Illinois Chicago West Mission: June 2016

March 2016 Zone Training

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President Griffin led a discussion and spoke on the following subjects:

Announcement:

WE NOW HAVE AN APP TO EXERCISE! (JOHNSON & JOHNSON)

THERE WILL BE NO MORE EXERCISING IN PUBLIC GYMS, DUE TO BAD AND WORLDLY INFLUENCES.

Discussion on Music:

RAISING THE BAR! HOW TUNED ARE WE? WE HAVE WAY TOO MUCH MUSIC OUT THERE CONSUMING OUR THOUGHTS AND ENERGY.

Don't let the music take you home or away from the work. Don't miss an opportunity to feel the spirit.

I feel so sad and disappointed that your expectations might have fallen, that you would come out on your mission with HIGH expectations and standards, then fall to a place out of control.

-What kind of music did you think we would play on the mission?

-When you got here and started listening were you disappointed?

-How did you set your standard?

-What are you seeing now?

-What is your experience with music?

I invite you to make a change and to rise to a higher level. Sacrifice good for something better.

Alma 10:32

What a wonderful time to be a missionary. The spirit continues to grow each and every day and we can witness the hand of the Lord in the Illinois Chicago West Mission. He is with us and continues to bless us in this fantastic work.

Before our mission, Sister Griffin was so committed to teaching our children to learn to play the violin and piano. Countless hours were spent in that endeavor. We have never regretted the effort and sacrifice that it took. While learning to play the piano, it was not necessary to tune the piano every day for practice. On the other hand, to practice the violin required that it be tuned every time. Otherwise, it made it very difficult to learn as quickly and effectively as possible. And if you have ever heard someone play an untuned violin, you will also realize that it can be hard to listen to.

Just as the violin needed tuning every day, our lives need to be tuned every day to properly learn and play the language of the spirit. Receiving and acting upon the promptings of the spirit is so critical to the effectiveness of our efforts as missionaries. The fine tuning of our lives is an everyday effort. If not, our progression is slowed and those that we might have touched will be missed. The fine tuning takes several different focuses. We have talked about obedience. We have talked about perfect mornings. We have talked about our desires and our faith. All are important. I would like to focus on another important guideline that has been on my mind lately. This is the topic of music. The scriptures tell us that the spirit speaks most often in a “…still small voice...” (1 Nephi 17: 45). When Christ appeared to the Nephites after his resurrection, it took them three times hearing the voice of the Lord before they understood the announcement of Christ’s arrival. (3 Nephi 11:1-7). The scriptures also tell us to “be still and know that I am God” (D&C 101:16). We have talked some about our music choices. Some improvement has been made but not enough. Elders and Sisters, the Lord is asking us now to prayerfully and decisively raise the bar on the kind of music that we listen to. We can no longer fool ourselves that we are “ok” in our music choices. Music with heavy beats, rap style music, loud music, Disney music, “mild country music”, and even some music from church artists is not acceptable in this mission. Even with spiritual messages, this type of music does not allow us to fine tune ourselves and to focus where we need to be. The Missionary Handbook says, “Listen only to music that is consistent with the sacred spirit of your calling…..Do not listen to music that pulls your thoughts away from your work, merely entertains, has romantic lyrics or overtones, or dulls your spiritual sensitivity by its tempo, beat, loudness, lyrics, or intensity” (Miss. Handbook, pg. 25). I expect that from this time forward that we will not consume our time and our minds and our spirits with music that does not allow the Holy Ghost to be our constant companion. Sometimes we just need to turn it off completely and allow the spirit to speak. We are here as disciples of Christ to carry his name not only on our chests but also to carry His spirit in our hearts and minds. While this music may have been great for another place and time, here more is required as we consecrate ourselves in preparation for the harvest that is upon us. I know that when we come unto the Savior, He will receive us and bless us with power from on high. I invite each of you to access more completely the spirit by better and less music and a renewed focus to receive the spirit. The blessings will be plentiful as the spirit directs us each day. I love you and know that you want this additional blessing in your ministry. Act in faith and you will receive.

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February Zone Training by Assistants Cluff and Adams

Have you had any passing thoughts? Watch and pay attention to your passing thoughts.

Passing thoughts are the Holy Ghost speaking to us. We need to be sensitive to those passing thoughts and follow them immediately and act on the them. We had a passing thought to go visit a woman at 4:00 this week who we had contacted a month ago. We were in the middle of weekly planning, but we acted upon the passing thought. We went and found out that she wanted to have the missionaries teach her. She had just started a new job and 4:00 was the only hour that she could see the missionaries. If we had not gone at 4:00 we would have missed her. Listen! Act on your passing thoughts.

Take the principals in PMG chapter 8 “Using time wisely,” and apply them in planning to have a successful mission closer to your Savior. Make plans and allow the spirit to guide you. Know that the Lord wants you to be at a specific place at a specific time. These times will become more regular as we evaluate our planning and go through each of the 13 steps of planning. As you evaluate your success, you will be more successful in your work. You will find more investigators and you will have more baptisms.

There is either progression or digression in the gospel. Weekly planning will help you progress in your life.

GPS ------ Our guide to finding a location vs Our guide to life and being a successful missionary.

GOALS—Set SPECIFIC goals---- Monthly---Weekly---Daily

You will find yourself reaching your personal and missionary goals at a faster and happier rate. Schedule time to do everything that is important. Plan in detail how you will accomplish them.

PLAN--- This part is so important because goals are empty if we do not ACT on them.

SCHEDULE---When are we going to do each plan? It will begin to fit together like a beautiful puzzle. You will find more excitement because the Lord is on your side.

We are all wanting success and happiness.

G.P.S.--It is like a sandwich, you don’t want too much bread or too much filling. You want to build a perfect well-built beautiful sandwich. One without the other would not work PLANNING,G O A L S, SCHEDULE

We are encouraging the missionaries to develop a close and loving relationship with their Bishop. He holds the keys in his ward and has a great responsibility. We can lighten his load and help him strengthen the ward. Great things are happening as the missionaries bond with their Bishop and Ward Mission Leader. Some of the Missionaries have

bought their bishops a tie to let him know they are on his side and that they would do anything to help. Pray for the Bishop and the Spirit will tell you what you might do and then go to him. Listen to what the Bishop asks and teaches. His calling is immense, he needs to feel our love and support. Through the members and missionaries he can accomplish so many great and important things.

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Perfect Finding Lesson by Sister Woolley and Sister Halliday

Read the White Hand Book on Members (pg.35)

Coordinate your visits and efforts with members with the ward mission leader. When you visit, talk to, or eat with members, your primary purpose should be to strengthen them (see D&C 108:7) and help them fulfill their missionary responsibilities. Ask them whom they know that you could teach. Do everything you can to build their confidence in you as a dedicated, powerful servant of the Lord.

Alma Chapter 17-This chapter has all the traits of a great missionary

Alma and Ammon are us, everyone else are the members. See how what goes on here can relate to how a finding lesson should go.

What do we learn from these scriptures about how we should interact with members?

2 Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.

3 But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.

4 And they had been teaching the word of God for the space of fourteen years among the Lamanites, having had much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, by the power of their words many were brought before the altar of God, to call on his name and confess their sins before him.

We need to be joyful for what they are doing right!

5 Now these are the circumstances which attended them in their journeyings, for they had many afflictions; they did suffer much, both in body and in mind, such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit.

Listen to the Spirit and be aware of their needs/ struggles. Be aware of what commitments are going to be a burden and stress them out. Acknowledge its tough, but remind them of what they have going for them. (strengths)

8 And thus they departed into the wilderness with their numbers which they had selected, to go up to the land of Nephi, to preach the word of God unto the Lamanites.

9 And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.

The Lord picked you to be here with these members at this time.

It takes time to get them from A-Z (the level the member is at)

10 And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted.

11 And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.

12 And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah, and also those who were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of God.

Remember their examples go a long way.

be patient it takes time working with members.

18 Now Ammon being the chief among them, or rather he did administer unto them, and he departed from them, after having blessed them according to their several stations, having imparted the word of God unto them, or administered unto them before his departure; and thus they took their several journeys throughout the land.

Sister's Woolley and Halliday teaching

Sister's Taggart and Gallup

APRIL MLC 2016

9: 45 Arrive/Prelude music/ Welcome Pres. and Sister Griffin

10:00 Start Prompt
Presiding: President Griffin
Conducting: Elder Cuff
Accompanist: Hermana Nelson
Chorister: Hermana Neff
Opening Hymn: # 26 Joseph Smith’s first Prayer
Invocation: Elder Pierre
Focus Thought: Elder Scrogham (5 min)

April Scripture Focus, Alma 17:3 (recite together at each meeting)

“But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.”

10:15 Pres. Griffin-- THE POWER OF PRAYER Alma 34:17-28, Enos 1:1-12, Alma 8:10, Alma 17:1-18, Top. Guide-Prayer, Pray; PMG p. 39, 73, 93-95; 116-117

11:00—Break – 5 min

11:05 --Sister Griffin-- THE POWER OF FASTING Omni 1:26, Alma 5:45-46, Alma 6:6, 17:1-18, TG- Fasting; PMG p. 79-80; Missionary Handbook p.18; PMG 116-117;

11:30 Elders Adams & Cluff – How to lift, inspire, encourage, and strengthen each other

12:00 LUNCH – Hoagie, chips, veg plate, fruit plate, bottled water, brownies
12:40- Elder Tolman—driving on the edge of Tiwi?

12:50--President Whitsitt— THE POWER OF REVELATION PMG Chapter 4

1:20 Prepare the following weekly planning steps with role play and ideas to be be taught in DLC meetings so the District Leaders can teach the missionaries.
1:20- Elders Anderson and Bennett —Step 11 -- Working with Ward Councils - 20 min
1:40 - Sisters Woolley & Halliday- Step 13—Companionship Inventory - 20 min
2:00 –Break -5 min
2:05 - MLC Council Circle --Zone Leaders and Sister Trainers bring your ideas and concerns
3:30 --President Griffin: Summary and Invitation
4:00 --Closing Hymn: # 143 Let the Holy Spirit Guide

Benediction: Elder Daines

4:15 to 5:00 – Sister Trainer Meeting –Share experiences and ideas to strengthen the Sisters