Sunday, May 27, 2012

Relief Society Lesson – Teaching after the Manner of the Spirit

Today I decided to do something a little different with my lesson. I was struggling a little bit in preparing this lesson. So I decided to teach a mini MTC lesson on the commitment pattern. Since that is where I learned about teaching after the manner of the spirit. The commitment pattern is not only useful to missionaries but to everyone throughout life. Anyway that's what I did. Here are my notes.
Commitment Pattern

1. Prepare


Build Relationships of Trust

1. Become Acquainted
  –Tell about yourself and ask about others
 2. Build on Common Beliefs
  –Show respect for others beliefs
  –Point out common beliefs
  –Relate message to common beliefs
 3. Show Empathy
  –Try to understand others’ thoughts and feelings
  –Share similar experiences or feelings
 4. Be dependable
 5. Meet the needs of investigators
 6. Show Christlike love for others
 7. Listen to others


Help Others Feel and Recognize the Spirit

1. Bear Testimony
  –Avoid words that nonmembers will not understand
  –Bear simple testimony that relates to the subject
 2. Share Experiences
  –Be simple, clear and direct
  –Tell experiences that will help others
  –Do not share past transgressions
3. Identify the influence of the Holy Ghost
  –Ask others to describe their feelings
  –Tell others they are feeling the Spirit when the Spirit is present


Present the Message

1. Present with Faith
  –Present the doctrines as facts
  –Do not apologize for teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ
  –Avoid contention and arguing
 2. Present the Message Clearly
  –Speak clearly by varying the tone and speed of your voice
  –Use good eye to eye contact
  –Use appropriate body language to communicate your feelings
  –Simplify the message
  –Change the pace of the discussion
  –Give examples and illustrations
 4. Present correct doctrine
 5. Use audiovisual aids effectively


Find Out

 1. Listen
  –Look for nonverbal messages
  –Restate
  –Pause
 2. Ask Appropriate Questions
  –Maintain an equal relationship
  –Do not manipulate the investigator
  –Be simple and direct
 3. Ask Additional Questions
  –Ask a question and listen
  –Do not interrogate
  –Show interest in others needs or feelings
 4. Rephrase questions
 5. Respond with encouragement
 6. Ask nonjudgmental questions

2. Invite

 1. Extend the Invitation
  –Explain what the investigator is to do and when
  –Ask a direct 'Will you' question

 –Show respect and do not manipulate
 2. Confirm the Commitment
  –Make sure the investigator knows exactly what to do and when
  –Ask the investigators to state that they will fulfill the commitment
 3. Extend the invitation using two questions
 4. Rephrase the invitation

3. Follow Up

 1. Arrange to Follow Up
  –Explain that you want to follow up
  –Plan a follow up visit
  –Encourage the investigator
 2. Make Regular Contacts
  –Ask questions to find out how well they fulfilled the commitment
  –Adjust the commitment or give the original commitment again
  –Encourage and support the investigator

4. Resolve Concerns

 1. Discover the Concern
  –Use 'find out' skills
 2. Discuss the Concern
  –Find out if others know how to resolve their concern
  –Help others see the results of their decisions
  –Tell them that you know they can make the right Decision
  –Encourage them to seek the Lord's Help
 3. Help Resolve the Concern
  –Use Scriptures
  –Give examples or illustration
  –Share testimony or personal experience
  –Book of Mormon
 4. Answer the question
 5. Give additional information
 6. Give examples and illustrations
 7. Show empathy

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Mercedes' Birthday Video for Grandma

Lisa wanted to post this on her blog but said she was having trouble doing so. I thought I would try to post it on my blog to see how difficult it was to post. Since it was created on this computer anyway.

Mercedes made this video for Grandma's birthday yesterday. She worked on it all day. She did a great job! There were several glitches with computer programs that didn't work properly. But she finally figured it out. Awesome job Mercedes!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Plastic Brother's Visit









We had a wonderful visit the past few days  with my plastic brother Jason and his family
 [ I had a long narration dictated but  in transferring it to this blog it got erased .  :-(]

Saturday, May 5, 2012

HB Michael!



Today is my baby brother's birthday.  As a special treat my plastic brother is coming into town tonight.  Let's celebrate with some chocolate and/or eggnog softserve!  Happy birthday to the most awesome brother in the world!

Another Feel Good Article

I read this article in the Deseret news today. I really enjoyed it.  So I thought I would post it.  It's refreshing to read about someone with integrity. 

No-Sunday stance has not slowed success of Costco builder. 
By Lee Benson , Deseret News
Published: Saturday, Oct. 30 2010 11:49 p.m. MDT

A mere five words ignited the showdown:

"We don't work on Sundays."

On one side of the table in the worksite trailer sat Firoz "King" Husein, owner and founder of Span Construction & Engineering, a company that specializes in the engineering and construction of large steel buildings.

On the other side sat the executive management team in charge of construction for Costco, the gigantic consumer goods wholesaler.

At issue was a 110-day schedule during which Costco's latest warehouse store needed to be completed.

Span Construction had negotiated the contract to build the project, and a few wrinkles, as they always do, had come up to delay the construction schedule. This would not do. Costco's timetables are sacrosanct. The store had to open at the end of 110 days, as announced.

So the executives were letting Husein know that Costco was willing to pay for overtime, but obviously the hours and the days had to be ramped up or the deadline would not be met.

And King Husein was letting the executives know that he would bring in larger crews and they would absolutely lengthen their days — with the exception of Sundays. Span Construction did not work on Sundays. That too was sacrosanct.

Suddenly the air was leaden. Maybe the 110-day clock was spinning, but in the heavy silence of the trailer time stood still.

Finally, a Costco executive spoke, saying to Husein without disguising his incredulity: "You would not work your men on Sundays even if it means you could lose this entire account?"

Answered Husein, "I hope it doesn't come to that, but if it does, I'm sorry, I will not work my guys on Sundays."

The executive stood up, approached Husein, and, inches from his chest, said, "You'd better meet that commitment."

As he was leaving, he said to an architect outside the trailer, "That is one stubborn Indian."

Truer words could not have been uttered.

The above incident in the trailer occurred 21 years ago. Since that time, Span Construction has become the exclusive builder for Costco worldwide, erecting over 59 million square feet of structures in North America, Asia, Europe and Australia, including 350 warehouses, 16 depots, four office structures, 66 expansions, four additions and 376 gas stations — an average of more than 40 projects every year.

And not a single solitary finger has been lifted on Sunday.

King Husein shakes his head at the memory.

"Though it was not my intent at the time," he says, "since that day, the respect and trust from the Costco management increased substantially. We met our deadline, but we did not work on Sundays. They know we will not compromise our principles in meeting our commitments."

Two decades and all those millions of square feet later, Tom Walker, Costco's executive vice president of construction and logistics, says of Husein, "He's a fantastic vendor for us, an incredible person, and he earns everything he gets. He's on schedule, on time, construction costs are under control and he does it in lightning speed."

Adds Walker: "He's always available, I can reach him anytime, day or night. But not on Sundays. He's absolutely blank on Sundays."

He wasn't always King.

He came into the world in Bombay, India, in 1946 as Firoz Mohamed Husein, born into a Muslim family in the largest Hindu country in the world.

His father died when he was 11, and his mother raised Firoz and his two brothers and a sister on money she earned teaching embroidery on foot-powered Singer sewing machines in their small home in order to send them to a private Catholic school.

All she asked was that Firoz get good grades so he could go to college. He did his part and after graduating from the University of Bombay with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1969 he won acceptance to graduate school in America at Rice University in Houston. A $500 loan from the Muslim Education Trust got him across the Pacific.

He was having difficulty acclimatizing to Houston when a telephone call with the cousin of a friend studying engineering at a school in Provo, Utah — Brigham Young University — changed everything.

"You'll like it better here," said the friend's cousin, and without ever enrolling at Rice, Firoz was on his way to a school he'd never before heard of, owned by a church — the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — he hadn't heard of either.

At BYU, he got his master's degree in one year, graduating in January 1971. Along the way he met and dated Diane Clark, an undergrad from Star Valley, Wyo. After he moved to Boston for his first job, they continued their relationship long-distance, which ultimately resulted in marriage, four children and, for Firoz, membership in the LDS Church eight years after arriving in Provo. The Muslim was a Mormon, adopting all that entails.

It was in Boston that he got his nickname.

The Jewish owners of the steel company he worked for started calling him "King" for King Hussein, the longtime Muslim ruler of Jordan (this was before another Hussein, Saddam, would enter world consciousness).

"I knew their intent. They were being friendly," says Husein of the Jews who gave him a nickname from a Muslim. "My first name is not that easy — you pronounce it like a rose, fee-rose — so I became King."

King left Boston for California and struck out on his own. He started Span Construction & Engineering out of a storage closet in 1979. One building project led to another, until along came the partnership with Costco. Thanks to that association and other major contracts, for nearly 20 years now, Span Construction & Engineering, with headquarters in Madera, Calif., and a staff that ranges from 200 to 500 employees, has maintained a position as the country's No. 1 builder in the steel building industry.

Span has stayed at the top with worksite policies that in the construction world stretch beyond unconventional into unheard-of.

Besides the no-Sunday mandate, Husein requires that his crews refrain from drinking, smoking or using bad language. He also conducts random drug tests weekly. The strict code of conduct is spelled out in the company policy book that all employees agree to and sign.

At first, Husein says, "we used to lose about 20 percent of employees" to the rules. "Now it's very rare to lose anybody."

And yet, his crews are only about 2 percent LDS.

"It is just what we require, and they know that," Husein says. "It is the way we do business."

Through all the success, Husein, who recently joined the Deseret News Editorial Board, has never forgotten BYU, his unlikely alma mater. He has remained a friend to the university in a variety of ways, as a mentor to engineering students, as a donor — he and his wife provided the endowment for the King and Diane Husein Professorship in Civil Engineering — and as a member of the President's Leadership Council.

"King Husein has been able to give back and give back a lot to BYU and to BYU-Hawaii. He's a great support to both institutions," says Alan Moore, associate director of major gifts for LDS Philanthropies. "He's given his time and his talent. I'd describe him as a happy fellow who is concerned about others."

If you look around the BYU campus, Moore notes, there's plenty of King Husein's signature in the skyline.

It was King's company that built the Gordon B. Hinckley Center when the old alumni house needed to be torn down; it was King's company that built the massive indoor athletic practice facility that adjoins the fieldhouse; and it was King's company that built the student athlete building that borders the practice football field. (Okland Construction of Salt Lake City was a joint partner in the projects).

He didn't build those buildings entirely for free, but it was close. "Let's say he was very generous," says Moore, "and he got others — plumbers, electricians and others — to be very generous, too."

And no one bothered him one bit about not working on Sundays.


Copyright 2012, Deseret News Publishing Company

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Interesting Article

I read this article last week and thought it was cool. Not sure how many of you know who Alex Boye is, but I know he was in the Mormon Tabernacle choir. I don’t know much about him myself. Apparently, he’s British. J . Anyway, I was going to tell this story during my lesson. In Relief Society, but ran out of time. I’m not sure it really fit that well anyway. I hope you enjoy it.

Prince Charles and the Book of Mormon
By Alex Boye For the Deseret News
Published: Monday, April 23 2012 4:00 a.m. MDT

As a musician, I spend my days promoting my music and my videos, but nothing comes close to the feeling you get when you’re promoting your faith.

I was sitting in Sunday School of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a few years ago when the ward mission leader walked into class with a stern look on his face. He had a box full of copies of the Book of Mormon and he gave one to each of us, challenging us to give it away this week and come back next week with a report of whom we gave it to.

My band was on tour that week doing a performance for a charity organization called “The Prince’s Trust.” Every year at this event, they celebrate the accomplishments of inner-city kids.

While on tour, there was a loud bang on my door with a patron yelling, “Quick, hurry! Prince Charles wants to meet everyone.”

We thought it was a joke because someone of his position wouldn't necessarily be expected to show up at this event. I looked out the window and saw a helicopter land in the field and Prince Charles got out with his entourage.

We all dressed and rushed to the reception area to meet Prince Charles. Everybody in England knows what the procedures are when you meet royalty. Women curtsy and men bow, you speak only when spoken to and you don’t extend your hand to royalty unless they extend their's first. We have been taught these things since we were young.

As I ran downstairs to stand “on ceremony,” a thought came to my mind that I should head back upstairs, but I didn’t know why. I told the band to go ahead and wait in line and I’d be back. I went to my room and stood there looking around and asking myself, “What now?” Then I saw my copy of the Book of Mormon my ward mission leader gave me. I grabbed it, stuck it in my back pocket and rushed back downstairs.

There was a long line of cooks, cleaners and celebrities standing on ceremony waiting to be greeted by Prince Charles. While standing in line, I tried to come up with something witty and clever that I could say to Prince Charles so he would never forget me. Finally, he made his way toward me and my mind went blank. My supposed unforgettable comment left my mind. He politely moved on to the next person and my opportunity was missed.

As he approached the helicopter to leave I had a strong impression that I needed to give Prince Charles the book in my back pocket. I thought to myself, “How could I accomplish this?" He had already moved on and you’re not allowed to step out of line until Prince Charles has exited. So I wondered how to grab his attention without being disrespectful.

I did the first thing that came naturally to me. I waved my hands in the air, screamed for Prince Charles, and stepped out of line. I did it. I had broken three rules. I realized what I had done and stepped back in line, putting my head down in embarrassment.

With my head still down in shame, two large feet appeared in front of me. I looked up and to my surprise I saw Prince Charles. Gathering my composure, I said, “On behalf of my church I would like to give you a gift.”

As I reached for the book in my back pocket, security went crazy, assuming I was reaching for something more dangerous. I managed to get the book from my pocket and extend my hand to give it to him, breaking a fourth rule. After looking at the book for what seemed like an eternity, he took it.

He looked at it, brought it close to his chest and said to me that he thought it would prove some interesting reading.

“Yes it will,” I responded. “Perhaps you could read it in the helicopter on your way home.”

He told me that he may just do that. And then he left.

Reporters bombarded me with questions wanting to know what I gave Prince Charles. I told them it was the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, and then began teaching the first discussion on national TV.

The following Sunday my LDS ward mission leader asked us to report on our Book of Mormon challenge. I told him I gave my copy to Prince Charles. Nobody believed me.

That night I turned on the TV and saw the footage of me talking about the Book of Mormon. No sooner did my phone start ringing — it was my frantic ward mission leader. I guess he believed me now.

Who would have thought that someone like me, trying to promote my music, would be standing at the feet of royalty in England promoting my faith? The Lord uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. Thanks to the challenge of my ward mission leader, I had the courage to stand up for my faith and give a royal gift to royalty.

Alex Boye is an international recording artist and his email is alex@alexboye.com. For more information, his music page is at www.facebook.com/alexboyemusic.

Copyright 2012, Deseret News Publishing Company