Archive for February, 2010
Seminary and Institute
Feb 19th
The LDS Church Seminary and Institute programs are great mission preparation services that all future missionaries should take advantage of. This is what our former prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball said about seminary and institute and how they aid in missionary preparation.
“Young men having planned for 19 years to fill a mission will be more fruitful, more effective, and more successful when they serve and more people will come into the Church and will create more enthusiasm and there will be a chain reaction….Can you imagine what would happen to the seminary and institute programs with so many wonderful young men who have been planning for missions from birth until seminary days? Seminary and institute buildings would be crowded with a new kind of maturity and seriousness that would give the Church a new image. The morality of the youth would greatly increase. They would be taught cleanliness and righteousness in a way that they have never been taught before…I wish every boy and girl could go to seminary, because that is where they learn many of the truths of the gospel. Seminary is where many of them get their ideals settled in their minds about what they are going to do, and they go on missions.” (President Kimball Speaks Out on Being a Missionary, New Era, May 1981, 46)
Testimonies of Seminary and Institute
The January 2009 Ensign article called Nourishing the Soul through Institute as has some great testimonies of mission preparation aided by seminary and institute.
José Araujo, said “Among the many blessings I have received by attending institute are improved family relationships and an increased interest in the scriptures. It has also increased my testimony. Before attending institute, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to serve a mission. Now I know that serving a mission is what I need to do.” (“Strengthening My Testimony,” Ensign, Jan. 2009, 54)
Malinda Morrison said, “My love for institute started back in seminary. I joined the Church at age 14, and I had a thirst for knowledge. I enjoyed learning about the gospel and loved the admirable friends and teachers I met along the way…Just as seminary enriched my life when I was a teenager, institute has enriched my life during my young adult years. I have treasured up the words of Christ in my heart and in my mind (see D&C 6:20; 84:85). These teachings helped me serve the Lord more effectively as a missionary. I am grateful for institute and know that it is an inspired program because I have seen its blessings in my life.” (“Showing Faith,” Ensign, Jan. 2009, 55–56)
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Make Seminary and Institute a Priority
President Thomas S. Monson has said the following regarding institute, but I believe it applies to seminary as well:
“I ask you to make participation in institute a priority. Married students and other young adults are also welcome and encouraged to attend. Think of it. Friends will be made, the Spirit will be felt, and faith will be strengthened. I promise you that as you participate in institute and study the scriptures diligently, your power to avoid temptation and to receive direction of the Holy Ghost in all you do will be increased. Divine favor will attend those who humbly seek it. That is a promise which I leave with you.” (April 21, 2009).
And Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave this prophetic promise: “Don’t neglect the opportunity of attending seminary and institute classes. Participate and gain all you can from the scriptures taught in these great religious-education settings. They will prepare you to present the message of the restored gospel to those you have opportunity to meet.” (“Raising the Bar,” Ensign, Nov. 2007, 48.)
How Do I Find an Institute Program Near Me?
Visit the Institutes of Religion site for information about any of the more than 500 institute locations worldwide. In many cases, you can register for classes online. If you don’t have Internet access, ask your bishop or branch president for a list of institute locations.
Videos
Here are a couple of videos I found on the LDS Institute program and the blessings, promised by a prophet, if we attend.
Widgets and Sharing Resources
Feb 18th
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I have added a Mormon Mission Prep Widgets page on the site for widgets and other tools to share Mormon Mission Prep content through your sites and blogs. There are current three widgets to choose from including the newest one which uses the latest logo image shown on the right. Please use these resources on your site or blog to link back to Mormon Mission Prep and to share the content you find valuable and useful to future LDS missionaries. Thanks.
Man of Faith: The Conversion of German Arrieta
Feb 9th
I met German (pronounced Herman) Arrieta on one of my first days in the Godoy neighborhood of Rosario. The previous missionaries had found German and taught him and his wife, Sara, the first discussion. Then I was transferred to the area and arrived prior to the second discussion. When we went to German’s house and taught the second discussion, Sara asked lots of questions, and seemed genuinely interested throughout the discussion, while German remained quite and pensive.
At the conclusion of the second discussion, I decided to invite German and Sara to be baptized. Based on how they had reacted to the first two discussions, I thought for sure Sara would accept the invitation, while German, I assumed, would turn down the invitation to be baptized. I was wrong on both counts. When I invited them both to be baptized, German spoke right up and said he would like to be baptized. Sara, however, was hesitant and said she would have to think about it longer.
Two weeks before German’s scheduled baptism, he lost his job. I expected this to be a stumbling block to German’s progression toward baptism, but once again, German surprised me with his great faith. He told me, with extreme confidence, that he would find another job and begin working by the day after his baptism.
We continued to teach German and Sara the discussions, but Sara continued to have her doubts about the restored gospel and about getting baptized. In one of the final discussions, we taught German the principle of the fast: going without food and drink for 24 hours to strengthen us spiritually, and to receive special blessings from our Heavenly Father. It was about 9 o’clock at night when we taught the lesson, and German said he was going to start fasting at that very moment. He invited us to come back for dinner the next night at 9pm to break the fast with him. 
German’s fast was a success, and his break the fast dinner was delicious. German had many tests prior to his baptism: the loss of his job, and his daughter became sick (we gave her a priesthood blessing and she immediately began to get better). Throughout it all, German showed that he was a man of great faith. He came to the required two Sundays of church meetings, and was baptized on May 18, 1997. His wife, Sara, and their two daughters, attended the baptism, but only German was baptized. The baptism was a great event for all who attended, and true to his word, and as a demonstration of his faith in the Lord, German got a job the Monday after his baptism.
A few months later I got word that I was going to be transferred from the Godoy ward. German, and many other ward members, several of whom I baptized, arranged a surprise going away party for me. The first and only such event in my mission. I sure made me feel good that the people in this area loved me and would miss me when I was gone. You’ll notice German in the picture, he’s in blue on the far right. He has a gloomy look on his face because, though he was a big, tough guy, he was sad to see me go. I, of course, was saddened too, and will always have fond memories and remember German and his great faith in Christ and His restored gospel.
