Aubrie spoke in church today for a missionary homecoming (I think cause she will be one of the next to go).  She did a wonderful job.  I will copy/paste it here. 

3 Ways to Prepare for a Mission

-My whole life, I’ve always known I was going to serve a mission. I never really questioned it or made an executive decision to, it’s just happened. But now I’ve really had to think about it more and what it really means for me and how it’s going to affect the next five years of my life. (talk about what i’ve thought about my decision). So here I am taking Mission Prep and planning on going to college for a year and then turning in my mission papers when I turn nineteen!

MISSION PREP: 

For this talk, I’ve decided to discuss three ways to prepare for a mission. One of them, obviously, is the class Mission Preparation. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a class that, to quote the Missionary Preparation Teacher Manual, is “designed to help prepare students for full-time missionary service by focusing on the doctrines, principles, and counsel found in the scriptures, words of the prophets, and Preach My Gospel, which is the student manual for this course.” It’s taught by Brother Clark, who is an incredible teacher, may I add.

In the class, you learn how to teach the gospel to strangers or people who might not know anything about it. It’s pretty cool because you have to consider that you might be teaching people that don’t know the basics of the gospel that you’ve known your whole life. You have to step back and put yourself in their shoes so you can teach it in a way for them to feel the Spirit testify that it’s true.

Plus, you can’t be teaching the gospel to strangers when you don’t even understand parts of it yourself! Mission Prep really helps focus on the parts of the gospel that you need to truly, deeply understand and have a testimony of in order to teach it to others. (Mormon message video of the kid trying to teach the concept of tithing even though he didn’t have a testimony of it himself.) You’re gonna look kinda funny if you don’t have an answer to a question about the gospel that you’re spending two years of your life preaching about! Of course, you can’t and won’t know all the answers to everything. 

PRACTICE:

Being comfortable with interacting with strangers is another important way to prepare for your mission. You aren’t going to know anyone out on your mission except your companion. If you’ve grown up your whole life only staying in your comfort zone, not getting to know a lot of different crowds and cultures, being afraid to put yourself into situations with people that are different from you, then how are you going to do that out on your mission, where comfort zones don’t exist and you’re different from everyone else around you? 

Now is the time to learn how to be willing to try new things and practice getting to know others and being comfortable with feeling and being vulnerable. You’re also not going to get a lot of people that want to hear what you have to say about the gospel when it’s clear to them that you’re uncomfortable talking to them about it. People are very good at sensing when another person is being genuine. Be genuinely comfortable and ready to dive into an uncomfortable or awkward situation and make the most of it! 

It’s also very obvious to others when you don’t want to be teaching them or you feel obligated to. The Savior taught others because He loved them and wanted them to come to Him. You should be teaching others because you love the gospel and you love your fellow daughters and sons of God and you want them to love the gospel and Christ too. 

    PREPARE: The third thing to do to prepare for your mission is to purposefully prepare! You are not going to suddenly develop a testimony of Jesus Christ overnight on the airplane flight to your MTC location. Being assigned the title of missionary doesn’t necessarily make you a missionary! The thing is it doesn’t matter where you start with your testimony. In the OCtober 2021 general conference, Elder Clark G. Gilbert talked about how “in the Lord’s timing, it is not where we start but where we are headed that matters most.” (talk about y-intercept and how it doesn’t matter where it starts on the graph as long as it’s going up. Relate that to mission.) He also says that “Jesus Christ sees divine potential no matter where we start”. Not having a perfect testimony doesn’t make you less of a missionary. It’s the effort you are constantly and daily putting into your testimony and your knowledge of the gospel that counts. As missionaries or wanna-be missionaries, we need to be focused on where we’re headed and not where we began. It’s like this analogy that my mom tells me all the time when it comes to me dating. She says, “You aren’t going to be dating this type of person, and then later marry this type of person. Where’s the transition point?” If you aren’t making constant progress and choices that take you on the right path, you’re not going to suddenly end up at the end of the right path. 

You’re also not going to suddenly start making a habit of reading your scriptures, praying, and other gospel-related things on your mission if you weren’t already doing them before. Don’t rely solely on your mission to give you a testimony and make you spiritual! Yes, it will! And I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to have your mission impact you personally. It’s a great thing! But you are there to serve others and draw them closer to Christ and His love for them. President Gordon B. Hinckley discusses in a talk about how, homesick on his mission, he wrote home to his father saying his mission wasn’t working out for him and that he wanted to return home. His father replied with, “Forget yourself and go to work!” We have to be deliberate about our preparation for our missions, and then forget ourselves on our missions and do the work we’ve been preparing for. But if you haven’t diligently and purposefully prepared yourself for a mission, then you’re taking away opportunities for yourself to be serving others and bringing them closer to Christ on your mission. D+C 11:21 reads, “Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.” We have to obtain, understand, and internalize God’s word before we can go preach it to others. 

The Savior was a perfect example of someone prepared for His mission. He knew the material he was teaching through and through. He knew how to interact with others comfortably and lovingly in a way that didn’t feel condescending or forceful. And he had diligently prepared to do His Father’s work so he could spread the word of the gospel and a love for God to everyone he came across. 

-Bear testimony about mission prep, practicing talking, and diligently preparing 

Aubrie is a confident girl and it was neat to hear her speak. I relish any chance to see our kids present or share or see into their minds and hearts in a different way than we usually do. she spoke with Carina Durfee who just returned home from Chile and they have written/recorded and sent messages back and forth for Carina's whole mission. I am grateful she has such a good example and that she has shared with her through letters. She is doing similarly with Tyler while he is serving too.

Robbie remembered at 11:30 last night when going to bed that he was teaching YM's today and then at the end of sacrament meeting he leaned over and showed me his phone and asked whether it was the right lesson or not. He is so classic 15 year old (it was NOT the right lesson but what little preparation he'd done on the wrong one, would be better than not). I am sure it went well enough. Robbie never minds last minute or winging things, and honestly it often works out for him. He is so chill and laid back. He is so close to having the bike that he took apart the engine, all put back together and ready to sell. He is amazing to watch his tenacity with learning the ins and outs of dirtbikes.

A text btw Ryan and Robbie and I that Ryan sent while he was on a business trip the other day. It was pretty sweet.

Robbie's response was: thanks dad that made my day, love you too!

I was glad for the whole interaction to happen. 

Yesterday I looked out the window to see Lucas with a super soaker gun standing in the middle of the street with a car slowly approaching with the water gun aimed straight ahead like a soldier.  I quickly yelled for him to get out of the road but I really wish I could've taken a picture before it because it was so funny and so cute.  And now I only have the image in my mind.  He is such a fun kid to watch do life.  He really feels strongly about certain things and has a lot of energy.  But then he is so shy and sweet sometimes.  He is my #1 little buddy.  Although the last 2 years we haven't been home alone a lot (which to me is a blessing for him to not have so many years home alone during the day without siblings), we still have had considerable time to bond and he is the cutest. 

We are headed to St George this coming weekend for Blake (and Thomas and James' soccer tournament) and hopefully some dirt biking.  We are staying at Jamie and Brad's house for a few nights and itll be fun to see them too.  I'm guessing we will go to church with them since the tournament is until Monday.  I am praying for good sunny weather. 

Ryan was sick about 1.5 weeks ago and it has slowly made its way through Lucas and Blake and CLara (just one at a time, as one gets better the other would get sick. I am so ready to have warm weather)

 Quick week recap--I have 8 minutes till we have some neighbors (Masuisuis) coming over for FHE and dessert. 

Hallie's team (Radiate Surge) played in a day tournament down in Lehi all day yesterday.  Just she and I went, left at 7:00 AM and got home around 6:00 last night.  It was an awesome day watching VB.  I love watching her play and I love watching how much her team has grown so quickly.  They play exponentially better every set they play.  Yesterday they started off asleep.  They got beat both sets  and then played again, lost 1, won 1.  I was on the side of the court streaming the game on Facebook and was standing by a group of girls and overheard them just mocking everything our team was doing.  It was so sad to listen to and so sad that they were acting like that.  Our third game was against them.  Something clicked during that first set against them--They played their lights out.  The middle blocker Owen finally figured out how to use his height and he stuffed over and over again.  And their best hitter Sydney also happens to be like 5'2''.  I don't know how she gets up so high and hits so hard.  She woke up too.  They won both sets against that team (which was satisfying to watch after overhearing what I did earlier).  They went on to win the rest of the day until the championship game, they lost 2nd set by 1 point.  Everyone was so into the game. Hallie just loved the whole day.  We are so so so grateful for the confidence that volleyball has been giving her.  She was asked to be the team captain and she is so good at just being a constant motivator in her quiet way.  She claps and gives 5s after every rally no matter what.  What a great skill to learn to be even keel like that.   

Blake got to ski Friday morning with his boys (Kormac and Henry) on their first solo trip up the mountain together.  All went well so hopefully it can keep happening.  He had back-to-back practices for baseball and basketball and then he and Ryan went to the Jazz game that night from their Christmas gift from me. He had soccer practice yesterday (his team the Danger Boys have a tournament in 2 weeks down in St George) and then last night he and Clara joined the Pratts at the rec center for swimming. 

Robbie always has something planned.  Hillcrest and Cwood played each other Friday night and he and Bailee had a bet about who would win (Rob won;)). Then Saturday he skiied all morning with Elliot and Milo and then went to a party last night for Ashlyn's birthday at Kya's mansion (they have a bowling alley downstairs). 

Aubrie worked 3 days this week at IN n Out (her beloved job;) ha!) and went to dinner with Cora last night.  I think they are trying to work on their friendship.  It sure has taken a hit the last year especially.  Which breaks my heart.  They have had such a great friendship for so many years.  Cora and Lily broke up about 2 months ago and I think Cora is realizing how unhealthy their relationship had been this past year and how Cora just really dropped everyone.  

Aubrie did a bread fundraiser again this weekend and sold 8 loaves to neighbors.  Slowly chipping away at her broadway intensive and Madrigals tour coming up.  She still has a ways to go.  or pray she gets a good scholarship.  She has heard from BYU-I and Utah State and U of  U got 1/2 scholarships at both of those schools. She is hoping to hear from BYU in the next 2 weeks. 

Clara is getting baptized in one month on March 12th.  We got her new white dress in the mail yesterday and she is now counting the days;) 

 Well  8 minutes are up.  Life is full and good!