A Story of Two Mormon Elders

There is a lot of hype going on right now about Mormon missionaries. Why is this? Let me use an excerpt from a talk of President Thomas S. Monson’s (the Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes mistakenly called the “Mormon Church”) that he gave to Church members in April 2013:

As you know, in the October general conference I announced changes in the ages at which young men and young women might serve as full-time missionaries, with the young men now being able to serve at age 18 and the young women at 19.

The response of our young people has been remarkable and inspiring. As of April 4—two days ago—we have 65,634 full-time missionaries serving, with over 20,000 more who have received their calls but who have not yet entered a missionary training center and over 6,000 more in the interview process with their bishops and stake presidents. It has been necessary for us to create 58 new missions to accommodate the increased numbers of missionaries (“Welcome to Conference,” Ensign, May 2013). Read more

What Mother’s Day Means for a Mormon Missionary Mom

When my son and I sat in the missionary training center in Provo, Utah, on his first day as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I suddenly didn’t want all the change his mission would bring to our relationship. I turned to him and whispered, “Daniel, you don’t have to go.”

“I want to go Mom,” he reassured me.

So he went. And I let him. Like every missionary mother, I looked forward to every letter and phone call I received in the two years he was away.

Young men and women who serve missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently called the Mormon Church) are permitted to contact their families and friends through letters or emails written once a week. But missionaries are allowed only two phone calls home each year: on Christmas and Mother’s Day. These phone calls are the highlight of the year for many Mormon families, especially for the mothers of the missionaries.

Why do Mormons Serve Missions?

The ultimate goal of missionary work in The Church of Jesus Christ is to invite all the inhabitants of the earth to come unto Christ, gain a personal testimony of Him, and make and keep covenants to follow Him.

The Church of Jesus Christ began sending out missionaries immediately after the Church was organized in April 1830. The first missionary was Samuel Smith, a younger brother of Joseph Smith, who was the first prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ. He traveled through upstate New York bearing testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and selling copies of that book. Since that early beginning, the missionary force within the Church has grown to more than 65,000 missionaries serving throughout the world. Missionaries always serve with a missionary companion but they are assigned a new companion from time to time. Read more

LDS Church Announces New Missionary Training Center

During the opening session of the 182nd Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (more commonly referred to as the Mormon Church), Thomas S. Monson, Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ, announced that the age requirements for those wishing to serve full-time missions has been lowered to 18 years of age for young men and 19 years of age for young women. With that announcement came an influx of applications from young people who are willing and ready to answer the call to serve.

In order to accommodate the number of new missionaries that will be entering one of the 15 Missionary Training Centers (MTC) worldwide, of which the MTC in Provo, Utah is the largest, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced that it will close its church-owned Benemerito de las Americas high school in Mexico City this spring and reopen it as a new MTC starting in July. The new center, which LDS Church officials state will become the second-largest MTC in the world, will train between 1,200 and 2,000 new missionaries called to serve in Mexico and other Latin American countries every year. Students currently attending the high school will have to return to the Mexican public school system.

Elder Daniel L. Johnson, president of the Church’s Mexico Area, announced the change at a meeting at the facility in Mexico City on Tuesday, 29 January 2013. Elder Russell M. Nelson presided at the meeting and was accompanied by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and other Church leaders.

“The future lies before us,” Elder Nelson said. “Now, instead of hundreds being educated at Benemerito, thousands will be educated here at the MTC. Many of them will come from other nations.”

In regards to the announcement, The Church of Jesus Christ issued the following statement on Tuesday, 29 January 2013, to the news media:

Church leaders announced today that the Church-owned high school Benemerito de las Americas near Mexico City will become a training center for missionaries who will serve in Mexico and North, Central and South America.

Church leaders made the decision after considering every immediate alternative that could alleviate the demand at the Church’s other missionary training centers around the world, including the MTC in Provo, Utah. [1]

Elder Nelson gratefully acknowledged the cooperation of Church leaders and members in Mexico.

“We extend praise and gratitude to students, staff, faculty, families and graduates. You have made of this place a sacred and special location,” Elder Nelson said.

“This hallowed ground where we stand today will become more sacred with each passing year,” Elder Nelson said. “Better, higher and holier purposes will be served in the future than we’ve ever known before.” [1]

Elder Holland noted the sadness expressed by both students and families at the announcement of the closure of an important educational and cultural resource for the Latter-day Saints of Mexico. Benemerito was established in 1964, and has experienced the blessing of having 23,000 graduates during its 49 year history.

“I see tears in your eyes,” Elder Holland observed. “Tears are the price we pay for sacrifice and love.”

“Instead of a few hundred educated here each year, many thousands will be trained each year,” he said. “Many will come from other countries. They will receive training, but they will also learn to love Mexico, its language and its people.

“This hallowed ground where we sit tonight will become more and more sacred with each passing year,” Elder Holland continued. “Better, higher and holier purposes will be fulfilled here that will bless the lives of generations yet unborn and help them become what God intends that we become.”

In that way, Elder Holland said, this transition for the facility “will be a blessing to the entire world.” [2]

Additional Resources:

Mormon Families

Mormon Youth

Worship with Mormons

http://youtu.be/kr0mldckgpI

http://youtu.be/rsFW61PZhgc

 

Mormon Missionary Letters

Mormon missionaries experience many miracles during their missionary service, and they often write home about them.  Missionaries also write about their daily routine.  We have excerpted some letters home from Mormon missionaries to show you what they do and experience.

From Richard & Fara (Elder and Sister Robbins) in the U.K.:

Two Sunday’s ago, while setting in church one of our great members leaned back to me and asked if I would give him a blessing after Sacrament meeting. (A blessing is a special gift of inspiration through the Holy Ghost, given to those in need, by one holding Christ’s original priesthood authority. A pretty stunning thing.) I told him I would.  This man  is a very faithful saint.

After the meeting I grabbed the Elders Quorum President (men are organized into quorums in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Savior’s re-established Church) and we went into a classroom with him. He told us he had a very sore tooth and it had abscessed and the doctor told him he would have to have it pulled but couldn’t do it for about a week and a half. I gave him a priesthood blessing and was directed to tell him the tooth would give him no more problems. This last Sunday I asked him how his tooth was and was told there was no pain at all and the doctor advised him against having it pulled. This was a simple occasion but let us know that the Lord is not going to forget his faithful servants.

We have also been given the job now to teach the Gospel Principles lessons on Sunday (Mormons invite those of all faiths to learn of Christ’s doctrine and the fulness of His gospel and plan of happiness. The class for those learning about the Gospel is known as Gospel Principles). We’re thankful for any way we can stay busy for the Lord.

It has become very evident in our lives that the true source of all of this spirit is the people we know. We simply know that all the joy we feel is not possible without loved ones to share it with. Love takes on a whole new meaning when you step away from it and observe from a distance its true significance.

We have become so close and reliant on the Lord that our relationship to him has become much closer which always results in an increase of love. Of course you cannot develop a love for the Savior without developing a great degree of esteem and admiration for Him. When we consider all that He has done for us this esteem become true adoration.

From Sister Shiri Stevens serving in the Boston Mission:

This week has been full of miracles and I am eternally grateful that I get to be a part of it! One thing that has really touched my heart this week is how our whole purpose here is to come to know God. In John 17:3 we read that Eternal life is knowing God. And God’s purpose is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. What a joyous fact that we are truly living eternal life right now as we strive to come to know Heavenly Father. I pray that we are all doing those things necessary to build a firm relationship with him so that we will know him when we see him again.

I was blessed to be close to Heavenly Father as we had the opportunity to got to the temple yesterday (because of the Holiday – our zone was invited again). I must say this might be one step above conference for me. I love being in the house of the Lord. It is a unique blessing to each of us as we keep ourselves worthy to be in the Lord’s presence. I am so grateful for the eternal blessings of salvation and exaltation found in the temple. It was particularly special to me because it was one year ago yesterday that I went through the temple for the first time myself. Many things were the same as they had been a year ago in the Mt. Timpanogos temple, which was a sweet reminder of that beautiful day. I am grateful for all those who surrounded me then and continue to do so in spirit as I am blessed with those surrounding me now. I pray we will all be able to sit down together in the presence of our Lord one day.

From Elder Bronson Boyd in the Philippines:

So this week was a challenging week to say the least but at the same time it was such an awesome week! Obviously, being a fairly new missionary myself I am not all that great in Tagalog yet and having the new challenge of being a trainer of a brand new missionary is quite the challenge. Just a little bit about my “anak” or “kid” the missionary that I am training. He is really quiet and fairly shy so I have been doing basically all of the talking to individuals and almost all of the teaching… Last week this would have seemed like a impossible task because of my lack of ability to speak and understand Tagalog fluently, but over the last week it has been awesome to see the Lord working and communicating with His children through me and my brand new found ability to speak Tagalog. I can definitely see the Lord blessing me and my Tagalog so that this companionship of two new missionaries can work and be effective.

Additional Resources:

Read about basic Mormon Beliefs

Jesus Christ in Mormonism

Mormon Self Reliance

 

 

New Websites Helps Prepare Missionaries

A Mormon (the nickname sometimes given to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) has created a new website to help prospective missionaries prepare to serve in locations unfamiliar to them. This is not an official site for the Church, but the project of an individual.

Mormons who decide to serve a mission agree to go wherever they are needed. This means they are usually sent someplace very different from where they grew up, since one purpose of a mission is to broaden the young person’s horizons. A Utah young adult will get sent to the very diverse Philadelphia. A Philadelphian will find himself in Utah. A rich missionary will find himself in a developing nation.

The site’s founder, Brigham Young University student Alex Balinski, was sent to Argentina. He wished he could find a resource that would help him understand the culture before he went. Even two years in Argentina mingling with the native people and speaking the language caused him to realize there was still much he did not understand about the country. While preparing projects for his broadcast journalism classes after his mission, he began conceiving the idea of a website that would help prospective missionaries learn about the cultures of the places they will be serving in and where former missionaries could provide first-hand information on how to best prepare for a mission.

The recent lowered ages for both male and female missionaries made the project even more essential. Missionaries will be serving at younger ages and will need to be better prepared to leave home and spend two demanding and maturing years serving God.

He recruited other students at BYU to help him search YouTube for ready-made videos that could be placed on the site to get it started quickly. Eventually he hopes to have country-specific information, a forum where prospective missionaries can ask questions of returned missionaries or collect information from people with experience and knowledge about a location or an aspect of missionary service. The site will also link to missionary blogs and to other resources.

The website, Prepare to Serve, is volunteer-run and accepts donations to cover the costs. People can also volunteer to help provide location information or missionary advice.

Mormon men may serve a two-year mission at age eighteen if they have completed high school or the equivalent. Missionary work is primarily a priesthood responsibility and young men are expected (but not required) to serve. (Mormons have a lay priesthood for all worthy men) but women are welcome in the mission field and are often welcomed into homes that turn away men. Women serve for eighteen months beginning at age nineteen. Since the lowering of the ages, the percentage of applications from women has risen dramatically to just less than half of all applications. Unmarried Mormon men can serve only until age 26, but unmarried women may serve at any age. Retired couples may also serve missions together.

Mormons serve missions at their own expense and most save money from childhood for the experience. The strict discipline, the exposure to new cultures, and the intense focus on serving God helps missionaries mature more quickly than many of their peers and also prepares them for successful careers and family life. They often develop a firm testimony of the gospel during that time of service and establish a habit of lifelong service to others.

Visit the website:

Prepare to Serve

Young Women Gathering Before They Serve Their Missions

In the October 2012 Mormon General Conference, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes mistakenly called the “Mormon Church”) listened in silence, with mouths opened wide, to hear prophet and president Thomas S. Monson, announce that young men can now serve their volunteer missions for the LDS Church beginning at age eighteen (formerly nineteen), and young women can now serve at age nineteen (formerly twenty-one). This momentous announcement has caused a major influx of missionary applications. In fact prior to this announcement, the LDS Church would get, on average, 600 missionary applications each week. But the two weeks following the announcement they received, an approximately 4,000 applications (each week) an increase of 471 percent (see Deseret News). Why? These young people know this is the work of God, that the work is hastening, and they want to be a part of sharing this message with the world!

Are Mormons required to serve missions? Nope! This is a choice, and the fact that so many young people want to serve missions rather than engaging in the normal young-adult activities shows that they are true followers of Jesus Christ—ready to “lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (Doctrine and Covenants 25:12).  Many of those who have recently been called, or are in the midst of their applications, were not even planning on serving—at least not in the near future. In a way, they were now just ready to walk out the door without a second thought—because they believe in this work!

One great story that shows the excitement of these missionaries is found on Kathryn Skaggs’ blog post titled, “Newly Called Sister Missionaries Unite and Create EPIC Video:”

One of these incredibly valiant women is Ali Nicole Vincent, of Pleasant Grove, Utah, newly called to serve in the Argentina Bahia Blanca Mission. (pictured above) Ali will report to the MTC on February 13, 2013. Ali recently joined a brand new Facebook group: Many Are Called… But Few Are Sisters. (Don’t you just love that!) The group description: “For those sisters about to submit papers or those who have already received calls, so we can share our experiences and help each other prepare”. Well, I’ll let Ali tell you what happened next…

In a period of about 4 days over 1900 future sister missionaries joined the group from all over the world. We shared our mission calls with each other and some advice on where to shop, what to study, etc. One girl, Anna Finneran, had the fantastic idea that we should all meet up together at Temple Square to send a picture to the First Presidency to show how excited we are to serve. About 50 other sisters gathered at the Rexburg Temple at the same time in Idaho as well. As we gathered we sang hymns, took the picture, and found other girls going to our same missions. It really was such a spiritual experience to be surrounded by so many worthy young sisters who are so enthusiastic about serving the Lord in their designated area. The world is changing and the work is hastening. We are all needed in God’s army whether we’re going on missions or not. I honestly am so excited about my call that I received to Bahia Blanca Argentina. I can’t wait to get out and serve the people there and I’m sure all the other sisters feel the same way!

This is indeed an exciting time for Mormon missionaries! And as Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “This announcement isn’t about you [the future missionaries]. It’s about the sweet and pure message you are called to bear” (see Deseret News).

I know and believe that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ’s Church. He is at the head of it. His mouthpiece is His prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. I have prayed, studied, fasted, and lived the teachings of the gospel to find out if it is true—and I testify that it is. The Holy Spirit has testified to me time and time again that this is the work of God. I invite you to find out for yourself if it is true. Meet with Mormon missionaries, read the Book of Mormon, and prove to God that you want to know by working hard (praying, reading, serving, living as Christ would live) and I promise that you will receive an answer too—for God always answers prayers!

Additional Resources:

Request a free Book of Mormon

What are the basic beliefs of Mormons?

Basic Mormon Beliefs and Real Mormons

Mormon Mission Applications Increase Since Prophet Invites 18-Year Olds to Serve

There was an audible gasp when Thomas S. Monson, prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced that the age that full-time missionaries can begin serving had changed. Speaking at the opening session of the 182nd semi-annual General Conference of the Church, President Monson stated:

I am pleased to announce that effective immediately, all worthy and able young men who have graduated from high school or its equivalent, regardless of where they live, will have the option of being recommended for missionary service beginning at the age of 18, instead of age 19. I am not suggesting that all young men will—or should—serve at this earlier age. Rather, based on individual circumstances, as well as upon a determination by priesthood leaders, this option is now available.

As we have prayerfully pondered the age at which young men may begin their missionary service, we have also given consideration to the age at which a young woman might serve. Today I am pleased to announce that able, worthy young women who have the desire to serve may be recommended for missionary service beginning at age 19, instead of age 21.

Just two weeks after the announcement, the number of applications had jumped from 700 per week to 4000, with more than half coming from women, according to an article in the Deseret News. Before the announcement, 14% of the missionary force was women.

“We are thrilled by this morning’s exciting announcement by President Thomas S. Monson,” Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said at a press conference following the announcement.

“This mural behind us reminds us of a mandate the Savior extended to His followers to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. With President Monson’s announcement this morning, we are accelerating our efforts to fulfill that mandate and give more young men and young women the opportunity to participate in that divine commission,” he said.

Missionary service is based on the New Testament pattern of missionaries serving in pairs, teaching the gospel and baptizing believers in the name of Jesus Christ. Most are young people under the age of 25 serving in nearly 350 missions throughout the world although there are a growing number of older missionary couples.

During a mission, worthy members generally serve full-time as they proselyte, provide humanitarian assistance or offer other types of service for a period between six and twenty-four months. Missionaries do not request where to go or know whether they will be required to learn a language, but receive their assignment from church headquarters. Missionaries fund their own missions — except for their transportation to and from their assigned mission — and are not paid for their services.

Elder Nelson said that the change does not suggest that all missionaries should or will serve at an earlier age but it provides an option.

“No young man or woman should begin his or her service as a missionary before they are ready,” Elder Nelson said. “Over the past decade permission has been given for young men from 48 countries to serve at age 18. This experience has been very positive. … We’ve found that these missionaries are capable and qualified to serve.”

The age change came as a surprise to almost everyone in the Church. Elder Holland disclosed the decision process. “This has been studied and prayed over and we have experienced the revelatory power.” He continued:

President Monson felt strongly that this should be kept confidential until he personally could announce it at a General Conference and you felt the emotion and strength of that as he did that so wonderfully this morning…

We anticipate some ashen faces out there. The list of those who had no idea this was coming is long… So we welcome you all to a worldwide church of people who did not know that this was coming.

He said that only the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles knew of the change.

Elder Holland said that he expected that most people were asking, “What is this going to do to us? How big is it going to be?” He said, “We have a very simple answer. We don’t know.”

He explained that it will take time to understand the full impact but indicated that many current missions are capable of handling more missionaries, and as the need arises, new missions will be created. The current missionary force is just over 58,000.

Because of the likely increase, the Church of Jesus Christ anticipates reducing the amount of time spent in the Mission Training Center (MTC) by one third. Fortunately, a 12-week training course for missionaries just arriving in the mission field and a language immersion program for those called to non-English-speaking missions have already proven to benefit the new missionaries.

Elder Holland said that for missionaries to be ready to serve at a younger age will require greater effort.  He suggested an increase in gospel study, including scriptures and the missionary manual, “Preach My Gospel.”

He further instructed the missionaries and their parents:

Improved preparation of the missionary before entering the MTC will allow us to accommodate a larger number of missionaries going into the future,” Elder Holland said.

You must prepare with personal worthiness and gospel knowledge. We want you teaching effectively from the first day onward.

We ask parents to take a strong hand in this preparation. Don’t expect that it is the responsibility of the church and the MTC and the seminary program to prepare your children for missionary service. You are a critical part of this process.

God is hastening his work and he needs more – and more willing and worthy – missionaries to spread the light and the truth and the hope and the salvation of gospel truth to a darkened world.

The change for the worldwide Church took place immediately after the announcement. Men may enter the MTC after their 18th birthday (which must follow high school graduation or equivalent) and women after their 19th birthday. Both can be recommended for missionary service 120 days prior to those respective birth dates.

This article was written by Jan Mayer, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Additional resources:

The prophet of the Lord

Mormon Missionaries

Why serve a mission?

Find a Mormon meetinghouse

 

Keeping a Promise Made to a Mormon Prophet

Every several years, finances available, my parents loaded up the family station wagon just outside of Starkville Mississippi and drove to the tiny northern Utah town of Tremonton, near the Idaho border. It was home to my paternal grandparents, who looked forward to those special visits. We planned our trips to coincide with the annual spring General Cconference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. We enjoyed touring the exhibits in the Salt Lake Mormon Temple visitor’s center and seeing the spring plantings. I was very young then, and I wanted to meet “a real prophet of God.”

With all of the zeal of a young child, I wanted to be as close as I could get to the podium in the tabernacle. It was always crowded, but that day, I had permission to sit wherever the ushers could fit me,  and then meet up with my family at a designated place after conference. Wouldn’t you know it? The only place they could fit me was between two fat ladies. I endured the conference— quite a feat for a young guy like me, squashed between two fat ladies. As soon as the closing prayer was over, I was on my feet, diving between the legs of taller people to “meet a real prophet, David O’McKay.”(September 8, 1873 – January 18, 1970) who was the ninth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

I tugged on his trouser and asked to shake his hand, because as I announced, “I want to meet you, because you are a real prophet.” He smiled and knelt down on one knee and asked if I was going to go on a mission? “Of course I would,” and with that, he gave me the carnation on his lapel with the admonition not to forget. I was so impressed and now I had his carnation as proof! When I met up with my family afterwards, they were stunned I had been so bold and had actually met the prophet.  For several years afterwards, I somehow managed to preserve my little treasure in the freezer, and whenever the home teachers, Mormon missionaries, other branch members or visitors came, I would show it to them, telling my story and how I would go on a mission someday.

My intentions were still good when I graduated from high school, but then my family fell apart, creating emotional and financial burdens I never thought were possible.  It took much prayer to come to the realization that I should, indeed, go, and then other problems presented themselves—visa problems, companionship problems, you name it.  It was difficult getting on my mission, and then serving in Argentina presented both spiritual and physical challenges.  Some missionaries say their mission was the best two years of their life, but a mission is the best two years for your life.  Time and again, I relied on that childhood experience with Prophet David O. McKay.  Keeping my promise to him was one of the best things I’ve ever done.

Article was written by Mel Borup Chandler

Mel Borup Chandler lives in California. He writes about science-related topics, technological breakthroughs and medicine. Mel is a former member of the Los Angeles Press Club. Additionally, he served an LDS Mission in Argentina during Argentina’s “Dirty War.” He has written for several Spanish language newspapers in the Los Angeles area including La Opinion and El Universal. His email address is mbccomentator@roadrunner.com.

Additional Resources:

Basic Mormon Beliefs and Real Mormons

Mormon Doctrine

Missionary Work

 

 

Change in Mormon Missionary Age Requirements – 2012

In October 2012 the number of Mormon missionaries serving for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was about 58,000.  Young men were counseled to qualify themselves to serve by living high moral standards, learning the scriptures,  developing work and study skills, and preparing financially to serve for two years in the “mission field.”  Young women were counseled to pray and receive guidance from the Holy Spirit as to whether it was the right personal decision for them to serve eighteen months in the mission field.

In the first session of Mormon General Conference on Saturday, October 6, 2012, Prophet and President Thomas S. Monson announced an unexpected change in missionary service qualifications that surprised even mission presidents and some general authorities.

President Monson announced that that the age requirement for missionary service would be lowered to 18 for men who have graduated from high school (down from age 19) and 19 for women (down from age 21).

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the following:

“It means that God is hastening his work, and he needs more and more willing and worthy missionaries to spread the light and the truth and the hope and the salvation of the gospel of Jesus Christ to an increasingly dark and fearful world.

“We are having requests from around the globe for new missions,” said Elder Holland. “It seems providential and wise to try and get the gospel to more people in more distance places than we’ve ever gone before.”

He called the rising generation of Mormon youth “sweeter, purer, and smarter.”  He commented that “sister missionaries” are often “stunningly successful” at missionary work, and that this new option will enable many more to serve.  Elder Holland said that it is obvious that the Lord loves and trusts the youth of the Church to entrust them with the spreading the gospel to the world at this time of their lives.

Sending out young missionaries at a younger age may cause less of an interruption to their futures.  As it is, young men graduate from high school, and most have turned 18 by that time.  They may be able to get in some months of work or a semester or two of college before they depart at age 19, but for many, that time is filler.  As far as the girls are concerned, some are getting married or putting off marriage for missionary service at age 21.  If they can go at age 19, then they have a block of years for education and marriage ahead of them.

Changes will have to be made in the Mormon missionary system to accommodate the expected increase in the number of youth serving.  There are 15 missionary training centers around the world, and they will have to be expanded, with the time new missionaries spend there being shortened, possibly by 30%.    New missionaries will need to focus on their maturity and worthiness in order to be prepared at a younger age.  This is a wake-up call for Mormon parents to do what they can to get their youth standing on their own feet at a time when young people are generally taking longer to mature.

Additional Resources:

Meet Mormon Missionaries

Missionary Work

The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

 

Book of Mormon Testimony

August 15, 2012

My testimony of the Book of Mormon

Hey Everyone-

My name is Elder David Stevens. I am currently serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as the Mormons. I would like to take this opportunity to share my testimony to all of you of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

I have been a member of the Church my whole life. Going to church every Sunday, participating in activities, and reading the doctrine of the Church, but it wasn’t until I came on my mission, stepping away from all those people and things that had been a support to my testimony as a kid, that I truly found MY testimony.

All my life I had been hearing of peoples testimonies; where they read the Book of Mormon, pray about it, and then have an experience happen to them that is a witness to the of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. At first I thought that’s how it should be for me. Well, I can’t say that’s how it was for me… My story goes something like this:

I began again to read the Book of Mormon my first week in the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, with a goal of reading the whole thing before I left the MTC for Samoa. I didn’t meet my goal, but was diligent in making sure I did read every day until I finished it. I found that losing myself in reading made it easier to overcome my sporadic moments of homesickness. When I finished reading the Book of Mormon, I already knew the next step I needed to take was to “ask God, the Eternal Father in the name of Christ if these things were true” (Moroni 10:3-5). I knew that I needed to give Him the opportunity to make the truth of it known unto me. I sat there with the thoughts of the things in the Book running through my mind, trying to decide what it was that I needed a witness of at that time in my life. Later that night, I waited for my companion to go to sleep (so that I was as alone as I am allowed to be on my mission) and then knelt down at the side of my bed and poured out my heart to my Father in Heaven.

I didn’t’ receive a direct answer to my prayer, but I did receive an answer. After I finished the Book of Mormon, I began reading other books from the Church, and there was just something missing from my life at that time and I couldn’t figure out what it was, until one night I was just overwhelmed with homesickness. I turned through the pages of the Book of Mormon, reading and rereading scriptures reminding me that I am a child of God and that He loves all of us and will help us through anything if we just let Him. I remember being so comforted and so warm inside that I was truly filled with peace and felt for just a moment like my Heavenly Father was giving me a much needed spiritual hug.

The next morning during my personal studies, I was reading the introduction to the Book of Mormon and came across the quote from Joseph Smith that says; “The Book of Mormon is the most correct book on earth… and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than any other book” (Introduction to the Book of Mormon). I knew right then that is what I had experienced the night before. I had found the answer to my prayers through the pure peace and love of God, and I can’t deny it! Any time I don’t read for a while, my heart just aches. And every time I read or share testimony of it, my heart burns and feels like it’s ready to explode!

I know and bear testimony to all of you of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. It is the word of God and is meant for the people in our day. It contains the fullness of the gospel and the promise of Eternal Life, if we just live the commandments of God. I know that any person who reads this book with an open heart and mind, looking to know the truth, will received an answer. I can promise you that miracles do still happen all around us every day! And most of all, I promise you that we have a Father in Heaven who loves every last one of us and is waiting for us to come unto Him and receive eternal life. I know He gave His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to take away the sins of the world, that we might become clean to live in His presence once again. I know this Church is the one true church on this earth today and that prophets still lead and guide us in these latter days. I, as a missionary of His church, invite you to read the Book of Mormon and pray to our Heavenly Father that you may also receive the fullness and the blessings of his restored Gospel. May God bless you as you seek for the truth.

In the name of his Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Amen

Elder David B. Stevens

Additional Resources:

Basic Mormon Beliefs and Real Mormons

The Book of Mormon (Another Testament of Jesus Christ)

Get your free copy of The Book of Mormon

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