Elder Kopischke Visit

Overview:

For missionaries, general authorities are even better than celebrities. With this in mind, it is easy to imagine the excitement we had to hear from Elder Erich W. Kopischke of the first quorum of the seventy. He spoke at two half mission conferences on Oct. 27 and 28 and a Mission Leadership Council (MLC) on Oct. 29. As he spoke, we were not only hearing from him but also from the Spirit of God as we received revelation for our own circumstances and areas.

Elder Kopischke is a master at being "led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which [he] should do." (1 Nephi 4:6). He led all meetings with an open question and answer format, teaching to the needs of the missionaries, using at least two scripture references to answer every question. He encouraged all missionaries to try an experiment: write down a question and listen for the spirit to answer throughout the conference. The experiment was a success; much revelation was received!

A Couple Highlights: 

The Faith Cycle 

Elder Kopischke explained that it is not always a lack of faith that leads to unmet goals. Sometimes it is God's will that we reach them; sometimes it is not. This discussion led to what Elder Kopishke calls the faith cycle. "Faith is a principle of action and power," as stated in Preach My Gospel page 116. Elder Kopischke used Alma 32 to expound on both the "power" and "action" parts of faith. Action is the part of faith that we control. We are not responsible for the outcome,but for the action that will lead to the outcome. Heavenly Father can choose to give us a miracle, but regardless, we must fulfill our part of the faith cycle. When we do all we can we should not be discouraged no matter the result. 

Doctrine Principle and Application

Elder Kopiske taught the difference and correlation between doctrines, principles and applications.He advised us to focus more on the Doctrine than on the Application. He mentioned that as we understand the "Why?" we will automatically find the out "How to." It is like that old saying, "Rather than instructing someone how to build a boat, teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." The doctrine is contained in the lessons we teach (The Plan of Salvation and the Gospel of Jesus Christ)! When we sub-categorize the doctrine, it is called a principle. Those principles lead us to take some form of action, which is the application. Although applications vary from area to area and mission to mission, the doctrine is always the same.