I have projects to design pretty much every day. Unless something family, church or kid-related has taken over. But usually one or two projects is hanging over my head just waiting to be done. R…
As a Relief Society councilor*, I was asked to help develop our ward’s mission plan. I’ll be honest: doing anything missionary related is not my favorite Exponent II blog is a feminist forum for Mormon women and gender minority voices.
I have projects to design pretty much every day. Unless something family, church or kid-related has taken over. But usually one or two projects is hanging over my head just waiting to be done. R…
Being a ward mission leader (WML) can be an exhilarating experience. If you desire, you can learn how the Lord wants missionary work to go forward in your ward and you can become an instrument in His hands. Being a participant on the front lines of the Atonement with all the highs and lows that go along with this great work...now that is really living!
The 2015 Ward Mission Plan was such a success, I got roped into creating a Stake Mission Plan. The text wasn’t as conducive to a great layout but I think it’s nice enough, anyway.
The Temple and Family History Plan that our ward decided on. Following E. Renlunds' counsel, it is simple and inspires members to lift their vision.
LDS Ward Mission Plan Printable Infographic for Bishops or Stake Presidents. This infographic is editable in CANVA, a free design program. You can change the ward, the address at the bottom and the goals to personalize your goals to your ward or branch. This digital product will be delivered as a link to Canva that you can customize and print on your own. Create a canva account for free to edit then download as a JPEG or PNG! Add file to a Google Doc or Word document and put two copies on one page. You can select behind text so that you can move it to the edges and stretch it larger. This pamphlet is available as a printed product from us if you do not have a colored printer or would like to make it easier for you!! I know how busy you are! Go to my shop and look for the PRINT version that I will mail to you. Delivery will be 7-10 days for prints.
Join us for a night full of fun. Here's a sneak peak... Click on 101 ways to support Missionary Work! See you there!
"Missionaries are full-time teachers; you and I are full-time finders." - David A Bednar ("Ask in Faith," October 2013 General Conference) #HastenTheWork
The Temple and Family History Plan that our ward decided on. Following E. Renlunds' counsel, it is simple and inspires members to lift their vision.
This is an post that I originally wrote about a year ago, but thought it might be helpful to repost... I came across a blog post called, Ten Little Points of Missionary Etiquette on the 'Mormon Insights' blog...This is a list of suggestions of things that we as members can do (or not do) to avoid unknowingly putting the full-time missionaries in awkward situations. For example, most people know that missionaries are required to keep "arm's-length" distance from people of the opposite sex, but many members don't feel like that counts if they're much older (or married) or if the missionary is about to be transferred - especially if they've worked closely with the missionary. Really, the rule applies to everyone...this prevents Elders and Sisters from needing to make constant judgement calls about who its ok to hug and who its not. So, if I were to try to hug one of our Ward's full-time missionary Elders (no matter how innocent my intentions) it would create an awkward and potentially embarrassing situation for the Elder, who would have to make the choice to reject my hug (potentially offending me) or to have to break the rule because he didn't want to be rude. I served a full-time mission as a young adult and I can relate to almost all of the items pointed out in the Ten Little Points of Missionary Etiquette article... I actually (jokingly) kept a mental list of all the platonic "hugs" that I got from male investigators, new members, branch presidents, etc. I was very serious about keeping mission rules, but sometimes it was just really awkward to reject something innocent like that from a tearful and well-meaning person (especially an elderly married man) on the day you're getting transferred. This list isn't meant to make anyone feel bad, especially since many members do some of these things without realizing that they are either #1- against mission rules, or #2- may make the missionary feel uncomfortable. Its just meant to be a list of suggestions of things that you may not have thought about that you can do to help the full-time Elders or Sisters you work with concentrate on their work and spend less time being distracted. Here is the list that the blog "Mormon Insights" gives, along with my comments added in red font: 1. Don't pay a compliment to one missionary without also paying a compliment to his/her nearby companion. Sometimes one missionary is very charismatic or good-looking and tends to get more attention than his/her companion, so its good to be sensitive to this. 2. When missionaries are paying a visit to your home, try your best to keep the televisions, radios, and computers off. This is so distracting when you're trying to keep the mission rules to not watch TV/movies, etc at all during your missionary service. Imagine if you were trying to avoid sweets and you went to a friend's house who had 100 cupcakes sitting on the table. 3. If missionaries are available to be invited to dinner, keep the visit under an hour. Its hard to leave when members/investigators want you to stay, but missionaries are usually taught to keep visits under an hour and they may have another appointment to get to. Every minute you keep them from their work is a minute that they could be finding someone new to teach. 4. Don't ask missionaries about their girlfriends or boyfriends back home. I know you're curious, but for someone who is trying to concentrate on the work, having people constantly bring up boyfriends/girlfriends can be hard. Especially if that significant other has recently dumped you via letter or email (happens a lot!). Imagine having people constantly bring the subject up when you're just trying to forget it. 5. When conversing with a missionary, try to keep conversations centered on Church-related or service-related issues. 6. Always respect the companionships of missionaries. Do not ask a missionary how well he or she is getting along with the assigned companion. (The missionary leadership will handle that question). Also, if they aren't getting along as a companionship or the missionary really can't stand his/her companion, they probably won't say so anyhow, which puts them in the awkward position of having to pretend that everything is peachy when they'd rather not discuss it with you. 7. Do not ask missionaries how many baptisms they have had. The number of baptisms is not an index of success. This is really an okay thing to wonder about, since we may be curious about how the missionary work is going in our area and throughout the mission. However, there are better ways to find out than to ask "How many baptisms?", which puts the focus on numbers. Here are some other ways you can ask essentially the same thing: "Have you been finding success in the area? (or "How was the work going in your last area?") or "What have been some of your favorite experiences with investigators so far?" 8. Do not expect missionaries to stay in contact with you after they have left an area or even after they have finished their mission service. Some missions have rules about whether missionaries can stay in contact with members in their former areas during the remainder of their missions. It may seem silly, but missionaries do need to focus on serving the members/investigators in their new area, so even if contact is allowed its best to keep it limited. 9. Do not call upon missionaries in Sunday School to provide scriptural support for some obscure doctrine that has been raised in class. The authority of missionaries is in missionary work, not in settling doctrinal debates. Most of the time they know the basics (thats what they study and that's what they are sent to teach), so don't assume that they are doctrinal experts. 10. Do not ask a Sister or an Elder for their first name. The first name is Sister or Elder. Period. I discovered on my mission that a lot of members think its fun to call full-time missionaries by their first name, even if its just in the member's home. They may mean well, seeing themselves as a parent-figure and wanting the missionary to feel a little more normal, but remember that the full-time missionaries go by their title for a reason - it helps them (and us) remember that they are set apart for a sacred mission)
Have you ever heard of a Mission Call Adventure? It's an event where you send lots of little Primary kiddos to "Missions", (classes) all about that specific mission. (IF you don't know what a mission is click here: https://www.mormon.org/faq/proselyting-missionaries .) Okay so lets start sharing the details of this epic adventure! Step 1. Ask for permission to hold the event & then round up former missionaries to teach the classes. ALWAYS: Ask the Bishop or a Bishopric member for names they might suggest. PLEASE, don't just go around asking for volunteers off the cuff. Members you might think have served a mission may in fact did not and you don't want to bring up something that could be a painful reminder. Also, not every person who served should be teaching children. A recommendation is the best for success. Step 2. Set a date, Schedule the building and Send out the requests I like a formal in person or in voice contact WITH a detailed email so that after the contact is over they have all the information they will ever need to know. (I will attach my generic email at the bottom of this post that you can build from.) Step 3. Round up Helpers! You need a music leader and a pianist or a Primary music CD and about 4 volunteers to man the check in desk. Make sure you ask at least 2 priesthood members to help you clean up and lock up. Step 4. Send out fliers and reminders!! Hit the ward bulletins and give small 1/4 page hand outs. Here is a Banner I had printed for the out side picture taking area together with a giant map. Step 5. Pregame Set Up! Get yourself there an hour early. Set up chairs in the cultural hall and create a check in desk. Have the teachers arrive 30 minutes early to set up. As the kids come in and they are distributed evenly among the classes by utilizing several clip boards with the numbered amount the mission room holds. They write the child's name on a name tag and on the clip board showing which class they will be in. The name tag works best when it is color coded as some kids will forget which mission was assigned to them. They then go into the cultural hall to sing songs with the music leader until the event formally begins. Step 6. Begin the Event, in the MTC! The missionary training center begins in the cultural hall. You always start off with a song and a prayer!! At some point you MUST sing Called to Serve. Give an MTC training session by explaining the event, what will happen and then the rules. Explain what happens when there is a problem or emergency situation. Share with them your testimony. Be heartfelt and sincere. You can even ask to have the full-time missionaries in your area give them a 2-3 minute pep talk. (Short because generally with Primary kids, the larger the crowd the shorter the attention span because of all the distractions.) The Teachers of the Missions will also be in the gym too and you will ask them to come up one by one. You will say, "All those with a pink name tag, your flight to Japan with Sis. Lee is now boarding." Then have them line up behind the teacher. The teacher will instruct them to put their arms out like the plane wings and they will proceed to fly to the classroom. Then repeat until the gym is empty. Step 7. Make sure they get home safely. Have the teachers help with this. Feel free to involve the young men and young women in your ward or stake. and now for the NUTS AND BOLTS OF THE OPERATION! Email for teachers: Just copy and paste! Dearest Brothers and Sisters, If you are reading this then someone told me that you might be willing to teach Primary aged kids in our stake about your mission experience!! Step 1. Check your schedule and see if Saturday, **Insert DATE**, 1pm to 3pm is open for you. Step 2. Evaluate if this is something you would be willing to do by reading the itinerary below. Step 3. Reply yes or no to this email before March 23rd (and remind me where you served.) Thanks so very much, *insert your name* --------READ BELOW,--------------- THEN REPLY BACK !!--------------------- Our Primary is having its annual Mission Call Adventure for all Primary ages kids!! If you are receiving this email it's because you are valiantly willing to teach 2 rotating classes about your mission on: **Insert DATE**- 1pm to 3pm at the Stake building THANK YOU for being willing to teach the primary children about the importance of going on a mission! Who can go: All primary age Children 5 to 11. (3 & 4 yr olds must be accompanied by an adult.) Where: Stake Building What is happening: Children will receive a mission call to a certain mission. (Name tag sticker). They will meet together in the gym for songs and short MTC training, then be escorted to one of the 7 or 8 missions. They will listen and participate in a 40 minute class. Then they can go home! Times: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm: -Brenner Pass, Sierra Vista, Mountain Vista *** after class you have a 20 min break to help with pick up *** 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm- Skyline, Stone Creek, Morning Sun ***Your class begins at 2:20*** You will be teaching a 40 min class!! Don't freak out on how to do this! I've got a plan!! I bet you will tell me afterwards it wasn't long enough time!! Detailed Itinerary: 1. The assignment of where they will "go" will be handed out as they come into the building so class size will be distributed evenly but unable to go over that certain room's capacity. They will also be given an official looking name tag sticker! (From my past experience I expect about 1/4 of each primary to attend so I doubt we will be at a busting full capacity.) We will encourage parents to dress up kids but will not require it. 2. We will gather together in the cultural hall, where we will sing songs until the opening prayer and then sing "Called to Serve". After we offer a small lesson the children will line up to board their "flight" and follow you to your class! The time break down will be on a sheet hanging up in your assigned room, (please bring something to watch the time on!) 4. After your class, the children will go to the east foyer for parent pick up. Please help with this by making sure all kids get back to their parent. After this come join us in the gym and get ready to grab your last group. 5. Repeat 4 again and then you are Done! Your 40 minute Class!! : (-Here's my suggestions, feel free to make your own plan) A. First 5 minutes: -Welcome to the place!! Items to Discuss: climate - daily life- culture - income - clothing - differences/similarities of here to there - language/accents - leisure activities on P-day- ect. B. Main 20 minutes: Mission slide show, pictures (8x10's or larger are seen better!!), lds hymn in another language, or a short language lesson: A perfect slide show example can be found : http://www.mormonmissionprep.com/primary-mission-prep/primary-activity-on-missionary-work/ I can not guarantee you will get a tv, or even internet connection so just make sure you make your own arrangements if you want to do this. I also encourage you to share hand outs or other things that they can have if you'd like. I'm really flexible on this. Bring everything you have from your mission and show it off! C. Fun 5 minutes: Physical activity: Bring your own "investigator", do charades, play a game, stick a short sentence with a picture on the underside of the chairs and have kids share what they find under their chairs as if it "happened" to them on the mission and ask what they would do about it. (ie: something funny or heart warming or a problem you encountered.) There are only 1 million ideas...use the internet!! D. Ending 10 minutes: Wrap up, SHARE TESTIMONY!! Share stories, share the Spirit!! Use the SCRIPTURES!!! Your purpose is to excite and promote mission service! ---PLEASE---> leave out scary or negative stories!!! ALL room assignments are: Relief Society Room -80 seats- color code RED - Sis. Code- France Primary Room - 70 seats- color code-ORANGE -Sis. Lee- Japan 2 Young Men's Rooms - 30 seats - color code- GREEN- Bro.Johnson- Brazil Young Women's Room -50 seats -color code YELLOW - Sis.Shumway- Alabama- Stage - 45 seats- color code BLUE - Bro. Cluff - South Africa 2 Rooms North of Primary - 30 seats- color code BROWN Bro. Bury- Moscow, Russia- 2 Nursery Rooms near Gym - 20 seats -color code PURPLE -Bro. Rosen- Spain 1 Young Mens's Room SW corner - 20 seats - color code PINK -Sis. Hale- Germany If you have further questions ask away!! If you need ideas or decorating tips please don't hesitate to ask!! If you need to back out I won't be upset just let me know as soon as possible. Thanks!! Here is a sample sign in: Just make sure you distribute kiddos evenly between the missions. Leave a Comment if you have done this adventure and what worked well for you!
Associations between dietary habits and health were looked for among more than 21,500 US adults by researchers from China's Harbin Medical University.
We've had several more convert baptisms in our Ward since I last posted about our "Welcome" packets! I've been thinking about how we, as Ward members, can help investigators make the transition from being taught by the Elders to being active Ward members. Anything we can do to build a relationship prior to baptism is a positive thing. It occurred to me last week that it would probably be more effective to give these "Welcome" packets out ahead of time, instead of waiting until the actual baptism. Besides giving the person/family additional information that will help them learn more about the Church, it also gives me an excuse to make another visit to the family (especially if I haven't been one of the members/Ward missionaries attending the discussions with the Elders). I've recently updated our "Welcome to the Ward" Packets to include some new information. I remembered to take pictures before handing them out this time, so you can get a better idea of what we're doing:I'm using inexpensive (less than 30 cents each) solid-colored pee-chee-like folders that you can get at any store with a school/office supply aisle. We have two ladies being baptized this week, so I've used purple this time and I was a little more generous with the flowers/hearts than I would be for a folder I'd make specifically for a man, so consider this a "feminine" version! The "Welcome to the Ward" label is a printed on a label sticker (name-tag size) and I've added some embossed paper flowers that I made around the edges (though you could use stickers or a more decorative label). This is what the packet looks like inside. I include a card with a handwritten personal welcome from the Ward Missionaries. I've flipped it over in the photo above so that the convert's name isn't showing, but you get the idea! I make the cards, but I'm crafty and have time to do that, a store-bought card would be just as nice! I think a handwritten note is important so it seems personal, since most of the packet is just print-outs. Another sticker-label, this one I put inside - I also added a punched-out heart for a more personal look."Upcoming Activites" (NEW!): This is something that we've added because its always good to make sure that new members have a good amount of information about activities (so they'll be more likely to attend!). I make sure to include extra information that sometimes isn't included in advertising posters or announcements (like who specifically is invited, whether it is casual or Sunday dress, etc). We've also included a section called "What does it cost?" because I've had several newer members ask me about the cost of attending Ward dinners, etc. lately. I realized that we long-time members just assume that everyone knows that there isn't a charge, but if you're coming from a church where they use activities as fundraisers, thats a big change! (Nobody wants to bring their family to a Spaghetti Feed and be surprised to find out that they're charging $10 a plate!). I explain a little about how each Ward & auxillary has an annual budget and that is where the funding for activities comes from. I also explain that there may be rare instances where there is an optional cost (such as craft classes with a cost for supplies at a Super-Saturday type activity), but that an optional cost like that is always advertised ahead of time. (Text of the "What will it cost" section will be included in the "Welcome Packet" section at right) "Tips for Feeling At Home in Any Ward" (see text posted in the "Welcome Packet" section at right) "LDS Lingo- A Glossary of Terms Frequently Used by Church Members" (text will be posted in the "Welcome Packet" section at the right) "New Member Discussions/Home and Visiting Teaching" (NEW!): This was created in response to some misunderstandings that some of our recent converts have had during the past year- #1- We normally like to start the New Member Discussions fairly soon after baptism, but we had one family tell us that they didn't "need" the NMDs because they were still being visited by the Elders occaisionally, and if they had any questions they would ask their member friend. I was shocked that they felt that the New Member Discussions were optional. I made sure that we personally visited them and all of the other new members ASAP after that, and let them know that the NMDs were part of their learning experience as new converts and that the Bishop wanted to make sure that they received all of the NMDs during the first year as part of their preparation to prepare to attend the temple. That cleared up the misunderstanding nicely, but now I know that it is something that we need to mention to all new members. In addition to having a Ward missionary personally contact the new member and explain the NMDs to them, I also explain in this sheet what Ward Missionaries are, what the NMDs are, and that one of us will be contacting them to schedule NMDs once a month or so (beginning after their baptism), so that it (hopefully!) won't come as a surprise! #2- We had one new convert very confused about the difference between being a Ward Missionary and being a Visiting/Home Teacher. I had already explained it to her, but I think the terms we use are easily confused (I've heard many new converts refer to either Home Teachers or Visiting Teachers as "Home-Visiting Teachers" as if they were the same program) . This was probably made worse by the fact that I showed up for her first NMD with her Visiting Teachers. Not long after that, she was asked to be a Visiting Teacher herself and she paniced, mistakingly thinking that she would have to teach NMD's. I figured that it couldn't hurt to include a written explanation of what exactly Visiting Teaching and Home Teaching are, who will be contacting them for visits (a set of Home Teachers for each family and a set of Visiting Teachers for each adult woman), what those visits will be like, etc. (Text of this New Member Discussion/Home & Visiting Teaching document will be included in the "Welcome Packet" section at right) Some of the handouts/pamphlets/documents that I include (all ordered free of charge from Church Distribution): Church magazine subscription info, Family Guidebook, Pure Religion (info about humanitarian aid), Family Proclamation, The Living Christ, Relief Society Declaration, etc... NOT SHOWN: Current Ward directory (printed from the Ward Website) with attached instructions for registering for the Ward Website (text for instructions will be included in the "Welcome Packet" section at right) NOT SHOWN: List of frequently used phone numbers (Ward and Stake leaders, the Temple, Deseret Industries, etc) and websites (www.lds.org, providentliving.org, familysearch.org) NOT SHOWN: A copy of our most recent "New Member Newsletter" (there will be a separate post about our New Member Newsletter, coming soon!). I make sure that everybody gets a copy of the most recent newsletter as soon as there is a baptism date set, but I figure it doesn't hurt to include an extra copy... ALSO NOT SHOWN: For families with young children, I try to include something fun, like coloring pages that I've printed out from the Primary section of the Church website and Articles of Faith cards with a picture of Jesus (these cards are available to purchase at a small cost from Church Distribution). So, overall, the cost to us as Ward Missionaries is minimal - the folder, the cost of the ink/paper used in printing the documents, the cost of the labels, a card, etc. Decorations like stickers, etc are optional, of course. I think the opportunity to visit each new convert and provide them with information that they can read through in their free time is very valuable! For more information on our "Welcome to the Ward" Packets for new converts and what is included, see the topic section labeled "WELCOME PACKET" on the right side of this page, above the picture of people shaking hands.
By: Marcel Walden, Contributor United Kingdom I was less active for 16.5 years. I came back to church in 2015 and I quickly realized that leaving was the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life. I did not receive the Priesthood in 1998 and on October 25th 2015 I was ordained to […]
The Temple and Family History Plan that our ward decided on. Following E. Renlunds' counsel, it is simple and inspires members to lift their vision.
Original elements to create your own design. Zip contains: PSD / PNG / PDF/ JPEG / AI / EPS10 I hope you enjoy :)) if you have questions, please contact me
These missionary quotes will have you excited to serve the Lord and lift you up in times of frustration or disappointment.
So much Twitter love from my post about my walls this year. Y’all know how to make a girl feel good! I don’t have my lesson plans ready, and am not entirely sure what I’m doing on…
Tips, tricks and ideas of how to plan a memorable mission call opening for your son or daughter!
