I have yet to find a book that contains what I feel is the greatest advice to share with someone going on a mission. Of course you can’t share everything but some things just tend to stand out a bit more than others. A big reason why I loved my mission so much is because of the happiness and success that these experiences brought to me and my companions on my mission. The teachings aren’t anything new but principles and doctrines of the gospel that you have probably heard before. Some of the principles are very standard but often overlooked because we have been taught these truths for so long and because of that I can understand why someone would call this simple. The difference is that you’ve probably never looked at these principles in this way. To me, the difference with the things that I’m going to share is that they are difference makers; they helped determine the outcome of my mission. You’re not just a member of the Church anymore so you need to change your mindset and your attitude. Begin thinking as a missionary and begin seeing as a missionary and those that seriously apply these principles will not only understand how complete the gospel is but how openly rewarding it can be as well. This work is powerful and is the most important work on the earth. Up to this point in your life you probably have never felt the true happiness and success that can be had as a missionary, take advantage of it and you will enjoy it for the rest of your life.
- Chapter 1 -
Doctrine and Covenants 82:10 – “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.”
Be obedient. There is nothing more important to say than that. If I were to only say one thing it would be this. My mission president always taught us this scripture. It contains an amazing promise that I have found to be more rewarding than I ever could have realized.
Remember to think and look at this like a missionary. There are new rules that you will only have to obey while as a missionary. There will be additional rules from your president. It doesn’t matter how small they are, obey all of them and these small rules will make a big difference. Perfect yourself in obedience. Seek out commandments and rules or ways that you can be more obedient. You have one goal as a missionary and that is to know and do what the Lord would have you do. The more you seek to be worthy of the spirit the more it will be with you. I promise you that the Lord will bless you more abundantly if you will bind him through your obedience. Don’t be overly strict but do your best, be flexible and have fun.
Happiness is linked to obedience and if you follow this you will be surprised at how much fun you will have being obedient and by finding more ways to obey. The blessings that the Lord gives you will motivate you to continue finding ways to be more obedient.
Of course there will be hard times. Times that may make you feel alone or stranded from the Lord but don’t give up no matter how long the trial. The blessings will come in many forms and maybe not in the way that you’re looking for them. This is His work and the Lord will do it His way and in His time.
You may have companions that won’t be too excited about this and some will find you strange. They will eventually convert and conform to these ways when they see the continued happiness and love that they see in you because you can’t help but be happy from that inner peace knowing perfectly well that you have done all that you can do. Keep the work in the Lord’s hands, never take it over. Never worry and never fear because both are a sign that you lack faith. Be humble but you must be confident that the Lord will make you capable at all times through the power of obedience. If you are obedient everything will come to pass according to God’s will. Obedience is synonymous with power.
- Chapter 2 -
Don’t ever try to change your companion, it won’t work. Never give up and pray that you’ll be a better companion no matter how bad off they can be. No one will be transferred out until you learn to work things out. I am so grateful for the things that my companions and I had to work out because of the strength that it gave me of learning how to deal with difficult situations and people. Take advantage of the opportunity to learn and grow from every experience or situation that you find yourself in. Now is the time to learn. You must have unity in your companionships in order to work with the spirit and if you don’t have the spirit sit down and work things out. One of the best things I ever did was have companionship inventory every week even when we may not have needed it and sometimes more often when it was necessary. If it takes all day (let your leader know) let it take all day.
- Chapter 3 -
Work! Be willing to do whatever it takes. Get out of your shell if you have one and open your mouth. Several times I didn’t know what needed to be said but once I opened my mouth and began talking the right words came. Work with members and when you need more work knock doors, conduct surveys, have large group meetings inside and outside, talk to people in the street and in the stores, talk to all those you interact with, pass out pamphlets and the proclamation, get on a soap box on a street, open your mouth, be out working and teach the Book of Mormon.
Teach both halves of the Book of Mormon. Many teach how it will bring people unto Christ but most forget that it is to teach us how to be part of the covenant that the Lord made with Abraham. Both are important to teach to investigators. The latter helps people understand why they need to be a covenant people with the Lord.
Plan morning and night with prayer. Use your area book and most importantly use the members. Take them with you as often as you can to do any type of work. You especially want them to come with you when you’re teaching.
The best way to find people is through member referrals. In my mission we found that at least a third of the referrals resulted in baptism. Create a unity with your ward or branch and especially with its leaders. Members never realize they have people to refer to you that are ready to hear the gospel. As a missionary you know what types of people and what types of situations prepare God’s children to be more susceptible to His gospel. The best way that I’ve heard of getting member referrals is to ask the members about their friends, relatives, acquaintances and neighbors finding out what’s going on in the above mentioned people’s lives. When you hear mention of a situation like a trial or something else that could be humbling to someone ask the member if you can visit this person and if you can tell their friend that the member sent you. The member still probably won’t realize that they just gave you a referral.
- Chapter 4 -
Study and learn how the scriptures teach us how to pray and receive revelation. Pray hard, be patient and always have the spirit with you. Study and obtain as many Christian attributes as possible. This can all be expounded into pages and pages but it is more important that you study them thoroughly for yourself. Study the doctrine and principles of the gospel in depth and know the difference between doctrines and principles.
There is something to learn from every situation and from every person you come across. Learn from all of them no matter how bad the situation or how bad the person that you have found. Wise people learn from others, they’re always paying attention to their environment. I believe it was Yogi Berra who said something along the lines of, “You can observe a lot by watching.”
If you had a family member that wasn’t a member of the church would you be sad and have a great desire to share the gospel with them? Of course, and the reason is because you love them. Do you see why the Lord tells us to love everyone? If we really loved everyone like we are supposed to we would be sharing the gospel more with those who are not in our family. Love the people. Even the people you have never met will be able to tell if you love them. This is the time to mature spiritually and loving others is one of the best ways to do it.
Testify! It’s what you’re there to do. Testify by saying, “I testify…, I know…, etc.” Be bold and confident when testifying.
- Chapter 5 -
Welcome to the bulk of my message.
If you have never shared the Book of Mormon before and seen someone gain a testimony of it you have no idea how powerful this book will be on your mission. Your life will continue to change because of its power and you will constantly see others lives change from it as well. This is the best teaching advice that I can give you and you’ll be able to carry it with you well throughout your life, even after your mission.
In the very first chapter of the book the prophet Lehi teaches us a crucial principle in one short sentence. Verse 12 says, “And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord.” I’ve never been taught so simply as to how to get the spirit and I have a testimony that it works.
A missionary’s goal is to baptize and convert God’s children. This is done by the missionary teaching others how to feel and recognize the spirit. The spirit will testify to the investigator of the truthfulness of the gospel. Lehi teaches us that we need to read the scriptures in order to obtain that spirit. If the people that the missionaries are teaching read the Book of Mormon they will be able to feel the spirit according to what Lehi has taught us. Will everyone who reads the Book of Mormon feel the spirit and gain a testimony of it? The answer is no but is it up to the individual to feel the spirit? Yes. Moroni explains the answers to these two questions. There are qualifications that we must meet in order for the Lord to allow us to feel that spirit so that we can know the truth. I have never seen these upcoming verses taught in the way that I am going to share them with you. Learning to teach these verses in this way was one of the greatest things I learned on my mission.
Moroni 10:3-5. Three powerful verses loaded with very important principles. How you teach these verses can determine your success as a missionary. Verse 3 – “Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.”
What do we learn in verse three? We learn that we should not only remember but to ponder in our hearts how merciful the Lord has been to us (all men) down to this very moment, the moment of you receiving and reading these words. Moroni is speaking of the very moment when someone is receiving and reading these words.
We as members of the church already know from past experiences what will happen if we ponder the mercy of God in our hearts. With that being the case, what will be happening to your investigators if they are pondering in their hearts the mercy of God? You may need to teach them what mercy is because some do not understand the term correctly. Moroni has helped you prepare your investigators to be more susceptible to feeling the spirit by dwelling on the things of God in their hearts. Teach the people how to apply the principle found in verse three. Too many people don’t teach verse three and move too quickly to verse four.
Verse 4 - And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
This verse is loaded with critical principles on how to receive revelation. We first learn how to know the things of god. We should ask in the name of Jesus Christ to our Heavenly Father if these things are not true. What amazing sense this makes to only ask God to know if things regarding God are true. It is interesting that Moroni teaches us to ask if these things are not true, he does not teach to ask if they are true. We must be believing. He teaches with confidence and without doubt that these words are truly of God.
The second principle taught is if you want to be qualified to receive an answer from God you must have a sincere heart, real intent, having faith in Christ. Teaching these three enabling qualifiers is crucial and I can’t emphasize it enough. The more you teach these three characteristics plainly and boldly it will bring you much success in helping others obtain a testimony. This is because your investigator will know clearly what they must do in order for God to tell them that the Book of Mormon is true. This is one of the most important things that your investigator will learn in their life, how man and God communicate successfully with each other. What is a sincere heart? What does real intent mean? How does someone have faith in Christ? A sincere heart means that you deeply desire to know the truth. It means that you are submissive to God and that you have no intentions of manipulating God, the Spirit, or the situation.
Real intent is that you are willing to act by not only believing and recognizing the truth but that you would do something about it. If the investigator has previously made up his mind that he would never act to the point of joining the church through baptism then why would the Lord reveal the truth unto him? Teach that it means the investigator would be baptized if God told him that The Book of Mormon is true. The truth ladder says that if the Book of Mormon is true then Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God, which means the Church that he restored is true and it is Jesus Christ’s church. The spirit will often prompt for a baptismal challenge at this point. I love teaching this part of the promise.
I also love hearing investigators sharing their testimonies of Jesus Christ with me. Most people already do have faith in Christ and most need a little guidance with it. Too many people in this world don’t realize the power that is within that faith. Ask them if they believe Jesus is the Christ and then ask them why. Share your testimony but don’t make yourself sound more intelligent than them. Keep it simple and pure. Then ask them if they believe that through him and because of him they can receive revelation from the Father. The spirit can be very strong while teaching faith in Christ.
The third principle that we learn is that the answer will come through the power of the Holy Ghost. We must teach what this means in order to help the many who aren’t familiar with the ways of the spirit to receive an answer. Granted verse five helps the readers identify this principle but remember not everyone knows who or what the Spirit is and how He works.
Verse 5 - And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
Teach them how to feel the spirit and what it is. Many do not believe in the same Holy Ghost or Godhead as we do. Teach them what the spirit represents and its fruits. Help them understand what is taught in the sixth section of the Doctrine and Covenants on how the spirit can speak to your mind and to your heart. Always try to identify the spirit. You will know when they can feel it.
When the discussion is over and when you leave the investigators house you will feel confident that they will know what God requires of them to know what you have taught is true. You will know how the follow up visit will be. You will be able to tell by their response to your teaching. Let agency run its course and come back and challenge them to baptism in your follow up visit if you didn’t do so already in the first visit while teaching real intent or at another point where the spirit prompted.
Now what happens when you come back for a follow up visit and they haven’t received a testimony of the Book of Mormon? Ask them if they have read. Ask them if they have prayed. If they said no there is no point to continue teaching new doctrines and principles of the restoration if they haven’t done so. Help them to commit again to reading and prayer. Whether they have read and prayed help them again to understand Moroni’s promise and teach it again just like before. Ask them if there is something in their life that would offend God and the Spirit from testifying to them. You will discover the problem when you use the commitment pattern successfully. The commitment pattern works every time, perfect yourself in it.
Earlier I mentioned that this promise can be applied to members of the church and not just to investigators. Think now as a member as if this promise was for current members of the church. These are true principles and are still true in all prayers. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This method works in all prayers. All you have to do is teach yourself Moroni’s promise by simply adapting to a different situation.
If you want to know the Lord’s will regarding a certain issue or if you need an answer to a question ask yourself if you are applying the principles taught in the promise. Have you prepared yourself spiritually to be in the presence of God? Prepare your heart by pondering or by doing something else that is inviting to the spirit. Do you have a sincere heart in regards to what you are praying for? Are you really prepared to act upon whatever it is that the Lord tells you whether or not it is aligned with your will? How is your faith in Christ? Finally, are you familiar with how the spirit works and how it works with you personally? Praying like this will change the way you approach your Father in Heaven when it comes to making requests and asking for blessings.
So this is what stands out in my mind from my mission. Work hard and please the Lord, it may sound simple but it is hard and it takes discipline. There may be times when you won’t know why you are learning something but somewhere down the road, maybe after your mission even, you’ll be given an opportunity to apply what you learned. If I can leave a P.S. it would be to never speak ill or say anything that isn’t positive of your mission president, especially the second one if you get two. There is always more than one way to get the job done and remember not everyone may have a testimony like you do to be out there on a mission. Rely upon that testimony often. It will be very helpful to you at times and be patient and helpful to those without it. This is the time to perfect yourself in the gospel. And remember, all this work is done because Jesus is the Christ and because he lives.
- Chapter 1 -
Doctrine and Covenants 82:10 – “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.”
Be obedient. There is nothing more important to say than that. If I were to only say one thing it would be this. My mission president always taught us this scripture. It contains an amazing promise that I have found to be more rewarding than I ever could have realized.
Remember to think and look at this like a missionary. There are new rules that you will only have to obey while as a missionary. There will be additional rules from your president. It doesn’t matter how small they are, obey all of them and these small rules will make a big difference. Perfect yourself in obedience. Seek out commandments and rules or ways that you can be more obedient. You have one goal as a missionary and that is to know and do what the Lord would have you do. The more you seek to be worthy of the spirit the more it will be with you. I promise you that the Lord will bless you more abundantly if you will bind him through your obedience. Don’t be overly strict but do your best, be flexible and have fun.
Happiness is linked to obedience and if you follow this you will be surprised at how much fun you will have being obedient and by finding more ways to obey. The blessings that the Lord gives you will motivate you to continue finding ways to be more obedient.
Of course there will be hard times. Times that may make you feel alone or stranded from the Lord but don’t give up no matter how long the trial. The blessings will come in many forms and maybe not in the way that you’re looking for them. This is His work and the Lord will do it His way and in His time.
You may have companions that won’t be too excited about this and some will find you strange. They will eventually convert and conform to these ways when they see the continued happiness and love that they see in you because you can’t help but be happy from that inner peace knowing perfectly well that you have done all that you can do. Keep the work in the Lord’s hands, never take it over. Never worry and never fear because both are a sign that you lack faith. Be humble but you must be confident that the Lord will make you capable at all times through the power of obedience. If you are obedient everything will come to pass according to God’s will. Obedience is synonymous with power.
- Chapter 2 -
Don’t ever try to change your companion, it won’t work. Never give up and pray that you’ll be a better companion no matter how bad off they can be. No one will be transferred out until you learn to work things out. I am so grateful for the things that my companions and I had to work out because of the strength that it gave me of learning how to deal with difficult situations and people. Take advantage of the opportunity to learn and grow from every experience or situation that you find yourself in. Now is the time to learn. You must have unity in your companionships in order to work with the spirit and if you don’t have the spirit sit down and work things out. One of the best things I ever did was have companionship inventory every week even when we may not have needed it and sometimes more often when it was necessary. If it takes all day (let your leader know) let it take all day.
- Chapter 3 -
Work! Be willing to do whatever it takes. Get out of your shell if you have one and open your mouth. Several times I didn’t know what needed to be said but once I opened my mouth and began talking the right words came. Work with members and when you need more work knock doors, conduct surveys, have large group meetings inside and outside, talk to people in the street and in the stores, talk to all those you interact with, pass out pamphlets and the proclamation, get on a soap box on a street, open your mouth, be out working and teach the Book of Mormon.
Teach both halves of the Book of Mormon. Many teach how it will bring people unto Christ but most forget that it is to teach us how to be part of the covenant that the Lord made with Abraham. Both are important to teach to investigators. The latter helps people understand why they need to be a covenant people with the Lord.
Plan morning and night with prayer. Use your area book and most importantly use the members. Take them with you as often as you can to do any type of work. You especially want them to come with you when you’re teaching.
The best way to find people is through member referrals. In my mission we found that at least a third of the referrals resulted in baptism. Create a unity with your ward or branch and especially with its leaders. Members never realize they have people to refer to you that are ready to hear the gospel. As a missionary you know what types of people and what types of situations prepare God’s children to be more susceptible to His gospel. The best way that I’ve heard of getting member referrals is to ask the members about their friends, relatives, acquaintances and neighbors finding out what’s going on in the above mentioned people’s lives. When you hear mention of a situation like a trial or something else that could be humbling to someone ask the member if you can visit this person and if you can tell their friend that the member sent you. The member still probably won’t realize that they just gave you a referral.
- Chapter 4 -
Study and learn how the scriptures teach us how to pray and receive revelation. Pray hard, be patient and always have the spirit with you. Study and obtain as many Christian attributes as possible. This can all be expounded into pages and pages but it is more important that you study them thoroughly for yourself. Study the doctrine and principles of the gospel in depth and know the difference between doctrines and principles.
There is something to learn from every situation and from every person you come across. Learn from all of them no matter how bad the situation or how bad the person that you have found. Wise people learn from others, they’re always paying attention to their environment. I believe it was Yogi Berra who said something along the lines of, “You can observe a lot by watching.”
If you had a family member that wasn’t a member of the church would you be sad and have a great desire to share the gospel with them? Of course, and the reason is because you love them. Do you see why the Lord tells us to love everyone? If we really loved everyone like we are supposed to we would be sharing the gospel more with those who are not in our family. Love the people. Even the people you have never met will be able to tell if you love them. This is the time to mature spiritually and loving others is one of the best ways to do it.
Testify! It’s what you’re there to do. Testify by saying, “I testify…, I know…, etc.” Be bold and confident when testifying.
- Chapter 5 -
Welcome to the bulk of my message.
If you have never shared the Book of Mormon before and seen someone gain a testimony of it you have no idea how powerful this book will be on your mission. Your life will continue to change because of its power and you will constantly see others lives change from it as well. This is the best teaching advice that I can give you and you’ll be able to carry it with you well throughout your life, even after your mission.
In the very first chapter of the book the prophet Lehi teaches us a crucial principle in one short sentence. Verse 12 says, “And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord.” I’ve never been taught so simply as to how to get the spirit and I have a testimony that it works.
A missionary’s goal is to baptize and convert God’s children. This is done by the missionary teaching others how to feel and recognize the spirit. The spirit will testify to the investigator of the truthfulness of the gospel. Lehi teaches us that we need to read the scriptures in order to obtain that spirit. If the people that the missionaries are teaching read the Book of Mormon they will be able to feel the spirit according to what Lehi has taught us. Will everyone who reads the Book of Mormon feel the spirit and gain a testimony of it? The answer is no but is it up to the individual to feel the spirit? Yes. Moroni explains the answers to these two questions. There are qualifications that we must meet in order for the Lord to allow us to feel that spirit so that we can know the truth. I have never seen these upcoming verses taught in the way that I am going to share them with you. Learning to teach these verses in this way was one of the greatest things I learned on my mission.
Moroni 10:3-5. Three powerful verses loaded with very important principles. How you teach these verses can determine your success as a missionary. Verse 3 – “Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.”
What do we learn in verse three? We learn that we should not only remember but to ponder in our hearts how merciful the Lord has been to us (all men) down to this very moment, the moment of you receiving and reading these words. Moroni is speaking of the very moment when someone is receiving and reading these words.
We as members of the church already know from past experiences what will happen if we ponder the mercy of God in our hearts. With that being the case, what will be happening to your investigators if they are pondering in their hearts the mercy of God? You may need to teach them what mercy is because some do not understand the term correctly. Moroni has helped you prepare your investigators to be more susceptible to feeling the spirit by dwelling on the things of God in their hearts. Teach the people how to apply the principle found in verse three. Too many people don’t teach verse three and move too quickly to verse four.
Verse 4 - And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
This verse is loaded with critical principles on how to receive revelation. We first learn how to know the things of god. We should ask in the name of Jesus Christ to our Heavenly Father if these things are not true. What amazing sense this makes to only ask God to know if things regarding God are true. It is interesting that Moroni teaches us to ask if these things are not true, he does not teach to ask if they are true. We must be believing. He teaches with confidence and without doubt that these words are truly of God.
The second principle taught is if you want to be qualified to receive an answer from God you must have a sincere heart, real intent, having faith in Christ. Teaching these three enabling qualifiers is crucial and I can’t emphasize it enough. The more you teach these three characteristics plainly and boldly it will bring you much success in helping others obtain a testimony. This is because your investigator will know clearly what they must do in order for God to tell them that the Book of Mormon is true. This is one of the most important things that your investigator will learn in their life, how man and God communicate successfully with each other. What is a sincere heart? What does real intent mean? How does someone have faith in Christ? A sincere heart means that you deeply desire to know the truth. It means that you are submissive to God and that you have no intentions of manipulating God, the Spirit, or the situation.
Real intent is that you are willing to act by not only believing and recognizing the truth but that you would do something about it. If the investigator has previously made up his mind that he would never act to the point of joining the church through baptism then why would the Lord reveal the truth unto him? Teach that it means the investigator would be baptized if God told him that The Book of Mormon is true. The truth ladder says that if the Book of Mormon is true then Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God, which means the Church that he restored is true and it is Jesus Christ’s church. The spirit will often prompt for a baptismal challenge at this point. I love teaching this part of the promise.
I also love hearing investigators sharing their testimonies of Jesus Christ with me. Most people already do have faith in Christ and most need a little guidance with it. Too many people in this world don’t realize the power that is within that faith. Ask them if they believe Jesus is the Christ and then ask them why. Share your testimony but don’t make yourself sound more intelligent than them. Keep it simple and pure. Then ask them if they believe that through him and because of him they can receive revelation from the Father. The spirit can be very strong while teaching faith in Christ.
The third principle that we learn is that the answer will come through the power of the Holy Ghost. We must teach what this means in order to help the many who aren’t familiar with the ways of the spirit to receive an answer. Granted verse five helps the readers identify this principle but remember not everyone knows who or what the Spirit is and how He works.
Verse 5 - And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
Teach them how to feel the spirit and what it is. Many do not believe in the same Holy Ghost or Godhead as we do. Teach them what the spirit represents and its fruits. Help them understand what is taught in the sixth section of the Doctrine and Covenants on how the spirit can speak to your mind and to your heart. Always try to identify the spirit. You will know when they can feel it.
When the discussion is over and when you leave the investigators house you will feel confident that they will know what God requires of them to know what you have taught is true. You will know how the follow up visit will be. You will be able to tell by their response to your teaching. Let agency run its course and come back and challenge them to baptism in your follow up visit if you didn’t do so already in the first visit while teaching real intent or at another point where the spirit prompted.
Now what happens when you come back for a follow up visit and they haven’t received a testimony of the Book of Mormon? Ask them if they have read. Ask them if they have prayed. If they said no there is no point to continue teaching new doctrines and principles of the restoration if they haven’t done so. Help them to commit again to reading and prayer. Whether they have read and prayed help them again to understand Moroni’s promise and teach it again just like before. Ask them if there is something in their life that would offend God and the Spirit from testifying to them. You will discover the problem when you use the commitment pattern successfully. The commitment pattern works every time, perfect yourself in it.
Earlier I mentioned that this promise can be applied to members of the church and not just to investigators. Think now as a member as if this promise was for current members of the church. These are true principles and are still true in all prayers. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This method works in all prayers. All you have to do is teach yourself Moroni’s promise by simply adapting to a different situation.
If you want to know the Lord’s will regarding a certain issue or if you need an answer to a question ask yourself if you are applying the principles taught in the promise. Have you prepared yourself spiritually to be in the presence of God? Prepare your heart by pondering or by doing something else that is inviting to the spirit. Do you have a sincere heart in regards to what you are praying for? Are you really prepared to act upon whatever it is that the Lord tells you whether or not it is aligned with your will? How is your faith in Christ? Finally, are you familiar with how the spirit works and how it works with you personally? Praying like this will change the way you approach your Father in Heaven when it comes to making requests and asking for blessings.
So this is what stands out in my mind from my mission. Work hard and please the Lord, it may sound simple but it is hard and it takes discipline. There may be times when you won’t know why you are learning something but somewhere down the road, maybe after your mission even, you’ll be given an opportunity to apply what you learned. If I can leave a P.S. it would be to never speak ill or say anything that isn’t positive of your mission president, especially the second one if you get two. There is always more than one way to get the job done and remember not everyone may have a testimony like you do to be out there on a mission. Rely upon that testimony often. It will be very helpful to you at times and be patient and helpful to those without it. This is the time to perfect yourself in the gospel. And remember, all this work is done because Jesus is the Christ and because he lives.
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