I have heard it said before that people "Die" when they are called to go on their mission and that they are born again when they enter the MTC. I know that this is how I thought when I got into the MTC, that my life, as I knew it, was over. I was no longer Corey Brown but Elder Brown.
Well now that I am Corey Brown again I go to Missionary Prep classes to see what training future missionaries get before they come to the MTC. What I have observed is that they teach people not lessons very very well, until they reach the fundamental of TEACH PEOPLE NOT LESSONS. Now that it is labeled as a "fundamental" I feel like they want to do it right and to completely ignore everything they have ever done concerning missionary work in the past. They forget how to be people and instead of just acting normal and showing love naturally, they feel like they have to show love and follow the guidelines of the fundamental to a "T."
I like reminding missionaries both in the MTC and in the Missionary Prep that they already know how to teach people not lessons. If they have ever taught a friend the gospel, chances are, they taught their friend and not a pre-planned lesson. I like to help them realize not to lose their old personalities and their way of explaining things because they feel that they have to teach a person a certain way, but to remember how they felt teaching their old friends and trying to emulate that in their current lessons.
Another thing I like doing when I teach this fundamental is to help missionaries realize that once they find the need, they STILL have to teach a person and not a lesson. A lot of the time Missionaries think that teach people not lessons is all about finding the need to know which lesson you should choose. Once they find the need they start teaching a pre-planned lesson. One thing I help them do to get around this mind set is I have them teach a lesson to their investigator by ONLY asking questions and bearing brief testimony. This way, the focus of the lesson is focused on: The Investigator, The Need/Needs, and practicing asking questions to uncover the Ice Berg. ALL of the missionaries that I have had do this really like doing it and they learn a lot.
I also make it a point to note that when teaching a real lesson that they don't need to only ask questions, but by only asking questions you get all of the information you need about their needs.
