5/04/08
Elder A:
I just got your letter, it’s Saturday night at 10:00 PM. Wow, kind of late, but I filled out your test right away. That was just barely enough time, but I got through it and had a harder time with some questions than I thought I would, or at least should have had. Kind of embarrassing, but here is my test. And I upheld the honesty code, so don’t worry about that. I will be interested to see how we all stack up against each other. Dad might be my biggest competition. I will have Suzanne take it too, but make sure that Stosh and Shelby Lyn all take it too. Don’t let anyone weenie out. And I want to see how every one did. Not making it like a competition or anything, just showing where everyone falls to keep each other accountable on our PMG study and what not. It will serve as a good accountability tool to see where some of us may need to step up our study. Maybe that’s what you should do after you grade us, is tell us where we should focus our efforts after the scores are in. That would be useful to me. I would appreciate it anyway. So I’m excited to see the outcome here with everyone. Here is my test… Oh, and by the way, I’m putting some talking points by each one of my T or F answers just as an added explanation if needed.
Preach My Gospel Knowledge Test
Name: _____T-Ravage_________.
Read each question carefully, and then write T (true) or F (false) on the line next to the question.
1. T God speaks to His children through prophets and other ways too, but this is the main channel of communication
2. F Jesus Christ restored His church through Joseph Smith in 1820 I think it was later than 1820, so I’m saying false
3. F The baptismal commitment should only be extended after the third lesson I’m going to say it should be extended earlier
4. T We had agency in the pre-earth life this was so easy, I’m nervous it’s a trick question
5. F God the Father created the earth Jehovah and Michael specifically did this under the instruction of the Father
6. F To restore is to make changes to something in order to improve it Not necessarily to improve, but to bring back as before
7. F We must be baptized to enter into Spirit Paradise Oh boy, I’m not sure, but I think anyone but REALLY bad peeps will go to spirit paradise to await judgment and resurrection. I think you pretty much have to be like a son of perdition or close to it to go to spirit prison.
8. T The Atonement included Jesus Christ’s suffering in Gethsemane, His death on the cross, and the resurrection This rings true to me, I’m saying true and that it was the whole process of the afore mentioned.
9. F Faith requires that we ask and wait This is tricky, but I’m saying that it requires some action as well. This seems slackerish to simply ask and wait. Anyone can do that even those without faith. So I’m feeling good about my false answer here.
10. F The Aaronic Priesthood holds the authority to baptize and give the Gift of the Holy Ghost I think giving the Gift of the Holy Ghost requires Melchezedik. I feel foolish that I’m kind of shaky on this answer. But I’m sticking to it.
11. F If you are financially unstable you do not have to pay a full tithe Ha Ha, if I’m hyperglycemic can I skip fasting too, if I have a headache, can I drink a coffee? If I’m relationship challenged, can I hire out for some lovin’? this question is easy.
12. T Family History is an effective way to find This one feels tricky. But I’m sticking with T, because in NYC, we had the largest family history and genealogy research center in
13. T Enduring to the end includes partaking of the sacrament weekly Sure it does. Among a lot of other things.
14. F The Spirit will always help us in missionary work There should be a disclaimer on here… If we are worthy of it’s help. If that was meant to be in the question, then the answer is T.
15. T The Book of Mormon is the cornerstone of our religion Boo Yeah it is! It’s the cornerstone of my testimony too. I almost wonder if it means Keystone though. For some reason, I think the saying is Keystone of our religion, but I’m sticking with true, it’s true regardless of how this question is worded.
16. T Diligence means to work hard every day Among other things
17. F The gift of tongues is not needed in this day Maybe not in the sense of the term that Pentecostals and what not may refer to it
18. F Planning is a way to fill your time day to day Planning shouldn’t just fill your time. You should have a set time per day to plan, but it shouldn’t be used as a time filler. Or am I misunderstanding this question?
19. T Media referrals should be contacted within the first 48 hours I’m saying true since you want it to be as soon as possible, I think it’s a good rule of thumb, but it may not be a specific policy. I may have missed this one.
20. F Scriptures are only needed to prove points Ha ha. That’s pretty much the only time I get out my scriptures. Ha ha. Just kidding
21. F Obedience is the first law of heaven Tricky Question. I don’t know if there’s a set order to things, but it’s obviously important and necessary, I just don’t know if it’s the “first law”, so I’m playing it safe and guessing no.
22. F When investigators don’t keep commitments we should tell them we’re disappointed and invite them to repent This is a bold approach and should probably be used to some degree, but this is a little harsh. I think we are missing a step or two here, so I’m going with False.
23. F Direct questions intimidate investigators and should not be used FALSE! You should always use Direct Questions. Don’t lilly lag and pussy foot around, get bold, get direct!
24. T Follow up is essential to holding people accountable Absolutely!
25. F Once your investigator is confirmed responsibility toward them is ended Hmmm, tricky again. I know you should turn them over to member missionaries and member lessons, but you probably have a little more responsibility to them shortly after to encourage them to keep coming to church, following their commitments, sticking with the member discussions, etc. I’d say False here.
26. F Missionaries should create a ward mission plan Wards should create the ward mission plan and maintain it. Missionaries should play an active role in it however.
27. F The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the what and the how This one may bite me, but I’m thinking this is technically true, but if we are looking Literally, I think Jesus Christ Himself is the what and the how. This is a tricky one. I may miss this one too.
28. F A missionary’s success is based on whether you baptize monthly or not Not Even
29. F It is necessary to create a lesson plan to be guided by the Spirit I’m sure it helps things, but it’s not the necessary step. You can be guided by the spirit in any manner of ways and reasons.
30. T Studying Preach My Gospel daily will help you to become a successful missionary Among other things
Read and answer the following questions or fill in the blank.
1. State your missionary purpose:
2. The first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are first ________Faith______, second ______Repentance___, third _______Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins___, and fourth ______The laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost___.
3. Quote “The First Vision” Oh boy, it’s been a long time… “I saw a pillar of light, exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually, until it fell upon me… when the light rested upon me, I saw two personages, who’s brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said, pointing to the other, this is my beloved Son, here him.” I’m not sure if you needed more, I only remember most of this part of it. And I probably left something out. I should still have that memorized verbatim.
4. What is the difference between the power of the Holy Ghost and the Gift of the Holy Ghost? Anyone can feel the power of the Holy Ghost, and even benefit by feeling what it can offer in confirming truth, etc. but only those who are baptized and confirmed to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost have the “Gift”.
5. The Kingdoms of Glory include, in order from top to bottom are, the __Celestial_ kingdom, the ___Terrestrial_ kingdom, and the ___Telestial_ kingdom. I need more questions like this one!
6. Why was The Fall of Adam and Eve essential to Gods plan? It was essential to get the ball rolling and get these spirits to earth with some bodies and start proving themselves with what they’d do with their agency.
7. What is a dispensation? Oh great! I just studied this a while ago and had the full text book answer. Now I don’t think I can spit it out very well again. But this is what I think… It’s a period of time when the church is on the earth and associated with the prophet that ushered in that dispensation. There are a few different dispensations that were brought about by the prophets, Adam, Noah, Moses, ummmm… Jesus, and Joseph Smith being the last dispensation since it won’t be removed from the earth again until the second coming.
8. What is an apostasy? It’s when the church (in it’s correct form) and the authority is removed from the earth. When no one else holds the keys to keep the church going in it’s true structure.
9. What is the difference between immortality and eternal life? Everyone will experience immortality simply as a result of the resurrection. You will never die again. Eternal Life is the same, but with the added benefit of living in God’s presence and experiencing all of the added benefits that come as a result thereof.
10. What is a covenant? A sacred promise and/or agreement made between you and God. When you uphold your part of the covenant, God is bound to his part of the covenant as well.
11.
12. Preach My Gospel states that a lesson includes: Oh boy! A opening prayer, some principles taught as led by the spirit, some testimony born by the missionaries, some commitments challenged toward the investigator(s) and a closing prayer, along with a follow up visit scheduled. It’s got to be close to that, I’m pretty certain.
13. Joseph Smith stated- “After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to__Share the Gospel of Jesus Christ___.”
14. What should we do to prepare to meet God? Follow the example of the savior, obey the commandments, make and keep our covenants, endure to the end.
15. In your opinion, what is the most effective way to find? Referrals
16. What should we do to prepare members for a team? I don’t even know what this means… So to guess, I think it’s probably meant to mean having a member working with a missionary or two for part or most of a day. So give them an over view of what you will do that day, give them some history on the investigators you will be teaching, help them understand their role in the discussions or lessons, help them see where they might relate to each investigator so they can use their strengths in the lessons. Pray with them, encourage them to share their testimonies, etc.
17. What does the commitment pattern include: Oh, it’s been too long… the invitation which includes a direct Will You question. A follow up date to accomplish the commitment by, and a follow up on that date to make sure the commitment was kept. Bare testimony to let them know that if the commitment is kept, here are the promised results and/or blessings.
18. Explain in your own words what baptismal language is What the?... I guess it’s using language that always points to the inevitable goal of being baptized. Using phrases and speech that let them know this is the ultimate goal and everything ties to you being baptized when all is said and done.
19. As if speaking to a child, explain what a prophet is I would play a quick impromptu game of pin the tail on the donkey with the kid(s) and tell them exactly where to walk, where to aim the tail, and when to stick it on. After the game was over, I would ask them if it was easier or harder to have me tell them where to pin the tail. Maybe even have the first round all unguided without me talking to see just how far off they would pin it. Then I would tell them it’s the same way Heavenly Father guides us to right place. If we didn’t have someone to tell us where to go, we might wander all over the place and end up in the wrong spot, way off course. But Heavenly Father uses a prophet to tell us where we are going. We are all blind folded, but with the help of the prophet who can see the target, he tells us exactly what we need to hear and where we need to go to all end up at the right place again. This is God’s pattern by using a prophet to help us find our way back.
20. What other name is given “whereby man can be saved?” No other name! only Jesus Christ alone
I got a call from Dad who said Mom just printed off the letter and they were half way through reading it when they were calling. I told them to get right on the test, that I was done and would included it in my letter back to you. But they were calling to make sure we were coming on Sunday. I told them that we aren’t even out of church till 4:00 and they said they were going to set up the call for 3:00 our time. I told them I can miss our last meeting if we needed to, but that we didn’t necessarily need to be there for the call. I mean, 40 min. is next to nothing for everyone to get a fair shake in there. But it would be nice to talk to you one last time before you come home. I kind of figure you wouldn’t want us missing our Sacrament meeting to make it to phone call night, but what can you do? I kind of hate having Sac. Meeting last in the day. Especially when we are on the late 1:00 schedule. 3:00 Sacrament meeting is tough, especially when nap time and lunch time have already been forgone to make it to the first two meetings. It’s really tough with little kids! Oh well, we’ll be on a better schedule next year. So that will be nice to talk to you next Sunday.
We got a new bedroom set with Suzanne’s bonus she got last week. So I spent most of the day putting all of that together. It’s nice. I’m kind of stoked on it. It looks pretty good. We got it on blow out sale from a store in
Well, I think this is good for tonight. I will sign off for now since it’s after 11:00 PM and I’m sleepy. I will finish up before or after church tomorrow. OUT
Ahhhhhhhhhight, I’m back from Church and everything else, it’s now 9:30 PM already. Where do Sundays go? Oh yeah, I guess they are already gone by the time you get out at 4:00 PM and get home to have dinner. I really don’t like this schedule. Anyway, I don’t know if I’ll be able to get Suzanne to get the quiz done before I send this since she is getting Aynslee bathed and shortly after that, to bed and then it will be really late. I’ll see if she can get it done this week and send it later on. I’m not really sure what else to go over here since not much happened since I signed out last night.
I guess you don’t need to send me a letter this week since we’ll talk next Sunday, as briefly as it may be. I’m not really sure if you want me to keep writing as much as I do. You seem so busy all the time and don’t even have time to write, I’m not sure if my letters are just taking up more time that you would use differently than reading letters from home. I can dial it back if you want, maybe write every other week or something. Let me know what you prefer.
I better get the Quote of the Week out of the way and get Brinlee to bed.
“It is not an easy task to be called out into the world, but I say to you it will purchase for those who are faithful, for those who discharge that obligation as they may be required, peace and happiness beyond all understanding, and will prepare them that, in due time, when life’s labor is complete, they will stand in the presence of their Maker, accepted of Him because of what they have done.”
- George Albert Smith
What better way to say just how blessed you will be for your efforts in the mission field. Keep up the good work.
Talk to you next week.
Love,
Trav
posted by Travis at 1:10 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home