Joey's Talk on Missionary Work

Missionary Talk
Calvine Ward
8/12/07

“The single most important thing you can do to prepare for a call to serve is to become a missionary long before you go on a mission”
~ David A. Bednar, Oct 2005 Conference

When I heard Elder Bednar give this talk, I was watching the General Priesthood Session in the Marriott Center with my dad and brother. This particular statement really grabbed my attention – I thought that there had always been some magical transformation in young men when they crossed the double doors of the MTC. Once a 19 year old guy crosses the threshold into the MTC, he straightens his posture, fixes his hair into a perfect part, and just knows the gospel like the back of his hand. But when Elder Bednar gave this statement, it was the first time I really understood that none of this is true! If I did nothing in the little time I had, I was going to be called to serve a mission without doing the “single most important thing…to prepare” – become a missionary. From then on, I made it a goal to prepare by becoming a missionary before the mission. This really taught me a lesson about the importance of paying attention in General Conference, especially the priesthood meeting.

It certainly makes sense that in order to share the gospel, it is necessary to know what “the gospel” is and to have a testimony of it. The scripture 3 Nephi 27:13-21 gives eight principles that we believe in: the Atonement, the Resurrection, Judgment, Faith, Repentance, Baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. We need to truly understand and gain a firm testimony of each of these principles individually.

As Elder Bednar put it, “it is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.”

A deep understanding and belief in the Atonement will result in a desire to share the gospel.

Howard W. Hunter asked: “What does the Atonement have to do with missionary work? Any time we experience the blessings of the Atonement in our lives, we cannot help but have a concern for the welfare of others…A great indicator of one’s personal conversion is the desire to share the gospel with others”
~ Howard W. Hunter, June 1994

Perhaps the best example of becoming that we have in the scriptures is the story of Alma the Younger. Alma and the sons of Mosiah were visited by an angel of the Lord after they had sought to destroy the church. And in Alma chapter 36, Alma gives his account:

Verses 7 - 21

The sorrow and torment Alma felt as a result of his sins weighed upon him so heavily that he wanted to become extinct, to cease to exist, so that he would not have to suffer the shame in coming face to face with our God. However, when Alma was at the peak of his agony, he remembered and called out for Jesus Christ to have mercy on him. Not only was Alma relieved of the pain of sin, he was given joy and the light of the Atonement to exceed the intensity of his pain. In this moment, Alma became a man of God. He could not keep himself from sharing the gospel for the rest of his life.

As Alma the Younger was converted to the Lord through his acceptance of the Atonement, so must we all be converted so that we may receive that deep desire to serve the Lord through missionary work.

If we are truly converted, we will jump at the chance to share the gospel. I have felt shy about the gospel, spending much of my time wondering what people would think, should I invite them to church, or hand them a church pamphlet. However, I have found that one of the most inspiring ways to break through the ice is to get in touch with the missionaries. If opportunity allows, offer to drive them to their appointments, or to go tracting with them. If not, I am sure they would certainly appreciate a dinner! If we spend more time with the missionaries, we can comprehend what it means to become a missionary.

Many missionaries I have spoken with admit that they did not study Preach My Gospel as thoroughly as they should have prior to entering the mission field. It is truly inspired writing. Studying it regularly has helped bring the spirit closer in my life, and has really comforted me in times of need. May it be a goal for all of us as member missionaries to study this excellent resource.

Similarly, the March 2007 edition of the New Era answers many questions about the mission. It explains what to expect in the MTC, and goes over a day in the life of a missionary. It gives advice and encouraging counsel. It shares stories about the hard work and determination required. It even offers a mental and physical fitness regimen. It truly inspires to follow the promptings of the Spirit.

In all of the excitement for preparing to serve a mission, we often overlook going through the temple to receive endowments. It is important for us to remember that, as Brigham Young taught, “the endowment is to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels.” Very plainly, the ordinances and covenants we make in the temple are absolutely essential for our salvation. Many times, the excitement of serving a two-year mission overshadows the more important temple ordinances. Those ordinances are essential to our salvation regardless of whether we also serve a mission. It is important and helpful to remember the preeminence of the temple over missions. The temple is so sacred and dear to me. I have had the opportunity to go and have felt the strength and Spirit that is felt and enjoyed by a temple attending people.

As a teenager preparing to serve a mission, I may not put on the white shirt and tie everyday, but, as D&C 4:3 states, I can increase in my desire to serve God.

Elder Bednar gave this beautiful counsel: “you can begin to think as missionaries think, to read what missionaries read, to pray as missionaries pray, and to feel what missionaries feel. You can avoid the worldly influences that cause the Holy Ghost to withdraw, and you can grow in confidence in recognizing and responding to spiritual promptings. Line upon line and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, you can gradually become the missionary you hope to be and the missionary the Savior expects.”

Brothers and sisters, missionary work is the Lord’s work. I know that if we honestly strive to open our mouths and express our joy in knowing the gospel, we will become what the Lord wants us to become. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.