Contributed by: Jaclyn Reeves   JaclynReeves@hotmail.com (Jan 2005)

I came up with this activity and used many other people's ideas and am sorry I do not know who to give credit too.  It is a great combined ym/yw activity.  I've done it once before and am getting ready to do it again and have made lots of changes.  I think it'll be even better this time.  There is a lot of preparation for this activity and would be a great Value Project.  Several girls could even do it at the same time.  The last part of this I made especially for that purpose.  There is also an optional service project involved that would be very easy to do and would actually help you out allot!  If whomever would like this in a word file I'd be happy to email that along.

YOUTH MISSIONARY TRAINING CENTER (YMTC)

COMBINED ACTIVITY

OPENING: As everyone walks in hand out a missionary tag to each youth as well as their mock mission call letter (or direct them to a mailbox made for each individual with these things in it).  Everyone is to open their letter at the same time.  Have a speaker (ward mission leader) congratulate everyone on their decision to serve a mission.  For YW help them to understand that it is not commanded of them to go on a mission but they are there through prayerful decision.  Have the missionaries explain how to go tracking and door to door (let them know they will need to know this for two of the stations).  Have everyone go to the station that represents the country they were called too.  These will be the teams for the rest of the YMTC.  A list of all youth that will be participating is obtained ahead of time to make personalized name tags and mock mission calls.  The teams are pre-planned.  If there is a need to rearrange teams to make them even the leaders may do so.  Have blank name tags and blank mock mission calls just in case they are needed.

POINT CARDS: Each team is given a card with their country’s name on it.  Only the people in charge of the stations are allowed to write on the point cards.  They will be assigned a colored pen that they must use (to make sure no one cheats).  Points will be determined as followed: Timed Stations – The time is written down on the point card.  Whoever has the fastest time (determined at the end) gets the most points.  If there are 8 teams then the fastest time gets 8 points and the slowest time gets 1 point.  Signature Required Stations – 2 points are given for each signature.

STATIONS: Each event should take about 4-5 minutes.  At the end of the 5 minutes a whistle is blown and the teams rotate.  If some teams finish before their 5 minutes is up they can answer questions to earn extra points.  Questions such as “You have an investigator who is having a hard time quitting smoking.  What do you do to help them want to quit?”  Stations that are timed have a time written down on their card.  Signatures also go on the card.  Only those in charge of stations are allowed to write on the cards.  8 is the ideal number of stations.

SCRIPTURE STUDY: Two adults listen to one team recite scriptures.  Scriptures are previously chosen and each member of the group memorizes a different scripture.  One person can memorize more than one scripture. Try not to do scripture mastery and try not to make them more than 3 lines.  1 Point for each scripture that is memorized. 

SEWING: Each member of the team must successfully sew a button onto a piece of fabric.  Have a leader inspect each button (tug on it hard… if it comes off they must redo it).  If everyone successfully sews on a button the team gets 7 points (regardless of how many people are on the team).  If not everyone finishes then only 1 point for each button will be rewarded.

COOKING (timed): Make a snack such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Have someone eat it while singing “I hope they call me on a mission”.

BLANK MAP: Have a leader read out to each group “You have just been transferred to (country).  Find it on the map.”  Use pins to mark it on the map.  If they don’t know where the country is they can pass.  1 Point for each guess right. 

MISSION TRAVEL: Have the missionaries there for door to door approach.  Have them tell the youth how to do it.  Each group as a whole must knock on 2-3 classroom doors (which are marked) to try and teach discussions.  Have them read what the missionaries say when they go door to door.  One door is slammed into the group’s faces and another person lets them in and challenges them by asking questions.  This station may or may not be used for points.  5 points for effort.

TRACTING (signature):  The team must walk around the building and look for adults standing in the halls with signs on them such as “perspective member” or “tell me more about the gospel”.   Have the missionaries explain how they do street contacting.  Have the adults sign the point cards.  2 points for each signature.

CLEANING (timed):  Time how long it takes for each group to clean and do some of the following tasks… vacuum, dust, and pick up papers.

PACKING CLOTHES* (timed): Each team must pack a suitcase correctly.  Get enough clothes that everything must be folded in order to fit everything in the suitcase.  It should be very difficult, but possible to get all the clothes in the suitcase.  The suitcase must close.  After packing it they must carry it from point A to point B. 

IRONING* (timed): Each member of the team must iron an article of clothing and have it inspected by a leader.  Each item is then hung or folded.  If time permits and there are more than enough clothes for each group then have the teams continue to iron until they move to the next station.

*Clothes for these obstacles can be gathered through a separate project/activity.  Announce to the ward/stake/community that you need clothes for this activity and that they will be donated to charity.  This would be a great service project for the youth. 

WRITING LETTERS: Everyone does this at the same time.  They stay at their last station to do this.  They are to write a letter to their family and tell them about their experience so far at the YMTC or have them write their testimony (this can also be done as a journal entry).  The letters are collected and handed out to the YM/YW presidencies.  They are to hand the letters out to the parents the following Sunday (if journal entries are written then the youth keep these).  Points are optional, but everyone should get the same number of points.

GATHER THE YOUTH:  The point cards are collected after every group has been to every station.  The points are tallied to determine the winner while the youth are congratulated on their training in the YMTC.  Encourage them to be missionaries in their everyday life and to always be an example.

REFRESHMENTS:  Pack refreshments into a box and put fake labels on them for each country.  This is supposed to be a mail package from home with goodies.  Each treat (in a baggie) should have a little quote or inspirational thought attached.

AWARDS: While the youth are eating announce the winners of the YMTC.  Prizes may or may not be given.  If there is no prize then stickers can be given out to each group.  They are little stickers with the following written on them:

1^st Mondo Missionary – 2^nd Mega Missionary – 3^rd Major Missionary – 4^th Mighty Missionary – 5^th Magnificent Missionary – 6^th Marvelous Missionary - etc.

CLOSING: Have a member tell of their conversion story, a return missionary, or the Bishop to speak. 

YMTC SET UP

YMTC ASSIGNMENTS