Mission Week

Last week in seminary was Mission Week. When the kids walked in first thing Monday morning I handed them each an envelope - delivery straight from Salt Lake, I told them - addressed to "Elder..." or "Sister..." and their last name.

Office of the First Presidency

October 11, 2010

Dear Elder ----

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Indonesia Jakarta Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of two years.

You should report to the Missionary Training Center in Indio, California on October 11, 2010, where you will learn the qualities that you need to qualify for the work.

You have been recommended as one worthy to represent the Lord as a minister of the restored gospel. You will be the official representative of the Church. As such, you will be expected to maintain the highest standards of conduct and appearance by keeping the commandments, living mission rules, and following the council of your mission president.

You will also be expected to devote all your time and attention to serving the Lord, leaving behind all other personal affairs. As you do these things, the Lord will bless you and you will become an effective advocate and messenger of the truth. We place in you our confidence and pray that the Lord will help you meet your responsibilities.

The Lord will reward the goodness in your life. Greater blessings and more happiness than you have yet experienced await you as you humbly and prayerfully serve the Lord in this labor of love among his children.

We have included your boarding pass for your flight to the MTC via Zion Airways. We ask that you pack lightly – bring only your scriptures, your basket, and your desire to serve the Lord.

Sincerely,

Then I signed it "Thomas S. Monson." Yes, I forged the prophet's signature. Is that wrong?

I had a large map of the world and everyone came up and tried to find their mission on the map. I picked missions from all over the world and every continent: Tahiti, Jamaica, Japan, Ghana, Sweden, Brazil... They were pretty excited about their mission calls.

Included with their mission calls were boarding passes for the airplane flight to the MTC. We all went to the classroom next door which had been transformed into the cabin of a jetliner, complete with oval windows, crowded leg room, reading materials (Ensigns & New Eras), and barf bags. It was a really small room, so they were packed in there real tight - just like a real airplane.

I took their tickets as they boarded then introduced myself as the flight attendant, and introduced the pilot as the Lord Jesus Christ and the navigator as the Holy Ghost. I warned them that there would be turbulence along the way, but to remember the extraordinary safety record of the pilot, and that there would be no need to worry.

Then I went over the "flight safty information" with them - Section 4 of the D&C, until it was time for arrival at MTC airport.

When we disembarked and went back to our classroom, it was now the MTC. They were each given a name tag that they had to wear all week during our class, and were each given a companion that they had to sit with all week.

I also gave them each a list of Mission Week activities - missionary type things that they could do all week to earn points:

1 You must stay at least arm’s length from anyone of the opposite sex for the entire week. – 500 pts.

2. Study the scriptures at least 10 minutes a day. – 100pts/day

3. Dress as a missionary. – 100pts./day

4. Cook a meal for your family at least once this week. - 175 pts.

5. Memorize at least 3 scripture mastery scriptures. - 300pts. Each

6. Every day but “P” day (Monday) carry your scriptures with you to school. - 100pts/day

7. Get up by 5:30 and to bed by 10:30 every day. - 50pts./day

8. Write to a missionary - 50pts/letter

9. Send a missionary a care package - 200pts/package

10. Start your mission fund by putting $20 into an account. - 150 pts.

11. No movies or TV all week - 100pts./day

12. Do your own laundry - 100pts

13. Learn to sew a button – 100pts.

14. Do some research on the country and mission you have been called to. – 200pts.

15. Learn to say “Hello” in the language of your mission. - 100 pts.

16. Learn to say “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” in the language of your mission. 300pts

17. Bring up some part of the gospel with a non-member in conversation - 300pts

18. Bear your testimony. - 300pts

19. Invite a non-member or less active member to a church, seminary, or a youth activity. - 1000pts.

20. Memorize D&C Section 4 – 1500 pts.

21. Give a Book of Mormon to a non-member - 1500pts.

They really had fun with this, and almost everyone participated in earning points. Keeping arm's distance from the opposite sex proved to be a real stress factor for some, but they sure tried. Many of them took it very seriously. Especially Alex. That kid is extremely goal motivated. He did everything, even gave a Book of Mormon away to a neighbor. He memorized scriptures, learned to sew on a button, did laundry, and made meals. I was very, very impressed at how hard he worked to be like a missionary! I'm so glad I have my own kid in my class.

In a week Alex earned over 11,000 points! I thought for sure he had it made to easily win the contest. But surprisingly I was wrong. Another student, Ramiro, had 74,000 points!!! Our entire class goal was 50,000 all together! He single handedly met our goal. I brought him in front of the class to ask how he had done it. His answer: he had gone tracting all day with the missionaries! Awesome. I asked him how he felt after all the missionary work. he said, "tired." Yea, I bet.

What a great experience it was for him and for all the kids who tried to be missionaries for a week.

Of course besides their working on their Missionary points at home, we also made it a special week in class as well. On Tuesday we had a guest speaker - Bryce McRae who had just returned home from his mission to Uganda and Ethiopia. His presentation was really wonderful and the kids were really interested in everything he had to say and asked some great questions.

We also had our local missionaries come in and talk about their experiences and gave the kids ideas on the best way to start preparing for their missions now.

We also studied several sections of the D&C that were mission calls for various people.

On Friday, we concluded the week with a really fun activity. I told them that as missionaries, it is very important to learn to work with your companion, so we played a game where they had to do various things a missionary has to do to get ready each morning: button a button, tie a shoe, tie a tie, put on a bike helmet, and make a PB sandwich and put it into a zipper bag. The catch was that the companions had to work together - one could only use their left hand, and the other one could only use the right hand.

Two companionships raced at a time and were timed.

It was frankly hilarious! Trying to put a sandwich in a baggie with two single hands is very hard, tying a shoe is suddenly not second nature, and tying a tie? Forget about it.

It was really fun to watch and everyone had a great time. I realized that their times got faster and faster as the class went on because the kids were watching and learning what worked best.

There was a LOT of laughing going on, as well as some pretty amazing teamwork.

Mission week was a great success! I really got kids thinking about serving missions and really stressed the importance of starting their preparations now. I think I will have to have do this every year.

Now we have to plan a party for the class, since we exceeded our point goal, and give special awards to our high point earners.

I love teaching seminary!