A Living Example of Open Your Mouth

Written by Elder Mark Gillespie

When President Baird came to visit us in Nakatsugawa in September, Elder Sanderson and I learned a lot from him about being effective missionaries – particularly about being effective finders. In Nakatsugawa, we have a small branch. We do our best to work with the members, but there is still plenty of opportunity for us to do finding on our own. The day that President Baird worked with us, we tried to contact a former investigator who was not home. Since there was no one home, we followed the counsel of Preach My Gospel and began to talk to the neighbors! We did a full 10x session (visiting ten people and talking to them) with President Baird in the foothills above Nakatsugawa. (See the enclosed pictures of the neighborhood where we worked.) President Baird started teaching us by example, but then encouraged us to apply the principles we saw him use by ourselves. These principles have helped us become much more effective at finding, especially in door-to-door tracting situations.

The first principle we learned was concerning goals and accountability. Of course we had been setting goals before President Baird came to visit us - we wouldn't be effective missionaries at all without any goals. But we adopted the practice of setting short-term goals for every block of time that we are using for finding. (We set goals for the number of people to talk to, the number of pamphlets or Book of Mormon copies to give out, and the number of investigators and potential investigators we think we can find.) We say a prayer before we begin, explaining our goals to the Lord and asking for His help. Then, we work hard to achieve those goals. We don't always meet every goal that we set, but we always see success, and often it's from stretching ourselves to reach the goals that we set! Finally, we always account to the Lord (again, through prayer) before we move on to our next appointment or activity, and I feel that because we have that duty to account for our time, we have been able to use it more effectively. By applying these principles of effective planning and accounting, we have been able to find more investigators than ever before, and we have gained more confidence in speaking to people when we meet them for the first time.

Elder Gillespie

Elder Sanderson

That brings me to the next point. Meaningful conversation is very, very important. Missionaries are not salesmen; we are not here to persuade people to buy a product or even to “get them to listen to us”. As Preach My Gospel says, we shouldn't come to peoples' doors saying, “We're sharing a message with people.” We should simply share our message with love and respect! We are here to invite others to come unto Christ, and we can only do that if we truly love those that we serve. And so, when we meet someone for the first time, it really helps to talk to them sincerely about their life, their family, their interests, or whatever else comes naturally to mind. We have found that not only does this help us gain a greater love and understanding for those we meet, but it helps them see that love when they talk to us, and they are more interested in our message. Plenty of people decide that they aren't interested, but they still have a great experience talking to us about their family or their life. That gives them an opportunity to feel the Spirit and a reason to talk to the missionaries the next time they knock on the door. And sometimes, they do listen; we gained an investigator, whom we are still teaching, because we started to speak with him in a natural, confident way with President Baird as our example.

Finally, President Baird was a living example of how to apply the oft-quoted missionary admonition to "open your mouth". President Baird spoke to everyone in our path (everyone that Elder Sanderson and I passed by, that is)! He was bold and loving, and didn't hesitate to explain who we are, what we do, and why we want to talk to them. Once, he had no time except to give a flyer for free English class to a student walking by and say, “Free English class. Every Thursday. Please come!”  But he never let an opportunity pass by. As missionaries, we should do the same. We can also set specific goals for how we will speak to those around us – that was something we did with President Baird, and I know it helps us to better see how we can fulfill our purpose. But the most important thing I learned from watching President Baird talk with everyone is that there is no reason to be afraid or hesitant. We often say “open your mouth” as missionaries, but the actual scripture is “open your mouth and it shall be filled!” I have seen the fulfillment of this promise many times on my mission already.

I may never get another chance to work so closely with my mission president again, but I am so grateful for the opportunity that Elder Sanderson and I had to work with him. I have only listed a few of the things that we learned for time's sake, but those were the most valuable principles that I saw from working with President Baird. I know that as we've applied these principles, I've seen greater success in our missionary efforts, and I know that we have become more effective servants of Jesus Christ. And I encourage everyone who reads this to do the same, because I can promise you that there's nothing more satisfying to a missionary than that!

New Missionaries, August 2012

No matter how many times we get new missionaries, we are always amazed at the quality and goodness we see in each new group.  This group was not just "no exception;" this group seemed exceptional!  Here they come now:

President Baird with Elder Ellsworth, AP,
Elder Ito, AP, and Elder Koesashi, Commissarian
All waiting patiently.

Elder Berrett is
our Recorder and is usually very busy at the
airport as our videographer.

Our first great missionary, Elder Hilton

Tired and happy to be here.
Elders Hilton, Ahuna, Gillespie, Doll,
and Sister Thayne

That special moment--Elder Gillespie
meeting President Baird.

Elder Gish, getting his first of many hugs.

Elder Perkins, excited to get started.

The first "teaching."
Elder Gish, Hilton, Doll, Ahuna, and Sister Thayne

The famous picture at the Dragon.
From left, Elders Hilton, Doll, Gillespie,
Sisters Thayne and Baird, President Baird,
Elders Gish, Ahuna, Macdonald, and Perkins

We are hungry.  We are tired.  But we are smiling.

Of course, we ate.  This is Sister Baird's famous Lasagna.  See her recipe in this blog.

First train trip in Japan.

We proselyted.  We can do this!
Our three missionaries are Elders  Koesashi,
Macdonald, and Doll.

You never know--this guy may get baptized.

        And after a good night's sleep and several hours of training, we met our new companions:
(All new missionaries are on the left.)

Sister Thayne with Sister Yamada

Sister Anna Mari Thayne calls two places home:  Naha, Okinawa, Japan and St. George, Utah.  She has one brother who was also a missionary in Japan.  She got her associate degree from Dixie College just before coming on her mission.  She enjoys baking, hiking and running, among other things.  She is outgoing and friendly.  She has come to realize that no matter what she does in life, nothing can help people more than the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that is why she decided to serve a mission.

Sister Yamada's goal is to have a happy family. She enjoys talking with people
and is cheerful.  She works very hard and doesn’t give up until    

she finishes her task.  She also enjoys baking and is very active.  She 

has a strong testimony of prayer and loves the scriptures.

Elder Ahuna  with Elder Matson

Elder James Ahuna is the youngest of six children.  All of his siblings 

have served missions and been married in the temple.  His family has traveled 

and performed around the world, doing missionary work by sharing their talents in 

Hawaiian song and dance.  Elder Ahuna would like to get a degree in finance and 

become a financial planner in Hawaii, which is where he is from.  

He also wants to continue using his talents to share the gospel.  He plays piano 

and ukelele, does the Samoan fireknife dance and Navajo Indian 22-hoop dance, 

sings and plays drums.  He is friendly and outgoing and is good at saving money. 

One missionary who Elder Matson trained said that Elder Matson is the most obedient 

missionary that he knows.  He reviews the rules and focuses on being 

completely obedient.  He cares what he does, plans well,  is very dedicated, 

and prays like a champion.  This missionary said he really admires Elder Matson.

Elder Doll with Elder Sarager

Elder Brian Doll hails to us from McLean, Virginia.  He has one younger sister.  Elder Doll loves bowling and has bowled in a league since he was 11.  He also likes basketball, and loves to learn new things.  He is well-balanced and enjoys being a leader.  He was shocked when he got his call to serve in Japan because it had never crossed his mind, but he wants to share the joy he has received from the Gospel, and to be an example to his family.

Elder Sarager likes to plan and be prepared for things.  He doesn't like

 "winging it."  He is also a curious person and likes to know the "why" of things.

Elder Gish (left) with his trainer, Elder Gauthier

West Jordan, Utah is home to Elder Braydon Gish.  He is the middle child of five, 
and his sister is serving in Russia.  Elder Gish's biggest goal is to please his Savior 
and make it back to live with Him.  He wants not only to be a good missionary 
while on this mission, but for the rest of his life. He enjoys basketball, football and tennis, 
and just talking with friends and their families.  He appreciates the good friends 
he chose to have and has talked with them a lot about scriptures 
and understanding the Gospel.  


Elder Gauthier feels that if a missionary works hard and obeys with exactness, 
he can't fail in anything he does.  He is friendly and enthusiastic.

Elder Gillespie with Elder Sanderson

Elder Mark Gillespie calls Colorado Springs, Colorado home.  But his father is
a Colonel in the Air Force, so he has lived in other places.  Elder Gillespie wants
to help people as part of his career.  Since he enjoys science, he wants to become
a surgeon.  He also wants to become a better pianist, read all the great books,
and perhaps write music.  His first hobby, though, is reading.  He says he is a confident,
outgoing person and has known the Gospel is true for as long as he can remember. 

Elder Sanderson enjoys playing a military simulation sport called airsoft.  

He likes it because it involves many scenarios and requires cooperation with 

teammates.  In fact, he plans to own his own military simulation store and 

arena after he graduates from college.  

Elder Hilton with Elder Heo

Elder Charles Hilton is from Glenview, Illinois.  He has two older brothers
who are great examples to him.  He would love to get into BYU's
animation program after his mission and eventually work for Pixar.  He loves to draw.
He has done it all his life and it has become his greatest talent.  

Elder Heo wants to major in hotel management at BYU Hawaii 

and then become an executive for a cruise ship company.  He is looking forward 

to having his family join the church and hopes that will happen soon.

Elder Macdonald with Elder Takabori

Gilbert, Arizona is home for Elder Kyle Macdonald.  He comes from a close family who enjoys being together.  He is the middle of five chidlren.  His dad taught him to love all sports, including basketball, baseball, scuba diving, sailing, and snow skiing.  He also plays the piano.  Elder Macdonald is on a full ride scholarship at Arizona State University with plans to go to medical school.  He is fascinated with neurology.  He is ambitious and hard working, learns quickly and loves all types of foods.  He especially enjoys learning about the Savior.

Elder Takabori is competitive and likes a challenge.  His favorite game is chess.  

He wants to improve himself mentally, physically, spiritually and socially. 

Elder Perkins with Elder Ludlow

Elder Perkins is from Mesa, Arizona.  He has three sisters and one brother.
He enjoys writing short stories. He says that writing is fun for him because
it is pure creation.  He says his only weakness is to bullets.  And he has a strong
testimony of both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  Before he left on his mission,
 he shared the gospel with a close friend and she was baptized.

Elder Ludlow likes interacting with other people, taking charge of a situation,
and solving problems.  And when he is not busy doing those things, he can
also enjoy snowboarding, wakeboarding, packpacking, hiking, fishing, 

hunting and the beach.

Is there any better sight than a group of great missionaries?

And off they go to their first assignment!