Farewell

Before leaving for my mission, I spoke in Church on the topic of "Preparing to Serve a Mission for Christ."

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Hello, my name is Brian Richards, and I am leaving this Tuesday two years. I will be in the Santiago, Chile Missionary Training Center for six weeks, and then serving in the Chile Rancagua mission (which is about an hour south of Santiago).

            A mission is a big commitment. Those who decide to serve a mission are basically giving 18 or 24 months of their time to God. Referring to missions, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said “That time is the Lord’s. [Missionaries] devote their skills and talents full-time to help build His kingdom. When missionaries think that way, they don’t have trouble following the mission rules.” A mission is not a vacation or social event; it is an obligation we are fulfilling to preach the gospel around the world. When we give our time to God, He will bless us with success. However, giving our time and serving a mission requires love for the gospel, Heavenly Father, all His children, and Jesus Christ.

Love for the Gospel

            A missionary’s purpose is to “invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.” When Christ visited the Nephites in The Book of Mormon, He described His gospel as follows:

Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do; (3 Nephi 27:20-21)

                                   

            To serve a mission, you must understand and love the gospel. True conversion of those you will teach comes from these basic principles outlined by Christ.

            Teaching the gospel is one of the major components of being a missionary. This could be daunting as we may feel our knowledge is inadequate to teach others. In October 2008 General Conference, Elder Neil L Andersen gave a talk entitled “You Know Enough,” and relayed the following story:

            I once visited a mission in southern Europe. I arrived on the day a new missionary was preparing to return home at his own insistence. He had his ticket to leave the next day.

            We sat together in the mission president’s home. The missionary told me about his challenging childhood, of learning disorders, of moving from one family to another. He spoke sincerely of his inability to learn a new language and adapt to a new culture. Then he added, “Brother Andersen, I don’t even know if God loves me.” As he said those words, I felt a sure and forceful feeling come into my spirit: “He does know I love him. He knows it.”

            I let him continue for a few more minutes, and then I said, “Elder, I’m sympathetic to much of what you’ve said, but I must correct you on one thing: you do know God loves you. You know He does.”

            As I said those words to him, the same Spirit that had spoken to me spoke to him. He bowed his head and began to cry. He apologized. “Brother Andersen,” he said, “I do know God loves me; I do know it.” He didn’t know everything, but he knew enough. He knew God loved him. That priceless piece of spiritual knowledge was sufficient for his doubt to be replaced with faith. He found the strength to stay on his mission.

            Brothers and sisters, we each have moments of spiritual power, moments of inspiration and revelation. We must sink them deep into the chambers of our souls. As we do, we prepare our spiritual home storage for moments of personal difficulty. Jesus said, “Settle this in your hearts, that ye will do the things which I shall teach, and command you.”

            Missionaries are not expected to know every minute detail about the gospel and the Church. You can be a missionary with whatever you know. The key to this concept is that missionaries teach, but the Holy Ghost testifies. Doctrine & Covenants 42:14 says that “the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach.” The Holy Ghost will be there to carry our messages to those we teach.

            Those preparing to serve a mission can increase their understanding of the gospel in various ways. Read scriptures daily. Pray to Heavenly Father often and develop a relationship with Him. Follow the standards of For the Strength of Youth. Study Preach My Gospel. Attend church meetings. As you do all these things and more, you will have increased knowledge and love of the gospel.

Love for Christ & the Atonement

            The gospel centers on Jesus Christ and His Atonement, so to love the gospel we must love Jesus Christ and the Atonement. Christ is our older brother, and our savior and redeemer. He understands everything we experience, as He felt all our sorrow and sin as part of the Atonement. Joseph Smith gave a powerful account of his testimony of the Atonement in DC 76:22-24:

            And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

            For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

            That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.

            Potential missionaries must use the Atonement to prepare for their missions, as you must be worthy and pure. You cannot teach someone with the Spirit to keep a certain commandment that you have not resolved within yourself. Elder Jeffry R Holland clearly states that “No missionary can be unrepentant of sexual transgression or profane language or pornographic indulgence and then expect to challenge others to repent of those very things! You can’t do that.”

            The Atonement is a complex topic, and missionaries are not expected to fully understand it. Hyrum Smith said that as you preach the gospel, “you will find that day after day new ideas and additional light concerning them will be revealed to you. You can enlarge upon them so as to comprehend them clearly. You will be able to make them so as to comprehend them clearly. You will then be able to make them more plainly understood by those [you] teach.”

            You may not understand everything about Jesus Christ and the Atonement, but you know enough. If you love Jesus Christ and recognize what He has done for you, you can testify of it through the power of the Holy Ghost as a missionary.

Love for all of God’s Children

            Missionaries are called to serve all around the world. Currently there are 406 missions and 85,147 missionaries worldwide. God loves all of His children and wants every one of us to receive his true gospel. President Ezra Taft Benson reminded us “We are commanded by God to take his gospel to all the world. That is the cause that must unite us today. Only the gospel will save the world from the calamity of its own self-destruction. Only the gospel will unite men of all races and nationalities in peace. Only the gospel will bring joy, happiness, and salvation to the human family.” This is the only way to true happiness. Legislation or worldly joy will not bring us to happiness, but God's plan always will.

            As missionaries, we are agents of our Heavenly Father to bring “peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come” (DC 59:23) to those that are “kept from the truth because they know not where to find it” (DC 123:13).

            As a missionary, you must love all the people you will serve, without prejudice. Missionaries should be able to work hard in service of others, and develop relationships with those they teach. We are God’s hands serving His children as we give our time to Him for a mission.

Love for God

            D&C 4:2 says “Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.” This week I am embarking in the service of God. A mission is a big commitment that must be carried out with all your heart, might, mind and strength, or else your duty has not been fully fulfilled.

            I know that Heavenly Father loves me. I do not know everything, and I can’t say I’ve had profound experiences concerning every aspect of the gospel, but I do know that God loves me. And I love Him, and want to fulfill this duty to Him. God literally is our father, and always wants the best for us. He is always available via prayer. If you just turn to Him, He will bless you more than you could ever imagine or achieve on your own.

            I know that God loves me. I want to serve Him and fulfill my duties. I know that this Church is true, and that Jesus Christ died for us so that we may achieve true happiness. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.