GUIDElines 2000, Vol I, No 4 – September 4, 2000

We’re starting to hear from Youth Guide Alumni and those others who have joined us at ZionsArmy.com. Remember, we decided that instead of having a regular Message Board where we could have running conversations, that we would send messages to me and I would edit them and put them in the GUIDElines 2000 as often as is practicable. Here is some of what they are saying:

As a former Youth Guide, I send my thanks to those who are willing to accept this new challenge and become part of a world wide cause in the gathering of God's Army from all corners of the world. My heart cries out to all who have not partaken of the happiness that the gospel brings. I love Christ. He is what this is all about!!!

Somer

Thanks for the letter. Thanks for starting the site. Great Idea! We used to live in Mesa. We loved it there and many of our youth participated at the Visitors Center. Also, my daughter was in the Easter pageant as a dancer for several years. We lived in Texas were we were Stake Missionaries. Back in Utah, I miss the mission field feeling (I know it is still the mission field here but it feels different). We worked with the missionaries here and baptized a young man last spring. My daughter and I have a site for homeschoolers and school teachers/students. Take a look and sign up for a free sample week. The address is: http://www.thelearningcalendar.com/ Hope you enjoy it.

Thanks again, Claudia

Claudia – I checked out your site and will recommend it to others. Bro. P.

Bro. P:

I am a Stake Missionary for the Sacramento CA East stake and I found your site to be very easy to maneuver around. My Ward (Mission Oak) is also host to the Russian Branch. We have 2 sets of Elders serving the Branch and 1 set of terrific Sisters serving Mission Oak and Arden Park Wards.

Since I am the only active Stake Missionary, I need all the assistance and helpful hints I can get! I've been a member for 5 years now and am also a Temple Receptionist at the Oakland, CA temple.

The best way I bear my testimony is through music - I sing with 4 choirs.

Janet

Sacramento CA

Janet: My son-in-law went to Russia on his mission. It was tough but he had a good mission. You have lots in your favor for doing missionary work. Adopting the ZionsArmy.com Standard of Performance will help you in everything you do. Other things you can do: First, be sure that you know what the goals for baptisms are in your ward and stake. That will give you an idea of what you, personally, need to do in setting your personal goals. Next, I’d suggest that whenever you are performing that you invite a NYM to come along and listen. Then invite a member of the Church to accompany both of you so your NYM friend will not be alone in the congregation. In addition, there must be literature where you volunteer at the temple. At the Arizona Temple Visitors’ Center they have pamphlets available at the reception desks in front and back. Lots of times there will be a special card with a picture of your temple. Pick some appropriate handouts and keep them stashed in your purse to use when you are talking to NYMs. Go to ZionsArmy.com and locate F.O.R.M. under Standard of Performance and memorize how it works. It is a grrrr8! conversation starter. Congratulations on finding and joining the Church. May the Lord bless you in your member missionary efforts.

Dear Bro. P.

I am impressed with the site. You asked if I would want to seriously do the Standard of Performance. The answer is YES! I don't think it too much to ask any member to set a date, pray, invite, and study the gospel? We should all be doing this anyway! Every member a missionary . . .

When we lived in Texas (Lewisville, Texas Stake), we had the 2-2-1-1-1 Program.

Talk to 2 members about Missionary work per week.

Talk to 2 nonmembers about the Gospel per week.

Place 1 Book of Mormon per month.

Have 1 personal referral ready for the Full-time Missionaries per month.

Have 1 referral, ready from a ward member, ready for the Full-time Missionaries per month. As Stake Missionaries we divided up the ward members that we worked with, and so we were able to cause results through others as well as ourselves.

Each morning at 9:00 a.m., no matter where we were, all the missionaries in the mission recited a scripture and had prayer. It was amazing the unity, power and energy for missionary work that was felt by doing just that.

The scripture was: D&C 29:4-7.

Verily, I say unto you that ye are chosen out of the world to declare my gospel with the sound of rejoicing, as with the voice of a trump.

Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst, and am your advocate with the Father; and it is his good will to give you the kingdom.

And, as it is written -- Whatsoever ye shall ask in faith, being united in prayer according to my command, ye shall receive.

And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts.

You mentioned the reaction to your class from the women. I'm sad for the women who are missing so much by not being actively involved in Missionary work. Being a good example of what a Mormon woman should be would involve

Missionary work!

Suggestions for getting the word out. I like your referral program. That was easy to send names and email addresses to you for information to be passed on. Great idea! Great things (like this is) will travel best by word of mouth. Be patient. I think that it will spread. Some of the people that I sent you are Ward Mission Leaders and Stake Missionaries (several states represented). I think they will pass it on.

General Conference missionary reunions would be a good source of Missionary Minded groups. They are listed in the Church News (I think) and in local papers (Utah). Maybe you could do a flier to send to the reunions and request an announcement (you could write up what was to be said) and ask to have the fliers distributed.

You could see if church books stores would put flyers by the check out.

I'll keep thinking.

I'm glad that you had a chance to see our Learning Calendar site. We love doing it, however, it takes much more time than we thought it would when we thought it up! Oh well, so does just about everything else worthwhile.

I'll keep thinking and referring.

Claudia

Claudia – I’m glad you are impressed with the site. Tim, my Webmaster, has done a terrific job! I’m also happy you find our Standard of Performance to fit in nicely with what you are already doing. It sounds like the Lewisville Texas Stake has an excellent Standard of Performance. Our goal is to fit in with what wards and stakes are already doing. We do not wish to replace anything the local Priesthood has in place, but add to it, if we have something to add. For example, in your former stake they might be able to use F.O.R.M, the Star Test, and our Invitation Presentation and keep their own Standard of Performance. We would hope that our daily GUIDElines 2000 articles would be useful, too. We are a resource. As far as getting the word out about ZionsArmy.com, we feel our efforts should be concentrated on the Internet. It allows people to ask questions of us, and for us to interact with them swiftly and efficiently through email and the ZionsArmy.com site. If someone who is going to a reunion around Conference time wants to share us with his or her friends there, that would be excellent. If someone works at a bookstore and shares out site with their friends, that is excellent. Thank you so much for your assistance so far. Let’s all work to grow the Church! -- Bro. P.

Actually I live in the Tampa Mission. My stake was in the Orlando Mission for it's first year, and then we switched back to the Tampa Mission. I found out about your site from the MissionaryWOW email list. I was recently called as a stake missionary along with my parents and my brother-in-law was just called as his ward's mission leader. I thought your website was a great way to teach people about how to share the gospel. My family has always been very missionary-oriented and I always hear the adults in church say they would love to share the gospel with others, they just don't know what to say. I am going to be sure to pass your website along to the members in my ward. And I will also be sure to pass it along to my brother, who is serving his mission right now in the California San Jose Mission, so he can pass it around too.

Charlotte

Charlotte – My son Jake loved the people in Florida while he was in the Jacksonville mission. It appears that my friend, David Stewart, who is a whiz at all of this LDS Internet stuff, has shared ZionsArmy.com with his MissionaryWOW list. Thanx! David. As you share with your friends in the ward, Charlotte, explain to them that our key to success is the Standard of Performance, and suggest they take a look at ours. If they will follow it, just the act of having an SOP will help alleviate their fear. If they will study, SETADATE, pray for missionary experiences, and invite NYMs to Church functions they can be very successful in member missionary work. Once you’ve learned how F.O.R.M. works share it with them and give them an example by doing a little role-play. You are free to print off anything on our site and use it to help. We are hoping to have it set up soon so that the whole program can be printed at once. Remember, to know where you want to go, you must know what your ward and stake goals are. Harmonize with them and figure out what you can do to help, set your own goals and work hard for them. – Bro. P.

It has been a wonderful weekend so far. I feel I’ve made some new friends around the country and hopefully what we are doing will help. Remember to check out today’s article at YouthGuides.com. I am reprinting the GUIDElines The Helaman Sons Letters there. It was a wonderful newsletter for Alumni of the Youth Guides.

Remember – Let’s all work to grow the Church!

Bro. P.