“How to prepare for being a good missionary,” from Lds Chat
The magazine of the Church have asked Mr. Russell Ballard, of the College of the Twelve Apostles, how a young person can prepare to make a full-time mission and what are the blessings that flow from service.
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Why the Church Does every young man worthy of a mission?
The Lord has not given more responsibility to his people that to share the Gospel to the children of our heavenly Father. Missionaries people out of the darkness of the world and lead them in safety and light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Find, teach, baptize and confirm someone who has never paid much attention to God or to Christ and his atoning sacrifice, is one of the greatest services that can make a holder of the priesthood.
We know the purpose of life. The rest of the world does not know it. It is for every young man to prepare to report this message to the world. It is a fascinating work.
And girls? What is their liability?
A full-time mission is ideal for a young girl if she wants to do and it is worthy. The priesthood is for young people who hold the obligation to carry the message of recovery in the world. Girls are invited to take part in missionary work as far as their situation allows. If they have plans to marry, they prevail because it is a great call. But girls who are able to work are great missionaries. They teach well, they have compassion for others and they agree particularly well with women. I do not think there is a mission in the world where the mission president would be delighted to have more sister missionaries.
What is the best way for a young man and a young girl preparing for a mission?
The key is attitude. A young person needs to engage in good time to do a mission. So when older and begin to meet certain temptations of the world, there will be less likely to enter his heart or his mind. It will resist the temptation because it will become a servant of the Lord. If he lives in a home where we proclaimed the Gospel, it is a help. The missionary spirit is generated in a home where parents and children are mutually share the Gospel.
I tell new missionaries that they should have in mind that the ten-eight or twenty-four months of their mission does not belong. It’s the Lord. The missionaries will devote their expertise and talents full time to building his kingdom. When a missionary and think he has no trouble following the rules of the mission. He had no objection to the advice of the President of Mission, directives to preach my gospel and the advice of General Authorities. It adheres to this advice because he does not waste a single minute of the Lord.
What is a future missionary can do to prepare?
Missionaries need to understand the doctrine and how to proclaim it. One can not extract water from a bucket empty. When a missionary knows the Gospel and how to teach, he does nothing else. He knows he can teach anyone, anytime, in all situations, in his own words accompanied by the power of the Spirit. He has confidence in him and has an inner strength. This kind of preparation gives great strength.
For this reason, I invite every man and every young girl to know Preach my Gospel. Young people have an obligation to learn and understand for themselves the doctrine of the Restoration. This preparation is equally important for a girl than a boy. A young girl marries or perform a task full time, the Gospel must act in his life.
Young people must know what is missionary work. It will be useful to help the missionaries if possible and get used to the work.
I also invite young people to study and follow the directives of Young, Be strong. A missionary must be morally pure and spiritually ready. If he lives the principles of Young, be strong, it will be spiritually ready to become a missionary.
What about physical preparation, financial and emotional?
Missionaries must be autonomous. Young people must learn to take charge and not to depend on their mother or their father.
They must be able to cope with the physical demands of missionary work. They should control their weight and be physically fit. The use of the missionary’s daily schedule includes an exercise program of thirty minutes. Fitness increases the mental faculties.
Prospective missionaries must learn to work. They must have a job and save money for their mission. Every mission president will agree with me that a missionary who worked, saved and helped to partially or fully pay its mission is better prepared. Working and saving for a mission is, in a young man and a young girl, the enthusiasm for the service and a sense of value of work. The missionary work is a lot of things but above all the work!
Working for his mission and be responsible for oneself also helps the young man and young girl on an emotional level. They know intimately that they can succeed regardless of where they are sent, whatever the situation. They know they are strong enough to cope with anything in a world less and less interested in the things of God. We need missionaries who have such confidence in them.
And learning a foreign language?
Most secondary schools require foreign language learning and students must work hard to achieve. Perhaps he learned Spanish and will be sent to Taiwan, but it is not serious. It is the discipline that takes learning to learn is important. After learning a foreign language, it will be easier to learn the language of the people of the mission in which they are called.
Decides how does one call this?
First the bishop or branch president gave an interview with the young man or young girl and made a recommendation. Then the president of the stake or mission an interview with the person. Most applications are sent by email to the headquarters of the Church. A picture is attached to the application. When the application arrives, a member of the twelve apostles look at the photo and carefully examine the future attitude of the missionary as indicated by the ratio of local leaders of the priesthood, scores of young and expressed any desire to learn a language. The apostle also examines the needs of 344 missions around the world and then receives a spiritual impression about where the missionary is working. Everything is done under the direction of the President of the Church, and the call comes from him.
Why some missionaries are called to work in their own country?
I assure you that the calls are a matter of revelation! The missionaries working at the place where the Lord wants them to do so. We need good and able missionaries in all missions. Take for example a young man, brilliant student, residing in Virginia, United States. He opened his mission call and is shocked to learn that he is sent to Salt Lake City. But shortly after, he knows precisely why the Lord has called to work there.
What would you say to a young person who feels, for one reason or another, it lacks the qualities necessary for a mission?
In 2002, we set the bar missionary service above. This means that what is required to be a worthy missionary must be understood and experienced by early youth. They must avoid the evils of the world. Of course, repentance is possible and is a great blessing. But those who stumble must repent truly and completely and this can take time. The authorization of the First Presidency may well be necessary before they can serve. The fact that the bar has been raised does not exclude anyone, it takes just a deeper repentance, sometimes very difficult. I beg the young people not to do so! Save that! Just remain worthy to serve.
Now there are young people who do not consider themselves worthy of serving or unable to do so, despite what they told their bishop or branch president. But here’s the reality: the leaders of the priesthood have the keys to support the bid. If the priesthood leaders indicate that a person is worthy and that is called, it must be faith in the appeal and serve the Lord in confidence that she is worthy and capable.
How does a missionary he receives the spiritual strength they need to succeed?
When a missionary comes within his field of work, it generally lacks confidence in him. We then met with good companions, and they teach him how to perform missionary work. Within a few months it is filled with the Spirit. It is filled with joy that we receive when you bring souls to Christ. He understands that helps our Heavenly Father and Savior in the great work of redemption. When he realizes this, it is full of enthusiasm.
This force arises from obedience, dedication, effort and enthusiasm. If not obedient, it does not work hard and not doing its best every day, it will not have the same influence as that which radiates the Spirit of the Gospel.
You know, I often wonder at the new converts when they knew for the first time that the Church is true. They often respond: “I knew that the Church is true when I was educated by missionaries, I felt the power of their faith and I saw the brightness of their faces. If you are not actively engaged and you n’œuvrez not with zeal, the Spirit will not be carrying in your missionary service as it would if you were.
What blessings derived from missionary service?
A dedicated missionary who does his best, draws lessons just as important if not more important, that all he can learn at university. I’ll give you an example. A missionary learns to connect with people, talk to them and help them. It is intended to be a doctor, lawyer, merchant or otherwise, his ability to communicate with others can determine its success or failure professional.
A second great blessing is that a missionary becomes doctrinally rooted in the reality of the atonement. It acquires a love and commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ to be a blessing for him and some family in mortality and in eternity. We learn most when we educate someone else. And that is what a missionary. He internalizes the doctrine and reality of the atonement. And it will be a blessing for him in all future appeals in the Church.
Another great blessing is that reaching out to help and bring in the light of the Gospel of the families wandering in the darkness, missionaries see things they do not want in their own lives. Experience better defines the values they want to follow the kind of family they want, how they want to educate their children, and the goals they need to set a right to have promises of blessings temple. The mission is the largest education in the world.
As you know, President Hinckley has said many times that his mission was the foundation of his life dedicated to service. He credits his mission on the merit of having put on the path that led him to lead the Church. I think you’ll agree with me that the fact perfectly.
We are at a moment in the history of the Church where young men and young girls around the world must stand up and do a mission. They should not assume that there are enough young people in the United States to do everything the Lord requires. He needs that the youth of the Church, wherever it is established, are preparing to bring souls. If they do, they will be a blessing to the world and attract the blessings of heaven for them and their families, forever and ever.
And if you can not make a full-time mission?
The young men and women who have a mental disability, physical or serious emotional service is provided to full-time missionary. They should not feel guilty. They have the same value and equal importance for the Church if they were on official business.
N’œuvrent even if not full time, they can take every opportunity to find and help people enter the Church. They may be members of missionaries to the university, at work and in their neighborhood. They must go ahead, have a rich and wonderful life, and help build the Kingdom where they are. The apostles who are working today are not all able to make a full-time mission in their youth, because in another, some had to do their military service. For against all they have been involved in missionary work. They have led people in the Church.
It is called upon the leaders of the priesthood to help all young men and young girls, faithful and just and to serve. For example, they can assist the bishop being missionary parish. They can work at the store of the bishop. If they live near a temple, they can serve in many ways. The leaders of the priesthood must simply think of ways and implement them.