Teaching Doctrine by the Spirit Meets Needs

One of my favorite shifts has become the last Saturday evening, the one where we squeeze nearly every activity into 3 hours?! Ya, that one.

I love the objective of the Lessons in Chapter 3, that is to help the missionaries understand the message and that teaching doctrine meets needs. I feel that this objective can meet every one of Brian Kholer's purposes of the MTC. 1) The Missionary experiences conversion, 2) Understands His/Her Message, and 3) Understands His/Her purpose. Doctrine understood changes behavior. That is what missionary work is all about: changing behavior.

I have experimented with how to do this shift without making myself or the missionaries feel overwhelmed or burdened by so many activities. Truthfully, I don't see them as many activities anymore; they are one with one objective: To summarize a missionary's experience and all they have learned that Doctrine understood can change their behavior and that of their investigator.

I have taught it more than once. Each time the order of activities has been different. Each time there is a different emphasis struck unintentionally. Each time the missionaries and I have left with a better understanding of the Doctrine, more fully converted, and with a better understanding of how to fulfill the missionary purpose (which can still be ours!).

I know that if you ponder over your missionaries and seek to meet their needs, the many activities will become one with one objective. You and your missionaries will change.