President's Weekly Letter #32

…VAN EEN VERNUFTIGE MAKELIJ…

(1 Nephi 18:1)

Belgium/Netherlands Mission 

TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOOD HEALTH

1.     Keep Your Hands and Body Clean

2.     Eat Food Kept and Prepared Sanitarily

3.     Eat a Balanced Diet Daily

4.     Keep Personal Clothing Clean, Pressed, Mended

5.     Keep Your Living Quarters Clean

6.     Exercise Regularly

7.     Get Adequate Rest and Learn to Manage Stress

8.     Mission Emergency Plan

9.     Missionary Security

10.  Proper Medical Care

Commandment 1:  Keep Your Hands and Body Clean

1. Lather hands with soap for 30 seconds

•       Before and after handling raw food and before eating

•       After using the bathroom

•       After proselyting, church meetings, etc.

•       After touching anything that is wet** from a person or animal

2.  Anything that is wet includes**

•       Coughing and/or sneezing

         Use a sleeve  

•       Blowing your nose

         Good manners—leave the room—wash hands

•       Wiping your nose

         Good manners---do so as not to bring attention

•       Rubbing nose, eyes, mouth

         Don’t do it

3.     Bath or shower daily

•       Wash hair often enough so it has a fresh smell and no flaking.  Daily if necessary.

•       Wash ears, behind ears, neck

4.     Brush and floss teeth and gums every day prevents cavities, gum disease

and bad breath

•       Brush teeth after eating or at least morning and evening

•       Floss between teeth once daily—wash hands first

•        Brush gum line with Listerine once daily

Commandment 2:  Eat Food Kept and Prepared Sanitarily

1.  Food preparation

·      Wash your hands

·      Refrigerate and store food properly

·      Throw away expired or spoiled food

·      Bless your meals and food

·      Be mindful of dinner invitations

Commandment 3:  Eat a Balanced Diet Daily

1.  Proper diet

·      Eat food from all groups daily and in

            proper proportions

•       Weigh regularly - keep weight stable

•       Learn to politely decline food

2.  A multi-vitamin and mineral supplement is recommended.  

•       ELDERS:                    one multivitamin/mineral daily

•       SISTERS:                    one multivitamin/mineral,
                                    two 600 mg. calcium tablets daily

•       No other supplements or megadose vitamins are recommended.  Do NOT use “high energy” preparations

Commandment 4:  Keep Personal Clothing Clean, Pressed Mended

1. Clean and Press Personal Clothing

•       Fresh pair of socks daily  

•       Fresh underwear daily

•       Fresh, pressed white shirt daily

•       Washing Machines:

•       Not high capacity—do small loads

•       Wash similar colors and items together

•       Remove clothes from washer and machine dry, or hang up to dry

•       Do a load at night, remove in morning if necessary

 2. Professionally Clean Personal Clothing

•       Clean Suits  (one a transfer) 

•       Professional Press and then HANG SUIT AND PANTS CORRECTLY EACH NIGHT

•       Clean winter coat at least each spring

•       Skirts or other items

•       Clean ties/sweaters—hand wash, dry flat and press as needed

3.  Mend Personal Clothing

•       Clothing is to fit properly

•       Sisters—tights note for legging—“In colder climates, you may wear dark, conservative-colored leggings; however, they should only be worn under longer skirts to increase warmth. Wear boots or similarly colored nylons to avoid showing the bottom of the legging.”

•       Mend and fix as needed

•       Check at stomerij met kledingreparatie

Commandment 5:  Keep Your Living Quarters Clean

1. Sloppiness:

•       Breeds contention,

•       Aggravates depression,

•       Lessens the presence of the Holy Spirit.

•       You cannot study and concentrate in clutter

2. Sanitary and Orderly Living

•       Clean kitchen, bathroom regularly     

•       Empty and clean kitchen and room trash receptacles daily if necessary

•       Clean bedding weekly – cover your mattress, pillow cases

•       Personal desk, drawers, shelves, cupboards, etc.

3.  REMEMBER:  your apartment will be inspected

4. Taking care of appliances in apartments

·      Includes washers, dryers, refrigerators, microwave ovens, stoves and ovens, dishwashers, etc.

·       Responsible to clean and do routine maintenance such as

o   Clean interior and exterior, clean vents, screens. 

o   Things that are necessary to make it run and work correctly without causing damage.  Defrost your freezer when ice begins to build up.

Commandment 6:  Exercise Regularly

1. Exercise Regularly

·      Look and feel better

·      Feel stronger, more stamina

·      Learn quicker

·      Controls anxiety/depression

·      Exercise Regularly Includes

•       Aerobics

•       Strength

•       Flexibility

•       Six times each week

Commandment 7:  Get Adequate Rest and Learn to Manage Stress

1.  Rest - Follow the schedule in the Missionary Handbook

2. Manage Stress - Learn to relax and turn off “useless adrenalin”

•       Exercise

•       Relaxation training

•       Approved music

•       Ponder & Pray

3. Eliminate Distractions

•       Approved - Musical instruments you can play in sacrament meeting and brings you closer to Christ

•       Practice only on P-Day

•       Unapproved musical instruments – All other instruments

•       Approved Music – Mormon Tabernacle Hymns, piano hymns, Christmas music

•       Unapproved music – All other music

•       Knitting

•       Art/Craft projects—pottery, clay

•       Chainmail

•       Board and other games

•       Books not on approved list found in (PMG p. ix and 22)

•       No recorded books or e-books

•       Recorded Standard Works are acceptable

•       Transfer Brackets

•       Etc.

•       Email guidelines: Missionaries are to write to their families each week and are also authorized to communicate by email with friends, priesthood leaders, and new converts.  Before entering into communication, including via email, with converts and others of the opposite gender within the mission boundaries, the Mission President must first give approval and/or conditions.

Commandment 8:  Mission Emergency Plan

1.  Know the Mission Emergency Plan

·      Phone tree, funds (€100.00), transportation, gathering places

·      Store food staples and pure water to last for 72 hours.

Commandment 9:  Missionary Security

1.  Actions, words and thoughts

·      Keep actions, words, and thoughts in harmony with the message of the gospel.

·      Don’t react in anger to insults or threats

·      Do not become involved in discussions of political matters or world affairs.

·      Stay away from public demonstrations and locations that might be targeted.

Commandment 10:  Proper Medical Care

1.     Exercise your faith: Receive a Priesthood Blessing

2.     Learn to treat common problems

3.     Too sick to work, call Sister Robinson

4.     Discuss unusual symptoms promptly with Sister Robinson

·      Missionary Health Manual / MTC Handout

•       Mission Medical Coordinator is Sister Robinson

•       Area Medical Advisor is Dr. Swensen

•       Missionary Medical Agency is the Medical Staff in Frankfurt Germany

•       Authorized physicians, hospitals and laboratories as developed

5.  Avoid the following:

·      Don’t go to the emergency room without authorization unless is a life threating emergency

·      Don’t buy or take prescription medicine, receive an injection, or have a surgical procedure without authorization

·      Don’t call or email home about the problem

o   There is a protocol to notify parents if necessary through Sister Robinson

·      Don’t use acupuncture, massage treatments, or unauthorized supplements

President's Weekly Letter #31

 …VAN EEN VERNUFTIGE MAKELIJ…

(1 Nephi 18:1)

Belgium/Netherlands Mission

MAKE IT REAL

(Part 2)

You work every day as set-apart, commissioned ambassadors of Jesus Christ and the Church.  People see the Church when they interact with you.  It is essential to learn and develop the personal relation skills of being real so you can connect with people by being: clean-cut, likable, interesting, friendly, vulnerable, humble, fun and enthusiastic and to show a little humor.  If you are these things, people will feel your happiness and be much more likely to want to spend time with you and want what you have.  Members will be much more likely to trust you with their referrals.  Mastering these attributes is a learned behavior.  Those who interact with people this way were not simply born that way; they have learned and developed these skills.  These skills are not only successful in missionary work but also are life skills for success.

Street Contacting.  You are surrounded by people every day.  They are in the street, on public transportation, in their homes, at work, etc.  Under certain circumstances every single one of them would gladly listen to the lessons.  My theory is, that due to people’s personal circumstances at the moment, a certain number of people every day in your city would listen to your message if invited.  Every day a new set of people, due to their circumstances, become willing to hear the gospel and replace those of the day before.  Our job is to contact as many people as we can so the Lord can lead us to find those who are ready each day.  Also, our effectiveness for successful contacting is greatly enhanced when we possess the personal relation skills listed above of being real.  In order to be as effective as possible in street contacting, the rules are:

·      If possible try 3 come-backs before giving up and giving the pass along card

·      Listen and think to pick the most appropriate and logical come-backs

·      Be  clean-cut, likable, interesting, friendly, vulnerable, humble, fun, enthusiastic,  show a little humor and connect with them

Always testify of our message in your initial approach.  For example, “We bring a message that Jesus Christ has restored his original church back on the earth through living prophets in our time.  May we tell you about it?” 

If the individual objects to the request, try to rebound with come-backs to give him another opportunity to agree to listen.  But, it is important to read the body language and stop before you annoy them.  If done friendly and intelligently, 3 come-backs should not be offensive. 

Come-backs must be thought out and logical.  Listening and feeling love toward them is the key.  For example, if someone says, “I don’t have time,” repeated 3 times, the logical come-backs after each objection might be:

1.     That is no problem; we will be in this neighborhood Thursday and Friday this week.  Which day is more convenient for you to visit with us?

2.     Our message will only take 10 minutes of your time and I promise you that you will find it interesting and worthwhile.

3.     May I then give you this card with our web site?  Can we drop by your house another time to set an appointment when you will have time to hear our short message?

The person may switch from “no time” to another objection such as, “I believe all religions are the same,” after the first or second come-back.  If this happens, stay logical and switch to a come-back that addresses his new objection.  For example, “Well there are certainly many religions and God is not a God of confusion.  How do you think a present day prophet could help make sense out of religion?”

We have distributed potential come-backs to the 10 most frequent objections.  Edit the come-backs to fit your personality and manner of speaking and thinking.  Then practice them and become good at using them.

Once in the House.  The theme of being real carries over from contacting to when you get in the home as well.  Being real with them helps show your happiness and peace which is a natural result from your living the gospel and which comes from our unique message.  What you have will be contagious for them to want.  This sets the conditions for them to have a meaningful experience with the spirit. 

Again it is important to connect with people.  The same attributes of human relations apply as with street contacting.  Talk about them, ask questions, laugh, and complement them, be friendly, be upbeat, be likable, smile, make it fun and be interested.  Use these attributes in the home by spending a few minutes before a lesson and follow these talking point rules:

·      See 3 things in the home that they are interested in

·      See one thing in the house about the family

·      Share something about yourself that you have in common with them

·      Get them to smile or laugh

·      Remember things you learn about them and comment about it next time you meet

Remember these are learned behaviors.  Work at it, do your best and the Lord will bless you to become a better tool in his hands.

President Robinson