Jan. 18, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This week was a fun but interesting week. President Hutchings family went home last Monday, so he's back in full force. However Elder Hansen's grandma died on Tuesday and it was really hard on him. He was having a really rough time and he just wanted to be preoccupied with investigators and other people to work with, so he asked to go on an exchange for the rest of the week. President let him, so I was companions with President Hutchings for a few days. It was a lot harder because there were times when I needed to do some things in the office and he needed to be elsewhere or on a private phone call or what have you and I still needed to be with someone, so it was a little trying, but it was all in all a good experience.

We started this round of interviews. We have all the local missionaries congregate to a central church and President interviews them one by one, and while he does that I present a training to the group. I really like this training I'm doing. It's about getting stronger commitments out of our investigators by using the language of faith. I focus on two types of faith that investigators need to have to keep commitments faith in the principle, and faith that they can do what they've been asked of Heavenly Father to do. Then I taught about hte creation and how in Hebrews it says that the worlds were framed by faith, and in Moses it talks about how God created the worlds by the power of his word. Using the example of "Let there be light." Then to quote Joseph Smith, "God spoke, chaos heard, and by reason of the faith he had, matter was organized." Then I make the connection that the words that we use in our commitments make a big difference when we use the language of faith. For example "When you come to know that these things are true you will have a desire to change things in your life to bring them in harmony with our Heavenly Fathers plan and be baptized by His priesthood authority." As opposed to, "If you come to know these things are true, you may want to be baptized." Something along those lines.

As for crucial conversations I remember almost a year ago (it's really weird to say that) I read over the crucial conversations packet and then read Preach My Gospel and they teach almost the same concepts, just with the gospel spin on it. The numbers are coming in now so I got to run. Love you and Happy Birthday Mom!!