Honor the Tradition of Missionary Work
Elder Holland urges missionaries to honor their sacred responsibility of gathering Israel in these last days. “You are under covenant; you are duty-bound to honor the tradition that missionary work holds in this church,” Elder Holland says.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles also bore his testimony at the devotional. He said we have a sacred responsibility to continue missionary work.“You may not be as talented as you’d like to be; … you may or may not have all the baptisms that you would like; there are a lot of things that you won’t be able to control,” Elder Holland said. “But there is one thing that you can control and that is that you honor the office to which you’ve been called. You honor the sacred role of missionaries in this church.
“They’re passing the baton to you. Every generation has to pass it to the next generation … until this work is finished. You are under covenant; you are duty-bound to honor the tradition that missionary work holds in this church. You’re not perfect, but you are obligated to being the best you can be in the service you’ve been called to give.
“To stand as firmly and truly and valiantly as you can, you can control that. That is within your province, to take your place in history and stand proudly and tall and straight wherever you serve in this world. … God bless you tonight and tomorrow and forever.”
The following two prophetic statements will help you understand my vision . The first comes from the prophet Alma as he taught what it was that would bring the greatest change to the people he was teaching:
"And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just--yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them--therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God." (Alma 31:5, see also Alma 49:30 for the results)
We could do many things to work at accomplishing our purposes as missionaries, but I believe and testify that the real key for each of us is to immerse ourselves and those we teach in the scriptures. While the establishment of goals and the pursuit of numbers are important, and we will continue to emphasize both, they alone will not lead us to where the Lord would have us be. As we study and ponder (not just read) the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, our minds and hearts will be more in tune with God and we will know His will, have His power, and be better able to love His people. President Ezra Taft Benson taught:
"Often we spend great effort in trying to increase the activity levels in our stakes. We work diligently to raise the percentages of those attending sacrament meetings. We labor to get a higher percentage of our young men on missions. We strive to improve the numbers of those marrying in the temple [or being baptized]. All of these are commendable efforts and important to the growth of the kingdom. But when individual members and families immerse themselves in the scriptures regularly and consistently, these other areas of activity will automatically come. Testimonies will increase. Commitment will be strengthened. Families will be fortified. Personal revelation will flow." (The Power of the Word, Ensign, May 1986, p.79)
These words from Alma and from President Benson are true for each of us, our mission, the members of the Church in the areas where we serve, our investigators, and our families.
We also read in Preach My Gospel: "While learning from a good teacher is very important it is more important for you to have meaningful learning experiences on your own. Getting good results from your study depends on having a strong desire to learn, studying with "real intent" (Moroni 10:4), "hungering and thirsting after righteousness" (Matthew 5:6), and searching for answers to your investigators' questions and concerns" (p.17).
I promise each of you that as you carefully and consistently immerse yourselves in the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, you will find greater peace and power in your life to accomplish the specific purposes for which you are serving your mission. Daily immersing yourselves in the scriptures will also set an inspired course that will bless you and your future families for the rest of your lives.
What a blessing it is for me to serve with you. I have been impressed at the degree of obedience and commitment I see. Everyone of us can repent and improve, but I am grateful for all you are doing to bless so many. When one of you succeeds we all succeed, when one of us fails we all fail. As the Apostle Paul taught, "So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (Romans 12:5). If you need to change some things, do so immediately; your weakness is our weakness. If you are doing well, thank you--- we need you to continue to be strong.
If you are not now actively studying from the Book of Mormon, please begin. If you are already immersed in the scriptures, do what I am doing and find a way to "raise the bar" and study more meaningfully. There are great challenges and wonderful opportunities just ahead and we need to be at our spiritual best to go where the Lord wants us to go.
