HOW A MISSIONARY IS TRAINED

This is a picture of some Elders (what they young men missionaries are called) who also serve in Phoenix Arizona.  We were in "Zone Meeting" this day.  Obviously it was a really good meeting (see expression in photo above).

In these meetings we are trained as we practice teaching, share ideas, "tighten-up" our obedience to commandments and mission rules, receive information from leaders, etc.
Above are some of the Elders (usually 18-20 year old men who serve missions) who also serve in Phoenix Arizona.

But let's back up. You are probably wondering (or at least you should be because it is pretty interesting) how missionaries even get to this stage.  Well LOOK NO FURTHER!  Just keep reading.



To be a Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you must be a baptized member and attend Church meetings regularly. Missionaries are also required to live  high moral, physical, mental, and emotional standards that are outlined in the scriptures and further adapted for our day in For The Strength of Youth.  They are required to be living these standards long before they begin their missionary application. Obviously, we are not perfect, and so each missionary repents and makes the necessary changes in their lives to prepare them to serve.




Many missionaries have the opportunity of additional training in seminary and institutes of religion during high school and young adult years.  In addition, the youth Sunday school curriculum was inspired and created to help parents and leaders teach youth to "establish patterns of personal prayer, scripture study, and obedience that will lead them to conversion" (The First Presidency Statement).







After a mission call is extended, missionaries enter the Missionary Training Center (MTC) where they are taught by returned missionaries from Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service. At the MTC missionaries also learn different proselyting, public speaking, and teaching techniques. Many missionaries will also learn a foreign language during their MTC stay.  Depending on the difficulty of their mission language, missionaries stay at the MTC two to nine weeks.

Once out in the "mission field," we are assigned a proselyting companion to be our "trainer."  For 12 week our trainers--obedient, experienced missionaries--teach us further from Preach My Gospel and The First 12 Weeks (clever title).  We are immediately submerged in the work and much of what we learn is "on the job training" that is specific to the culture of where we serve.

Now we are a full-time missionary. Yay!

Our training does not stop there.  An apostle of Jesus Christ stated, "There are few things more fulfilling and fun than learning something new. Great happiness, satisfaction, and financial rewards come from this. An education is not limited to formal study. Lifelong learning can increase our ability to appreciate and relish the workings and beauty of the world around us" (Elder Dallin H. Oaks).

Hence, we have training meetings as described above.  These meeting occur weekly with additional training when necessary.

EVERY MEMBER A MISSIONARY

Age: 24
Member for 24 years

Bio: I love to learn new things. Be it rock climbing, ballroom dancing, or ceramics, I'm up for learning just about anything.

Why I do Missionary Work: I've been blessed to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ my entire life. And while I've always known it's true, I've also had a really hard time sharing it with people, for many reasons. I've never really had a problem with other people sharing it, that's fine. (Go missionaries!) But doing it myself? No thanks. At this time in my life though, I feel like it's really important to have a testimony of missionary work, to understand why it's so important, and to have the courage to do it. I have faith that if I ask for a testimony of something, God will give me an opportunity to learn it. But I also have to put in the work and effort to gain it. I do missionary work, with the hope that I'll gain a testimony of the work, and the desire to freely share this Gospel, that has given me so much happiness, with the rest of God's children.

MEXICAN FOOD AND MISSIONS

There is a large Hispanic community in Phoenix.  This means several things, two of which are: 1) You get the most delicious food, and 2) You gain the most weight. 
YOMO.

On Saturday we went to a birthday party for Sunny who is of Mexican decent.  We were told it was "just a small party with some cake. Nothing fancy or big." 

So, having already eaten dinner, we of course walk into a giant family party with this delicious pot of Posole Rojo.  At first I served myself a small portion and sat down.  Upon looking at my bowl, Sunny's mother grabbed my dish, shook her head and showed it to the family. They all readily agreed I did not know how to serve my own food.  She then preceded to re-serve my dish with a heaping serving
and about 87 different toppings. It was worth it.

Another thing that comes with working in this largely Hispanic culture is much kindness.  They are such a fun-loving and caring people.  They are not judgmental and will talk to anyone.  We really appreciate that when many people ignore us, or rudely decline our message.

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you." -Ephesians 4:32