"God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called."
Making the Most of Your Mission—John D. Whetten
1. What Makes a Great Missionary?
Your mission, like every mission, has successful missionaries. These missionaries change lives because they have followed certain principles and gained certain attributes. As you learn and follow the principles of effective missionary work, you too will become a successful missionary.
These principles include dedication, seek to be led by the Spirit, effective teaching, develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and have a Christ-like character.
Do not compare yourself to other missionaries. Instead, emulate the example of the Savior’s greatest missionaries, Paul, Nephi, Alma, and the sons of Mosiah.
2. Catch the Vision of Your Calling
Missionaries frequently experience a great change during their mission. This mighty change will come when you suddenly become aware of : 1) the eternal importance of your calling, 2)why you are on a mission, 3)the eternal effect of you message on others, and 4)the spiritual power available to help you succeed. This perspective of your mission is something you do not inherit; you have to work extremely hard to receive it. The degree to which you achieve this-not the office you hold- will determine the success of your mission.
D&C 15:6, D&C 18:10, 15-16
Missionary work is so important that in the premortal existence which who was to serve as a missionary was foreordained to that calling. This gives new incentive and responsibility to a call from the prophet to modern-day missionaries. Not only do they have the calling and authority from the prophet, but also from the grand council of heaven!
D&C 4, D&C 61:34,
One of the reasons you go on a mission, is to gain a spiritual conviction and to begin achieving your salvation. Second reason is to learn to live by the Spirit. You will then be better able to make inspired decisions concerning a profession, selection of a spouse, and other matters throughout your life. No better time will come to learn to live by the Spirit than during your mission. You will reap the benefits of this knowledge throughout your life.
You also go on a mission to be molded by the Spirit of the Lord, and be an emissary of Jesus Christ in teaching his gospel to others. You are an ambassador of God blessed with his power and sent forth with his promises. You are an emissary of Jesus Christ and bring the message to others of peace and goodwill toward men and women. Pres. Joseph Fielding Smith said, ‘We are all called to raise the warning voice to invite men to forsake the world, and to come unto Christ and gain all of the blessings of the Gospel.’(Improvement Era, Sept. 1970 pg13)
Your message will have an eternal effect on the lives of those you teach. Through you , people can know that a prophet is here upon the earth speaking the words of God, that the authority of the apostles has been restored, and that a father can hold the authority of God to bless his family.
Your calling is the opportunity to help Father bring back his children into the fold. Your calling is a partnership with God; D&C 84:88-89. You will need to rely upon your knowledge of the spiritual power available to help you succeed. You are not alone. There are those of the priesthood in heaven who help bring about this great missionary work. Herold B Lee commented, ‘There is a tremendous spirit here this afternoon that I feel- now if you will keep it. The Lord is sending his angels to watch over you and guide you, if you’ll only put yourself in the way of listening and being prepared when the spirit comes.’ (Church News, Nov 23, 1963, p5)
Keys to Missionary Work
by David Ren Jenkins
1) Develop a deep gratitude for what the Gospel of Jesus Christ has done in your life such that it is consciously in the forefront of your mind throughout your day. (In other words, you think about it constantly.)
2) Perfect your love of others and your desire to see them blessed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This, too, must be consciously in the forefront of your mind throughout your day. Soften your heart through scripture reading, prayer, and fasting, but DOING it is what matters. If you so choose, ‘take it upon yourself’ to share the word of God ‘all the remainder of your days’. Read and pray about Helaman 5:4. Also come up with a list of scriptures that inspire you to do missionary work, such as D&C 4, Alma 36:24, D&C 60:2, Mosiah 28:3. etc. Read and ponder them DAILY. If you do not do this daily, it will just be something you think about occasionally, but never do!
3) Care more about others than what others think of you. D&C 60:2
4) ‘One is all that matters’. One person. One soul is all that matters in all of God’s creation. Learn to love ‘the one’ enough to share everywhere, for every person you ever meet means everything to God.
5) Be ready for you greatest fear. My greatest fear is that someone will yell at me and treat me rudely. I am ready for that fear. If someone does yell at me or treat me rudely, then (inside my mind) I say, ‘Yes! I did it! I talked to them!’It doesn’t matter what they say. I am not after an answer of ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I am after a ‘way of life’ of sharing, and each time I share, it will be so much easier next time. Sharing the gospel is about getting yourself to do it, over and over, in the moment and getting used to that.
6) Don’t base your self-worth, or any judgment at all on what they say. Many people share the gospel and are so scared that the person might say ‘no’. IT IS OKAY IF THEY DO, as a matter of fact it is their right. When people feel it is okay for them, either way, they feel comfortable and will make a decision based on their heart instead of on ‘not wanting to hurt your feelings’. This way they can feel the Spirit.
7) Tell people what it means to you. Don’t try and convince them of anything through scriptural rhetoric and proof. Tell them what it has done for you (they can’t argue with that) and the Spirit will manifest the truth of it unto them.
8) If you feel comfortable, they feel comfortable.
9) The first thought is the Spirit saying, ‘Go talk to that person’. The second thought is just you talking yourself out of it. Learn to recognize this! You can always give yourself ‘great reasons’ no to do anything (and you will find them!) Learn to talk yourself INTO it all day long.
10) When the Lord knows you will talk to people, he will bring them out of their way. This is a very important key. When you are willing and ready to talk to people (and maybe even pray and say, ‘Heavenly Father, please put people in my path today who are ready and I will talk to them.’) the Lord will drag them out of their way to meet you. When He drags them out of their way to bump into you and you just say, ‘Excuse me,’ and keep going, then He will be reluctant to do it again.
11) Never condemn someone to saying ‘No’. You can never tell if someone will say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. The person you are sure would say ‘yes’, may not be interested at all, and the person you thought would say ‘no’, may voraciously wish to hear the message. Never condemn someone to saying ‘no’ by not giving them the gift of choice. Let them decide.
12) Share because you love them. They will feel when you are speaking to them for this reason.
13) Allow the goodness of the Spirit to flow within you as you speak. You have so much ‘goodness’ inside, especially regarding the gospel. Allow it to animate you and your smile as you share the gospel.
14) Know the strength of your message in the moment you share it. In other words, ’No Stinky Rag’. If in the moment you share, you doubt anything about your message, yourself, or that the person may not want to talk to you, they will feel it. In the moment you speak, you must know the power of your message and the truth of it.
15) Be conscious of where the other person is at, and follow the Spirit. When called upon, bear a powerful testimony about the truth of this message. But if you feel inspired, be conscious that they might need something different. Telling them this is ‘the one true church’, when they don’t believe there is a true church, may be like telling them, ‘This is the one true yogurt and you must eat only this kind’. The Spirit will let you know, but be ready to witness the truth, powerfully, at all times and in all places (Mosiah 18:8-9).
16) When they feel the Spirit, invite them to make a commitment (go to church, etc.). The Church spent a lot of money researching how people become converted. They found that when people feel the Spirit, and are asked to make a commitment, then they keep it, that is how they are converted. The key here is to always ask, but especially ask if they feel the Spirit. That is a key moment.
17) If the Lord knows you will talk to people, he will drag them out of their way. When you are willing to talk to people everywhere, the Lord will set up opportunities.
18) Train your mind to be a ‘Missionary Mind’. Train yourself to consciously see missionary opportunities everywhere, and you act on them.
It is my prayer you will learn to overcome your fear and share, and make a difference in the lives of others constantly. The gospel is true, and not only true but so important. It can change the heart of any man or woman and return them to who they are as a child of God. It is my prayer we will do so, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen- Brother David Jenkins
A WORD FOR THE HESITANT MISSIONARY
Disciples of Jesus Christ have always been under the obligation to take His gospel to the world (see Mark 16:15–16). Nevertheless, sometimes it is difficult to open our mouths and speak about our faith to those around us. While some members of the Church have a natural gift for talking to others about religion, others are a little hesitant or may feel awkward, embarrassed, or even fearful of doing so.
To that end, may I suggest four things that anyone can do to follow the commission of the Savior to preach the gospel “unto every creature” (D&C 58:64).
BE A LIGHT
A favorite saying of mine often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi reads, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.”1 Implicit in this saying is the understanding that often the most powerful sermons are unspoken.
When we have integrity and live consistently by our standards, people notice. When we radiate joy and happiness, they notice even more.
Everyone wants to be happy. When we members of the Church radiate the light of the gospel, people can see our happiness and sense the love of God filling and overflowing in our lives. They want to know why. They want to understand our secret.
That leads them to ask questions such as “Why are you so happy?” or “Why do you always have such a positive attitude?” The answers to these questions, of course, lead perfectly into a conversation about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
BE CONVERSATIONAL
Bringing up the subject of religion—particularly to our friends and loved ones—can seem daunting and challenging. It doesn’t have to be. Mentioning spiritual experiences or talking about Church activities or events in casual conversation can be easy and pleasant if we invest a little courage and common sense.
My wife, Harriet, is a wonderful example of this. When we were living in Germany, she would find a way to work Church-related topics into her conversations with friends and acquaintances. For example, when someone asked about her weekend, she would say, “This Sunday we had an impressive experience in our church! A 16-year-old young man gave a beautiful talk in front of 200 people of our congregation about living a clean life.” Or, “I learned about a 90-year-old woman who knitted more than 500 blankets and gave them to our Church’s humanitarian program to be shipped to people in need all around the world.”
More often than not, the people who heard this wanted to know more. They asked questions. And that led to opportunities to talk about the gospel in a natural, confident, nonpushy way.
With the advent of the Internet and social media, it is easier today to talk about these things in a conversational way than ever before. What we need is simply the courage to do so.
BE FULL OF GRACE
Unfortunately, it is so easy to be disagreeable. It happens too often that we argue, belittle, and condemn. When we become angry, rude, or hurtful with people, the last thing they want is to learn more about us. It is impossible to know how many people have either left the Church or never joined because someone said something that hurt or offended them.
There is so much incivility in the world today. Because of the anonymity of the Internet, it is easier than ever to say toxic or grating things online. Shouldn’t we, the hopeful disciples of our gentle Christ, have a higher, more charitable standard? The scriptures teach, “Let your speech be alway[s] with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6).
I like the idea of our words being clear as a sunny sky and full of grace. Can you imagine what our families, wards, nations, and even the world would be like if we could adopt this simple principle?
BE FILLED WITH FAITH
Sometimes we take upon ourselves too much credit or too much blame when it comes to others accepting the gospel. It’s important to remember that the Lord doesn’t expect us to do the converting.
Conversion comes not through our words but through the heavenly ministrations of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes all it takes is one single phrase of our testimony or about an experience to set in motion the softening of a heart or the opening of a door that can lead others to experience sublime truths through the promptings of the Spirit.
President Brigham Young (1801–77) said he knew the gospel was true when he “saw a man without eloquence, or talents for public speaking, who could only say, ‘I know, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that theBook of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of the Lord.’” President Young said when he heard that humble testimony, “The Holy Ghost proceeding from that individual illuminate[d] my understanding, and light, glory, and immortality [were] before me.”2
Brothers and sisters, have faith. The Lord can magnify the words you speak and make them mighty. God doesn’t ask you to convert but rather to open your mouths. The task of converting is not yours—that belongs to the person hearing and to the Holy Spirit.
EVERY MEMBER A MISSIONARY
My dear friends, today there are more ways than ever for us to open our mouths and share with others the joyful news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is a way for everyone—even the hesitant missionary—to participate in this great work. We can each find a way to use our own particular talents and interests in support of the great work of filling the world with light and truth. As we do so, we will find the joy that comes to those who are faithful and courageous enough “to stand as witnesses of God at all times” (Mosiah 18:9).
TEACHING FROM THIS MESSAGE
One effective way to teach is to “encourage those you teach to set … goals that can help them live the principle you have taught” (Teaching, No Greater Call [1999], 159). Consider inviting those you teach to prayerfully set a goal to share the gospel with one or more people this month. Parents can discuss ways younger children could help. You could also help familymembers brainstorm or role-play ways to bring up the gospel in regular conversation and think of upcoming Church activities to which they could invite a friend.
-Preach My Gospel Chapter one "A Successful Missionary", and don’t forget the “remember this”
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