The Opportunity of a Lifetime

Dear Family & Friends,

It's hard to believe Jacoby's missionary service has come to an end.  I will admit, I cried through this whole letter.  Tears of joy to have the honor to be his mother, tears of joy that he will be coming home soon, yet tears of sadness that this wonderful experience has to come to an end.  This is the last email you will be receiving from him as a full-time missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It has been a wonderful two years of watching our son grow and mature (through emails) in ways that he couldn't have experienced anywhere else.  We appreciate your letters and prayers and support to him throughout his mission.  As most of you already know, he will be returning next Tuesday, May 20th at 11:25am.  He will give a report on his mission on Sunday, May 25th at 11:00am, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel on 4300 Dale road.  You are all invited to attend.

Thank you again for all you have done for Jacoby, we truly appreciate each and every one of you!

Sincerely,

Darlyn Remington family

Family and Friends,

Last week I went to my last leadership conference. It was incredible. They are usually just with the zone leaders but this one was with all the district leaders too so I got to see and chat with a lot of great friends for the last time. It was a blessing. In the middle of his training, as he was teaching important principles of working with members, President Amaya gave a little pause smiled and said that we all need to remember the training that Elder Magill and Elder Remington gave in October about the three keys of working in unity with members: image, communication, and attitude. He then asked Elder Magill and I to come up and give that training again. Very surprised but happy and ready, we both stood up and (although we hadn't given the training in over 7 months) without even skipping a beat we gave the training together and it went super well. President has NEVER done anything like that before with any missionaries. That training of the three keys with members is the only training of assistants that he has asked for to be repeated a second time back in October with the new missionaries so we were super surprised then but THREE times asking for the same training is something insane so we were both shocked. We weren't sure how much time he wanted us to take up of his training so just in case we gave a much briefer version and skipped over some parts at first. Haha but then we we finished he just kept staring at us and said, "Continue please." So we both smile and nodded at each other and went over the other parts in greater detail with quotes and analysis from PMG. We finished with our testimonies of the importance of these principles, backed up each other's words, taught smoothly and in unity, and promised blessings to all who applied these three keys. President thanked us. We sat down. My buddy Elder Strang gave me a fist bump and whispered, "Killed it, great job man." I then looked over at Elder Magill and he gave me a wink and smiled. Good stuff. 

At the end of the conference all of the missionaries from my group and I gave our last testimonies. President told us all to keep it just to 2:30 minutes and we did and it was much more direct and powerful that way instead of some Elders who go on and on and on. It was one of the most spiritual and powerful moments of my life. Several missionaries were in tears and the Spirit was thick. I felt a strong burning in my heart and happiness and joy. Elder Garzon shared a brief experience of how he had practiced preparing the Sacrament when he was 10 years old and compared it with the fact that his whole life he had prepared himself for this moment... to be a missionary and serve the Lord and how wonderful it felt to have done so these last two years and to have done it well. His feelings were mine as well. Elder Maddock shared a great testimony of how he suffered a huge injury that prevented him from going to the Olympics but lead to him deciding to serve a mission and testified of how trials and pain can lead to growth and blessings. Elder Randall gave a tender and sincere testimony and started to cry at the end. You could feel the love and sincerity in his voice. He shared that a good attitude will bring you success in all that you do. Then it was my turn. I shared my testimony of the love our Heavenly Father has for every single one of us, that we are His children and thus we all have divine gifts and talents and the divine potential to become like Him one day. I know that Jesus Christ died for me and saved us all from sin and redeemed us and through His atonement we can become clean and be born again and have joy in sharing this glad message with our dear brothers and sisters (Alma 36:23-25). I know that Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration and that he translated the Book of Mormon. I know that it is the word of God and truly changes hearts and changes lives. I know that Thomas Monson is a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator and that if we apply his teachings in our lives we will be better and be safe. I know that this is God's true church. These last two years have been the happiest and best two years of my life. I know that with marriage and children even better years are to come but I know that these two years will always be the best two years for my life. I know that it is a privilege to be a missionary and that anyone who serves with all his heart, might, mind, and strength will be blessed more than you can possibly imagine. I closed my testimony and then heard a powerful and moving testimony of my dear friend Elder Magill. He testified of the three lighthouses of President Amaya and of what a privilege it is to be a missionary. He said that he wasn't going to cry yet. Then we sang the last hymn "Called to Serve" with all our heart. When we finished before the last prayer, President Amaya stood up and called up Elder Magill and I and thanked us for all that we had done and said that we were like Nephi because we had been born of goodly parents and were exemplary men. He said how much he loved us. It was very moving. Elder Magill cried. It was a very tender and spiritual moment. I am so thankful to have had such a wonderful mission president and to have served by him for six months with an amazing companion. 

At the end of the prayer, dozens and dozens of missionaries asked to take pictures with Elder Magill and I. We were astounded by how much each of them remembered things we had done for them or things we had said so long ago. They thanked us and we likewise thanked them and complimented them for specific and important things they had done. These were very tender moments. The recognition wasn't what really mattered, what most mattered to us both is that we knew and felt and the Spirit confirmed to us that we had done a good job and that the Lord accepted our offering :) a wonderful feeling. I am happy to be in an amazing area with such a wonderful companion like Elder Galvan.

I love you all. 

Elder Remington

The Three Lighthouses

Next week will be Jacoby's last email from Ecuador as a missionary.  If you want to write him one last email, send it before May 12th, because that will be his last day to check emails.

Also, if you would like to hear Jacoby report on his mission, he will be speaking in church on Sunday May 25th, at 11:00am. It will be at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 4300 Dale Road, Modesto, CA.

Thank you for the love and support that you have shown him throughout his mission!

Elder Remington's Mother

Family and Friends,

We had a tender baptism this week of Alejandrina Loor. She is the mother of two less active sisters and grandmother of several less active children. Her family was a referral of a ward missionary and when we first met them all she wasn't interested at all. The first few times she wouldn't even join us in the lessons or is she did she'd hardly say a word or just tell us that she was Catholic and wouldn't change and that was that. We pretty much wrote her off and focused on other people. Then one we went to their house to teach her daughters to reactivate them but they had left and Alejandrina was the only one home. My seasoned, calculating, and efficient mind told me that teaching her would be a waste of time and her odds of progressing were very low thus our time would be better spent teaching other investigators with greater odds of progressing.... but the Spirit gently touched my heart and I had the subtle feeling that we should stay and give her a chance... so we stayed. We listened to her. We showed genuine interest, love, and concern. She opened up to us. She shared that her husband had been unfaithful and left her for another woman several years ago and that she was sad and lonely. We also detected that she greatly lacked confidence and felt timid about participating in our lessons not because of a lack of interest but because she didn't know how to read and felt embarrassed about it and nervous that we might call on her to read and she wouldn't be able to do so. We shared our love for her and taught her of the love our Savior and Heavenly Father have for her and that they're always there to help her as she turns to them. We read and analyzed the doctrine of Christ in 2 Nephi 31 with her and I felt the distinct impression (I had never done it before) to testify to her and promise here that if she was faithful and obedient to God that in this life or the next He would bless her with a good and faithful husband that would love, cherish, and respect her and she could be with him for all time and eternity. We taught that God is merciful and just and He won't rob her of any of the blessings of exaltation if she is faithful and does her part. A gleam of hope brightened in her eyes as she listened to us teach and testify. We set a baptismal date for May 3rd in that very first lesson and she accepted tentatively. Day by day she became more and more comfortable with the idea and after a week she was excited to be baptized. It was a lovely experience and lovely baptismal service :) I love this work and I'm grateful for those gently promptings of the Holy Ghost to guide us to the elect of God because we'd be lost without them.

Last week, my great friend Sister Walker sent me some wonderful advice that I felt inspired to share with you all, Now you are approaching the last leg of this part of your life. In track, when you run a distance, there is something to be said for pacing yourself, for keeping yourself strongly in the race, but remembering you needed to save something for the end.  Now you are to the point where you thought you were already giving it all, but you can dig a little deeper and give a little more.

Thank you Sister Walker! What a great thought and solid analogy. To be completely honest two years of working hard all day really does tire the body, mind, and spirit haha a LOT! Of course it is a good tired, a happy tired in a positive way but its tiring nonetheless and there have been days where my body begs for rest and a long nap seems so appealing... BUT that's when we really show the Lord what we're made of and just how much we love Him and just how dedicated we are to His work. Anyone can work hard and positive when they feel well rested and there's a nice breeze and there are lots of investigators progressing and things are going great. Its when you're rejected, all your appointments fail, you're tired, hungry, and the sun is blazing hot... that's when it really takes diligence and heart to keep going with a smile and faith and hope in the Lord. When we do so the Lord helps us and when we kneel and ask for the strength to keep going, He hears and answers. Its not always the answer that we want but its always the answer that we need. As we trust in Him and work our hardest things work out. Several times this week these words from Sister Walker came to mind and helped me work even harder.

There are many of you who are probably wondering why I put the title of Three Lighthouses and if that means I went to the beach or something like that haha lighthouse is faro in Spanish and it has a bit of a different meaning in Spanish. Our beloved President Amaya has three "lighthouses" (that's the literal translation but it'd be more like the three keys or three fundamentals) of the mission that are the key to success that he always teaches us. I'd like to share them with you all. 

1. Concentrate your mind on the mission. Don't have a girlfriend to distract you, don't think about home, don't get absorbed in thinking about what you're going to buy or do or see on p-day, avoid all distractions, and stay focused always 100% on your investigators and your work as a missionary. Have a balance of being fun and happy yet focused and obedient. 

2. Submerge yourself in Preach My Gospel. There are many good things to read and study and focus on during the mission but the most important, most relevant, and thing that will most help you grow as a missionary is PMG. Love it, study it, live it. Every single day study it for at least 20-40 minutes and if you want for the whole hour. Do the activities. Look up and ponder on the scriptures. Watch and analyze the videos. Be a PMG missionary. President teaches that you know you're a PMG missionary if the Holy Ghost whispers parts of PMG to your heart and mind at times. Its happened to me on several occasions and its a great feeling. PMG really is the most important and it sets a foundation for the rest of our life. 

3. Have your Mission Purpose in between your eyebrows. In all that you do be focused on bringing souls unto Christ. Put baptismal dates in the first lesson without fear. Always think about how to better improve your sector and bring more souls unto Christ. Every lesson and everything you do should be focused on completing with your missionary purpose. 

Many months ago in a car ride with President Amaya I asked him for specific feedback on how I could improve as his assistant. He chuckled and repeated to me the three lighthouses and said "Elder if you have the three things down then all the rest will take care of itself. Focus on those three things and that's all." At that time I was a little bit let down because I wanted something a little more specific but I now realize that his answer was very wise and that those three lighthouses really are key and as I've developed and perfected them more and more during the mission since that car ride its brought me more and more success. 

I love you all!

Elder Remington 

Families Can Be Together Forever

Family and Friends,

I've been humming that lovely primary song all weekend. This Saturday April 19th, 2014, the Cortes family was sealed together for all time and eternity. For those of you who aren't members of the church, one of the most precious truths we treasure as members of the church is that when a couple is married in the temple by someone who holds the authority of God, that couple will be sealed together with their future children as a family not just "til death do you part" but for all time and even after death they will be together as an eternal family. After a year of being baptized and learning and growing in the church you have the opportunity to go to the temple and be sealed as husband and wife and if you already have children to be sealed to them as well and thus sealed to all future children that you may have as a forever family :) 

Jonathon was baptized on December 22, 2012 and he baptized Maria Fernanda on February 16, 2013 [Elder Remington mentioned her baptism and was sent a picture in previous post entitled "Exciting News! :)"] and ever since then my old companion and great friend Elder Ayala (He's not an Elder anymore but thats how I remember him and he's still Elder Ayala to me ahha) and I have been following up on them through letters, occasional visits with President's permission as an AP, and facebook on Elder Ayala's part. As with all new converts, they had some trials but with our help, the help of some wonderful members in that ward, the strong testimony and consistent example of Jonathon (he really is a rock, he finished the Book of Mormon in 6 months, magnifies his calling as young men's counselor, goes to church always, shares the gospel, and has been constant in work to achieve his goal of going to the temple),  and above all the divine help of the Lord :) they made it to the temple :) wooooohoooo!!! Honestly words can't fully describe how happy I am :) this is a dream come true that I've been praying and working for over a year and it finally happened! Even if all other people in Ecuador rejected me and I didn't baptize a single other person in my two years here....it would've been worth it to find Jonathon and Maria Fernanda, teach them, baptize them, confirm them, and see them endowed and sealed as a forever family :) 

I had the privilege of being Jonathon's escort in the temple and Elder Ayala and I were the witnesses of their sealing. The temple worker explained to us that the two witnesses aren't just there in that moment but that their signature will forever be on the certificate of marriage and that they commit themselves to be guardian angels and look out for the family that sealed and always be an important part of their lives :) we both smiled and said that we had already been doing that and already had planned to continue to do so and that now with even greater dedication and with even more motivation and duty we would do so :) I'll always be there for this wonderful family and I'm so grateful that the Lord trusted us enough to put them in our path and help them. 

Jonathon's two children Domenica and Santiago (James in English) are normally very rambunctious and noisy and frankly I was nervous that when they entered the sealing room that they would be loud and distract from the Spirit. But when they entered the sealing room all dressed in white like little angels with big smiles and a glow in their eyes... the Spirit filled the room so strong that I couldn't stop smiling from ear to ear the entire time :) I looked at Elder Ayala and we smiled and didn't say a word... words can't describe what we were both feeling. The two children happily, quietly, and reverently took their place around the altar with their parents and when the sealing was finished the four of them all gave each other big hugs and kisses and everyone in the room was smiling and a sweet heavenly exquisite peace filled the room. The temple worker said that this was a taste of heaven for all of us.... this was one of the best and tenderest moments of my life and utterly unforgettable. As the saying goes, missionaries leave their families for two years so that others can be with their family for eternity. 

Elder Ayala and I were reminiscing and remembering the good times when we did companionship studies and practices dedicated to Jonathon and helping him finally accept a baptismal date :) and how much we had to work with Maria Fernanda before she finally opened up and went to church with us :) it was awesome seeing Elder Ayala and being with him again and he and the Cortes family will be lifelong friends :) it was also wonderful seeing many of the members from Albonor again and remembering the good ole days haha they will be lifelong friends as well :) After the sealing, the Cortes family invited us all over for lunch and we had a great time together at their house and I had a flashback remembering when we first contacted their house over a year ago and how much one contact has changed our lives forever (Alma 37:6-7). 

After the lunch we were able to go to the terminal and return to Quevedo just in time for the Stake Conference that night and good thing too because I had to give the first talk! (By the way, we had President's permission to attend just in case you're wondering hahah President has always said that we need to focus on families thus the motivation is that all missionaries who baptize families will get to go to their sealings :) yay! Thanks President!) I love public speaking. My talk was on the Work of Salvation and how we can work even better together as members and missionaries :) based on Elder Ballard's last two conference talks especially "Put Your Trust in the Lord" that I definitely recommend reading and applying. We made a little PowerPoint sideshow of some of the baptisms we had in the stake the past few months through members giving referrals and it was great it really invited the Spirit in the room and motivated the members. One of the last pictures was of Carlos and Cristina's baptism and I had his brother Ricardo Romero share his testimony at the end of the joy he felt while sharing the gospel with his brother and the happiness he felt as he baptized his own brother and saw him baptize his wife a month later :) I know a good opportunity to invite the Spirit when I see one :) it was awesome he did a great job! There were 3 key points that as members we need to do

1. Pray asking specifically for missionary opportunities and be looking for those opportunities.
2. Share the gospel in a normal and constant way (first presidency message by President Uchtdorf that is great on that; "A Firmly Set Anchor")
3. Give a quality referral to the missionaries at least once every three months (quality means that you help teach them and support them look up PMG quote by President Hinckley [Found in Chapter 13]). 

I love you all very much and hope you are enjoying life :) remember thats why we're here (2 Nephi 2:25) 

Elder Remington

Celebration

Family and Friends,

I loved General Conference :) I especially loved the talk by Elder Scott about being gentle and loving with people yet firm in helping them be better. Also I loved the talk by Elder Zwick about effective communication and being a peacemaker. Elder Ballard was great in his talk on the Work of Salvation and committed all of you to study PMG and share with your missionaries what you learned... therefore I am waiting to hear from all of you what you learned! You can do it! For all you future missionaries out there I can testify that reading PMG from start to finish before my mission was one of the best things I did before that most helped prepare me. I strongly recommend it and for those who aren't future missionaries remember that we are all always life long missionaries and we have to know what PMG teaches to work in unity. Just do it. 

In these last few months we have been keeping an extra clean and tidy house and trust me that it greatly helps the Spirit be there and makes you feel so much better when you get home. Keep a clean and organized house and you'll be happy. 

One of my questions before going to conference was, "How to best be in the world and not of it?" As our Prophet taught at the beginning and announced the temples that are being built, the Spirit reminded me of a great habit I had developed while at BYU that really helps us be in the world but not of it. That habit is regular temple attendance. While in Provo living so close I had the blessing of going to the temple every week and I remember often times remembering that I would be going to the house of the Lord that week would help me walk away when an inappropriate joke was said or spend time with other people when I remembered that I'd be going to the temple. Going to a little piece of Heaven regularly helps us not be of this world. 

Remember the wise words that my father always taught me, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." 

Love,

Elder Remington 

Mission Leadership

Family and Friends,

Last week we had the wonderful and interesting privilege of doing inspections with President Amaya and the Assistants Elder Rounds and Elder Curriden. As leaders we have a copy of the keys of every house in the zone and from time to time we show up unannounced in the morning to see if they are being obedient and to make sure they are taking good care of the house. Frankly, I've never been a big fan of doing inspections mostly because of what my dad taught me about not trying to be a police officer for your missionaries and I prefer to follow Joseph Smith's advice of teaching correct principles and letting people govern themselves. My dad taught me that it is much better to just motivate your missionaries and be a good example to them and love them and catch them doing good things and compliment them instead of trying to trying to always catch them doing something bad and lecture them about it. He's right. And there are definitely many leaders who sadly haven't learned that and they fall victim to pride (D&C 121:34-40).

However, occasionally when done with the proper amount of humility, maturity, and the correct perspective and trusting but verifying and wanting to help them not hurt them or make them feel bad... inspections can be important, wonderful, and necessary. Thus we went and inspected all of the houses with that attitude and it was awesome. There was one house where four missionaries lived and the week before President asked us to decided out of three of them had who we recommended as the new district leader (our other district leader is a zone leader now and very well prepared I might add). It was a tough decision and we took some time to think it through because two of them had a lot more time in the mission, had been district leaders before, and were very dynamic outgoing and talented. The other missionary had less time and is a little shy but he is super obedient, pure, loving, happy, a great teacher, and really has a great spirit about him. Despite that he was a little shy and had less time on the mission we both felt that he was the right choice and we told President. Therefore, when we arrived at their house at 7:58 to do inspections what we found brought a calm reassurance to my heart and I knew the Lord had inspired us to make the right choice. Two of the missionaries were scrambling to get their ties on and get to their desks. One missionary was just barely coming out of the shower. And the humble and obedient missionary that we had recommended as district leader was completely dressed, knelt down praying at his desk, and had a serene and peaceful spirit about him. It was awesome. The difference in power and spirit between those missionaries was palpable. 

The other missionaries received a loving but firm correction to improve and the obedient missionary received a big hug, big smile, and a big congratulations from President Amaya. I couldn't help but smile and think of what it'll be like when the Lord comes unannounced...how will he find us? Obedience really does have its rewards.

 There was a missionary who arrived in our zone a few months ago discouraged, disobedient, and a little lazy but WOW has he had a drastic change. You can truly see more light radiating in his eyes these days. We were persistent, loving, and patient with him and he has a great companion to help him and he has improved and transformed into a loving, happy, upbeat, obedient, smart, hardworking, direct, bold, brave, and wonderful missionary. I know that one of the keys was that when he first got here we didn't get frustrated or give up on  him and just classify him as a problematic and disobedient missionary and that was the end of it. Instead, we saw the potential he had inside and saw what he could become and helped him reach it. And when we arrived at their house unannounced early in the morning it brought a big smile to my face to find them both dressed, alert, diligently studying, and with the house clean...not perfect... but clean. Its wonderful to see what a change people can have :) 

Lots of leaders in the mission spend their time looking all over for tips and keys for success and they ignore or undervalue or forget to study and apply the divine guidance given by the First Presidency. Often times in my personal study or in my free time while in the bathroom or waiting for a baptismal interview, etc. I'll pull out my Missionary Handbook and go over the leadership section. I highly recommend it. I would like to cite a few pearls of wisdom on leadership from the Missionary Handbook page 60, "A leader helps other missionaries most when they feel a leader´s love. They should feel that a leader is motivated by a sincere concern for their welfare, not by his or her own interests." This is one of the most important and perhaps most underrated aspects of successful leadership. Everyone knows that you have to be strong, smart, efficient, have results, and reach the goal. But they often forget that if you just focus on the results and walk over people to get them then you won't have happy people nor will you likely have good results. Remember the following from the Missionary Handbook page 57, "A missionary leader must be an effective administrator in keeping order and carrying out the work of the mission. A leader's most important influence, however, comes through ministering to others in harmony with the Savior's teachings and example." You have to pray for them all by name everyday and really watch out for them and care for them and love them. Be willing to go the extra mile. If there is a companionship that is really discouraged and struggling be willing to go to their house listen to them, let them vent, love, give them kind advice with scriptures and PMG, and give them a blessing each one to improve and strengthen them and they will LOVE you for it and know and feel that you are there to help and serve them not just to use them to have better results for your own selfish reasons. When they feel that they will follow you out of love and respect not out of fear or for obligation and thus they will trust you and won't question your motives and they'll work better. Thus you will have happy people and happy results :)

Love,

Elder Remington 

Don't Cry Because Its Over, Smile Because It Happened

Dear Family and Friends, 

As a new year begins and we try to benefit from a proper view of what has gone before, I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives.

-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Those 9 wise words above and the great quote by Elder Holland have helped quite a bit in these past two weeks. For those of you who don't know, I had transfers two weeks ago and I'm now in the Promised Land of Zone Quevedo Sur 2 in sector San Camilo 2 with my great companion Elder Galvan from Buenos Aires, Argentina. This transfer came as a great surprise but has been and I know will continue to be a great blessing. To be honest at first it was really hard. I was with Elder Magill and all the great Elders from the office for 6 months and I really grew to love them and love being with them. As I was saying goodbye to them all one of the Elders (who is usually the tough guy and the one always making a joke of the group and rarely shows emotion) broke down in tears and said ¨Thanks so much for everything. I really love you.¨ Then Elder Magill said, ¨Don't you cry, cause then if you start crying, then I'm gonna start crying...¨ haha no one else really cried but we all felt a little strange and it was a very emotional day to say the least. Although it was very hard saying goodbye to Elder Magill and I still miss him a lot, I feel very grateful for all that we learned from each other and all that we accomplished. We really were like big caring loving brothers for all the missionaries here, they loved and respected us, with lots of hard work, prayers, fasting as a mission, and the help of the Lord we broke the record for most baptisms in a month as a mission in December with 331, we became more Christlike together, we had incredible learning experiences and conversations with President Amaya that I will forever treasure, I learned how to be a peacemaker something will truly bless me and my future family forever, we gave several great training sessions together one of which President asked for an unheard of encore and it was so great that even 4 months later President still quotes it and reminds missionaries of those principles that we taught, we both became stronger, better, and more Christlike leaders together, and many more things we were able to achieve that can't fully be explained. I know that it was no coincidence that we met before the mission and we're companions for 6 months and I know that we will be lifelong friends. 

I started my mission in El Empalme ward, right before going to the office I was in Quevedo ward, and now I am in San Camilo ward. This is my third time being in the Quevedo Sur stake haha but I am so very grateful for the blessing and privilege because this is an incredible stake. Its great because I already have a good relationship and confidence with so many people here that its a huge advantage in working with them because they already trust me and I already know the most effective way of working with them and how things go here in Quevedo. 

This is the first time in my mission that I have a companion with less time in the mission than I do... weird right! So this is a new and wonderful experience for me here with Elder Galvan. Its his first time being a zone leader so he was very nervous at the beginning as all of us are but its amazing how fast he's getting the hang of things and how much confidence he has in himself. He has a HUGE desire and faith that he is here to find and baptize FAMILIES. And he has done just that in every sector where he's been so far and now we are already starting to do that here with quite a few wonderful families that we are teaching. As always working with the members is key and we've had quite a few sweet referrals and we're teaching them with their friends and its going great. 

Never underestimate the power of your example and know that you will have a great influence on several people as you truly dedicate yourself to this work. There have been several moments in these weeks where I realize how much of a difference and impact one can have :) be patient with trials and little setbacks always remembering to smile and see the eternal in things and be grateful for all the blessings that the Lord gives you. Missionaries out there, know that transfers truly are inspired and there are people who need the gospel from YOU in your sector so find them and baptize them :) 

I love you all very much and hope that you put Christ as your center and you will be happy as you do so!

Elder Remington

Attitude is Everything & Merry Christmas

Family and Friends,

I will now continue with last week's subject of the power of a good attitude. 

In Alma 17: 28-33 we learn a great lesson about the power of a positive attitude. Ammon had recently gone out with the other Lamanites as a servant tending the flocks of King Lamoni and then the robbers came and dispersed the flocks. First look at the bad example of the negative Lamanites and learn what missionaries never should do. Then watch the wonderful leadership and the powerful influence that Ammon's positive attitude on the rest of the group and see what a difference a positive attitude of one missionary can have on the rest of the district, zone, or mission. I've seen this happen!

 28 Now the servants of the king began to murmur, saying: Now the king will slay us, as he has our brethren because their flocks were scattered by the wickedness of these men. And they began to weep exceedingly, saying: Behold, our flocks are scattered already.
 29 Now they wept because of the fear of being slain. 

Little pause here. I'm sure many have heard missionaries and other people whine just like this when something goes wrong or a problem presents itself, ¨Oh no poor me¨ ¨That's not fair. Why me?¨ ¨It's hopeless becuase now ... will happen and there's nothing we can do¨ blah blah wah wah ¨This sector is dead¨ ¨I'm bored¨ ¨The members don't help here¨ ¨Its my companion's fault¨ these negative thoughts and the nagative attitude are sure to bring negative results. Instead of ACTING and solving the problem, these Lamanites just complain and worry. 

Now lets see what Ammon does and learn from his great leadership..

(29)Now when Ammon saw this his heart was swollen within him with joy; for, said he, I will show forth my power unto these my fellow-servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow-servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words. 30 And now, these were the thoughts (positive thoughts thus positive results) of Ammon, when he saw the afflictions of those whom he termed to be his brethren.
 31 And it came to pass that he flattered them by his words, saying: My brethren, be of good cheer and let us go in search of the flocks, and we will gather them together and bring them back unto the place of water; and thus we will preserve the flocks unto the king and he will not slay us. 

He decides to act and inspires them to act as well and solve their problem. This positive attitude and rallying call of Ammon gives the Lamanites hope and cases them to stop complaining and follow Ammon in getting to work.  

32 And it came to pass that they went in search of the flocks, and they did follow Ammon, and they rushed forth with much swiftness and did head the flocks of the king, and did gather them together again to the place of water.

Wow! Those Lamanites went from whining, crying, and complaining to rushing forth with much swiftness and getting to work. That is the power of a strong leader with a good attitude. Think about it. Ammon could've whined and complained too and made excuses.. ¨Oh poor me its just my luck that while I'm trying to gain the King's confidence by serving him that these annoying robbers have to come over here and ruin everything. I'll bet Aaron and my other brothers are having more luck in their area... its not fair that now this happened so I won't be able to baptize anyone... this area stinks... my companions don't help me out... blah blah blah¨ There are lots of missionaries and zone leaders that I've seen with this kind of attitude and thus become victims of the circumstances. But Ammon didn't do that, he thought positively and thus became a creator of his circumstances, brought forth miracles, converted thousands of Lamanites, and was a powerful instrument in building the Lord's Kingdom. Let's decide to be like Ammon and be positive and lead others to work and be positive. Something interesting is that being positive and working hard are the best of friends and build off of each other. The more positive your attitude, the more you will work, the more that you work, you'll feel even better and have an even more positive attitude, and then you'll feel like working even more and then feel even better with a better attitude and want to work even more...etc.

Another great example of someone who had a positive attitude even in difficult situations is Nephi. As they were traveling in the wilderness they suffered many trials and their wives had to give birth while traveling but Npehi saw the blessings of the Lord and was positive and grateful. 

2 And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.
 3 And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.

He had a good attitude and thus produced good results. Laman and Lemuel were in the exact same situation but had an attitude completely different...

20 And thou art like unto our father, led away by the foolish imaginations of his heart; yea, he hath led us out of the land of Jerusalem, and we have wandered in the wilderness for these many years; and our women have toiled, being big with child; and they have borne children in the wilderness and suffered all things, save it were death; and it would have been better that they had died before they came out of Jerusalem than to have suffered these afflictions.

They had a bad attitude and thus produced bad results. Life truly is what you make of it and the success or failure, happiness or misery that we have depends upon our attitude. Whether we be in the wilderness, in our homes, in the mission, in the service of the King after having our flocks robbed, in an area with a tough companion, or in any type of situation... let us be positive and have a good attitude and I promise that we will see the blessings and good results that come. 

For the Christmas season, this last week my companion and I had the privilege of attending the temple three times with the various zones of the mission. I love to be in the temple. I love the peace that is felt and I love the personal revelation that one can receive while in the celestial room. It truly is like heaven on earth. After each visit to the temple we had a devotional with the zones and they each gave a little presentation. It was very fun. I really enjoy being with all the missionaries and getting to know them all better.

Elder Magill and I had discontinued the practice of calling and singing to people on their birthdays but then we realized how much it really meant to the missionaries because quite a few shared with us how special and important they felt when we called... so we put it back in practice a few weeks ago and its been great. It truly is something so simple but makes such a big difference. Its a great idea for teachers, coaches, grandparents, or church leaders.

An interesting subject came to my mind the other day and I feel the need to share my thoughts. It is about not being offended easily when people give us advice. The natural instinct is to get our feelings hurt or get mad or try to defend ourselves when someone tries to correct us. As parents, companions, and true friends it is our duty to help others by giving them advice and corrections with a spirit of love and humility. Likewise we need to be able to receive correction and feedback with grace, gratitude, and humility regardless of the way in which the correction is given. The scriptures are full of examples and evidences that it is important to correct others that we love and apply correction and counsel from those we love (Psalms 94:12, Proverbs 13:24, Proverbs 15:10). 

The purpose of this life is to have joy and prepare ourselves to live with God. All of us are imperfect and all of us have a lot to improve on in order to get to that point of being worthy to live with God in the Celestial Kingdom. We must change and progress little by little everyday to become better and better and more celestial worthy. Thus we should be GRATEFUL for corrections and suggestions from others and see them as opportunities to improve and grow like we're supposed to. When we get our feelings hurt or get offended we are only shooting ourselves in the foot and stunting our own growth. 

Merry Christmas everyone! I recommend watching the video ¨The Christmas Spirit.¨ It's very simple but very sweet. Remember to keep Christ in Christmas and you'll feel peace and joy. 

Love,

Elder Remington

Learning and Growing

Family and Friends,

This last Sunday we had the Primary Program in our ward and I must say that surprisingly I enjoyed it. To be completely honestly never really got a kick out of primary programs before the mission... lack of spiritual maturity I think caused me to think they were boring and silly. (Sorry to all you primary program participants and/or lovers but don't worry I've repented and my opinion since then has greatly changed). Months ago I read something about President Kimball in which he was asked, ¨What do you do when you're in a boring Sacrament Meeting¨ and he responded, ¨I don't know I've never been in one.¨ Wow! That hit me big time and made me realize that its all about our attitude as an audience that affects what we get out of a Sacrament meeting or class or primary program or anything for that matter. If we go Sacrament meeting with the right attitude and with a profound desire to learn then we will feel the Spirit and we will learn important and relevant things for our lives regardless of the speaker because the Spirit will be our teacher. I have been applying that principle and it has worked very well... even for the Primary Program! What a beautiful experience it was to see sweet and tender children of God sharing simple Gospel truths. I felt a wonderful spirit of love and happiness as they sang and shared their little messages. Most of all there was part where the mothers sang with their children of prayer and then they all sang Families Can Be Together Forever. In those two moments I felt a sweet confirmation of the Spirit that God really is there and hears and answers every child's prayer and knew that my family and I will be together forever. Primary Programs really are wonderful experiences.

Elder Mestre taught us several solid and important principles that really opened my eyes and helped me improve. It really was just what we needed. There is no way I'll be able to share everything but I will share the basic most important things he taught and what most impacted me. He taught us how to improve our teaching skills, study, and to focus on the doctrine and principles.

Three key teaching skills are to use the scriptures, ask inspired questions, and listen. In order to use the scriptures in an inspired and non-mechanic repetitive way, it is essential that we study and treasure the words of Christ in our minds (D&C 84:85) and then the Spirit will whisper to us what scripture we need to use for each investigator depending on their needs, interests, and circumstances. Obviously the Holy Ghost can't draw water out of an empty well thus we must do our part. Once we've done our part and keep doing our part of daily feasting up the words of Christ (2 Nephi 32:3) and treasuring it up and we have the scripture that we're going to use, PMG teaches us that there are three steps to using a scripture 1. Introduce 2. Read 3. Apply. Everyone knows step 2 and 99% know step 3 but almost everyone skips step 1 they just jump right into the scripture without setting it up. You have to help them understand the context of the scripture or else it won't have as much meaning to them. That is one of the most common mistakes I have seen and it really is necessary because it makes a big difference in the effectiveness of steps 2 and 3. Before reading the scripture do as PMG 180 says ¨Describe briefly the background of the passage you will use. Invite the investigator to look for particular points in the passage.¨ If you ask them a question before reading the passage to guide them then they will be more focused and pay attention looking for the answer while reading it and then when you ask the same question after reading they will be able to answer and that brings in the application quite nicely. For example before reading Moroni 10:4 you set it up explaining that Moroni was the last prophet writing in the Book of Mormon before he buried it and he makes us a promise of how we can know that its true. While reading this passage think about how God wants us to pray to Him. Then you read and then you ask them so how should we ask God if its true (Oh with a sincere heart and with real intent and faith in Christ) Exactly so when you read this and then pray... then you go into the application and then get it really well. Elder Mest

re invited us to memorize scriptures for each principle that we teach so that we won't just repeat the same ones over and over again but that it will be according to their needs and what the Spirit indicates. (He gave a great example of that because in all three places where he taught he cited various different scriptures word for word depending on what the missionaries in those zones needed. Elder Magill and I were quite impressed and it inspired me to improve in my knowledge of the scriptures.)

Asking inspired questions is all about prompting thought, soul searching, and commitment. We need to help them ponder and apply the principles we teach them through questions that we ask. Elder Mestre invited us all to highlight and analyze every single question that we see while studying the scripture to learn how we can formulate better questions as well. One of the biggest problems that many missionaries have is that they forget about this line in PMG ¨Avoid asking questions that: ...Pertain to doctrines that you have not taught yet.¨ For example lots of missionaries know they should ask questions so they think that a great way to start off a lesson is to ask (before having taught any doctrine) ¨So what's prophet to you?¨ or ¨What does faith mean?¨ This often leads to them feeling uncomfortable because they don't know or they try to make something up or they say something that is totally left field and after they've talked for 5 minutes (about how their grandpa is so smart he's like a prophet to them really) you have to steer them back to the lesson. It is so much better to begin teaching in simple and direct terms and using a scripture to back up your words and then ask them,  ¨Based on what we've taught, in your own words what is faith (a prophet, etc)?¨ Then they feel comfortable and you can see their progress and understanding of the doctrine you're teaching. 

After asking inspired questions and always while the investigators are talking we need to listen with great love and real intent. They need to feel that we really care about them and we're not just thinking about what to say next. Shut off the thinking and calculating part of your brain while they speak and don't stress... just listen with love and trust in the Spirit and trust in this wonderful promise by Elder Holland, “More important than speaking is listening. These people are not lifeless objects disguised as a baptismal statistic. They are children of God, our brothers and sisters, and they need what we have. Be genuine. Reach out sincerely. Ask these friends what matters most to them. What do they cherish, and what do they hold dear? And then listen. If the setting is right, you might ask what their fears are, what they yearn for, or what they feel is missing in their lives. I promise you that something in what they say will always highlight a truth of the gospel about which you can bear testimony and about which you can then offer more. … If we listen with love, we won’t need to wonder what to say. It will be given to us—by the Spirit and by our friends” (“Witnesses Unto Me,” Ensign, May 2001, 15; italics in original). After reading this to us, Elder Mestre pointed out the word ¨always¨ ¨What does always mean?¨ He asked us. He then explained that Elder Holland is a Prophet of God and what he says is law and is a promise that we can rely on. Every single time we listen to them with love we will know what to say. It really is true and that is when you teach people not lessons and they progress. 

Most of all he helped us understand that we must teach doctrine and principles not just applications in companionship study, district meetings, and lessons (D&C 43:8, D&C 50:22, D&C 88:77). We should never just tell people what they have to do. We must teach them the doctrine of Christ and when they understand it they will naturally desire to apply what they've learned and live the doctrine.

Love you all,

Elder Remington

Things Happen for a Reason

Family and Friends,

Thank you everyone for the feedback and suggestions on the 8 Attributes :) I really appreciated it and learned from you all :) This week was an awesome week for Elder Magill and I here in Ecuador Guayaquil North Mission. Due to lots of new missionaries coming soon for many weeks we had been busy with office work; finding houses, renting houses, filling out paperwork, helping sick missionaries, and making graphs and charts analyzing data for President, etc.etc. By no means will I say that I don't enjoy doing those things, and I for sure understand how important it is that we do those things so the the Kingdom of God continues to be established.... however I will say that there is nothing like working hard and sweating out in  the mission field teaching and serving with other missionaries. You just can't replace that! This week we got to do 4 companionship exchanges from Tuesday to Friday in all sorts of different parts of the mission and it was AWESOME :) I learned a ton and I just love being out there serving side by side with these wonderful Elders :) It really is a blessing to have this assignment and be able to love and know and learn from so many different missionaries :) 

Last week two very interesting events happened that helped me remember and learn an important lesson. First, President Amaya told me very directly that I need to stop mumbling, that he can't understand me at all on the phone, and that I need to speak more clearly. He said that if I keep talking that way that I'll put people to sleep when I give talks or teach. Second, my companion and I carelessly left our cell phone at a store and it got stolen. Ok. Two events that at first glance without taking an eternal perspective of things appear to be very bad. However, when taken with humility, prayer, self-inspection, trusting in the Lord, a desire to always learn and improve, and an eternal perspective then these two events are seen for what they really are.... blessings and opportunities. 

The honest feedback and sound advice that President Amaya gave me was spot on. Ask my parents and they will testify to this that my entire life I have had a problem with mumbling on the phone. I don't fully know why I do it but I know its a problem and I recognize that I need to fix it and now thanks to President for telling me last week I have been really working on getting better at pronouncing clearly and speaking loudly on the phone :) and its worked. Many people would defend themselves and get offended or hurt that President said that but that would just be stunting their growth and missing a great opportunity to improve :) I simply smiled and eagerly said, ¨You're right President, I need to improve. Thanks for telling me and I'm going to do better.¨ Its hard to do many times and the natural man will want to fly out and start to explain how great of a public speaker you are and defend yourself stubbornly.... but we have to learn to submit to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost and be meek and humble and patient (Mosiah 3:19) that is a key to happiness and success. The sweet thing was that a few days later Elder Magill and I gave a presentation together at a leadership conference and President was super impressed and he congratulated us on how good of a job we did in public speaking and training the Elders :) and now I don't mumble on the phone (most the time) haha still got work to do sometimes haha. 

The second event of losing the cell phone was a wake up call to my companion and I. It was a consequence for us of being less focused and not obeying with Exactness. Now by no means am I saying that we were being way crazy and disobedient no, no, no of course not. Just that due to being in the office so much and having to stay up late some nights stressing over houses, sick missionaries, and tons of other urgent things... the two of us had forgotten a little bit of the reason we are here- to bring souls to Christ. Also we sometimes didn't follow the missionary schedule with exactness and were late at times. That's why we lost the phone. President Amaya wisely taught us once that if we are focused 100% on the work and obeying with EXACTNESS, then we will always have the Spirit strongly with us to warn us of any little thing like losing a cell phone. If we had been 100% focused and obedient we would've felt a prompting of the Spirit and gone back right away for the phone and wouldn't have lost it. Simple and true that being 100% obedient is easier than being 99% obedient :) and the painful and humiliating experience of losing our cell phone reminded us of that lesson very strongly! I'm not saying that we should run around losing cell phones to learn lessons but I do know that the price of a cell phone doesn't compare with the worth of being able to obey exactness and always count with the guidance of the Holy Ghost. Therefore I see that experience as a blessing :) I am thankful for the opportunity to once again obey with exactness! D&C 90:24 Learn from every experience!

Love,

Elder Remington

The 8 Attributes of a Successful Zone

Family and friends,

Ok everyone I have finally polished up the 8 attributes enough that it is ready to send… its still a work in progress but this is a close to final product. Before sharing this I have to say that I don’t deserve the credit for any of these ideas. This list is a compilation of various ideas and experiences that I have acquired over many months of missionary work through simply observing, asking, practicing, and learning. These ideas and techniques come from many great minds of the Ecuador Guayaquil North Mission such as Elder Linares, Elder Vielma, Elder Lopez, Elder Rios, Elder Ayala, Elder Carrillo, Elder Tibanlombo, Elder Muñoz, Elder Magill, of course President Amaya, and countless others that are too many to name. Likewise much of these strategies and ideas come from my wonderful mother and father and above all there are many that came directly from my Heavenly Father through whisperings of the Holy Ghost. Thus the only thing that I get credit for is being a good observer, having a strong desire to learn and improve, and for writing all these ideas down and applying them. I am truly grateful to my Father in Heaven for blessing me to know so many wonderful people who have helped me in so many ways. I thank all who have helped me to create this and sincerely hope that these attributes can help all who read them and apply them. I believe strongly that the basic principles in this list can be applied to any and all aspects of life. Obviously there are some parts that are specifically for future and current missionaries (especially zone leaders) but that doesn’t mean that the ideas and basic principles can’t be adapted and applied to anyone in any situation. Whether you want to be a better student, parent, coach, teacher, employer, employee, team member, brother, sister, or grandparent I promise that these principle will bless you and help you be more successful in all that you do. These are eternal principles and all 8 of these attributes are attributes that our Heavenly Father possess and perfectly masters. I know that he desire all of us to obtain them and perfect them as well. They are a key part of becoming more like His beloved son Jesus Christ. Enjoy and let me know what you all think I’d love to get feedback. 

Love,

Elder Remington 

8 Attributes of a Successful Zone

1. Unity: Be one in thought, desire, and purpose.

                      

(a)   Always have the mindset that we are all a team!

(b)  Have companionship exchanges frequently to ensure solid baptismal dates and get to know all of your missionaries. On exchanges teach them correct principles and be an example, but most of all take a sincere interest in them asking what they like, what are their plans and dreams, how are their families, etc. Remember their names and the details of their lives and the stories they tell you and then ask them specific questions about things they told you. Help them feel important and validate in all that you do. This will increase the confidence, love, and respect the missionaries have in you. It will also assure that they are motivated to work hard.

(c)  Have group prayer and fast as a Zone for the names of all the people who have baptismal dates for that week, and their challenges for all those people. All the missionaries then pray for those investigators. (3 Nephi 27:1 and Alma 17:2-3)

(d)  Before going to the district meetings, briefly meet together as a Zone and review the Zone’s progress with the monthly goal (how many baptisms you’ve had so far in each sector, how many baptismal dates you have in each sector, and how well you are prepared for the following month as well).  Use this time to congratulate those who have had great results in baptisms, church attendance, and lots of baptismal dates. Consider giving out little prizes to motivate them, and asking those who have had success to share with the Zone advice of what they have done to have such success. This should be a brief but inspiring meeting in which everyone is on the same page and leaves more excited about reaching the goal. (D&C 38:27)

(e)  In Zone or District meetings, show unity by having everyone sit in a semi-circle.  Some missionaries like to sit in the back or all in scattered parts of the room. Make sure everyone is seated together in a way that shows unity.  Think of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, it’s that same kind of idea, that everyone feels that they are equals, that they are important and that they all contribute to the same great cause. (Moses 7:18)

(f)  Talk in terms of unity. Never tell your missionaries, "Hey you guys have to do this" or "You’re doing this wrong" or "Why did you do that?" This makes the missionaries feel like you are trying to command them and eliminates feelings of unity and promotes feelings of anger, irritation, stubbornness, pride, and resentment.  Always speak in terms of a team using the words, ¨we¨ and ¨us¨, for example:  "Let's do this” ...  “We need to improve in that” ... “How can we all apply this?” … “We did a great job on that.”  See the big difference? This is a small detail but it’s magical and it works great to foster greater unity, love, respect, loyalty, and a sense that we are all a team. (2 Nephi 33:12)

(g) Remember that it all starts with your companionship as zone leaders. You both have to be an example for everyone else in the way you communicate, work, and laugh together. Your companionship must be exemplar in unity, service, and obedience so that all the rest can follow and it will be contagious for the whole zone.

2. Diligence: Steady, consistent, earnest, and energetic effort in doing the Lord’s      

work… (working) persistently and with great effort and care. (PMG 121)

(a)   Focus and concentrate all your efforts on your objective as a missionary:  “Invite others to come unto Christ by helping the receive the Restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.”  As a part of this, completing your monthly goal as a Zone should be your passion and every waking thought. In everything you do, try to think about how to improve and better pass your goal while walking, eating, studying, taking a shower.  Every part of your day should be designed to better reach that goal.  Have a strong hunger to baptize. (PMG 10)

(b)  Work, Work, Work. There really is nothing that substitutes hard work. In the mission you can either be freight or haul freight. Haul freight and help all the missionaries in your zone haul freight too. Working hard avoids distractions, avoids boredom, avoids temptations, keeps you focused, and keeps you happy. There’s nothing better than coming home from a long hard day of work! (PMG 128)

(c) Be willing to make sacrifices (comfort, time, effort). For example you might get along with your companion a lot better than other missionaries in you zone but even still you will sacrifice being with your companion for many days to do companionship exchanges because you know it will help the zone baptize more and that’s worth it to you. There are countless examples like this one but the principle is always the same that there is nothing more important to you than being efficient in the Lord’s work.

3. Love: Feeling of deep devotion, concern, and affection. (True to the Faith 96)

(a)  If you love what we do ... you will do it well J

(b)  Lavish them with praise and appreciation for all they do. Give specific compliments and serve them frequently. See them not as they are but as they can become and help them recognize and reach the potential they have. Apply this wonderful advice from President Eyring with all your missionaries. ¨Every person is different and has a different contribution to make. No one is destined to fail. As you seek revelation to see gifts God sees in those you lead in the priesthood—particularly the young—you will be blessed to lift their sights to the service they can perform. With your guidance, those you lead will be able to see, want, and believe they can achieve their full potential for service in God’s kingdom.¨ (Help Them Aim High).

(c)  Pray specifically naming all the missionaries in your Zone, asking specific things for each missionary, and then writing the thoughts and feelings that come to mind and heart (PMG 97). This is the key to lead your zone by revelation and become a truly inspired leader because you don’t know the exact needs and challenges of all your missionaries but God does, praying in this way gives you access to that information and that helps you lead in a very personal and effective way (3 Nephi 3:19). Really care about each of your missionaries and their temporal, spiritual, and emotional welfare. Most of all help to keep their spirits high, this is a high priority. Be willing to defend and protect your missionaries from all danger that lowers their spirits or focus.

4. Obedience: The submission of our will to God’s will.

            (a)  The First Law of Heaven (D & C 130:20-21) obey and be blessed! It really is that simple.

         

(b)  Enjoy the spiritual guidance and support to direct the work. Have peace of mind and a clean conscience in all you do. Understand that all other attributes will be in vain if you don’t learn to master this because without obedience you won’t have the Spirit and without the Spirit you won’t have success. (PMG 176 Presidente Benson)

        

(c) Never hesitate to correct disobedient actions or inappropriate attitudes or comments but always remember that it is important to do it in the opportune moment and in private. Do it with love and with scriptures and they will learn and change. (D&C 121:43)

5. Organization:  Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God; (D&C 88:119)

(a)   Daily planner and area book must be updated daily. The way you use these inspired materials is an evidence of you love and dedication to the people you are serving and if you use these materials well you will be guided in your efforts and they’ll become a source of revelation for how to serve better in your sector. Teach your missionaries how to use them well and motivate them to always do it. In planning always put specific names of people in the plan and the back up plan to use time wisely. Never put ¨tracting¨ as a plan or backup plan. Tracting is only a backup to the backup plan or should be done when prompted by the Spirit.

(b)   Organize all baptismal dates of each sector in the zone in a chart in a notebook or on a whiteboard (but make sure it is easily accessible and visible in the house so that you can look it over often) and update it always. Love that chart and look it over and think about it with your companion. This is a great moment for revelation and decision making about where to go for companionship exchanges or baptismal interviews. Make sure that each sector is the zone is strong and baptizing.

(c)   Work with members. It’s the key to success in always baptizing and having converts that stay active. Make sure everyone in your zone has good relationships of trust with all the members. Use the progress report, attend ward council, attend missionary coordination, and communicate regularly with the ward mission leader. Be a good friend to the members; make them laugh but always with a balance. Share 10-15 minute messages after meals and then ask for referrals. Plan Family Home Evenings with them and nonmember friends. Be a joy to be around and make them excited about missionary work!

(d)   Work smart. Many missionaries will find a lot of people, then teach all those people, then baptize all those people, then give them the follow-up lessons for new converts, and then have to start all over again. That’s why a lot of sectors or zones will pass the goal one month and fail the next because there is no consistency. Maintain a balance of constantly doing all 4 at the same time. Most of all constantly remind and motivate the missionaries to find new investigators without stopping, always always always. Also don’t just focus on the current month but also plan ahead and already be preparing well for the future so that you can start the next month well hitting the ground running and not having to scramble to start all over with a new program.

(e)   Use the members to help bring lots of investigators to church and to make sure they have a spiritual experience there and that they feel welcome and comfortable. Follow very specifically #4 in the Weekly Planning Session (PMG 148) its super solid. Make a little chart of who will ¨take these people to church, who will greet them, and who will sit with them during meetings.¨ Then put a name under each part and plan with the members so that it happens. For example:

Investigators              Bring              Greet              Sit By

                                    1.

                        2.

                        3.

(f)    Understand and apply the proper doctrine of goal setting. Balance is the key. A goal that is too low doesn’t help you reach your potential by stretching and really working and sweating for the goal, it permits you to just coast and stunts your growth. Likewise a goal that is too high and unrealistic only discourages you because you feel like no matter how hard you work you always come up short and in the end you baptize less than you would with a smaller goal because you work less hard because you feel like it doesn’t matter you won’t reach your goal anyway. Make sense? Therefore, it is necessary to base yourself in solid goal setting principles found in PMG 146 especially this part, ¨Focus on people. Although you will use numbers, be able to support your numbers with the names of the people where possible.¨ Trust me that this is golden and its one of the biggest secrets to completing every single goal you set. Thus when you are setting your monthly goal for baptisms if you have 3 people with a baptismal date and you put a goal of 2 than you lack faith but if you put 6 your faith is dead because faith without works is dead and your works are the baptismal dates that you set in preparation for the month. Ultimately the most effective way to work is that the number of baptismal dates you have should be equal to the goal you set. If you want to set a high goal… WORK HARD! Don’t just set high goals when you haven’t done the sufficient work to deserve that high goal because then you’re just setting yourself up for failure. Work hard, have lots of investigators with baptismal dates and then put the high goal but now it a good goal because your faith has works to back it up. I can’t tell you how many missionaries don’t understand this principle and how much pain it would save them if they did. Understand it and use it. It isn’t complicated. It’s simply applying PMG and it works.    

                 

6. Communication: Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (1 Corinthians 1:10)

(a)   As we learn from the scripture above, speaking to each other and communicating is a key to being joined together in the same mind and united as one. Have brief Leadership Meetings with the District leaders after each district meeting. Give them feedback and suggestions on their district meetings. Train them how to be better leaders. Encourage and inspire them. Discuss the needs, goals, and specific plans for zone that week such as companionship exchanges or interviews. Especially be watchful that all missionaries are lively, healthy, obedient, and they are getting along with their companion. Discuss difficulties and problems in the zone and find solutions.

(b)   Use text messages to encourage, inform, and receive important information from the zone.

(c)   Give feedback frequently and be positive and specific. Give feedback with love and receive feedback with humility.

(d)   Call the missionaries during the day to motivate them and in friendly subtle way remind them to set baptismal dates and find new investigators.

(e) On exchanges make that kind of feedback for 5 essential things:  the agenda, the folder, the daily report, Christ-like attributes (using sincere compliments PMG chapter 6) and their teaching skills (studying PMG Chapter 10 together and then having practices based specifically in what they most need). Your missionaries need to see you as their leader and at the same time their friend. They should follow you out of love and loyalty and not out of fear or intimidation.

7. Quality Teaching: Now you as teachers are not being sent out to teach new doctrine. You’re to teach the old doctrines, not so plain that they can just understand, but you must teach the doctrines of the Church so plainly that no one can misunderstand. (PMG 193 Harold B. Lee)

(a)  Immerse ourselves in PMG by studying it daily, looking up scripture references, doing the study activities (few actually do them but they’re great for applying what you learn), and living what you learn. Watch ¨The District¨ videos and analyze them with your companion. Consider sharing some of them for part of a district or zone meeting to emphasize certain principles.  

(b)   Always have practices using real investigators in companionship study and District meetings.

(c)   Teach the importance of always setting baptismal dates in the first or second lesson at the latest. Be an example in boldly doing that and helping others do it as well in the companionship exchanges. Help missionaries get over their fear of setting a baptismal date. It should become natural to them and they should be very confident and comfortable in doing it. Remember that in His first visit to the Nephites, the first principle that Jesus taught was baptism… we are His representatives thus we should teach as He taught. (3 Nephi 11)

(d)  Evaluate teaching after each lesson and practice based in the points found in PMG 21.

8. Attitude: A missionary with a good attitude produces good results.

(a)   The thoughts we sow will, accompanied by faith and hard work, will be the fruits we reap.

Think about baptisms and you will baptize.

(b)  Be brave, straightforward, bold, and confident with other missionaries, investigators, and members by never accepting no for an answer or throwing in the towel easily. Never be a creature of your circumstances, be a CREATOR of your circumstances.

(c)  Always have a smile and be grateful for the extraordinary privilege of being a missionary!  Know and never forget that you are currently involved in the most important work on the face of the planet. Understand that you are at the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing and have joy in what you do J (Alma 36:23-25).

(e)   Follow the prophetic counsel to see men not as they are but how they can become. Have a positive attitude when talking about others. Don’t focus on the flaws and weakness of others, help them strengthen those weaknesses. Be positive and think big. See their strengths and help them reach their potential. Develop the capacity to look at your companions, missionaries, members, investigators, and everyone you meet as a child of God with divine qualities. Remember that if a child is told all his life that he is dumb, selfish, and will never amount to anything in his life then it is most likely that he will live that way. Likewise if you raise a child with love and care, praising him for all that he does and telling him how wonderful he is then it is likely he will live in such a way. People almost always live up or down to the expectations you set for them. Set high expectations for all your missionaries and help them live up to them J