First Ever Mission Leadership Council with Elders and Sisters in the Italy Rome Mission!

August 1, 2013

The Mission Office/Church is only a 15 minute walk from the villa.  After breakfast, we had all the missionaries walk to the church for Mission Leadership Council.

This was an historic day!  It's a wonderful time to be a missionary.  Sisters are taking an active part in mission leadership.  They are and always will be loyal to the priesthood, but they are stepping up and being leaders in their own way.

Today the council members talked about the things they had learned in the last Zone Conference and what had been successful.  During the last set of Zone Conferences, President had them practice doing baptism commitments on the first meeting.  This was a concept I struggled with in the MTC--until I actually did role plays and did it.  I am converted to the concept.  The spirit testified so strongly to me that this is what we are supposed to do.  It was exciting to have the missionaries tell us they had done what they had practiced and that it worked and they had so many more commitments for baptism.  They were enthusiastic and anxious to go to work and get even more commitments.

We also talked about using time wisely.  The Zone Leaders had given lessons about that in the last set of conferences.  Over and over we heard them tell us the importance of being prepared and having a plan in advance as to where they would go and what they would do.  Because they were following a plan and not just leaving things to chance, they were much more successful.

The number one way of finding investigators is through teaching English classes.  The church has a program they are using extensively in America to teach English to Spanish speaking individuals--members and non-members.  The program has been modified to teach English to the Italian people.  It is an organized program with posters and lesson plans and pass-a-long cards with the address and name of the missionary on it.  This is the first time the program is being used outside the United States and we will be watched closely to see how successful it is.  The missionaries are super excited.  It's an answer to prayers.  We have a couple of areas that have been using the program as a pilot.  Those missionaries raved about the success.  The plan is to give each companionship the materials at the next set of Specialized Training that starts next week.  This is another tool to be used in the hastening.  Again, it's a wonderful time to be a missionary.