Teach Toward Conversion
When people study the gospel with full-time missionaries, we ask them to do a lot of new things. We invite them to pray, to read the Book of Mormon, to come to church and so on.
If your experiences are anything like ours, many of those you work with don’t do the things they said they would do. It is our experience that people’s failure to follow through does not always indicate a lack of interest. Often failure to follow through indicates a lack of knowing how to do what they agreed to do.
We think it is best to operate from the assumption that people do not know, until we tell them and show them, how to do the things we ask them to do to receive a witness of the truth of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Be specific in suggesting what people may say when they pray. Demonstrate. Practice with them.
- Provide a structure for people to follow when studying scripture. Rather than inviting them to read from beginning to end, create a structure oriented around asking questions, seeking for answers, pondering and requesting revelation.
- Talk candidly about activities that make the Sabbath holy. Do the same for activities that make the Sabbath unholy.
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Chapter 10 of the book speaks of how to fight off temptation and the whole idea that Satan is battling against the truth and a persons desire to move forward in the Lord’s church. Shortly after I was baptized, friends from work gave me a book that was filled with negative information regarding the LDS church. I began to read it and was confused and did not feel good inside. I did not know what to do so I went to the director of the visitors center in Independence and asked him if he was familiar with the book and what I should do. His response is something I shall never forget. He said he was familiar with the book. He asked me how I felt when I read the book. I told him that I felt confused, tricked and not good inside. He then pointed to a copy of the Book of Mormon and asked how I felt when I read this book. I told him I felt good and felt that it was true. He then looked at me and said I had my answer. He said I could spend my time reading the negative book or spend my time reading the Book of Mormon. The decision was mine. It then became so clear to me that Satan was the author of the negative book and was trying to cause confusion. I knew then what I should do. I returned the book to the friend that had given me the book and turned to reading from a book that gave me a spirit of truth and good feelings inside. That is the secret to knowing between good and evil. God will give you good feelings and Satan will not. It was so apparent and the Director of the visitor center didn’t decide for me, but rather let me come to my own conclusion. I have never forgotten this and have used it all my life to discern between good and evil. It is given to us in Moroni chapter 7 and throughout the scriptures. Anything that points to goodness and God comes from Him and the reverse comes from Satan.
Manuel, thanks for sharing this experience!
This was just what I needed to give an investigator!