Second Week: Teaching Experience

You know you're a missionary when...
...you have 5 minutes and you feel like you are wasting time.
...you can feel Gods love for someone you are teaching.
...30 seconds late to personal study time is need enough to repent.
...you know what 'quiet dignity' means.
...you reference the Missionary Hand Book.
...you try to "convert" someone in your district to rasberry lemonade.
...mail is a BIG deal!
...things like PS, CS, WHB, 3CB, TA, TE, 1M, and PMG have real meaning.

Anyway, my companion, Elder Summerhays, and I had a special experience this past Saturday at our Teaching Appointment (TA). We had to contact some people in a room, then prepare and teach them a lesson. Nothing could have prepared me for the experience we had. Our goals going into the lesson were to 1. teach to needs, 2. teach for understanding, and 3. teach like we would have a gospel discussion like a friend. Also, in preparation, we talked about certain doctrines of lesson 1 so we could teach with unity. Up to that point we had had a not-so-good and semi-good teaching experience at the Teaching Evaluation Center (TE).

As we taught, we stuck to our goals. I felt the spirit, especially when I recited Jospeh Smith's First Vision. When an important question was asked, my companion gave the same answer I was going to give!

Afterward, we went to evaluate how it went. Brother Hodges told us that our lesson was one of the best lessons he has ever seen, if not the best! He's been here for 3 Years!! He said that one of the investigators (a girl named Cassi from China) was so effected by it that she asked Sister Tanner to go get our teaher so she could tell him that it was the most she has felt the spirit with the missionaries and that even though we had only met her, she felt like she could talk to us like we were her friends.

Little did we know, she was a real investigator! She has a baptismal date, and she had been meeting with Provo Mission Missionaries. I'm sure she has helped out at the MTC before too. It was truly a humbling experience to hear this! I'm so greatful for the tender mercies of the Lord!

Love you all!
Elder Spencer Harris