Nothing New, Just a Review *Creating an MTC Mothers Training Children - in your home* Alma 56:47 48... Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it. Alma 57:21... yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them. The only difference between the stripling warriors in the Book of Mormon and our own children is time and place. Look closely at these two scriptures. They are written for our time. The death they don t fear could be any number of things, not just physical death. The heritage of their fathers and its meaning to them is more important than their own lives... their own interests and desires. Does this not describe missionary work? Isn t missionary work a form of spiritual warfare? And, lastly, they obey and perform every word of command with exactness... they keep the mission rules, they keep the commandments, they live the gospel. And what is their reward?... Even according to their faith it was done unto them. It is our responsibility and stewardship to create an atmosphere in our home that prepares our children for full time and life time missionary service. As Mothers Teaching Children, what can we do to ensure that the Missionary Training Center is, indeed, Nothing New, Just a Review? Number one, DON T PANIC! It doesn t matter if your children are 5 or 15, it s never too early and it s never too late to train up these 21 st century stripling warriors. While we have a few ideas to help you on your way, your Heavenly Father will be with you as you find what works best for you and your family s circumstances. Use the ideas that best suit you and your children and adapt them to your situation. Even better, use these ideas as springboards for creating plans and activities of your own!
Four Areas of Focus: Intellectual Development Physical Development Social and Emotional Development Spiritual Development Intellectual Development: Plan regular learning outings as a family to museums, libraries, utility companies, airports or TV stations. If you live in a university or college community, take advantage of the many (and often free) cultural events sponsored by these institutions. Let the children pick what interests them. You may learn a lot visiting the local candy making company! Limit TV time. You can decide what days will be no TV days or have children earn TV hours through other activities. They can build them up in their TV accounts to spend as they wish. If you have TiVo or DVR or a VCR, you can record shows your children and family wish to watch and then air them at a more suitable time or use the recordings to build a library of quality television programming. READ, READ, READ. Pres. Hinckley spoke often of the value of a quality set of books, a family library. He grew up on a home that provided such a library. Teach your children to choose their reading material like their friends... being careful to choose those books that will uplift them and make them better for having spent the time. Encourage children in their schoolwork. Don t push or pressure. Help children to understand that it isn t about the grade, it s about the experience. Teach them to love learning for the sake of learning. Encourage children to learn a foreign language. Nine out of ten Americans effectively read or speak any language but English. The benefits of the mental process of learning a language other than your own are tremendous even if they don t use what the language they ve learned on their mission. Set the example of lifelong learning by being a student all the days of your life.
Physical Development Live the Word of Wisdom! Abstain from tobacco, alcohol, and harmful drugs and teach your children the benefits of this healthy lifestyle. Practice good nutrition. Your children will learn from your example. Healthy eating habits help give us the energy to focus on what is important in our lives. We shouldn t be obsessive to the point that what we eat and whether we eat becomes our main focus. As in all things, teach don t preach. Again, example is the greatest teacher. Provide opportunities for regular exercise as a family, as an individual and in a team setting when possible. When children explore all that their bodies can do, they develop respect for the wonderful gift we ve been given. Don t underestimate the value of walking, as exercise. It s easy, inexpensive and fun! Get plenty of rest. This is most challenging of all, especially with teenagers. Work out a system that best suits your family. Much of the difficulty in getting adequate rest comes from being overscheduled, both as families and individuals. Seek balance in the life of your family, therefore creating sufficient time for rest. Start when children are young with regularly scheduled bedtimes. Times that are nearly as inviolate as FHE and attending Sunday meetings. When regular bedtime is established with young children, it is easier to maintain as they move into their adolescent years. Social and Emotional Development: Enjoy regular family dinner time. No TV, no interruptions. Let the phone ring! Or shut it off! No cell phones at the table (this is for parents and teens). It is around the dinner table that families bond and children develop the ability to converse and socialize. They learn manners, they learn how to exchange ideas, they learn to listen and enjoy the company of others. They also learn to respect the feelings and opinions of others, especially if they are different from their own. Teach your children to serve in the family and outside of the family. It is true that we love whom we serve. Let your children serve you and each other. Everyone should have a list of responsibilities in the home. Rotate the jobs. Find what works best for your family, but service and work create emotionally secure and healthy children. We all need to be needed and giving children opportunities to serve, helps them to know they are capable and important to the workings of a family and a community. Help your children cultivate at least one talent or skill. This can be in sports, art, cooking, buildings, scholastic achievement, or any other worthwhile area. By developing this talent or skill, your child will develop self esteem and discipline, two components essential for missionary service and a successful life.
Teach your children to be independent. Home sickness is a very real tool of the adversary to thwart missionary work. Children need to learn how to make decisions and to be self sufficient. Children can start making decisions at a young age (blue or brown pants, oatmeal or eggs for breakfast) which will give them practice at the process. By the time they are old enough to be making decisions of greater magnitude, they will be comfortable with the process. Everyone should learn how to cook! Nothing fancy, just basic meals. Missionaries don t have the funds to prepare expensive meals... the simpler, the better. When they are old enough to cook with some supervision, let them be responsible for one meal a month. Have them make the grocery list, figure out the money needed and go to the store and purchase the item. Don t forget to let them clean up, too. One family we know has all of their children do their own laundry starting at age 16. It may take patience and time on the parents part but it will pay tremendous dividends for your child in the future. Budgeting and saving should be a part of every future missionary s training. Missionaries are given an allotment each month and are expected to live on that amount. This is a skill that is best developed at an early age. Creating a Mission Savings Account also reinforces the idea of WHEN I go on a mission, not IF. Display an attitude of gratitude in your home. We know from the scriptures that nothing offends the Lord more than a ungrateful heart (D&C 59:21). Spiritual Development Elder James E. Faust has said, We cannot hide what we are, try as we will. It shines from within us. We are transparent. When we attempt to deceive, we only deceive ourselves. ( Stand Up and Be Counted, Ensign, Feb. 1982, p. 71) Make attending church meetings a priority. The three hour block on Sunday is necessary for our spiritual development... adults and children alike. Teach your children that it isn t always about what they get from their classes and meetings, but what they give and contribute as well. Set the example of magnifying your callings. Honor the stewardships the Lord has chosen to give you. Involve your children in them by expressing how important their support is in the fulfilling of these callings. When they feel the spirit of a calling in a home there is less chance of resentment. Keep the Sabbath Day holy! Make the Sabbath the Millenium of your week, unlike any of the other six days. Look for ways to make it special. Make special Sabbath Day memories.
Hold regular Family Home Evening and let the children do most of the work. When they take ownership for this responsibility, they will learn to love this sacred time. And... it should be fun! Give children the opportunity to teach and testify in the safety net of their own family. Keep journals... individual and family records. This is a great Sabbath Day activity and includes creating picture albums and scrapbooks. Some of our favorite books to browse through are journals created with words and pictures by our children when they were young. Help children achieve their Eagle Scout, Duty to God and Young Womanhood Recognition award. Again, it isn t about the award, it s about the experience you have earning the award. Many of the suggestions presented here are a natural outgrowth of earning these awards. Practice and encourage daily personal and family prayer. Teach your children to what source they should turn to for guidance and comfort. Developing a personal relationship with their Heavenly Father will give them the strength they need to face life s challenges. Provide opportunities to feel the Spirit and point those moments out. Many youth think they ve never had a spiritual experience because they just don t know how to recognize one. Help them to recognize and acknowledge the Spirit in their lives. Teach them to pay their tithing by precept and example. Paying tithing reminds us who truly is the owner of all we enjoy and helps us develop the attitude of gratitude. Observe the law of the fast. When a child is old enough to fast must be determined by the parents but by the age of 8, a child can fast for a portion of the specified fast time, at least. Open and close your fasts with prayer and teach your children to do the same. Involve your children in the payment of the fast offering an essential part of the fasting process. Discuss what an appropriate amount is for your family and why. Let them participate in this sacred privilege. Make seminary attendance a must. Seminary is literally a gift to our youth and should be taken full advantage of. As you can see, there really isn t anything new about preparing the Lord s missionaries. In many cases, it is about being consistent with the basics. While it s true the bar has been raised, Heavenly Father has sent these young people here for precisely this time. And, He has charged us with training them. In all things we need to learn to follow the path the Savior has laid out for us: And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. (Luke 2:52) Jesus grew in Wisdom (Intellectual Development), Stature (Physical Devlopment), in Favour with God (Spiritual Development), and in Favour with Man (Social Development)
For Further Reference: Bednar, David A., Becoming a Missionary Ensign, Nov. 2005 Bradford, Dallas H. and Marjorie, Helping from Home Ensign, July 2003 Christensen, Barbara K., Your Own MTC, Ensign, Mar. 1989 Christensen, Joe J. and Barbara K., Making Your Home A Missionary Training Center, Deseret Book, 1989 Grow, Scott C., My MTC: Missionary Training Commitment New Era, Mar. 2008 Leavitt, Melvin J., The Language of the Spirit New Era, Oct. 1983
The ABC s Before Entering The MTC A ttitude B e a Leader C onfidence D iscipline E arn Religious & Scout Awards F orget Yourself G ratitude H elping Others Through Service I ndependence J ournal Writing K indness & Caring for Others L ive Gospel Standards M anaging Money N utrition O bedience to Authority P rayer Q uiet Promptings of the Spirit R espect S cripture Study T alents U nderstand the Atonement V ery Self Reliant W isdom X ercise Z zzz s Proper Rest