A New Senior Couple and Interviews

First, we would like to welcome Elder and Sister Sapp from Idaho! They will be serving in the Melbourne Ward as an MLS couple.  Also, quarterly interviews/training began in seven locations with missionaries serving in areas such as College Station, Spring, Navasota, Waller, Conroe, Houston, etc.  The Assistants and Sister Pingree conducted training at each location, while President Pingree pulled each missionary out for a personal interview.  Training focused on opening our mouths and talking with everyone, preparing members for member-present lessons, Missionary Handbook and using the scriptures effectively in our teaching.  Missionaries also participated in a "scripture chase" to find scriptures related to each principle in the lessons.  It was impressive to see how well they knew them.  Here are several pictures from the week.

Elder and Sister Sapp

 

Magnolia, etc.

It is a beautiful, Spring day in Houston, plus it's preparation day! We are sending along a few pictures from the weekend, along with President Pingree's weekly email message to the missionaries.

 

Elders Brown and Larsen connect with ward member after
sacrament meeting

Sisters Merrill and Folsom greet a ward member

Elders Chollet and Mortimer correlate with ward member

Wonderful missionaries serving in the Magnolia 1st and 2nd wards

With the wave of new missionaries coming to the mission,
the picture board needed to be expanded.  On p-days, Elders Schiffman,
Hilton and Carson used their talents to build a beautiful new
board for the mission office.  It is made of ash and walnut with
wood-burning artistry for logo and scripture.

Elders Harris and Lopez make lunch at the mission home
on p-day.  Both have great culinary skills.

Dear Sisters and Elders – 
 

I hope that each of you were able to speak with your parents yesterday and that you had a meaningful experience with them.  Please know that not only are you in our prayers, but your families are also.  We recognize the sacrifices many of them are making so that you can be here.

Today, I want to re-emphasize the Texas Houston Mission's areas of focus for 2013.  Certainly, there are many other principles of effective missionary work, but at this time I feel impressed that we need to pay particular attention to the following four:

1.     Prepare for the Spirit every day (planning, morning schedule, living Missionary Handbook)

2.     Talk with everyone (invitations to learn, asking for referrals)

3.     Have a member present at every possible lesson

4.     Baptize each month

 

As we faithfully strive to implement these four principles in our day-to-day efforts, we will see the overall performance of the mission improve in other areas as well.  Please review these areas of focus as a companionship and prayerfully determine how to integrate them more fully in your proselyting efforts.

Thank you for your examples of faith and devotion.  Have a great week!

Love,

President Pingree

Temple Week

One of the great blessings of serving in the Texas Houston Mission is our close proximity to the Houston Texas Temple.  Each transfer, each zone has an opportunity to attend the temple together.  Please find a few pictures below submitted by missionaries.  If we receive more, we'll post them.

 

 

Weekly Letter

Dear Sisters and Elders – 

Please find below several important items:

First, Mother's Day is coming up and you have the opportunity to call your parents next weekend.  As explained in the Missionary Handbook: "Take care that these calls do not pull your thoughts away from your service...  Keep them short (preferably no longer than 30 to 40 minutes)" (p. 37).  You may call your parents using the mission provided cell phone, or you may use an Internet option, like Skype, to make your calls.  As always, these calls should not create an inconvenience to members or others.  We are excited for you to talk with your parents.

Second, please always submit your key indicators every Monday, along with your Letter to the President.  The Church recently added some reporting capabilities to IMOS, but these reports will not be accurate unless everyone completes their key indicators each week.  Also, you will notice a slight change to the key indicators this week.  In addition to the key indicators you have reported in the past, please include the number of "Progressing Investigators" in your report.  The definition of Progressing Investigators can be found in Preach My Gospel on p. 138.

Third, please follow the Church's guidelines for meal appointments by not scheduling dinners during prime proselyting time (6:00 PM to 9:00 PM) unless a non-member is also present.  If a member cannot feed you earlier and does not have a non-member to invite to their home, offer to invite one of your current investigators.  This will not only help the investigator to build a friendship in the ward, but will also help the member feel the joy of sharing the gospel.  Please remember that the purpose of meal appointments is to strengthen the members and help them fulfill their missionary responsibilities, and not simply to feed the missionaries (MH, p. 35).

In addition, where more than one set of missionaries serve in a ward, please avoid having dinner appointments together as a group.  Separate meal appointments allow us to reach many more families.  Moreover, we focus more on the members, rather than each other.  Exceptions may be warranted in rare circumstances (e.g., bishop's request, ward mission correlation meeting, holiday, etc.).  We trust you to use your best judgment.

Fourth, please remember to complete your weekly planning on Thursday going forward, and not on Tuesday.  We are encouraged to approach our planning with 10 days in mind (PMG, p. 147).  Planning on Thursday will allow you to plan more effectively for the weekend and also to set more thoughtful goals for the following week.

Finally, a few calendar items...  Next week is temple week for the mission.  Please remember to bring your white pants and dresses to use at the temple!  Also, interviews and training are scheduled for the third and fourth weeks of May.  Your zone leader has been given a schedule and can give you specific times and locations for you.  In addition, we were recently notified that Elder Christoffel Golden of the Seventy will tour our mission on June 12-14, 2013.  This will be a great experience for all of us and we will let you know more details as they become available.

Thank you for your efforts, your obedience, your faith, and your love of the Lord and those whom you serve.

God bless!

President Pingree
 

Bryan, MLC, etc.

This week included Mission Leadership Council, New Leadership Training and individual zone meetings.  Please find below a few random pictures of missionaries and Texas countryside.

Elders Curtis and Wilstead outside the Bryan chapel

Sunday picnic following church in Bryan, TX

Elders Smith and Moesel encourage members to participate in
Book of Mormon challenge

Elders McKell, Williams, Harms and Bell out in Katy, TX

President Pingree with daughter, Mary, at the Houston Temple
prior to her missionary service in the Washington Seattle Mission

Sisters Carter, Gibson, Merrill and Mary outside mission home

Elder Martinez recovers from knee surgery at a relative's home

MLC

Tips on Teaching

Dear Sisters and Elders –
 

Sister Pingree and I attended a mission president training seminar a couple of weeks ago.  Tracy Watson, Director of Proselyting for the Church, shared some tips on improving our teaching based on extensive in-field observation of missionaries across the world.  I would like to share two of these tips with you today.

Brother Watson strongly encouraged missionaries (1) to use the pamphlets when teaching lessons and (2) to keep the message to 15 to 20 minutes.  Those who follow this advice experience a 30% investigator dropout rate compared to a 70% drop out rate experienced by missionaries who don't.

Using the pamphlets helps missionaries to present a clear, concise, and powerful message.  Moreover, the pamphlet gives the investigator something to reference during the lesson and allows for added study between lessons.

Most investigators also appreciate shorter lessons.  Shorter lessons respect people's time and keep the discussion focused on gospel doctrines rather than extended "chit chat."  Shorter, doctrinally-focused lessons facilitate the presence of the Spirit.  He encouraged us to teach shorter, but more frequent lessons to investigators.

I invite each of us to consider ways to utilize the pamphlets effectively in our teaching and to teach shorter, more frequent lessons to investigators.

Please know how honored we are to serve alongside you in Houston.  We love you and respect your righteous desires to serve the Lord.

President Pingree