Training from our Director Richard Porter

                                                       Arizona Temple Youth Guides

                                                         Leadership Training Meeting

                                                               December 8, 1991.

                                       Presiding and Conducting:  Richard Porter, Director

Absent: Jess Thompson, David Olsen (Family Function), and Paul Whetten (working until 6:00 p.m.).

We will take about five minutes here to cover a few items of business and then we will talk about what we all do and that is teaching.  We try to come away from here with a sense of how we can most effectively teach the Youth Guides in our program.

We noticed during this last week from whatever source it came but we have begun in some of our districts to set goals for referrals each night rather than goals for the number of tours to be given.  As Directors we discussed that a long time ago, discussed it again this morning to see if our feelings had changed and they really had not.  Our concern for setting a goal for referrals on a given night is that it is not a controllable factor on our part.  We don't change the number of people coming to the Gardens.  We can't change at that point in time how many nonmembers will be down there to even be referred.  And so we would ask you as District Leaders, and if there are some who are missing here, Zone Leaders please get the word to them, if there are some of those missing here, YAs please get the word to them, please continue to set a goal for tours if you want to do that.  Set no goals for referrals.  I say that if you want to do that.  I know that some feel like there is just going to be a whole bunch out there going on and to set some fantasmagoric number of tours may not be wisdom.  But, on the other hand, we would urge you to continue doing that to have something to work towards that we can control is of importance to us.

Talking along the same line, I know that there are some that have felt like they have never totally been able to buy into our goal of 600 referrals.  Perhaps because you have not yet had a chance to pursue that for yourself and know that that is the case, we urge you to do it now.  I testify to you that it was done under the spirit of prayer and inspiration.  We have followed the basic principles we have been taught on how to set a goal.  We have applied the laws of Sacrifice, and Wisdom, and Generosity and 600 is a righteous goal.  If we exceed that by December 15th, nothing prohibits us from setting another goal from the 16th of December through the 31st.  It is a good concrete goal with which to begin.  We would urge your support of that in your thinking, in your heart and in your conversation with others.

We are concerned about a little bit of things in one of the Districts.  We discussed this during the week.  Discouragement comes.  Discouragement comes because we are finding out that contrary to popular belief not everyone God sends to the Gardens even wants to hear our Christmas Message, and 2) we know it is wonderful and a beautiful message and we can't understand how anyone would not want to hear about Christ.  It is beyond me.  But, in a world where life is hurried there are a lot of people who come to the Gardens for their ninth time this week.  They just love the lights.  And they have already been approached probably ten times in those nine visits and probably don't want to hear anymore I think for tonight.  There are some who have said, "Look, we've got a meeting here at 7:30 and we could swing by the temple and hit the lights and still get to our meeting on time.  Let's do that."  And they come down and "enjoy the beauty" and they're off.  They don't want a message from us.  And that may be a member and it may be a nonmember.  We just can't be discouraged if people say no.  They have been saying no since Adam.  All right.  And they said no to Christ.  And he got discouraged.  Open your scriptures and you'll read, "And He went off on His own."  Unto a high mountain place.  Or a far desert place.  And he prayed and he pulled it back together.  Look Father I am just here to serve you.  If you want rejection, go to Europe on a mission.  (Yeah from Elijah)  What can I tell you.  You know what my record was when I was in the mission field?  The record I set?  In one month, I spent 100 hours tracting and knocked on 1,000 doors, it got a little creepy in the end because we were trying to go for 1,000 and hit it right on.  And had no one to teach.  Out of 100 hours and 1,000 doors they were either empty or a flat out rejection.  I finished my 2 1/2 years in the mission field having baptized no one.  Came home and people said well how many did you baptized.  I went to South American and baptized 419.  I baptized---.  It is discouraging.  But if you are discouraged, you go off into a quiet place and have a word of prayer.  I know of one individual for example who had gone a ways into the Garden night and hadn't had a nonmember yet.  And they went off into a corner and said Heavenly Father please bring us a nonmember.  And the Lord did.  The next person or two that came by was a nonmember and they had a contact.  In fact I think it was a referral if I recall a happy ending to the story, without making up things.  People are going to say no, but we just keep going because we know it is true.  Not everyone is ready for the truth right now.  Very few are.  Our job is to filter them through.  You can't filter without contacting the ones who don't want it.  We just simply have to deal with it.

We are concerned that we worry too much about the number 600 or somebody sits down and says that if we divide 30 into 600 we have got to have 20 referrals a night.  Gosh we've had three nights and only 13 referrals.  We're not going to make it!  Seven on this night, 13 here, 9 here.  We're dead.  We're not going to make it.  It's not going to happen.  Then we want to run over to the Park and starting pulling people in.  You will listen.  You will hear.  Brothers and Sisters it is the Lord's work, not ours.  If God goes out of business, so do you and I.  If he says I don't want to do this anymore, you and I have no reason to come to the Gardens.  As long as he has his open for business sign, you and I will always be in business.  And our business will be His.  And we go out and we just do the best we know how to do.  And I promise you we will make the goals, if it is inspired of the Lord and pleasing to him, and it is they will come unless we lose faith.

Do you know what happens when we have a seven referral night?  We are like Peter walking on the water.  He made it the first few steps and looked around and said well gosh this is the ocean, I am standing on top of it, this will never work, and he started to sink.  The Master saved him.  Now the beautiful thing is and we sometimes walk away from this.  The Master saved him.  Read this closely.  I always thought he sank, doggie paddled over to the boat and got back in.  But it says that the Savior caught him and then it says, "When they had entered the boat . . . "  Now I don't think the Savior started doggie paddling.  I think he and Peter finished the walk to the boat.  I testify to you that you and I with a seven referral night can finish the walk to the boat.  We don't need to let our faith decline because of a low number.  Our faith is in the Lord, not in the numbers.  If you can share that faith, that attitude with your district, more than anything else we want the people to feel when they come to the Gardens the Spirit of Jesus Christ.  They can walk away having felt a bit of his peace.  A little of his love.  Then did we do a good thing that night?  Absolutely.  Would the Lord be pleased?  Absolutely.  Will you as a parent be thrilled if some teacher touches the heart of your child some day.  And that child comes home and says that today I felt so loved today in class.  Wouldn't you just want to sit down and write a note to that teacher and thank them.  And doesn't Heavenly Father when we do a little bit of love sending out want to just sit down and send us a note that says my son, my daughter thank you so much for the small things.  Now is there rejoicing in heaven over one soul that is saved?  Yes!  But there is an awful lot of pure happiness with joy and love shared.  That we can do every night.  Can't we?  We can share joy, share the spirit of Christ every single night.

Let's go forth in that pure call and then we promise what the world would have to call miracles, but you and I understanding know that it's because our faith in Jesus Christ is strong and we trust him continually.  In the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.