In the last chapter of The District... Elder Davis: Teach him about the restoration.

I was just like, Er... Do you accept the Book of Mormon as God's word, Laura? I used to think, Oh, no, that's not the Bible, but, it's not weird when you read it. So, when can I get baptized? That's why we've been talking a lot about the law of chastity. So it would have to be after we get married and all that.

What's surprised me most being a Mission President is working with the great young men and women that we've found here in our mission. You see these fresh, new faces eager to learn, eager to be part of the mission experience. Good morning, Elders and Sisters. It's good to be with you today. Before getting a companion I know I'm going to be training, I got that feeling of maybe a little bit of inadequacy. not sure if you're going to be able to teach this new missionary everything that they need to know. In San Pedro, Elder Hallam, he's going to be training. And he'll be training Elder Walkenhorst.

We just go our new companion, Elder Walkenhorst. Fresh off the airplane yesterday. For a new missionary the first day is very important.

It's their first impression with missionary life.

They need to start off right. It's a fairly big transition that you have to make but at least I try to help him get used to the missionary life and understand what his responsibility is and what he needs to do to contribute, as well. Right when we got back to the apartment, I was expecting to take time and unpack, hang my stuff up and no, we just started planning and talking about the families and the people we'd be meeting the next day. When we both know kind of where we want to go and what our focus will be, then things run a lot smoother. I've seen that so many times in my mission, a really good companion study helps so much the whole day. And especially in the lessons we teach to invite the Spirit cause we're both on the same page. I don't know if you've seen a teacher record before. This is like the map, I guess you could say, for these people's conversions. I hadn't had much experience with the Area Book in the MTC. The had, like, a little mock-up in the back and my teachers just said, Oh. You'll get to know that well on your mission. I can definitely see why. It keeps a record of everybody you've talked to, everybody you've met and committed to something. Right, these are the Onward Progress records. These records are... It's like a weekly report, basically of all the people the missionaries are teaching. The are all in there. You do a lot of writing at the end of the day. Yeah, lots. That's the purpose of our nightly planning session. Yeah. It's kind of to go over what we've done in the day and to make plans for what we're going to do the next day and write some things down. If we can have trust in the Area Book that all the information is accurate and correct, it makes is so much easier to make specific plans to teach specific people. Planning does kind of take a lot of time but, in planning you get more of a direction, you get more insight into what you're going to be doing, so when you're actually doing it it just flows and in-between you never have dead time. The most important thing is our goals today, our goals that were set. That's to have two lessons with members present. So, under the day, we go with the grey part.

We determine our daily goals from our weekly goals. So we'll teach five lessons, two with members present. Okay. In the MTC you just think, I can do this in five minutes. You know, getting out into the field and being able to understand how much planning is involved and how important it actually is to be able to sit down and know what I'm going to be doing at three o'clock tomorrow and just have it all acheduled. It's just exciting to talk about them and find out how I can strengthen them. We're going to really focus with Noal on that God is our loving, Heavenly Father. And then read with him from the Book of Mormon.

He still hasn't received the testimony of Joseph Smith. If they're spiritually strong, we can invite them to pray right then, with us to know if Joseph Smith was God's prophet. It can be really powerful when the Spirit's strong and we're all just right there and they pray. They can get an answer just like right then. I'm excited elder to be with you -and you're a great Elder. -Thanks. Awesome input in there. I'll offer a prayer to end this planning session.

We're grateful Elder Walkenhorst has desires to serve Thee. Bless him now that he will have the peace and the comfort to be able to fulfill his responsibilities. And I, as well, that I will be able to help him. We ask these things in the name of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.

Then we went straight to an appointment. I was still up in the clouds. I didn't know what was going on. Just like, Okay, we're going to an appointment. We get there and meet this man. His name is Noal. And I just completely blanked. I couldn't remember what we were there to teach him. An I'm, like, scrambling through my notes, trying to find what I was supposed to tell him. That's the whole reason why we're here as missionaries, is to help people prepare to meet God, that they can live with Him and by gaining faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, and the power that Christ has to forgive us, which is part of repentance, asking for forgiveness and constantly becoming better and changing. And then being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to receive the Holy Ghost, which is just a helper for us, the Holy Spirit, to teach us all the things... You mentioned the Spirit when you discussed the Holy Ghost.

There's a scripture in the Book of Mormon that you may have come across already. It's the last book in the Book of Mormon. Chapter 10, verses 3 through 5.

Behold, I would exhort you that when you shall receive these... We sat down and started talking with him and it was more of just testifying to people. and it was just telling him what I know. It wasn't hard at all. It was just telling him the truth.

Do you see how God wants to give that wisdom and knowledge to us?

We just have to ask. The important thing is having a sincere heart and having faith that we'll get an answer.

I prayed about it and I received an answer. I know as you pray about the questions you have and about what we teach you, you don't have to take it just for us telling you. You should ask. Always ask God.

He wants... He wants to hear from you. And actually, Noal, right now, when you pray, will you ask God, if this is His will for you now? At this time.

Okay. Thank you, Noal. He began to pray and it was the most powerful prayer that I've ever heard Noal offer to the Lord. And I ask You sincerely,

is this the direction that You want me to go?

I've searched long and hard and my searching will continue.

And I ask You this in Your son's name. Amen. -Amen. -Amen.

That was a really good prayer, Noal. When they start feeling the Spirit in their lives and the difference and the changes it's making, it increases my testimony that what we share is true and it comes from God and they're for every one of the investigators we teach.

We have to follow up. It shows the love we have for them, that we really do care about what they're doing and the progress they make. Going back the next day to see how they're doing with the commitments they're making to follow Christ. How have you felt as you've read and applied these things? Good, I guess. Life's a rollercoaster so... Life is a rollercoaster. Life is hard sometimes. And the bad thing is my life, it's not...it's really not bad.

I just wonder why in the world I'm here, you know. Uh-huh. Everybody you hear says, I have a purpose in life. My purpose is this. I have no clue what my purpose is. Really?

You do the planning and you do the preparation but when you get in there you let the Spirit guide. You try and teach people based on their needs. Laura, there is a purpose for you here. And for you being married to your husband and having this family, and God knows that purpose. And there's actually a chapter in the Book of Mormon that talks about what our purpose is. It's Alma 34, verse 32. For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God. Yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. That's what you're doing. You're preparing yourself so you'll be ready and worthy to return to God's presence. Because you're His daughter and He wants you back. But what you're doing right now, reading the scriptures, praying, coming to church, living the commandments, those things are of eternal importance. And they're going to help you be prepared for that day. And I know that God is pleased with your desire and the things that you're doing right now to follow Him. The question Laura asked, What is the purpose of life? is one of the questions of the soul that can be answered through the Book of Mormon. And as we study, we prepare ourselves to be able to answer those questions of the soul. You always think about studying what will help them. As you prayerfully read and study, God inspires you to know what to share with them. And it's really powerful. It all connects. Personal study goes into companionship study and then, as you come together in companionship study, you build unity and prepare for those investigators. And then you go and teach them to their needs, under that inspiration that you've been given.

Sister Stevens, how did you come to know that the Book of Mormon was the word of God? I don't think I ever had a doubt that is was.

And I told you about before we were baptized. We loved being around five families in that city. They had something we wanted and I didn't know what it was. And why I was so blind to it that I'm not sure, but on the last day before one friend moved she said, If you ever need anything more in your life, I want you to visit my church. And as soon as the words were out of her mouth I knew what they had that I wanted. I've known for a long, long time about the Book of Mormon and how could it not be true? If I had not known about the prophet, if I knew nothing else, a boy with no education could not have translated the Book of Mormon.

So, based on that one single event, all the other facts I learned were just building blocks.

It's so powerful when a member testifies about the things that we have taught. It adds another testimony, another witness, to the truth. And so we invite you to continue to pray and to take Moroni's promise to heart and really pray about the Book of Mormon being the word of God because when you know it's the word of God, you know everything else. Take some time to read and then kneel down and pray and ask specifically if the Book of Mormon is true. And then to wait and ponder and think and God will answer you. She hadn't gained that testimony of Joseph Smith being a prophet, so, while we still accented the commitment, she asked to go back and find out for herself. -Laura, will you say the prayer? -Sure.

Our Father in heaven, we're thankful to meet tonight and learn more about Thee. We pray we can take those things which we've learned and pray about them so we may know the truth. -In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. -Amen.

When you come home at night, the first thing to do is plan. Before, we'd come in... ...and I'd be hungry, I'd get in my pajamas and you waste that sacred time. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank Thee so much for this evening and for this day that we've had to share Thy gospel.

We pray that Thou will bless Laura. We thank Thee for the good lesson we had with her and we ask Thee to please bless and fortify her and her husband as they read in the Book of Mormon together. And this we pray in the name of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.

What we're doing, as we plan and we take the time, is showing our accountability before the Lord, showing how much we treasure this opportunity to serve Him. -Let's go through our day today. -Mm-hm.

-This afternoon we had Laura. -Mm-hm. -That was a great lesson. -Yeah. She's really progressing. Her faith is growing so much. We'll need to be sure to commit her to be able to come... You know they have the Home Show this weekend so it will be hard for her to come to church. Let's call Sister Stevens tomorrow amd see of she can pick her up and be with her through church. Afterwards, we need to update her teaching record. Yes. Yes. Planning sessions and a planner are tools the Lord's given us to be able to help fulfill our purpose. It's not just filling time, like having free time so we tract. It's saying, What do we need to do to meet our goals?

-One lesson with member present. -Mm-hm.

-And we have one... -I'm sad we didn't reach that. We did try our best. But tomorrow we'll do better to have members at our lessons. If you're doing effective daily planning, you have a meaninful activity every hour for the next day and you're busy and you're going to be successful. We really need to find new investigators. To find a family. We do. Three? Let's do three.

-Emily will be a new investigator. -She will.

-Okay. -Are there any other girls...

Oh. We'll get it after we plan.

All right. Anything else? So as we plan each night and update our Area Book and as we end in prayer, we're able to report to the Lord how we've done each day. Forgive us all our weaknesses and help us overcome them and become better missionaries. And this we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. All right, let's update the Area Book.

Preach My Gospel says to update your records daily. We update our records usually right after planning. If we don't use the Area Book, we don't understand our role. If we don't keep our Area Book up to date and write down what the investigators are learning, we don't show how important their progress is in the gospel and we don't understand the atonement.

In our mission, our Mission President has set Thursday mornings as when we do our weekly planning session. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the opportunity to plan as a companionship. Father, we ask that Thou will bless Noal this evening as we plan to teach him that he will be... be ready for the lesson that we have prepared for him and he'll know the importance of learning by Thy Spirit. We ask for this in the name of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. We prayerfully set goals. We're putting our faith in God that we've seen what we have done and it's an indicator of what we are able to do.

Through the planning session... Your discussion should focus on the needs of the people, and how to help them progress. During this weekly planning session We pass goals and set new goals for the coming week. We plan and we really follow the guidelines in Chapter 8 of Preach My Gospel, especially in weekly planning. As we use them daily, people don't slip through the cracks. Numero uno. Set goals and make plans for investigators to be baptized and confirmed in the next week. No one has a baptism or confirmation date next week. So a goal...

of one baptism and one confirmation. You need to be committed to setting goals. If you think you can't do it or it's unachievable, there's no point in setting it. Set goals and plans for those with a baptismal date.

-I was thinking three. -Three?

I was thinking of Sheila and then perhaps Noal.

Or Maya. And then someone else we find within the next week. When we're setting goals, sometimes there's a danger of missionaries focusing on achieving those goals and just reaching the goal, and the don't really understand that each number is a person, a child of God. Set goals help investigators attend sacrament meeting. Especially with our lesson tonight with Noal, and with the Kjars', to talk about the importance of church. Set goals and plan for lessons to be taught to all others. Greg is not progressing. He really hasn't shown much of a desire to learn any more. He's just really...I don't know, he's just not progressing. I think we can put him in the Former Investigators. Keeping an accurate Area Book is tremendously important. If we don't keep an accurate Area Book it makes it near impossible for the missionaries after us to be able to know and how to work effectively with the former investigators that we worked with and with recent converts that... that will be in the Area Book and with less active members, as well. Set goals and plan for lessons to be taught to all others. To make a goal for our member-present lessons. -We've had... -How many in a week? So far, we've had three this week.

There are over six. I think we can get six. We need to push ourselves a little bit more than six. -Okay. Go for seven? -I was thinking eight. -Eight it is. -Going big. Means we're going to have to do everything we can to get a member with us on every return appointment. Hopefully, we always have goals that are increasingly higher, increasingly pushing ourselves to do more. When we set those goals, usually look at what's been done in the past in that area, what kind of success we've had, maybe in the past few weeks, with those key indicators. How can we get Noal to a baptismal date? Anything in particular he can read to help him or...? We'll go over Ether 12 with him. Because obviously, he's reading all sorts of things who knows what and from where? It's tough, but if he doesn't seek an answer from the Spirit, then he'll never find an answer. Noal, did you read the chapter that we left you last time? It was all work this last week. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy?

The reason we give you readings sometimes is so you can make this decision for yourself of the truthfulness of of the message we share. We need to get him to focus on the Book of Mormon and finding that testimony of his own. Sister Kjar, maybe if you could just share how you feel about the Book of Mormon or how you've come to know the Book of Mormon is true.

Over my lifetime, I have learned from the Book of Mormon through good seminary teachers, great leaders, personal study.

The Book of Mormon has become a tool in my life. Not just, Okay, I'm grabbing my scriptures, but I find answers to questions and real-life problems. And it's a source of personal revelation to me.

Thank you. That's...the same way I feel, as well.

This is the same exact church that Jesus Christ set up with that power and authority. I know that from the Book of Mormon. I've read and prayed about it. And I cannot deny the Book of Mormon is true. And I know Joseph Smith was a prophet. You can find answers to those questions you've had and find the peace and happiness that God wants each one of his children to have. He just needs to read and do what the Lord's asked him to do. so he can receive an answer. What's something that you can do that you haven't been doing or that you might change or continue to do to be able to really know that this is Jesus Christ's Church?

I'd like to continue where I stopped in the Book of Mormon and finish reading it. Let's hope as he reads it, he'll read with the goal of finding faith or finding an answer. -Will you do that? -Yes. Okay. When would be good for us to meet with you again?

...It was not. You know what? It needs more slant in it. I'm so excited, I'm shaking. I'm going to cry all the way up. We're having a wedding today. It's Valentine's Day. We're so excited for Kaleb and Jackie.

Welcome to the marriage of Jackie and Kaleb. I'm Bishop Parsons. I'll be conducting the wedding today. One of the unique teachings of the church is that families can be together forever. Your wedding today is for time only but I hope you'll have a goal to go to the temple one day and be sealed together for time and all eternity.

Kaleb Norman Derry, do you take Jackie Lynne Narcoli as your lawfully wedded wife? Do you, of your own free will and choice covenant, and that you will love, honor, and cherish her so long as you both shall live? Yes, I do. Jackie Lynne Narcoli, Do you take Kaleb Norman Derry as your lawfully wedded husband? Do you, of your own free will and choice covenant to love love, honor and cherish him so long as you both shall live? Yes, I do. May God bless your union and help you keep the covenants that you have made this day.

We had the chance to see Jackie and Kaleb come together in that bond of marriage. Mm. Mm-hm. Mm-hm!

This is what faith is. It's the epitome of it here. It's not just sitting at home saying, Okay, but it's doing something and they did something here.

Hey, Sister Payne, how are you? This is Elder Reis. Hi, Elder Reis. How are you? Each Sunday we report the week's key-indicator totals that we do in our district. -How was it at church today? -It was awesome. -I saw Katy there. How is she? -Katy is doing amazing. I get the key-indicator totals and give them to our zone leaders. The zone leaders report them to the assistants and so on and so forth. It gets to President. Who came to church today? The role of the district leader is one of service. It's a title, and opportunity for you to serve. I think it happens by getting to know your missionaries. Janice, Brandy and Laura came to church. Who was the fourth? -Emily. -Emily.

How's Laura doing? We talked with Laura and... and she was great. She read in the Book of Mormon. She said she knows it's true. Wow. We're really excited. When you call the missionary companionships and get feedback as to how their day went, or their struggles and their ups and their downs, that really helps me, as a district leader, know what advice or counsel to give them based on their day... based on their key indicators, weekly totals, summary reports. These are all tools that help a district leader fulfill his role to serve and help the district. -Very good. Thanks. Bye. -Bye-bye.

The invitation to come to church is often overlooked. It's so important they come to church. It's just as important as any other commitment like baptism. If they're not keeping the commitment to attend church, they're never going to be able to get baptized anyway.

It's a reverent environment and you can feel the Spirit is there in the meetings. Laura came to the ward that we had this morning and she did just what she said she'd do yesterday: during the sacrament, she read about baptism in Mosiah 18. And so she's doing really good.

We'll mark the progress record at our weekly planning session but before correlation meeting we'll update the record, adding new people that we may have seen since our weekly planning and we total our key indicators so they're accurate. Let's review the list of investigators we have here. Let's discuss where they're at and our goals for this week. If we don't have a record of who they're teaching, what's been taught, what members are involved, that we can review each week, we're not doing our work. It's important to work closely with your ward mission leader. He needs to be like our best friend, on the same team, helping others come unto Christ. We've been working a lot with Laura Lowder this week and she's really progressing. She's here every Sunday now, so it's great. She keeps her commitments, her faith is increasing as she reads the Book of Mormon. She just feels, one, that she needs to be more ready, and two, that she hasn't recognized her answers yet, so we're working with her on those things. You've invited her to be baptized for the first week in March. She certainly didn't say no. Right? She didn't say no, but she feels like she's not ready. She needs to know a lot more and so... But you've planted that seed. Right? -She's thinking about it. -At least in the near future. -Right. Good. It's good to listen to this. She's not taking it lightly. That's really what it is. She understands that this is a serious commitment and whatever she does, she's committed to, she wants to make sure after baptism she won't go away. She wants to get baptized and stay strong. She wants to make sure she's ready. I know the Stevens, Blake and Jane, who live in the neighborhood, have been doing a wonderful job. They were present at your last appointment. Do you want them back? Have you talked to them about attending the next lesson? We have an appointment with them, Wednesday night at eight. I never understood the power of the progress record and it's import in helping us coordinate with the ward.

Welcome to Family Home Evening. Dad is presiding and has asked me to conduct. We're thankful Noal and the missionaries are here In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. We planned to watch the video The Restoration, with Noal, to help him understand the importance of Joseph Smith and why he needs to know that Joseph Smith was a prophet.

When the light rested upon me I saw two personages whose brightness and glory defy all description. Joseph Smith was God's prophet and he had that vision. Why did he assume that the truth would be found

in any one denomination? It just gives me the feeling that it limits God, you know. In the Book of Ephesians it quotes... I think they paraphrase it in the video but it says, Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling One Lord, one faith, one baptism. You know, its that faith in Jesus Christ that unifies us, that gives us that one purpose and the ability to overcome sin. It also seems that there's a er... What also unifies is that faith in Joseph Smith. Why is that important? Faith in Joseph Smith isn't important.

Faith in Jesus Christ is important. But it's important to recognize and to realize that Joseph Smith was either a prophet of God or he wasn't. He's had all the lessons. We've taught him everything. It's to the point where he needs to start making the choices and keeping the commitments that we make with him. Did you read in Ether, in the Book of Mormon? I've been so engrossed with so much stuff I don't even... I had forgotten where I ended last time. When we're thinking about Noal and what we can do to help him progress toward baptism, we must look at key indicators. He's not been to church lately. He's not keeping his commitments like reading and praying, so he's not considered a progressing investigator now. I'm not sure when a conclusion would be made that we just have to stop teaching someone.

I guess, in some ways, that it could happen with Noal. I hope it won't. I wouldn't know when to say something like that.

In the next chapter of The District... Have you got your planner with you?

I don't know when I'll have Sundays off. I can't ask for every Sunday off. I don't want to do this anymore.