Highlights from the Mission Tour

LEADERSHIP MEETING
(ZLs, DLs, STLs)

Elder Funk asked the missionaries to fill in the blank:  In this mission, we _________. 

It was very interesting, the top 5 answers were consistently: 

Baptize

Pray a Lot 

Are Diligent

Have Faith

Are Obedient

Elder Funk was pleasantly surprised to see that we had a mission culture that was consistent throughout the mission, and said that he had not seen that once yet on all the tours he'd been on. Elder Funk emphasized that the mission culture is established by the leaders and trainers, and how significantly they influence the mission.

CONFERENCE

About a month prior, Elder Funk requested that the missionaries fill out a PMG survey. The top three PMG areas/topics that the missionaries wanted help on were:

#1 How do I work with stake and ward leaders? (President's topic)

#2 The Plan of Salvation (my topic)

#3 How do I recognize and understand the Spirit? (Funk's topic)

President demonstrated with a couple of role plays. If a missionary approaches a stake/ward leader and ask them for member referrals, they aren't going to come very easily. But if they get to know the leaders, demonstrate sincere care and concern for them, ask them about their friends & neighbors, find out what their family & work situation is, what their talents & hobbies are, etc., they will open up. Knowing these things can help the leaders/members identify people in their life that they might could share the gospel with. 

I asked the missionaries if they remembered what the first seminary lesson was every year, regardless of the course of study. I was pleased that they remembered: Plan of Salvation. We discussed having an eternal perspective through the Plan of Salvation, how a witness of the Holy Ghost was essential to being converted to the Plan of Salvation, and how a conversion to the Plan of Salvation would be the enabling power for them and their investigators to endure to the end. This was the best time in their life to gain that conversion through study, prayer, fasting, and testifying, thus inviting the spirit to bear witness of eternal truths.

Elder and Sister Funk talked about the Role of the Holy Ghost in conversion. The Holy Ghost is able to cleanse, purify, and sanctify those who have obtained a remission of their sins. Through obedience and daily repentance, missionaries can be sanctified each day. They admonished missionaries to "Create a climate when you teach in which the Holy Ghost can bear witness" (PMG p. 92) and invited them to develop a pattern of "morning sanctification" during personal and companionship study, to create that climate every day.

This was such a wonderful week where we had the best a mission could offer: seeing all 220+ of our missionaries and learning together at the feet of an especial witness of Jesus Christ!