President Beard's Advice for Moms (How to prepare a missionary)‏

Our cute Anna took great notes last Sunday and was willing to share them with the rest of us - enjoy!!

President Beard came to Relief Society for Ward Conference and made himself available for questions.  With so many boys ahead of me, I wanted to know about missionaries.  How do I raise a boy who will want to go, be prepared to go and be successful (given my limited powers).  I specifically asked what I should do as a mother given he sees all the boys.  Ones who can't go, want to go, don't want to go, go and return, go and suck, etc.    What are my marching orders?  Here's what he said:

 

1. Teach your boys to work hard.  Missionaries have to rise, shine, approach strangers, and do it all day long.  Boys are coming home because they can't/don't work.  It's too hard for them.

2. Have/develop a real testimony.  Not to knock the testimony/thankimony/travelogues of Sunday but boys must know and believe their Savior and the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith.

3. Curb morality issues.  All issues but specifically porn.  He didn't care how great your Internet blockers were, there is too much out there.  Even on TV, video games, etc.  You can't escape it.  Imagine you're Satan and you want to destroy families and people in general.  Porn is a great way.  Boys need to know WHY they should avoid porn.  He asked all of us and for about 10 minutes the women answered and were wrong.  We didn't get it (scary because how can we teach our sons and daughters).  Finally for the sake of time he just told us.  We are literally gods and goddesses in infancy.  We covenant to live the law of chastity, not word of wisdom or tithing, because to create is divine and morality, etc is Heavenly Father sharing his divine power with us.  So not only are we damning ourselves (and literally damming) but we are mocking Heavenly Father's power.  He cited D&C 132:19-21, D&C 84:38.

4. Teach the boys the atonement is true.

5. Teach the boys what the priesthood is.  D&C 107, 121

6. Know what a mission is.  Take Brother Jones's missionary prep class.  He thinks it's the best in the valley.

7. Read the New Testament.  Many boys come to him having read the Book of Mormon but the people they teach haven't.  If they are lucky the people they teach will be Christian and they only know the Bible.  How do you converse about Christ if you've never read the New Testament.  What is the New Testament?  (I have a great idea for this one if I do say so myself.)

 

 :) Anna