Missionary Work
I do not like to do missionary work. There. I’ve said it. I know you were all thinking it. Or, most of you, anyway. I do not like to do missionary work. No matter how many times I hear a General Conference talk or Elder’s Quorum lesson, I find myself coming back to the conclusion that I do not like to “do” missionary “work.
I don’t like the phrase missionary “work”, it sounds like too much effort and it makes people think of something hard or something special that they need to do.
Standard of Truth. It conveys in a concise way what must be accomplished.
No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.
Who is going to help achieve this? You and your generation!
-The gospel truly changes people’s lives.
-People all over the world are seeking permanent happiness.
How can we be effective missionaries?
First: Be a missionary all your life.
Every member is a missionary.
The Prophet Joseph Smith declared, “After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel.”9
Second: Overcome feelings of hesitancy or inadequacy.
The account of the first missionary to serve outside of North America in this dispensation is inspiring.
In June of 1837, in the Kirtland Temple, the Prophet Joseph Smith whispered to Heber C. Kimball that “the Spirit of the Lord” had spoken that Heber should “go to England and proclaim my Gospel, and open the door of salvation to that nation.”10
At the time Heber C. Kimball was 36 years old. He had been a member of the Church for five years and an Apostle for two years. He had a wife and small children, and he was the first missionary called to serve
I don’t like the phrase missionary “work”, it sounds like too much effort and it makes people think of something hard or something special that they need to do.
Standard of Truth. It conveys in a concise way what must be accomplished.
No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.
Who is going to help achieve this? You and your generation!
-The gospel truly changes people’s lives.
-People all over the world are seeking permanent happiness.
How can we be effective missionaries?
First: Be a missionary all your life.
Every member is a missionary.
The Prophet Joseph Smith declared, “After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel.”9
Second: Overcome feelings of hesitancy or inadequacy.
The account of the first missionary to serve outside of North America in this dispensation is inspiring.
In June of 1837, in the Kirtland Temple, the Prophet Joseph Smith whispered to Heber C. Kimball that “the Spirit of the Lord” had spoken that Heber should “go to England and proclaim my Gospel, and open the door of salvation to that nation.”10
At the time Heber C. Kimball was 36 years old. He had been a member of the Church for five years and an Apostle for two years. He had a wife and small children, and he was the first missionary called to serve