Archive for April, 2009
Language Learning
Apr 29th
Many Mormon missionaries are asked to serve in places far from their home where they are required to learn to speak a foreign language. Preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the people of the world, each in their own language, is a mandate from God. In a revelation to Joseph Smith the Prophet in 1833, the Lord said, “For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power.” (Doctrine and Covenants 90:11)
My Language Learning Story
Note: This video and the text below contain the same story of my learning Spanish.
Prior to my mission call, I had studied French in high school, and when I filled out my mission papers, I indicated that experience and my desire to go to a non-English speaking mission. I knew that despite two-years of French in high-school, my ability communicate in a foreign language was very poor, so I was a little apprehensive about really learning to speak a new language. But I found faith and strength in the fact that so many missionaries had gone before me and had learned to speak a new language.
When I received my mission call to a Spanish speaking country, Argentina, I knew the challenge would be even greater than I previously thought. After spending nine weeks at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) learning Spanish, I found myself in Argentina. Hearing the people speak there, I wondered if they taught me the wrong language, because I could barely understand anything. In fact, soon I found out that Argentine’s don’t speak Spanish, they speak el Castellano (Argentina’s version of Spanish). 
The missionary daily schedule has built in 30 minutes of language studying each day, but for me, I found that wasn’t helping my language skills improve fast enough. So for the first six months I spent in Argentina, I got up a half hour early to get a full hour of language studying each day. My companions were a big help as well. Both of my first two companions were native Argentine’s. The first spoke English, but the second spoke no English. I had only been in Argentina for three months when I was placed with my second companion. Those days of pure Spanish speaking, so early in my mission, were very difficult, but undoubtedly helped my language skills tremendously. I can remember dreaming in English, and then waking and dreading when I realized I had to communicate entirely in Spanish.
With time, my comfort with the Spanish language improved. In fact, in the later half of my mission I got frequent compliments on my language skills. One brother, in the Arroyito Ward of Rosario, paid me the ultimate compliment when he said that it took him a few minutes of listening to me speak before he realized I was an American. He said I had a very good “Porteno” (Buenos Aires) accent. But those language skills never would have come without hard work and blessings from the Lord of the gift of tongues.
The Gift of Tongues
President Thomas S. Monson once said, “Make it known to the young people that it is not certain that the Lord will direct their paths to do missionary work in an area where the language they have learned is spoken. But if they are called to a completely different country, they will at least have the advantage of having learned well a second language. Learning another language is then usually not so difficult for them, because they have learned how to study and therefore will make rapid progress, especially when they are guided by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Elder Jacob de Jager said, “Some missionaries go to the Missionary Training Center to learn a foreign language with great fears because they are afraid they will not be able to learn the language of their assigned mission area. Let me relieve these fears. I have seen the very practical approach of language teaching in the MTC, and I believe in the gift of tongues. Miracles happen when missionaries learn to speak in a foreign language by the power of the Spirit.”
President Joseph F. Smith received the gift of tongues when, as a young man, he went out on his mission. He said: “I was in a foreign land, sent to preach the gospel to a people whose language I could not understand. Then I sought earnestly for the gift of tongues, and by this gift and by study [I am sure he put in a lot of hours], in a hundred days after landing upon those islands I could talk to the people in their language as I now talk to you in my native tongue.” (Gospel Doctrine, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939, p. 201)
Source: “Become Acquainted … with Languages, Tongues, and People” By Elder Jacob de Jager, Oct 1982.
Ideas for Language Learning
Learning to speak a new language is not easy, but there are some things future missionaries can do to be more prepared for this trial. Steven R. Wright, one time director of language training at the Missionary Training Center, said, “be sure to do these three things: study the language regularly and faithfully, use the language whenever possible, and seek divine assistance.” Here are some further suggestions from Brother Wright:
- Take a language class. Study at a local university, take an adult education class in the evening, or try a home-study course offered by a reputable school.
- Speak the language. Instead of merely learning about the language, have a goal of being able to speak well and understand well. Practice the language with family members or friends who have served a mission or traveled in a foreign culture and have learned this language as a second language.
- Learn about people and cultures. Read about the people and the country. Visit with someone who is from the country or who has been there. If possible, travel to the country to gain firsthand knowledge of it.
- Study vocabulary at home. Vocabulary is the most important area when beginning to study a foreign language. Buy a dictionary, label your home with names of objects in the new language, and practice until the words become yours. Purchase a Book of Mormon in the new language and compare familiar verses in English.
Special Missionary Preparation Issue of New Era
Apr 28th
I’ve added the March 2007 New Era to the mission prep recommended reading list. This was a special Missionary Preparation Issue of the New Era magazine. It is full of great articles for youth preparing for missions. Here is a full list of the articles in this special edition:
- Gifts to Bring Home from the Mission Field President Gordon B. Hinckley
- Line upon Line: D&C 4
- How to Prepare to Be a Good Missionary Elder M. Russell Ballard
- From Friends to Sisters to Companions Rebecca Mills Hume and Brad Wilcox
- Your Call to Serve David A. Edwards
- I Took the Temple with Me Cory Keate
- Inspired to Bless Eric J. Greenhalgh
- Q&A: Questions and Answers New Era Poster
- Inside the MTC Danielle Nye Poulter
- “We’ve Got to Find Her” Elder Bruce C. Hafen
- Idea List: Fit to ServeA Day in the Life of a Missionary Adam C. Olson
- The Five M’s of Missionary Work President Thomas S. Monson
- Me? A Sister Missionary? Taryn Salmon
- Determined to Serve Richard M. Romney
- To the Point
- If I Had Known at 19 … Roger Terry
- The Extra Smile
- Missionary Mail Connie Myers
- Instant Messages
- What’s Up?
- Poem: To J.E.H. and Many Others Peter B. Ball
Note: The New Era is an official monthly publication for youth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Practical Steps for Mission Prep
Apr 16th
Practically Out the Door is the name of an article this month in the New Era magazine. It contains practical advice for teenagers preparing to go to college, but I think it is equally applicable to young men and women preparing to go on a mission. The article makes great suggestions for young people, such as:
- Learn the Secrets of Time: Manage your time and bring order to your life by organizing it.
- Learn How to Manage Your Own Life: Handle freedom wisely, and make spirituality a priority. Start making your own decisions and solving your own problems.
- Harness the Power of Practical Skills: Master the mysteries of money, learn how to cook, and remember, there is no laundry fairy.
- Have the Right Attitude: Take responsibility.
The tips about managing money, learning to cook, and doing laundry struck a cord with me. All were important skills my parents had taught me prior to my mission, and I was so grateful for them when I arrived in Argentina.
Managing Money
When I arrived in my first assigned area in Argentina, a branch called Gazano in the city of Parana, my companion was named Elder Loesener, a native Argentine from Buenos Aires. Elder Loesener, within the first couple of days, told me to take $100 and put it in an envelope in my suit case, and save it for an emergency. That $100 was more than a third 
of our monthly allowance, but he assured me that we would make it through the month. He then said we would pool our resources, and so we did. And as I recall we ate well that month, and after a few weeks of famous Argentine beef, I even put on a few pounds.
Throughout my mission, I always kept that $100 reserve. And though I can’t recall any major emergencies, there were times when our monthly allowance was late arriving and I was very glad to have some extra cash to get by on. I heard stories of missionaries running out of money half way through the month, but that never happened to me because of good money management skills I put into practice.
Learning to Cook
In some areas of my mission, we ate at members home nearly every day. In other areas, there were few members and we were rarely fed. It was in those times that I was sure glad I knew how to cook. Making pancakes from scratch was not something I realized I’d be doing very often, but breakfast cereal was rare in Argentina, and the native breakfast beverage of Mate was off limits for missionaries. Pasta, hamburgers, pizza, French toast, crepes, and no-bake cookies were a few of the other things I whipped up from time to time. 
Perhaps this is also a good time to mention the need to learn to like a variety of foods. I was taught by my parents that missionaries are always grateful for the meals given to them and they always eat was is in put in front of them. In that spirit, I found myself at the home of a member family in the branch in Gazano early in my mission. They served us “giso” for lunch, a type of stew, and as I put my spoon in the bowl, I noticed something strange floating around. There were bugs in my soup! Now I didn’t want to offend this humble, generous family, so I dutifully ate the whole bowl of giso. It probably made me no sicker than the water there (which we drank all the time), but later in my mission I learned that it was okay to turn down food with bugs in it. But aside from bug-infested stews and the like, I think it’s a good idea for missionaries to learn to be polite and eat the food that is so generously served to them.
Doing Laundry
Prior to my mission, I knew how to do laundry, or so I thought. I knew how to separate the lights from the darks, load the washing machine, put in soap, turn it on, and then switch the clothes to the dryer when it was complete. But when 
I got to Argentina, I found no washing machines and no dryers. In some of my areas, we paid a woman in the ward to wash our clothes, but in as many as half of my areas, I had to wash my own clothes, by hand. Needless to say, with me doing the laundry, it didn’t take long for my white shirts to turn a shade of gray. Nonetheless they were clean, thanks again to Elder Loesener for teaching me the wash board method of doing laundry.
I’m not sure what the conditions are like in Argentina now, more than ten years since I left. But it is likely that there, and in other parts of the world, missionaries are washing their own clothes by hand. So when you are learning to do laundry with the washing machine and dryer, you may also want to ask your mom for some tips on doing it by hand with a wash board, and hanging the clothes out to dry.
Talks on Mission Prep from April 2009 General Conference
Apr 10th
As I listened to the General Conference talks last weekend, I paid particular attention to messages that would be of benefit for young men and women preparing to go on a mission. Below are a few mission-prep-related excerpts from the April 2009 conference talks:
Revealed Quorum Principles by Michael A. Neider
“The quorum assists you in strengthening and preparing God’s sons” for missions, marriage, etc. “We should be earnest students of revealed priesthood and quorum principles. Our goal is to correctly use inspired direction from God and His prophets to maximize the virtues and blessings of the quorum and strengthen young men and their families. The work of the quorum is to increase faith in Christ, prepare and save young men, and eliminate mistakes and sloth in implementing God’s will. As we seek wisdom from God, let us also be students of revealed quorum principles.”
Learning the Lessons of the Past by Elder M. Russell Ballard
“Learn from the experience of others. Many professions require internships, during which aspiring professionals shadow seasoned veterans to learn from their years of experience and accumulated wisdom. Rookies in professional sports are often expected to sit on the bench and learn by watching experienced players. New missionaries are assigned to work with a senior companion whose experience helps the new missionary learn the right way to effectively serve the Lord.”
Counsel to Young Men by President Boyd K. Packer
“You young men should not complain about schooling. Do not immerse yourself so much in the technical that you fail to learn things that are practical. Everything you can learn that is practical—in the house, in the kitchen cooking, in the yard—will be of benefit to you” now, on your mission and throughout your life.
“Four young men, all grandsons, came to visit us. Three of them had young ladies on their arms—one to talk about his coming wedding, two of them to announce their engagements, and the stray to talk about his mission call to Japan. We talked to them about the fact that one day each of you will take a pure and precious daughter of our Heavenly Father to the temple to be sealed for time and for all eternity. These young grandsons must know what Alma taught: that the gospel plan is “the great plan of happiness” and that happiness is the end of our existence.”
We Are Doing a Great Work and Cannot Come Down by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“In response to every temptation to lose focus or lower our standards—the standards of God, we responded, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.””
The Lord seeks “those who, when faced with opposition and temptation, say in their hearts, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.””
“When faced with trial and suffering, they respond, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.” When faced with ridicule and reproach, they proclaim, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.””
Our Heavenly Father “seeks those who will not allow the attraction of ease or the traps of the adversary to distract them from the work He has given them to perform. He seeks those whose actions conform to their words—those who say with conviction, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”
Be Your Best Self by President Thomas S. Monson
“This is not a time for fear, brethren, but rather a time for faith—a time for each of us who holds the priesthood to be his best self. Although our journey through mortality will at times place us in harm’s way, may I offer you tonight three suggestions.”
- Study diligently. “Every holder of the priesthood should participate in daily scripture study. Crash courses are not nearly so effective as the day-to-day reading and application of the scriptures in our lives.”
- Pray fervently. “With God, all things are possible. Men of the Aaronic Priesthood, men of the Melchizedek Priesthood, remember the prayer of the Prophet Joseph, offered in that grove called sacred. Look around you and see the result of that answered prayer.”
- Live righteously. “Isaiah, that great prophet of the Old Testament, gave this stirring charge to holders of the priesthood: “Touch no unclean thing. . . . Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.” That’s about as straight as it could be given.”
Get On with Our Lives by Elder Steven E. Snow
“Too often we are reluctant to enter the next stage, begin the next challenge. Maybe we are too comfortable, fearful, or lacking in faith…Our parents’ basement, with unlimited video games, may be more appealing than college, marriage, or a career (or a mission I might add). How can we then best prepare for the changes we must inevitably face as we progress through life?”
- First, follow the prophets. “Prophets often raise a voice of warning but also provide steady, pragmatic counsel to help us weather the storms of life.”
- Second, keep an eternal perspective. “We as mortals undergo a series of changes, challenges, trials, and temptations as we proceed through life. Only then are we properly tested.” Remember, this life is “to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abraham 3:25).
- Third, have faith. “In Moroni we read that “without faith there cannot be any hope” (Moroni 7:42). We must exercise faith to take on life’s challenges and changes”
- Fourth, be of good cheer. “Many of our members across the globe are facing challenges, economic and otherwise.” The Lord counseled, “Be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you” (D&C 61:36).
Bring Souls unto Me by Elder L. Tom Perry
“Member missionaries—both you and I—are the shepherds, and the full-time missionaries, like the search and rescue team, are trying to do something almost impossible for them to do alone. Certainly the full-time missionaries will continue to do the best they can, but wouldn’t it be better if you and I stepped up to do a job that is rightfully ours and for which we are better suited since we know personally those who are lost and need to be rescued? I would like to focus on three objectives for members of the Church.”
- D&C 88:81 “And it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.”
- D&C 33:8 “Open your mouths and they shall be filled.”
- “We should declare our belief in Jesus Christ and His Atonement.”
- “We should tell in our own words the story of the First Vision.”
- “Let us testify of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.”
- D&C 18:15 “And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!”
Video Update: Story on Power of the Book of Mormon
Apr 5th
I have added a video to my previous post: The Power of the Book of Mormon. I thought that instead of just putting the story in writing, I could record myself telling the story and embed the video in the post. Let me know how you like this format.
The Power of the Book of Mormon
Apr 3rd
The second area I served in during my mission was called the Rural Ward in the city of Santa Fe. I had an experience there that I will always remember that taught me the power of the Book of Mormon. One day we had an appointment to teach a first discussion to a man named Eduardo and his family. (Click here to see where Eduardo lived.) We were doing splits that day, so I went to the appointment with one of the zone leaders, Elder Rindlisbacher (he and I pictured to the right). We arrived at the appointment and sat down with the family in an outdoor terrace area. To our surprise, the family had invited a friend to the appointment. This friend turned out to be their preacher, and he had come ready to contend with us. Initially, the preacher sat back and listened as we began teaching the first principles of the discussion (God the Father, Jesus Christ our Savior, Prophets, etc.). But soon the preacher began to ask contentious questions in an attempt to stump us, and before long he was lecturing to us and we could hardly get a word in.
After listening patiently for 15 minutes or more, I finally decided to pull out the Book of Mormon and read some passages from it. I did this in an attempt to testify of the truthfulness of our teachings, more than to directly answer his questions. To my surprise, at the moment I pulled the Book of Mormon out of my bag, the preacher became quiet. I suddenly found myself with a captive audience, so I read a verse or two of scripture from the Book of Mormon and testified that the book was of God, that it taught of Christ, and is a testament to the truthfulness of the Mormon Church. After that day, we unfortunately never taught that family again. Yet I will never forget that moment, nor the power of the Book of Mormon displayed that day to touch hearts through the Holy Ghost and silence opposing forces.
Use the Book of Mormon to Answer Objections
President Ezra Taft Benson said, “We are to use the Book of Mormon in handling objections to the Church… All objections, whether they be on abortion, plural marriage, seventh-day worship, etc., basically hinge on whether Joseph Smith and his successors were and are prophets of God receiving divine revelation.
“Therefore, the only problem the objector has to resolve for himself is whether the Book of Mormon is true. For if the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was his prophet, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and it is being led today by a prophet receiving revelation.” (A Witness and a Warning, 4–5).
Conclusion
I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I have read it, I have prayed about it, and I have received a witness from God that it contains the words of Christ. It is perhaps the most powerful tool missionaries have because it brings the Spirit, which then teaches, testifies and converts hearts and minds. You will be a more powerful missionary by studying the Book of Mormon and knowing it well enough to use it frequently in your teaching. And for you future missionaries, I encourage you to read and gain a personal testimony of the Book of Mormon now. By so doing, you will be a more prepared missionary, and thus a better instrument in the hands of the Lord.
