Comments on: In Our Ward: Lesson 18: “Be Strong and of Good Courage”

By: Glenn Smith

Glenn Smith — Sat, 29 May 2010 16:21:50 +0000

I arrived in my mission very shortly after a new mission president. A year later, I changed mission presidents again. But, it wasn’t traumatic; rather, it was exciting because a giant (in terms of geography) mission was being split and two new missions formed. My half was foreign language, and the new president spoke that language. It made a great difference as the local members felt more included. And our missionary numbers went up four fold. The only organized stake was in the other mission. Now, 38 years later, both missions have stakes and temples. I imagine Joshua went into his mission field with excitement and trepidation, realizing that a golden period for the children of Israel was dawning.

By: Steve C.

Steve C. — Thu, 27 May 2010 18:40:44 +0000

Clark: That must have been nice!

By: Clark

Clark — Thu, 27 May 2010 14:55:51 +0000

Hmmm… I had a mission president change halfway through my mision, but as I spent the entire two years “banished to the hinterlands” I never saw either president more often than once every 6 or 8 weeks.

By: Bookslinger

Bookslinger — Thu, 27 May 2010 03:38:29 +0000

This should have gone with the previous lesson, but since it's coincident with the calling of Joshua, it could go here too. The Lord's words describing the "death" or translation of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:50, lead me to believe that Aaron may have been translated too: 50 And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people: So if Moses' death and gathering was in the form of translation, and was in the manner as Aaron's death and gathering, then perhaps Aaron was translated too. Numbers 20 has the account of Aaron's "death".

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:50:53 +0000

Thank you, friends. I post these, as I said with the first one, not because they’re the world’s greatest lessons, but because they’re handy (I still write out a full script for every lesson I teach — even if discussion takes the lesson in another direction, it still helps to have thought through how to word some ideas, and have a script to fall back on if things start to get away from me), but mostly because they show *a* way to teach the lessons. So many teachers don’t seem to know what to do other than ask somebody to read the first paragraph, then ask “What does that mean? How can you apply that in your life?” and then call on someone to read a second paragraph, and so on. “In My Ward” shows other possible ways, especially of personalizing the lesson and getting good discussion going, which seem to be successful methods for me.

By: Stephen Taylor

Stephen Taylor — Wed, 26 May 2010 19:56:32 +0000

Wish I could attend your Sunday School class.

By: Allison

Allison — Wed, 26 May 2010 18:29:53 +0000

Thanks for a peek inside your mission.

This is human nature and imagine if it took place outside of a gospel context – say in a bank like the ones I have just finished helping merge or being taken over in the financial crisis.

Great lesson on how Joshua had to fill “big shoes” and how he carried it off with the Lord’s help. I always enjoy your in-depth “take” on the lessons that I sometimes don’t get in my own ward.

By: Andrew Gonzales

Andrew Gonzales — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:42:17 +0000

First off, loved the lesson when you taught it (thats right folks, she’s my new SS teacher). When you mentioned the transjordan tribes I about fell off my chair (no one EVER mentions that episode; its not part of the script).

I arrived in the mission field about 3 months after they created it (by combining parts of two older missions). And there had been major clashes between the two groups. President ended up showing Remember the Titans at a zone conference as a way to end the conflicts. For my part I noticed only minimal conflict (snide remarks and such). Apparently it worked well enough.

Personally, when teaching about the crossing of the Jordan, I always like to get into chapter 4 as well. Thats where instructions are given for when the kids ask “what mean ye by these stones?” Its very much a ‘we have symbols to remind us of God’ thing. But that’s merely a personal preference, and I understand how time constraints work on a class.

By: Steve C.

Steve C. — Wed, 26 May 2010 03:09:40 +0000

My outgoing mission president at his final farewell zone conference wisely spoke to us about the change that was coming. It might have been a real rude awakening for us had he not.

Ardis, I could imagine the under the circumstances of your mission it would have been even more intense.

By: Hunter

Hunter — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:47:06 +0000

Oh. My.

[silently gives thanks that had the same beloved mission president throughout mission]