President and Sister Pace Teach Importance of Prayer, Scripture Study at MTC Devotional

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By Kaitlyn Bancroft, Church News

Teaching out of “Preach My Gospel,” Sunday School General President Mark L. Pace led missionaries Tuesday night in a companionship study that emphasized the importance of prayer in their work.

His wife, Sister Anne Marie Pace, taught scripture study strategies and the blessings of regular scripture study.

President and Sister Pace’s remarks came during an August 8 devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah.

Sister Pace opened the devotional by sharing her love of scripture study. Whether it’s writing from ancient prophets or general conference messages from modern prophets, seers and revelators, “My soul is filled, my mind is enlightened and [the scriptures] are delicious to me when I read and study,” she said.

But scriptures do more than fill the reader with good feelings, Sister Pace continued. They literally arm the reader with God’s power.

“If you’ll look at chapter 2 in the new version of ‘Preach My Gospel,’ you’ll see that it’s entitled, ‘Search the Scriptures and Put on the Armor of God,’” she said. “So when scripture study is conducted with the companionship of the Holy Ghost, blessings abound.”

Chapter 2 of “Preach My Gospel” focuses on how and why missionaries should study scripture, Sister Pace said. In her recent study of this chapter, she identified 34 specific blessings related to scripture study, including revelation, comfort and divine protection.

She also shared her highlighting and annotating system. Sister Pace said she likes to highlight, underline and then write out specific blessings in the margins; yellow highlights are important truths to remember, and orange highlights are specific promised blessings.

For missionaries using the Gospel Library app to study “Preach My Gospel,” Sister Pace underscored the app’s underlining and highlighting tools, which come in a variety of colors. When studying on the app, she underlines and highlights blessings in green and important truths in yellow.

“It’s important for you to find these lessons quickly when you need them,” she said.

Sister Pace said missionaries have the “priceless” gift of time to study their scriptures in ways they likely won’t get to throughout the rest of their lives.

“When you return home, you will have to work hard to carve out time in your schedule for scripture study,” she said, adding, “Please, please use this gift of time to study while serving the Lord. Cherish it. I promise you that as you use your personal and companion study time properly, you will — as it says in Alma 32:28 — come to know that your understanding is being enlightened and that studying the scriptures has become delicious to you. You will be ‘planting’ Jesus Christ in your heart.”

President Pace followed his wife by leading a companionship study focused on prayer. Twelve of the 13 chapters in “Preach My Gospel” talk about prayer, and all four lessons talk about prayer.

“Elders and sisters, the Lord loves to hear you pray. ... Prayer is the highlight of what [you are] teaching,” he said.

President Pace shared key truths about prayer found in “Preach My Gospel,” including:

• Prayer is a two-way communication with God (chapter 3, lesson 1).
• Effective prayer requires humble, sustained effort (chapter 4).
• Prayers should be thoughtful and from the heart (chapter 3, lesson 4).
• When praying, use language that reflects a loving, worshipful relationship with God (chapter 4).
• After closing a prayer, take time to pause and listen. (chapter 3, lesson 4).
• God usually answers prayers through the Holy Ghost, which teaches and confirms truth through quiet assurance in thoughts, feelings and impressions (chapter 3, lesson 1).

He also highlighted what “Preach My Gospel” teaches about helping others learn how to pray, such as sharing personal testimony of prayer, teaching the parts of prayer and inviting the learner to seek personal revelation through prayer.

President Pace recommended that, when teaching, missionaries open the lesson with a simple prayer. Later on, demonstrate kneeling, offer another simple prayer and invite the learner to offer a prayer themselves.

“If I had a chance to be a missionary [of] your age [again] ... I would do a much better job not just of teaching the lessons, but at complementing those lessons with helping our friends have wonderful experiences,” he said. “And you can do it. You can do it.”

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