Role-Play vs. Real-Play

In a MIssion Presidents Seminar two years ago, one of the Mission President's wives complained when it was announced they would be doing still another role-play. She said that she just hated doing role-plays, that it felt so fake.  Brother Jarman, mentioned below, didn't know what to say, but Elder Richard G. Scott, who was sitting in the back of the room, helped him out. "It isn't role-play to the Lord. It's real. And its the Lord's method to train his servants." 

Brother Jarman is the Director of Training at the MTC in Provo, and his associate, Brother Bothell, who accompanied him on a recent trip to our mission, is a manager in the proselyting division of the Missionary Department and a former professor of religion at BYU. Both men are experienced and masters at what they do. Their visit to our mission October 3-6, was something that is done with all the new Mission Presidents when they have been out 3-6 months. It is a way for the Missionary Department to answer questions, resolve concerns, ascertain strengths and weaknesses of the mission and help the President fine-tune training and teaching of the missionaries to make them more effective. 

Brother Jarman, President Woodbury, and Brother Bothell

After meeting with President and Sister Woodbury most of Tuesday, and additionally the Assistants that afternoon, Brothers Jarman and Bothell went out on splits with companionships in the area. The next day they and the Woodburys planned an all-day training meeting for the day following, based on the results of surveys that the missionaries sent back to them previous to the visit, what they observed while on the splits and talking to various missionaries, and what they had discussed together. On Thursday, the Zone Leaders and District Leaders met at the church on Eastern Parkway in Louisville for a wonderful day of inspired instruction, training, and practice, otherwise known as role-play. Brother Jarman did his session on "Revelation Through Prayer," Brother Bothell followed with "Revelation Through Church Attendance" and President Woodbury, after lunch, did his on "How to Begin Teaching." These are three of the eight "Fundamentals from Preach My Gospel: Teaching More Effectively." With each of these sessions it was stressed how each in anchored in the missionary's purpose, as stated on the first page of Preach My Gospel: To invite others to come unto Christ by helping them recive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and HIs Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. 

The meeting was held at the meetinghouse on Eastern Parkway

next o the Mission Office. This is the chapel/multi-purpose room. 

The room from the other end toward the pulpit 

as President Woodbury began the training.

Brother Jarman training

Elder Harper, Elder Moriss, Elder Tuimoala in foreground,

a bit of Elder Fegan's head, Elder Day, Elder Lewis, and Elder Young.

Elder Neefe and Elder Banks with backs to us,

Elder Price, Elder Winn, (Elder Hubbell), and Elder Call.

One of the most effective parts of the day's training came when Brother Jarman asked Elder Thompson to come up and help him with a demonstration about revelation through prayer. Elder Thompson was to play the part of one of his current investigators (Elder Thompson has been one of the Assistants and now will finish his mission serving in Owensboro, as did Elder Norton before him.) This was probably the best example of "real-play" instead of "role-play" that any of us have seen. Elder Thompson acted the part of a woman who he and his companion were to be teaching that very night, and Brother Jarman portrayed the missionary side of the interaction. Both of them were so convincing in what transpired, especially in the kneeling prayer that the investigator said , that it left many in the audience, as well as Brother Jarman himself, in tears. It bears noting that Elder Thompson reported the next day that the lesson he and his companion, Elder Daynes, gave that night went almost exactly like the role-play had gone, with the result that the young woman had a change of heart and committed to be baptized. It was miraculous.

Elder Call and Elder DeYoung

Elder Lytle and Elder Jacobsen in background

Elder Durrant and Elder Bradford

Elder Young and Elder Anderson

Elder Johnson and Elder Lewis

Elder Morrison, Elder Harper, and Elder Fegan

Elder Wiggins, and Elder Corry

Elder Anglin and Elder Moriss

Elder  Christensen and Elder Casteneda

Elder Armstrong and Elder Magallanes

Elder Tuimoala and Elder Day 

with Elder Warren and Elder Thompson in background

Elder Banks and Elder Neefe

Elder Trease and Elder Richins

Elder Lytle and Elder Jacobsen

Elder Kowallis and Elder Elder Price with Brother Bothell in background

Elder Tolman and Elder Elder Mathews

Elder Hammond, Elder Winn, and Brother Bothell

Elder Durrant and Elder Bradford with Brother Jarman

Elder Clark and Elder Everett

Elder Green and Elder Freestone

Elder Magallanes, Elder Amrstrong, Elder Warren and Elder Thompson,

and Elder Anglin and Elder Morris above

Elder Magallanes, Elder Armstrong, and Elder Tuimoala

with Brother Jarman listening in

Elder Mathews, Elder Richins, Elder Jacobsen, Elder Banks,
Elder Trease (back to us), Elder Call, and Brother Bothell

Elder Kowallis, Elder Hammond, and Elder Warren

Elder Lytle, Elder S. Tolman, and Elder Winn

Elder Green, Elder Bradford, and Elder Wiggins

Elder Corry, Elder Durrant, and Elder Freestone

Elder Clark, Elder Young, and Elder Anderson

Elder Everett, Elder C. Johnson, and Elder Lewis
Elder Anglin, Elder Morrison and Elder Harper in background

President Woodbury, Elder DeYoung, Elder Neefe, and Elder Price

     Another highlight of the day was during President Woodbury's segment in the afternoon.  He was talking about ways to make the first teaching moments more effective and suggested doing a quick overview of the lesson to introduce it. The first lesson has a lot in it and it hard to summarize briefly, but the challenge was given to be able to do it in 60 seconds or less, not just rattling it off, but still saying it meaningfully. President Woodbury demonstrated with Sister Woodbury timing him, and he did it in 63 seconds.  Sister Woodbury, as the former teacher that she is, counted everyone off into four groups, that each divided into two sides with five people on each side, ten in all. Inspired by the concept of "speed-dating" each person told his "investigator" counterpart on the other side, his summary introduction, and tried to do it before Sister Woodbury announced the sixty second time. They would then become the "investigator" while the other person gave his introduction. All would then rotate one set and repeat until everyone had had five turns. As the event went on, everyone got better and better, not only doing it more efficiently time-wise, but finding more effective ways to state the concepts and topics.  Missionaries were high-fiving and clapping their hands as they did better and better, and obviously had fun doing it.

Elders Banks, Morriss, Richins, Johnson, Clark
President Woodbury
Elders ?, ?, Mathews, Kowallis, and Armstrong

Elders Price, Trease, S. Tolman, Christensen, Day
?,  Anderson, Harper, , Brother Bothell, Elder Bradford

Elders Hammond, DeYoung, Thompson, Jacobsen, Tuimoala
Casteneda, Wiggins, Green, Young

Elders Kowallis, Armstrong, Morris, Durrant, (Banks)
backs to us - Richins, Morrison, Banks, Clark,  ?
President Woodbury

Elders Day, Freestone, Anderson, Harper, (Brother Bothell)
? , ? , Trease , Price, Bradford

Elders (Young) , Hammond, DeYoung Thompson
Backs to us,: Wiggins, Warren, Casteneda

Elders Young, Hammond, DeYoung, Thompson, Jacobsen
Green, Wiggins, Warren, Casteneda, Tuimoala

Elders Fegan , Lytle, Winn
Backs to us: Lewis, Magallanes, and Anglin

Left side: Brother Bothell , Elders Bradford, Green...
Right side:  Elders Christensen, Day, Freestone, Anderson, and Harper

Elders Neefe, Call, Corry
Backs to us:  Everett, Lewis, and Magallanes

Elders Durrant?, Mathews, Kowallis,  Armstrong, Morriss
Backs to us: Banks, Clark, C. Johnson, Richins, Morrison

The day ended with the President challenging everyone to take the skills and principles they had learned back to their Zones and Districts and teach them to everyone in the mission so the effectiveness of the teaching in the mission will increase and a higher percentage  of investigators will accept the invitation to be baptized.