Choosing to Serve a Mission

Teacher notes

Supplies, board work and timing. Never printed on the cards.

THIS IS PANEL THREE AT FULL SIZE and the close of the Missionary Preparation block: 196 was covenant identity, 197 was the conversational skill, 198 is the decision. A mission is the hiker walking back down the trail for two years. Say that link out loud — they have had the theme named for a fortnight now. SUPPLIES: the handout 'Blessings God Gives His Missionaries' printed one per student, board space, and optionally ask two or three students beforehand to bring a photo of someone they know serving. OPEN WITH 'Called to Serve' (Hymns no. 249) and who they know out right now, and where. PRESIDENT NELSON is the definition and must be said accurately: 'The Lord has asked every worthy, able young man to prepare for and serve a mission. For you young and able sisters, a mission is also a powerful, but optional, opportunity.' PROSELYTING AND SERVICE MISSIONS BOTH COUNT — say it explicitly, because there is nearly always a student in the room for whom a service mission is the realistic and honourable answer, and the word optional for the sisters is Nelson's own. THE TWO-COLUMN BOARD IS THE HEART OF IT: reasons someone may WANT to serve, and reasons it could be HARD to choose. Take the hard column first and do not rebut a single entry — write them all up. THEN THE THREE APOSTLES, which is why the hard column is safe: President Ballard's parents were not active in the Church when he decided; President Holland had no missionary tradition in his family at all; Elder Cook's father was not active and pushed him toward medical school instead. Every one of them is on the hard side of that board, and every one of them went. That is the most useful thing in this lesson for a kid whose family will not be driving this decision for them. COMPANIONSHIP STUDY: pair them up, let them pick Elder/Sister and their last name, and tell them companions study together every morning — then actually give them the eight minutes to do it. DO NOT TURN THIS INTO A COMMITMENT DEVICE. Nobody stands up and announces anything. The journal is private and the plan is deliberately small.