Part VIII. Overall Changes, Observations, and Recommendations 

Overview 

In doing this description, I often forced actions/changes into time frames, even though I knew the topic evolved and developed over a longer period of time. I did find, however, that a few actions/changes simply would not fit into a time slot. They spanned the whole mission. This final part considers a few such items. 

48. Teaching the Missionaries the First Principles

Problem or situation. My missionaries were my greatest responsibility. I felt they were my investigators. President Kimball (Kikuchi, 1981) had emphasized the importance of this responsibility:           

            You will not only have the responsibility for directing the proselyting work--the labors of these missionaries who will be assigned to you, but YOU WILL BE TRAINING THEM FOR FUTURE POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY in the Church. . . . They will be your greatest responsibility (p. 263).

I felt that my responsibility toward my missionaries went beyond teaching them to teach the gospel. I had to teach them to live the gospel, too. I believed that these two went hand in hand. In order for missionaries to teach effectively, they needed to understand and live the things they were teaching. The things they were teaching were the first principles of the gospel: faith, repentance, baptism, and the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I felt that rather than focus only on how to teach these principles to their investigators, it would be more effective for me to actually teach these principles to the missionaries as they applied in their own lives. Then when they taught them to their investigators, their teaching would be even more from their hearts. 

Action taken. (?-??) USE FIRST PRINCIPLES AS THEY APPLY TO THE MISSIONARIES THEMSELVES AS THE CENTRAL MESSAGES FOR ZONE CONFERENCES. (Productivity label: Training.)  

The central messages of almost all of our Zone Conferences were the first principles of the gospel as they applied to the missionaries themselves. I related these principles to what they were doing here and now on their missions.

Using the scriptures I taught them about FAITH: what it was, how they obtained and maintained it, how it applied to them in their own lives, now and in the future. I taught them REPENTANCE: what it meant, why it was necessary, how it was done, and what it did for them. I taught them BAPTISM: what it meant, why it was necessary, how it fit into the total plan of salvation I reminded them of their own baptisms and the significance and value it was to them. I taught them about the Gift of the HOLY GHOST: its purpose, its inestimable value, and how it worked and influenced them right then on their missions.

I augmented these messages with thoughts on fasting, prayer, etc., but the first principles themselves continued to be the central core messages. In time, most of the missionaries had turned over, and I began again with lessons on the same principles of

FAITH, REPENTANCE, BAPTISM, and the GIFT of the HOLY GHOST. 

Results of the action. There were two distinct benefits in using the first principles as my central messages for the missionaries. First, as the missionaries understood and felt the value of these first principles in their own lives, they were more effective in sharing them with their investigators. They were not "selling" the gospel for someone else but, rather, sharing those things which were of deep personal value to them.

Second, a deeper understanding and appreciation of these first principles and how they applied in their own lives helped the missionaries use them more in their missionary work. They thought about faith as they set their personal goals; they realized the need for continual growth 'through personal repentance.4nd change in the right direction; realization of the gift of the, Savior to them through their own baptism caused them to better do their part in furthering the Savior's work; and they were more sensitive to and relied more on the promptings of the Holy Ghost in their daily activities. 

49. Praying More Effectively 

Problem or situation. There was no particular problem associated with this change. It happened early in the mission and continued throughout my three years as mission president. It did not come with a burst of insight, but gradually over a period of time. It had to do with prayer, particularly in asking the Lord to bless others.

Praying for others had always been a part of my prayers. "Please bless my missionaries," "Lead them to those who are prepared," "Help them to teach them in such a way that their investigators can understand and accept the message," etc., were almost habitual phrases in my prayers.

Gradually, I wondered about my prayers. How would the Lord answer them? I knew that He often answered prayers through others, through parents, bishops, and through other ecclesiastical leaders. I began to understand that the Lord would want to answer part of what I was praying for through the mission president. That was me.

I wondered if my prayers were sincere. Or was I just saying phrases? Worse, was I asking the Lord to take over and do some of what He had already asked and expected me to do? Was I doing all I could and should do? How-Could I do more?   As I wondered these things, my prayers began to take on a new dimension and direction. 

Action taken. (?-78) PRAY THAT I MAY BE ABLE TO BLESS THE MISSIONARIES. (Productivity-label: not labeled.) 

Since the Lord had called me to preside over the mission and the missionaries, I felt that He expected me to carry out much of what I was praying for. As I began to understand this, my prayers turned more towards asking Him to help me do my part. Rather than "Bless Elder So-and-So that he can learn the language better," I prayed, "Bless me that I can help Elder So-and-so to learn the language better." Rather than "Bless sister So-and-so not to be discouraged," it was "Help me that I can do what needs to be done to encourage Sister So-and -so. " 

Results of the action. As a result of this change, I felt that several things happened. First, I felt that my own prayers were more sincere. I was not asking the Lord to do things I was unwilling to do or that were my responsibility. Second, I felt I was given a better understanding of my own responsibilities in my calling. And I felt the Lord did bless me to know what to do to help bless my missionaries.

At the same time, I began to teach the missionaries the same principle. As they began asking the Lord to bless them to be able to bless their investigators, they saw themselves in a more central role in the work. For example, if they had an investigator who was not reading the Book of Mormon, rather than simply turning it over to the Lord to do something, they would pray that they could know what they could do to help him read the Book of Mormon. Then they felt what they could do and began doing it. They might call the investigator up and remind him. They might mark some passages for him. They might relate certain passages to his work or school. Once they began to understand that they were important tools through which the Lord would work in the conversion process, they could do much more than before.

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