mouth, we have to use it. Stop people, make eye contact, start out with light stuff to help them feel confident. Make them feel comfortable and establish a connection. Help people to see that they need the gospel. Ask questions like, “have you ever wondered why there are so many churches when there’s only one God?” You have to be a trustworthy person to have people give you their phone number and address. Make sure your actions and appearances show you’re trustworthy. Best way to be good at it is by practicing it. Talk with everyone. Open our mouths but do it with joy. To those who are prepared, you can say anything and they’ll listen. Be yourself while you’re finding – let your personality take over, but your best personality. Let people see that they are a child of God. Ask people, “Are you ready?” They may ask,”for what?” Everyone has a right to feel the love of God, even if you don’t get an appointment. If you get tired of things or are afraid to talk to people, get on a bus and just ride around for a while – talk to the people who sit next to us.
We Share Miracles
Call Pres and Sis Brubaker every time you set a baptismal date. Share a miracle in your letter to the president. Sis DeGroot shared a miracle of a phone call she received from a lady who wanted to know about the church. She’s coming to church now and reading the Book of Mormon. Sis DeGroot had just had a prompting to turn her phone back on and she called 2 mins later.
E. Davies – shared miracle of a couple who had been taught but weren’t married – so couldn’t get baptized. Then they just walked into church last week and they just got married and now they want to be baptized. E. Mickelsen said when he heard this miracle, he was having a bad day and it totally made his day and he forgot all the bad things that had happened. So when you have a miracle, call someone – senior couple, your ZL, the Brubakers, etc.
We Invite, They Commit, and We Follow-up
If we don’t follow-up, we’re just guessing as to whether they’re progressing. Sometimes daily contact feels kind of creepy Sister Jeffs). Decide how best to do it – short phone call, drop by, leave a card, etc. Otherwise, they may end up talking to people who speak against the church. Have a member fellowshipper check in on them, etc.
After lunch no one got sleepy! Sister Harrington, Elder vonDuesburg, Elder Hawkley, and Elder Frahm were our panel for today. They answered questions the missionaries might have on interprepting the white hand book.
We Teach Every Night and Treat Members like Gold
Elder Ballard asks us to do this, teach members if you don’t have investigators. Elder Osmond spoke on treating members like gold. Learned that he needs to treat them just like they are investigators, golden ones. He’s started role-playing with members. Ask anybody if they know anybody who might be interested. If they think you’re a good missionary, they’ll give you referrals.
It takes 26 progressing investigators to get one baptism. It only takes 3 referrals to get one baptism.
Elder Mohrman: Share miracles with members, bring them on joint teach, and pray with them.
E. Kettler talked about how he gets referrals. Don’t be too general, but ask “do you know anyone whose just moved into the area? Anyone who might need our help that we can do some service for? Ask investigators for referrals – they want to share. Pres had a member come up and talk about how she came in contact through the church through a referral.
Andy Thomas spoke: Spoke about PMG and what investigators should feel in recognizing the spirit. Told about playing soccer with the missionaries. He lost his competitive edge, he felt a special spirit on the field,he wasjust having fun – the missionaries had a special light,they had something to share. He was studying Islam for 4 years and was ready to give up his faith. Asked Joseph if he could have some lessons. First lesson he was asked, “What does Jesus mean to you?” Asked him, “What would it mean to you if you knew Jesus had died for you?” He didn’t really understand too much, but he feels that people basically want to know about eternal life. Maybe investigatosr won’t know it’s true right away but he can feel the love.
Mentioned being in his second lesson, listened to lots of missionaries in that mtg, but when E. Tibbitts bore his testimony, he felt the spirit. He kept looking at Loel, wondering why he was there as he wasn’t saying much. When he did speak, he said the room was silent and everyone listened, and when he finished bearing his testimony, it was still silent and it was a comfortable silence. He said of all the testimonies in the room, he felt like his was the smallest testimony of all but it was the start of a testimony.
He progressed. Many things were going on in his life. He almost bought a house as he had saved money for 4 years, but something was wrong with the ceiling so he didn’t buy it. Sister Holbein asked him to write down one question and listen to conference and his question would be answered. He went to conference and Pres Monson said every young man should serve a mission. Andy realized this is something he could do. He had the money saved. He found himself telling his coach that he wasn’t going to play next year as he knew he was going to go on a mission. He got injured in soccer and realized he would not be playing soccer any more. He had to have surgery, missed work for a month and had time to study and go with missionaries. Now he knows what his priorities should be.
As he learns more about the gospel, he has realized what a miracle that day was on the soccer field. It’s by testifying that he knows the gospel is true.
We Teach By the Spirit
Pre-plan our lessons with needs of investigator in mind. Tailor to their needs. Teaching with the Spirit invites the Lord has our companion. Doctrine and Covenants 42:14
"If you have not the spirit, ye shall not teach."
With half the mission watching, Andy opened his mission call. He’s going to the England Manchester Mission! A big cheer erupted with lots of clapping. We had an elder video tape it and also had a couple missionaries he was close to on the cell phone at the time. It was such a happy, joyous time for all of us to be a part of that. He told us how much joy it brought to him to have waited the two days and been able to open it up in the church in a zone conf. He stayed the whole day for the conf and loved it so much.
to church to becoming a ward missionary, wearing a suit and tie, and teaching the Gospel with so much faith and wisdom.
Pres Brubaker summed it up at the end, right after Andy opened his call. He put his arm around him and said to all the
missionaries, "This is why we do it! This is why we're here!"
