MTC Fireside: All Called to Baptize

Robert P. Swenson (Director of Missionary Services)

MTC Provo

29 March 2009

Some people will feel things they weren't expecting to hear. Take notes of feelings because they will have feelings they can use the rest of lives.

Why are you here as a missionary at the MTC? Purpose PGM p. 1

Invite people, ask not hope.

Get started here and now.

Everyone who isn't you is others.

Don't preselect who don't go to.

Gospel of Jesus Christ Restored. You are here to learn restored gospel so you can help others receive restored gospel through faith in his atonement. Only a few people know what atonement is/does/means.

Here at MTC for you learning what you need to teach. For you to learn what the atonement means to you. Make the atonement personal. Atonement freedom from physical death. Alma 7:11-13; 2 Nephi 31:10-11, 13,15,19,21.

You can't adequately repent if you have not repented.

Don't think you are not sent to baptize. All are called to baptize, even if not doing the baptisms. Try a time or two to extend baptism in first couple of minutes of contact.

Take upon you the name of Jesus Christ with nametag. D&C 20:37

MTC Devotional: Your Calling Is Help Others Succeed

Kenneth Johnson of the First Quorum of the Seventy

MTC Provo

24 March 2009

Sisters, Always have a song in your heart because days are not always happy, but can testify with a song.

2 Nephi 3:11

Invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon.

Brothers, You need to know who you are and what you could become. A stumbling block or a stepping stone, which will you be?

Give yourself to the Lord in service.

The Lord will renew our bodies if we magnify our callings.

My purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ.

Leap out of bed with excitement.

Your calling is to help others succeed.

You cannot be burned out in the Spirit of the Lord. You can only be fired up. If you get burned out you have lost the Spirit.

Companion study should help convert each other.

You have to know who you want to send a message to.

Never extend a commitment without the Spirit being present.

If they don't keep a commitment without keeping covenants. Keeping covenants gives you power.

D&C 18:34:34-36

Understanding planning is essential.

MTC Fireside: Effective Prayer

Stephen B. Allen and Mary Allen

MTC Provo

22 March 2009

Mary

Prays for husband when speaking like we should pray for our companion.

Stephen

Expectation is a belief or mental picture about something.

When you throw off expectations you may feel uneasy.

When what we believe and do are same we have peace and harmony.

When feeling distress, you will probably find something in expectations off harmony.

When you have discord with someone, it is because you lack understanding and have unmatched expectations.

Lord gives you companions, but when you pray, don't be separated from companion. When you close your eyes you are alone.

Lord expects us to give EVERYTHING we have heart, might, mind and strength. He expects us to be EXHAUSTED at the end of the night.

Write in a journal.

What do I expect of the Savior? What does he expect of me?

Need obedience to get the Spirit. Without the Spirit you won't accomplish anything.

Eliminate no, won't, can't from your vocabulary concerning God.

The weakest companion skill is probably listening. Listening complicated because we must learn to listen with heart and ears.

• Focus on listening to the Holy Ghost.
• Focus on listening to investigators

Mission is not to think it is all up to you.

You didn't perform the atonement. Listen to the investigator and the Spirit or get lost.

Alma 22 missionary dialogue

Practice finding out what people think.

We are led by prophet, we felt the witness.

Go into the world with smile on your face.

Don't be nervous about preaching the message. The message will come.

Think and pray about focusing on investigators and what you could do that God wants you to do.

God wants you to succeed more than anyone.

We war against unseen things.

MTC Devotional: Supporting Companions

L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Barbara Perry

MTC Provo

17 March 2009

Barbara Perry

As you sing the Spirit is able to touch others.

The Lord will bless you for your service.

L. Tom Perry

Vitality, spirit and enthusiasm...the earth needs it more than ever before.

When Uncle Sam developed a cold the whole earth got pneumonia.

Preach two by two.

You do not go on a mission alone, you go two by two.

Support each other. The Lord established a pattern.

Learn to deal with and live with your companion.

Promise you will have happy relationship.

Alma 4 judged people, delivered seat so he could spur people up, pull down pride and craftiness.

D&C 6 keys of gifts

Companion study is so valuable. Seek to obtain my word.

Message of First Vision touched their souls.

Ch. 3 Uniform truth.

1. Restoration
2. Plan of Salvation
3. Study

Take time to study with companion, never miss a day, make it a vital part of your mission.

Study with your companion. Together you will understand more than you could by self.

Realize the importance of leadership.

Be willing to teach and learn from your companion.

Need to protect one another from harms and dangers.

You are on a mission now. Don't try to hide things companion is doing wrong from mission president.

John 1 who loves his brother

Learn how to serve each other. Try to do little things for your companionship.

Build unity...if you are not one you are not mine.

Avoid contention. Never allow contention to enter in.

Never be alone. Never hug a child.

Go to bed and wake up with companion at same time.

Hope you have companionships that bless your lives.

Doesn't matter the size or the shape, it's what's inside your companion.

MTC Devotional: Power of the Resurrection

Elder James J. Hamula and Joyce Hamula

MTC Provo

10 March 2009

Joyce Hamula

1 Nephi 3:7

Mission president is there for you.

You are called to teach wonderful people about Jesus.

Be best you can be.

The Lord will be with you every step.

James J. Hamula

Appreciate the fact that you have been set apart from the world.

Apostles were ultimately rejected. Restoration came through Joseph Smith. Once you understand why sent and what to accomplish you can go forth.

Once know doctrines you can teach.

1. Doctrine of Creation (Who God is and who we are)
2. Fall of Adam
3. Atonement

God is all powerful.

Jesus can improve man's view of God.

We are offspring of Almighty God.

Adam and Eve subjected us to death.

Death of body is separation of body from Spirit.

Jacob-if flesh rise no more, subject to Devil. We are separated from God. Lucifer is ever present. Man is lost and fallen.

Christ's resurrection loosened the band of death.

• Resurrection is free and unconditional to all.
• Can restore man to God.
• Will be privileged to stay with God.

Power of resurrection amazing, but not free.

Manifest repentance by baptism and gift of the Holy Ghost.

True salvation comes only through faith in Christ.

D&C 76:40

3 Nephi 27:19-21

Nobody can dwell with God without Jesus Christ.

D&C 33:7-10

Turn away from old life receive baptism.

Inspire faith and repentance. Motivate them to desire baptism and understand the Holy Ghost.

D&C 80 go into world...even Jesus Christ amen.

Your message is vitally important. Find every possible way to bring others to Christ.

D&C 101:3 expedient for salvation of souls speak thoughts I put in your hearts. In doing that conversion occurs.

John 7:17 If we interested in conversion, invite investigators to live

Numbers 11:4-6 May have manna so often we lose sight of significance and want to go home.

Numbers 11:24 gather, bring tabernacle. Gathered 70 men, prophesied testifying of Jesus.

Purpose of the 70 declare witness.

Declare your witness of Christ.

MTC Fireside: Pride

President Liu

MTC Provo

8 March 2009

For crude times, where we are taught assertiveness, humble people overlooked but important in the world.

When try to be too humble overlook goodness in people.

D&C 4 requirements for missionaries

Matthew 18:1-4 become as little children

Mosiah 3:17 put off natural

Ether 12:23 come unto me

If you think you have humility. PMG p. 120

Pride is universal, the great vice usually results in anger and hatred.

MTC Devotional: Becoming A Master Teacher

Elder Yoshihiko Kukuchi of the Seventy

Provo MTC

3 March 2009

We are temples of the Lord as missionaries. Body is temple of the spirit of God.

Garments must be purified before we serve.

• Come with contrite spirit and Lord forgets our sins.
• Can retain remission of our sins.
  

D&C 88:63. Only one way to become pure. Lord's promise: even if we tear off pieces, we can become whole again.

Discipline, master, train yourself

• wake up at 6:30 am to stay awake.
• get up on time or before
• Book of Mormon fulness of gospel, need to read daily.
• Read 30 minutes daily Book of Mormon

PMG doctrine to challenge to master 1st short lesson plan, then medium then long. 2 months.

• If you master power reaching is greater.

Find yourself. Contact many people. Learn to present Joseph Smith 1st Vision. Help investigators know it.

Slow down. You will have more investigators if you learn this. Never play like a drummer.

Young boy, sick, asked God to save him. Missionaries came 11 days later. Boy said, I hate Americans, they killed my dad. Missionary said had message of a young boy like him, listened, joined Church 54 years ago.

MTC Devotional: Free Agency

Elder Daryl Garn of the Seventy and Sister Irene Garn

MTC Provo

24 February 2009

Irene Garn

Missions have more meaning than high degrees.

Cheer up your smile/Cheer up your day

• 2 Nephi 10:23 Love ye are free to act for self
• D&C 61:36-37 I am in your midst.
• D&C 68:6 Do not fear. Son of the living God.
• D&C 78:18 you can't bear all now.
• 3 Nephi 1:13: be happy cheerful when Jesus comes.

Daryl H. Garn

We have occasion to make great choices.

You have been called by prophets and apostles to your mission.

• Satan gets in the way.
• You used your agency to choose. Force was Satan's plan.

God gave us his children two gifts:

• Gift of the Savior.
• Agency

Without promise of the 2nd gift we may not have accepted the first.

Mosiah 4:3 God's whole purpose is to allow.

• Choose to follow Jesus or Satan.
• Important to do right because we choose.
• War goes on over issue of agency.
• Truth and error.

We are winning future never looked brighter (Gordon B. Hinckley)

Revelation 12:11; 2 Nephi 2:26

It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.

Person must be taught. People must understand. Must act and live.

Young people think can forsake but not confess.

Study Mosiah 26. Discipline in the Church.

Mosiah 2613 feared to do wrong in the sight of God. 29: forgive repentance

Companion Issues

Companion is preparatory state. D&C 42:6

Essentially going as if angels of God.

• Angels can be great blessing
• Preaching two by two established by the Lord.

Stay together

• Almost all transgression comes from losing companion
• Priesthood leaders say sometimes companions let companions go to hell because don't tell on them. John 17
  

MTC Fireside: Missionaries Need to Learn to Listen

Stephan B. Allen (Managing Director MTC)

MTC Provo

22 February 2009

Everything is about the Savior.

Social conversion is more difficult than initial conversion.

Treasure doctrine by studying it.

Let go of memorized stuff. Tell people about the gospel.

Missionaries as a whole struggle with listening.

• Body language was w_ and little attention to missionaries. Got to look at all the clues.
• You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders ask ? troubling.
• Missionaries bring into the church but fail to link them into the Church.

When everything says you can't believe in the part of you that says you can." "It's not about who you aren't it's about who you are."

Sometimes the most important thing you can share is yourself.

• Don't stress about if you are happy enough, or know enough.

Your testimony is unique to you. "Don't let the moments magic pass you by." If you love them let them know.

How children think and feel about themselves is by the labels you put on them.

• Build not destroy.
• Sharing is the icing on the cake.

If you don't think childish arguments hurt your companion, you're kidding yourself.

The message that has changed the world hasn't changed.

Family isn't about time.

Being different is being great. Allie Synder, no leg use, still swam and finished every race she entered. Whatever you do in life, just do your best.

MTC Devotional: Beware of Anyone Who Says You Won't Baptize

M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

MTC Provo

17 February 2009

Newspapers ask "Why are you perceived as not being Christians?" Response: We don't understand that. Church named after Christ. Their belief can from our disbelief in Nicene Creed.

We believe we are spirit children.

They don't believe we are Christians because:

• We bear testimony that God and his Son appeared to Joseph Smith and they spoke to him.
• People don't know who God is

Reality is clear to our primary chldren. Sad world doesn't know who Heavenly Father, Jesus
Christ and Holy Ghost.

53,000 men and women are trying to teach gospel.

129 temples.

World thinks we are secret closed society because temples are closed.

Apostles inviting media to go through temple to show we aren't a secret society.

People really are in spiritual darkness.

Missionaries need become Lesson 3 master. You will be successful. Maintain a positive attitude.
Absolutely essential to success. People's first impression will be you of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and Holy Ghost.

Converting people is what they feel not know.

This is His Church.

I FEEL converts people. You have to believe all of the time and trust in Jesus Christ.

Counsel: Beware of anybody who says you won't baptize a lot. Don't believe that. If you allow that Satan gets you. You can find, teach, and baptize everywhere you are going.

If you internalize message of restoration and everything especially at MTC and PMG. Treasure up and learn how to present the gospel.

Own it...so you can know you can teach any principle at any time to any situation.

Be master teachers so I could throw any one of you to Washington Post and let you answer questions.

There are people who will respond to our message.

You will make a lot of friend. You will sow a lot of seeds, but don't let it get into your mind that you are here for any other reason than the work.

Believe trust in the Lord.

Moroni whoso believe doubting nothing, granted.

Preach to every creature to believe in Christ name Despair and wonder not. Mormon 9

Alma 29 Wants to be angel. Vs 91 I know that which Lord commandeth Glory in? His is my joy glory in God.

Keep upbeat attitude.

We are in a hurry to find Father's children.

Thanks for willingness to accept calls. Thanks parents/family/bishop.

12 send us forth as ambassadors...with testimony burning in our hearts. He'll be as close as we allow him.

May parents and siblings be blessed.

May heavens inspire, enlighten and bless us.

Greatest opportunity in your life to be servants and declare his message. May fire of testimony burn in your bones.

MTC Devotional and Fireside: Purity

Sister Christine ? and Paul B. Price (Branch 59 President)

Provo MTC

15 February 2009

Matthew 4:18-20 If the Savior stood beside me what would I do.

They straightway left their nets, did we straightway get ready to serve.

Leave behind distractions. Follow the Savior. Have we left everything behind? Do not look back!

Look to the Savior your entire mission. Not behind.

PMG pg. 122 Obedience may be required to do things you don't understand. Will become stronger missionary if obey. How much do we love the Lord? How much do we want to be obedient and follow his will.

Greater obedience=greater confidence.

Paul B. Price

D&C 101:55-56 Redeem my vineyard.

Develop characteristics of Chirst

PMG has so many strengths and aspects to give us direction. 2 Peter 1=divine attribute of Jesus Christ

Virtue has power of personal purity. You become weakened when you have purity in others, leaves you, goes to them. D&C 93:20.

As we focus in Christ fear will leave and faith will develop.

Disobedience takes away light and truth.

That which is of God is light.

Prepare ourselves to qualify ourselves. Are we ready to start?

Work and try to the best of our ability to improve every day. D&C 38.

Give up things you are carrying that aren't right.

Greatest self-esteem comes from repenting. D&C 66

Yield to the enticings of the spirit.

Try to look at people with the eyes of the Savior.

Lord will bless and magnify you if you have faith.

MTC Devotional: Missionaries Acting Differently

Brother and Sister Jose A. Teixeira of the Seventy

MTC Provo

10 February 2009

Sister Teixeira: Even photos you take show what kind of mission you serve. Start your mission right. If you don't know how to speak, start with a smile.

Elder Teixeira: There is a price to pay. A mission is a special thing. It is difficult but worthwhile. You need to be spiritually mature and persuasive missionary.

Set apart to think different and act different. When two men are exactly alike, one is not necessary. Purpose as a mission common with your companion is goals and vision.

Focus on common ground with companion follow with exactness.

Message must be taught by divine power.

Exercise faith as you go along.

Lord will always fulfill his promises.

If you lower your expectations. Excessiveness lowers desire lowers ability to follow Spirit.

If you raise expectations your excessiveness raises your desire raises greater ability to follow the Spirit.

You need to set higher goals. Give all we have.

MTC Devotional: Come Unto Christ

Richard I. Heaton (Provo MTC Administrative Director)

MTC Provo

8 February 2009

What we do as missionaries should help others to come to Christ.

No other sentence was given as much attention as Come to Christ.

• If you understand this phrase it will change your life and attitude.
• Will affect your role as Fathers and Mothers. It has that kind of impact.

People face so many obstacles to come on a mission. So many sacrifices, because the gospel is worth it. (See Jacob 3:2)

What does it feel like to come unto Christ?

• Savior heals more importantly he will heal us emotionally if we lean on him.
• Feast on the love of the Lord.
• Moroni 10:30-32.

Invite with great passion.

Be perfected in Christ.

Look to the people you are teaching with Christ in the distance, lead them to Christ.

People can make progress towards Christ, but they can only be saved through the ordinances of the restored gospel. Moroni 10: 3-5.

Crucial to invite them to pray about Christ. JC is savior of the world.

Inviting people to make commitments is inviting them to repent.

We want them to have an internal change of heart.

Faith=Action

• baptism and receiving Holy Ghost not complete ordinance without both. 3 Nephi 19:9-13 pray for most desire, desired the Holy Ghost vs. 11-18 Why didn't want Holy Gost.

People will want to be baptized. Help them endure to the end.

Gospel of Jesus Christ pamphlet 13

ETTE=lifelong commitment

We are servants of the Lord.

MTC Devotionals and Firesides: Vicki F. Matsumori

Vicki F. Matsumori (2nd Counselor, LDS Primary General Presidency)
MTC Provo
8 February 2009

Thanks for desire to serve the Lord.

Will have opportunity to interact with primary.

• Help the children know they are loved.
• Teach children the gospel.
• Help them feel the spirit.
• Try to smile and know their names.
• Teach children they can be part of an eternal family right now.
• Children are your youngest converts.
• Children can serve the Lord.
• Children remember the songs.

What children learn in primary is a lifelong feeling. A man went to primary twice, but sought out the church because he knew "Joseph Smith was a prophet" from primary, he wanted his kids to have that feeling.