A Few First Steps in Member-Missionary Work

I was called to serve as a ward mission leader while we still lived in Logan, Utah, in the Logan University 52nd Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On a side note, our ward was miniscule geographically.  The congregation lived in apartments within a four square block chunk of town next to the hospital.  But, given that there were a lot of married student church members there, our ward was normal-sized for meeting attendance.

Utah is kind of a tricky place for missionary work.  One tends to expect that everyone has heard of the Church in some way or another, and some residents who are not members of the Church, who have already decided that they will never want to join, can be frustrated by the continual exposure to Church culture and by the frequent attempts at proselytization.  So it's easy to expect that if one is to approach a neighbor with a message about the restored Gospel, the neighbor will know about it already and will either already be a member or will be aggravated by the message.  Truthfully, there are still quite a few people who will be glad to hear the message, but it's still a challenge to know how to approach missionary work in the area.

As a ward mission leader I had to create a ward mission plan, hold regular meetings with ward missionaries, and then actively provide guidance during Sunday meetings.  There are a few things I did that I truly felt were inspired, and which I believe still are or would be useful today.

I made the ward mission plan in three parts.  The first page was a plan for the entire ward, and it was more general.  The second page was specifically for ward missionaries, and it including activities and goals for the ward mission.  The third page was for me, and it again contained specific goals.

One of my favorite items on the plan was that ward members "3. Meet our neighbors in the immediate neighborhood and know at least their names," which would be made easier as we would "4. Sit with another family at church and know at least their names."  It's a simple thing to just know someone's name, yet it's usually a prerequisite to any other extensive conversation, especially about the Gospel.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, a reluctance to actively share the Gospel with others was seen first in members' reluctance to merely go out of their way to learn someone else's name.  As church members made this first step at church they would become more enabled to do so elsewhere.  I always felt very confident that God was pleased with this simple goal.

One action I took during church meetings, specifically during an elders' quorum meeting as I recall, was "Giving each person present a small piece of paper and instructing them to silently pray and meditate for one minute, and to write the name of someone who would be blessed if that Church member shared the Gospel with them."  The single minute of silence was invaluable for seeking the guidance of the Holy Ghost.  It was a low-pressure activity, because everyone knew that they weren't going to have to give an accounting of their thoughts to me or anyone else, and consequently people seemed to feel little or no discomfort at the exercise.  At the same time, the simple act of quiet meditation and active seeking of revelation was something I felt had become too rare for many of us.  Of course, there are many steps to be taken beyond simply writing down a person's name before that person can be brought into the Church, but again, the simple act is both a useful and largely necessary act that is frequently neglected.  I remember feeling very distinctly that I had taken a correct action as the leader of missionary work in the ward.

Last thoughts for now:
I hope to strengthen my faith.  Someday I hope to find that I've been instrumental in helping others in their personal conversion to the Gospel.  Maybe my thoughts from my old ward mission plan will be useful to others someday, but either way, I hope to always be ready to take simple first steps (and then all the remaining steps as well).

"He granteth unto men according to their desire"

A recurring message in the scriptures is "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."  (Matthew 7:7-8)  When we need something from Heavenly Father, if we ask faithfully He will give it to us.  Often, he will answer our prayers through His servants here on this earth.  Sometimes, if we are truly seeking to serve Him, we are blessed to be the instruments by which He blesses others.

I certainly hope to bless others' lives.  I believe that the most important way I can help others is by sharing the restored Gospel with them.  While it's good to serve in many ways, such as by providing food or doing physical labor, if we can share true knowledge and inspire others to live according to that truth, then for the most part they will be able to provide what they need for themselves and dedicate themselves to service as well.  So I love to testify of the restored gospel.

I find myself frustrated in my desire sometimes, though.  While I would love to declare the joyous truths of the restored gospel with everyone, that isn't how God works.  He gives to those who ask.  Or, as Alma said, "O that I were an angel[...]that I might go forth[...]with a voice to shake the earth, and[...]declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.  But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.  [...]I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire[...]yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction."  (Alma 29:1-4)

I doubt that Alma met people who intentionally sought spiritual destruction, but many who heard him definitely did choose that path through their refusal of the true gospel.  Similarly, we run into people who, while professing to live life just like anyone else, reject the glad message of the restored gospel.  Despite my great desires to share the gospel, if someone doesn't want it, I should "give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."  (Matthew 7:6, interestingly spoken by Jesus right before the passage above.)  I hesitate to call anyone "swine" or "dog", but I recognize that many will find no value in the treasures I share and will instead mock them and me.  Thus, I should reserve my great treasure for those who seek it.

I have found that even when someone asks a question about my religion they may not merit a lengthy response, depending on whether they ask with a real desire to know.  Just because someone throws out a simple question, I should not seek to provide every answer to every question.  The other day I spoke about the restored gospel for several hours with a friend, but in hindsight, I see that I was more eager to share the truths of the Restoration than he was to learn them.  The result was that, despite my testimony of the Book of Mormon, he still didn't want to read it.  Without doing so, he cannot gain a testimony for himself.  Even if he did read some of it, if he did not ponder the words and ask God "with a sincere heart, with real intent" (Moroni 10:4), he would not receive an answer from God.

Last thoughts for now:
I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone and is a joyous, wonderful thing.  I know that I should "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh [me] a reason of the hope that is in [me]".  Yet, I should guard the treasure of my testimony, and as I seek to serve God I should seek to share my testimony and knowledge only inasmuch as others truly seek it, just as "He granteth unto men according to their desire".  And like Alma, "I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me."  And, though it won't always happen at the speed I would like, measure by measure, those who listen to the voice of the Shepherd will be gathered into Zion.

A Different Testimony

I love bearing my testimony of Christ, the Chuch, the prophets, and the Book of Mormon. Aside from my "regular" testimony, I realized two things as a missionary that while not as directly spiritual are nonetheless evidence that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of God:

1. There is almost unbelievable opposition to the Church. That might not seem to indicate that the Church is good and true, but consider the opposition's viewpoint. Against whom does Satan fight? Against whom will he inspire others to fight?

2. The restored Gospel is being preached by immature 19- and 20-year-olds, and the Church is actually growing! Really, missionaries are almost kids. I know because I was one! Yeah, some are pretty mature (I thought I was, for my age), but how mature and wise can a person be at 20 years old? By all rights, such young missionaries should have crippled the Church years ago. Instead, those with "ears to hear" are baptized by the thousands.

Last thoughts for now:
These two ideas are not vital to my testimony, but they strengthen it at least to some degree. However, nothing beats the witness of the Holy Ghost.