12/12/13 PME- "Discovering the Mysteries of God and God Himself"

12/3/13 What is a "True Messenger"?

• Introduction:
• In the temple we hear about "true messengers" I want you to think about the following:
• Who are they besides apostles?
• What makes them true messengers?
• What does being a true messenger have to do with How to Begin Teaching?
• Analyze the Temple Sequence of being a true messenger:
• 1st Visit of the Messengers:
• They are there only to do what the Father has commanded them to do
• They survey the situation of those they are there to teach
• TREASURE UP INDIVIDUAL, BUILD TRUST, DISCERN WHERE THEY ARE IN THEIR CONVERSION PROCESS.
• Remove distractions 
• PROVE PERSONAL QUALIFICATION TO GOD
• They are patient and with the Holy Ghost creates a foretaste of Eternal Life
• GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT'S TO COME
• 2nd Visit of the Messengers:
• Establish their identity 
• ESTABLISH PURPOSE AND SERVANT OF THE LORD
• Create Environment
• CONVERSION ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE SPIRIT CAN TEACH
• Promise
• you will be lead in the ways of life and salvation. 
• Goal of a True Messenger
• Create an environment of conversion
• Guide the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve to hear the voice of the Father
• Teach only the words of the Father
• Open up the pyramid connection between God and Investigator
• Study:
• PMG p. 3,8,9,92,176,177
• What do you see differently after considering what a True Messenger is from the temple?
• How is the environment created? Look at each of the 3 relationships in the purpose triangle....
• What does this mean for us in our daily ministry? Life? MTC?
• How do you teach this simply without loosing spiritual power with the missionaries? 
• Practice: 
• Practice HTBT with your new knowledge of what you have learned
• Evaluation questions:
• Did you communicate the message of Father? Evidence?
• Was a conversion environment created where the spirit could teach? 
• Invitations:
• Find something you need to change or understand to better become a true messenger? 
• Implement an idea in the classroom to help your missionaries with HTBT?
• Go the the Temple soon! 

11/19/2013 Reflections On a Consecrated Life

Weekly Training

19 November 2013

Lisanne Murphy

Sacrifice and Obedience VS. Consecration

·         There is a huge diference between stuff and yourself

·         Huge difference between status quo (defending and sustaining) and building up the kingdom of God

·         Sacrifice and obedience is like unto the Law of Moses

3 Nephi 27:13-15- As Christ was lifted up, in the endowment we are lifted up as well to come unto God

Read Talk “Reflections on a Consecrated Life” by D. Todd Christofferson, November 2010 Ensign.

Questions to Consider while reading:

·         What does a sacrificed look like?

·         What is the result of a sacrificed life?

·         What does a consecrated life look like?

·         What is the result of a consecrated life?

·         What is the difference between living a life of sacrifice VS. a life of consecration?

·         What is it that bridges the gap between Sacrifice and Consecration?

·         What do you need to change/exchange to live the law of Consecration?

Conclusion

·         What did you learn?

·         What will you take away?

·         What will you change/exchange?

·         Wherefore what … for the MTC?

Invitation:

Take something you wrote down that will bridge the gap between sacrifice and consecration, and DO IT!

11/11/13 Lessons in Ch. 3

• Objective:
• Help teachers understand the role doctrine plays in the conversion process and meeting needs
• Help teachers learn to help missionaries evaluate correctly based on understanding
• Help teachers learn and practice how to teach doctrine powerfully themselves
• Introduction:
• What role does Doctrine play in the conversion process?
• What role does Doctrine play in meeting needs?
• see: Alma 17:2-3, 26:13, 37:8-9, Helaman 11:23, 3 Nephi 21:6
• Study: Isolate these bullets, but them see how they connect and relate
• What is Faith? How is Faith built or strengthened?
• What is Repentance? How is Repentance felt or desired?
• What is Baptism? How is one qualified for covenants...specifically baptism?
• What is the Holy Ghost? How is the Holy Ghost received? 
• Practice:
• Select a lesson 1-3 to focus on
• Select a principle within the lesson that you chose to focus on 
• With a partner, share a situation or need from your life with them
• Plan to teach the principle you chose (5 min lesson)
• Tools to use:
• Doctrine from PMG
• Testimony
• Scripture
• Questions
• Evaluation:
• What the one message (p. 6 PMG) experienced and understood?
• Was the Holy Ghost able to teach through the doctrine being taught?
• Plan to teach the whole lesson to them using (15 min lesson)
• all stuff above 
• medium lesson plan
• Evaluation - same as above
• Invitation: What doctrine do YOU need to understand in order to change a behavior in your life?
• Study that doctrine! Change it!

11/5/2013 Book of Mormon Reading

Weekly Training

 5 November 2013

Lisanne Murphy

Book of Mormon Reading Program

Tell Me about it, Any problems?

·         Rush Too Quickly to Investigators

·         Don’t teach missionaries to get revelation very well

·         Isn’t standardized very well

·         When positive experiences do come, it is because we are there with them

·         Can/should use Book of Mormon more/better in classroom in scheduled time and fundamentals

                               

   

1.       Insights- A thought, perspective, and “aha” moment

Ex. While reading 1 Nephi, “I might be more like Laman and Lemuel than I thought, but don’t do anything about it.

2.       Revelation- Reveal, Uncover, Action, Pull Back the Veil

Ex. Ask questions to self about insights, make goals of how to be more like Nephi than Laman and Lemuel

3.       Testimony- Knowledge of truth, witness from spirit, momentary, can be topical

4.       Conversion-  What you are, character, constant holistic, change in doctrine of Christ

Missionaries need to -

·         Receive Insights for self

·         Receive Revelation for self

·         Facilitate insights for others

·         Facilitate revelation for others

·         Teach doctrine from Book of Mormon using individual scriptures and long passages

·         Invite someone to read the Book of Mormon powerfully

Read PMG Chapter 5 and look for these:

What is the role of the Book of Mormon in…

Mark Jarman statistic pulled from newly baptized members:

                “How many pages on average did you read before you got pabtized?”

                “5 pages”

                “On a scale of 1-5, how did the Book of Mormon influence your decision to be baptized?”

                “0”

With Partner Brainstorm all the aplications you can use/ think of to teach missionaries how to use this tool of the Book of Mormon

                Consider

·         Group Size

·         Days

·         Activities

·         Pace

·         PI

·         TRC

·         In or out of fundamental

·         Accountability

Write these ideas down and share/implement them in weekly companion meetings

The Book of Mormon is the great gathering tool, this is how God has chosen to keep his covenant of bringing us home

Invitations-

·         Finish study of Chapter 5

·         Set goal to improve using Book of Mormon as a tool for your own conversion

·         Implement ideas in the classroom

10/15/13-10/29/13 Observing Brooke and Lisanne Teach a District

Brooke Evans and Lisanne Murphy picked up a district of missionaries.

Here is what we had the teachers focus on:

• Here is the info about the district you are going to need:
• Schedule 15.00 (attached)  
• Zone 61
• Classroom: 4M-435 (one of the big zone rooms on the 4th floor)
• The classroom will be set up so you can come and go as you would like. Please still be respectful of others and most importantly the missionaries experience. 
• Note: Those teaching will be present for about 30 min after each classroom block to answer any questions you have about what you have seen. 
• Questions for you to ponder while you are watching….
• How are Principles of MTC Training Functioning the classroom? 
• What experiences are the missionaries having that you would like to see in your classroom? 
• What are you learning about Agency in yourself and facilitating it in others? 
• How are human resources and material resources being used? 
• Why are the things happening that you are seeing? (look beyond the "application" of the activity)
• Then on the 29th - we got together and the teachers asked lots of questions about what they saw. 
• It was great fun!  We hope to do it again!

10/7/13 Agency - Transferring your life to the MTC

• What are the root causes that what you know and your life don't transfer into the MTC?
• "What we know is not always reflected in what we do. As disciples of the Savior, we are not merely striving to know more; rather, we need to consistently do more of what we know is right and become better". - Elder Bednar 

• Spend 25-30 min with each Talk and each activity to consider the initial question: Ponder the questions as you watch the video and study the references. 
• Preparation - you can't just rely on what worked in the past
• What role does preparation play in your life? 
• What role does it need to play in your life?
• What doe preparation and covenants have in common?
• WATCH: Richar J. Maynes - talk from General Conference October 2013
• STUDY: 
• TG: Preparation
• PMG: Ch. 1,2,4,6,10
• Agency - To Act or to be Acted upon? That is the question?
• What areas in your life are you being an agent (acting)? an object (being acted upon)?
• What area at your job are you being an agent (acting)? an object (being acted upon)?
• WATCH: Henry B. Erying - talk from General Conference October 2013 
• STUDY:
• TG: Agency
• PMG Ch. 1,11
• Understanding - you can't teach what you don't know
• What is the difference between knowledge and understanding? 
• In what ways, and with what gospel principles does your understanding need to be strengthened? 
• What does understanding and teaching with spiritual power have in common?
• WATCH: David M. McConckie - talk from General Conference October 2013
• STUDY:
• TG: Understanding
• PMG Ch. 2,3,5,10 
• These all must be improving ALL the time! 
• Invitation:
• Seek for and act in opportunities to live what you know in life and the classroom
• Plan for it!  

9/30/13 All Teacher Meeting

Richard Heaton Managing Director of the MTC trained on changes happening at the MTC and Adusting to Missionary Life...you can watch this on the Media Portal under "Teacher Training"  There are also other trainings he has done throughout the last couple of years...check them out!

9/23/13 Role of the Teacher/Principles of MTC Training

• Video: TED Talk "How to Escape Educations Death Valley" - Sir Ken Robinson 
• consider this while watching:
• What is your role as a teacher?
• How does your paradigm need to shift in terms of being a teacher? a learner? 
• Study: 1 Nephi 11 - Looking for Principles of MTC occurring between the angel and Nephi 
• Write about your thoughts and what you see....
• Consider the correlation between the Principles of MTC training and your role as a teacher:
• Purpose Centered
• Relationship with God -  John 17:3, 3 Nephi 27:13-16
• Spiritual Experience
• Prepare for next Covenant - 2 Nephi 11:5, Alma 12:9-10
• Marriage? Baptism? Temple?
• Learner Enabling
• Education - D&C 109:7-9
• Learn By Doing
• Be and AWESOME Teacher - D&C 43:15-16  
• These should all be happening simultaneously!  But they are in priority as stated  
• Invitation: 2 Nephi 10:23-25
• Find a way to reconcile yourselves with the will of God this week
• Be an AGENT in your life and ACT

9/16/13 English Area Training

Area Training with Brian Kohler....if you want to watch it, check with the coordinators for the recording.  He discussed "getting off the escalator" and acting for ourselves to give the missionaries the best experience that they deserve. It was AWESOME!

Fall 2013 Weekly Training Schedule

Schedule for Weekly Training:

Sept. 9 - Policies and Procedure - Administrative stuff. 

Sept. 16 - Brian Kohler area training

Sept. 23 - Role of the Teacher / Training Model - Heavenly model?

Sept. 30 - Richard Heaton MTC Training

Oct. 7 - Agency - Transferring your life to the MTC

Oct. 14 - Pick up District

Oct. 21 -  Observe the District 

Oct. 28 - Training Model 

Nov. 4 - BoM reading

Nov. 11 -  Lessons in Ch. 3 

Nov. 18 - The Law of Sacrifice vs. The Law of Consecration

Nov. 25 - No Training - Thanksgiving! 

Dec. 2 - What is a "True Messenger"

Dec. 9 - PME - Discovering the mysteries of God and God himself

Dec. 16 - Finals and Christmas Break 

9/9/13 Policies and Procedures

• Why do we have Policies and Procedures? 
• D&C 88:67-73
• Alma 53:20-21
• Find a scripture of your own......
• What role do blessings play in conversion? 
• Go over the following policies and procedures...
• Building Policies
• Elders and Sister Relations - First Thursday discussion
• Teacher Stewardship Document
• English Policy Document
• Google Doc
• Apprenticeship sign up
• Branch Report completion - Fridays by 12pm 
• Conclusion:
• 3 Nephi 15:8 - we must be prepared to live a higher law by looking beyond the policies and procedures.
• Principles of MTC Training: "All that I do is motivated by love for the Lord..."
• we must put the Lord first in ALL things. 
• Invitation:
• Obey with exactness in mind and heart, not just in action
• help your missionaries do the same

Progressing Investigator Training Evaluation Questions

Evaluation Questions for the Missionary:

• What was your goal for your investigator?
• What happened in the conversion process?

Evaluation Questions for the Investigator:

• What was your goal out of the 1st lesson?
• What actually happened in the conversion process?

Evaluation Questions for all to consider:

• What did you learn?
• What needs to change in your character?
• What needs to change in your teachings?

Make sure you are prepared to go through the PST cycle and teach them again next training! Call, text, or email your investigators to setup your appointments! :)

7/2/13 Area Party

There is no training to make up from this week.  Canceled due to 4th of July and area party! Sad we missed you!

6/25/13 Life Mission

• INTRODUCTION:
• Go to the top of a mountain where you can see really far. (we went to the Y mountain trail head)
• Write down your thoughts on the World Wide Leadership Training in reference to your role in establishing Zion.
• I brought you up here to get above the world and see what God sees.
• Read: 
• Moses 6:27 - The life of those that do not live with vision
• Moses 6:34 - The life of those that do live with vision 
• Use the worksheet below the training to work out your life mission with the Lord.  Know that I do not expect you to finish.  But I do expect you to start. 
• Spend a minimum of 40 minutes going through the worksheet creating a life mission and commitments. 
•  CONCLUSION: after you have gone through the worksheet.
• Write down your thoughts from your experience. AND share them with someone else. 
• Read: 2 Nephi 31:20 carefully noting footnotes.
•  What significance does this play with what you have learned and felt?
• INVITATIONS:
• Work on your life mission and send it to me by the end of July
• Write me a summary of what you learned from this training.  

 ***worksheet***

LIFE MISSION 

Friends,

The time has come to extend your efforts way beyond your current sights.  Consider the changes you have started and envision them being permanent, and life long.  I brought you up here to get above the world and consider what your role is in ALL this! See what He sees in YOU.  Consider the experiences of Nephi or Moses when they were carried up by the spirit to a high mount.   They saw not just all of us, but they saw themselves!  They saw who they really were, are, and needed to be.  That vision gave them a sense of mission that guided their entire lives.  Your supernal Father has great plans and ideas for you if you but choose them.  Today is your opportunity to see as He sees from His view and commit to become, to choose, and to live with vision.

While here today, I want you to spend time considering your “Life Mission” and “Commitments”.  Be bold. Step out in Faith. Draw a line in the sand.  Decide today to take responsibility and power for your actions.  Allow the Atonement to extend beyond a theoretical conversation, make it REAL!  Allow it to change, lift, and expand who you are!

Write down, and commit to BE someone!  Your Holiness Experiment was only a start! 

Some tools below have been given to guide you in your effort.

Some Principles of Life Missions

·      Mission is more than a career or occupation, it is connecting with something bigger than you

·      A life mission should extend beyond any checklist, and permeate every facet of your life

·      It needs to be something you are passionate about and committed to

·      Ultimately it leads us back to the Doctrine of Christ and the Plan of Salvation

·      It something that connects very deep and to the core of who you are, your purpose, and well-being

·      It is the meeting point between natural aptitude and personal passion

Some Principles of Commitments

·      Commitments serve as guiding principles that help me stay anchored in my life mission

·      They help us become our true selves by acting like who we want to be

·      Make personal commitments to ourselves, the area, and Heavenly Father

·      Accountability: I want to know how invested you are in making a difference in yourself, your area, and eventually the world.

Some study references to help along the way….these are not comprehensive.

·      D&C 76:50-55, 58-62, 69-70

·      D&C 88:19-24, 28-33

·      3 Nephi 27:27 

·      Moses 1

·      2 Nephi 2

o   What are you capable of in this life?

o   What is necessary to attain that?

Invitation:

·      Create your life mission and commitments and commit to them!

o   Create an accountability system for yourself! Make this a living document!

o   Email them to me sometime in July

Proverbs 29:18 - “Where there is no vision, the people perish…

6/18/13 Agency and Acquiring Spiritual Guidance

• INTRODUCTION:
• Consider what ties all the trainings together we have done so far this semester.
• Trainings: Culture, Ministering, Holiness, Receiving the HG, Preparation
• Tie together: AGENCY - ponder why this is the case 
• STUDY:
•  2 Nephi 2
• D&C 58:26-28, 93:31, 101:78
• Moses 4:3, 7:32 
• Others? 
• While studying focus on these questions:
• What does this have to do with your life today? Your life at the MTC?
• Define what Agency means in your life currently.  What should it mean according to your growth this semester? 
• PRACTICE: 
• You are going to take time to acquire spiritual guidance so that the truth you are gaining will not be lost.  Elder Scott states, " I believe that you can leave the most precious, personal direction of the Spirit unheard because you do not respond to, record, and apply the first promptings that come to you.
  Have patience as you are perfecting your ability to be led by the Spirit. By careful practice, through the application of correct principles, and by being sensitive to the feelings that come, you will gain spiritual guidance. I bear witness that the Lord, through the Holy Ghost, can speak to your mind and heart. Sometimes the impressions are just general feelings. Sometimes the direction comes so clearly and so unmistakably that it can be written down like spiritual dictation."
• In Elder Scott's talk "Acquiring Spiritual Guidance", he lays out a pattern to receive that guidance.  Take 30-40 min to receive it.  
• I handed a sheet out in class to guide the teachers through this activity.  I will paste it below.  The beginning is designed to give you direction on what to receive spiritual guidance for and how to be an agent. 
• CONCLUSION:
• Share with someone what you learned, felt, received.
• What will your agency look like in your life? How will it impact those around you.
•  INVITATION:
• Live this pattern!  Respond to, record, and apply your promptings.
• Write me a 1 page summary of what you experienced during this training. 

ACTIVITY for practice: 

To Act For Ourselves: The Gift and Blessing of Agency – Elder Hales

agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and “to act for [ourselves] and not to be acted upon.” ¹ Agency is to act with accountability and responsibility for our actions. Our agency is essential to the plan of salvation. With it we are “free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil.” ²

May I suggest a few basic choices that you can begin to make now—this very day.

Choose to accept—truly accept—that you are a child of God, that He loves you, and that He has the power to help you.

Choose to put everything—literally everything—on the altar before Him. Believing that you are His child, decide that your life belongs to Him and that you will use your agency to do His will. You may do this multiple times in your life, but never, never give up.

Choose to put yourself in a position to have experiences with the Spirit of God through prayer, in scripture study, at Church meetings, in your home, and through wholesome interactions with others. When you feel the influence of the Spirit, you are beginning to be cleansed and strengthened. The light is being turned on, and where that light shines, the darkness of evil cannot remain.

Choose to obey and keep your covenants, beginning with your baptismal covenant. Renew these covenants weekly by worthily partaking of the sacrament.

Choose to prepare to worthily attend the temple, make and renew sacred covenants, and receive all of the saving ordinances and blessings of the gospel.

Finally, and most importantly, choose to believe in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Accept the Savior’s forgiveness, and then forgive yourself. Because of His sacrifice for you, He has the power to “remember [your sins] no more.” ²⁴ You must do likewise.

After you are on the path and are “free to choose” again, choose to reject feelings of shame for sins you have already repented of, refuse to be discouraged about the past, and rejoice in hope for the future. Remember, it is Satan who desires that we be “miserable like unto himself.” ²⁵ Let your desires be stronger than his. Be happy and confident about your life and about the opportunities and blessings that await you here and throughout eternity.

Finally, remember our agency is not only for us. We have the responsibility to use it in behalf of others, to lift and strengthen others in their trials and tribulations. Some of our brothers and sisters have lost the full use of their agency through unrighteous choices. Without exposing ourselves to temptation, we can and should invite others to receive the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through friendship and love, we may lead them along the path of obedience and encourage them to use their agency to make the right choices once again.

Agency was manifested in the Council in Heaven as we chose to follow our Heavenly Father’s plan and come to mortality for this probationary period. Agency allows us to be tested and tried to see whether or not we will endure to the end and return to our Heavenly Father with honor. Agency is the catalyst that leads us to express our inward spiritual desires in outward Christlike behavior. Agency permits us to make faithful, obedient choices that strengthen us so that we can lift and strengthen others. Agency used righteously allows light to dispel the darkness and enables us to live with joy and happiness in the present, look with faith to the future, even into the eternities, and not dwell on the things of the past. Our use of agency determines who we are and what we will be.

To all who desire to enjoy the supernal blessings of agency, I testify that agency is strengthened by our faith and obedience. Agency leads us to act: to seek that we may find, to ask that we may receive guidance from the Spirit, to knock on that door that leads to spiritual light and ultimately salvation. I bear special witness that our Savior Jesus Christ is the source of that light, even the Light and Life of the World. As we use our agency to follow Him, His light will grow within us brighter and brighter until that perfect day ²⁶ when we are welcomed into the presence of our Father in Heaven for all eternity. That we will use our agency to that sacred and glorious end, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

“To Acquire Spiritual Guidance” Elder Scott

·       Pray to be open and receptive to the guidance of the Holy Ghost

·       Write down the personal impressions you receive

·       Ponder to check to make sure you have captured the thought – Make changes if necessary

·       Study the application and meaning in your life

·       Pray to review with the Lord what has been taught, give thanks for what was received.

·       Humbly ask if there is more that needs to be communicated

·       Continue the pattern to: Write, Ponder, and Pray

"I believe that you can leave the most precious, personal direction of the Spirit unheard because you do not respond to, record, and apply the first promptings that come to you.

Have patience as you are perfecting your ability to be led by the Spirit. By careful practice, through the application of correct principles, and by being sensitive to the feelings that come, you will gain spiritual guidance. I bear witness that the Lord, through the Holy Ghost, can speak to your mind and heart. Sometimes the impressions are just general feelings. Sometimes the direction comes so clearly and so unmistakably that it can be written down like spiritual dictation." “To Acquire Spiritual Guidance” – Scott