My testimony of Missionary Work

Talon received the following request to share his feelings about missionary work.  His response is recorded below :)

Hello,
I hope all is well for you and your mission is going well. 
I have a request:  I am teaching a gospel doctrine class a week from Sunday, August 4th on Missionary work. I would love to have you answer 3 questions I can share with the ward in Sunday School. 

        1. What led you to make a decision to serve a mission?

        2. What sacrifices did you need to make to serve a full time mission?        3. How have you overcome adversity in your missionary work?
Please share your testimony of missionary work and how, as members, we can reach out to our friends and neighbors!
Thank you and may God bless you in your missionary service :-)
Love,Julie Meyers

Sister Meyers I would love to help!

1. I decided to serve a mission because I knew there is nothing better I could ever do to show my gratitude to the Lord for the blessings I have received through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My testimony of the Book of Mormon, and most of all of the peace and joy that we find within it´s pages, is to big not to share with others. As Preach My Gospel promised me, the more I studied the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the greater the desire within me grew to share my love for Jesus Christ with my brothers and sisters full time. 

2. Serving a mission never really seemed like a sacrifice to me. Always an easy way to qualify for a whole lot of blessings, and learn and grow in the gospel. Now that I'm serving, I understand that the sacrifices we need to make to serve a mission are really opportunities to gain even more blessings. We need to study the scriptures until we obtain, not only understand, the gospel. To share the gospel, we must first obtain it. Obtaining the gospel involves a thorough study of the standard works, as well as a forwards and backwards familiarity with Preach My Gospel, and a deep testimony founded in the power of the Holy Ghost, and the knowledge of how to recognize his promptings. 

3. Adversity in missionary work is just like adversity in the ´real world´, just that I am a little more focused in the gospel. The key is still the same: the Atonement. Just like in the process of repentance, the first steps to overcoming adversity is recognizing, making a decision, and calling on the grace of the Atonement of Jesus Christ to strengthen us, and complete our efforts with the things that we can´t do by ourselves. For me, I find it easiest to receive this strength according to the promise of Jacob, in Jacob 4:6: studying the scriptures. In particular, I find strength in the covenants and promises of the Lord with us, his Covenant People, as did Nephi in his final years as ruler over the Nephites. 

I know that ´missionary work´ is a code word for ´perfecting of the saints´ and that as we share our testimonies, we create our testimonies. As we feel the spirit testify of our words, we testify to ourselves as we testify to our friends, family, and associates that the things we believe really are true. That we don´t just believe, but we know they are true. The principal of missionary work is based on charity, the pure love of Christ, and that as we study the Atonement and partake of the white fruit of the tree of life, we can´t help but to look back at the iron rod and search for others to bring unto the light. As we ourselves become converted through the power of the Holy Ghost, we take upon ourselves the same commandment that Christ gave to Peter: ´Strengthen thy brethren.´ (Luke 22:31–32) Just as he did for Peter, Christ prays to the Father for us that we might be strong in the faith. That we might fulfill the requirements in Moroni 7 to be children of God for all eternity. That we too might have the privilege of sharing the gospel with others, and gaining the blessings promised in Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-19. Because of all this, he has blessed us with Preach My Gospel. Our own set of scripture written exclusively to help us convert. Convert ourselves, convert our children, convert our friends, convert anyone. Preach my Gospel is the key. Specifically, on pages 160 and 170 are very helpful in respect to members´s efforts. Although most of the time we think Preach my Gospel is for full time missionaries, full time missionaries are only mentioned 28 times, while members are mentioned 437 times. Preach my Gospel is the key to developing the faith we need to trust that our relationships with our friends are in the hands of the Lord. The Lord is counting on us to share the gospel with our friends who aren´t members, otherwise we wouldn´t have them. Our greatest fear should be the thought of the confrontation of one of our friends in the Spirit world:¨You were my friend--why didn´t you tell me about the truth?¨ 

I know Christ lives. I know he knows me. I know he knows each and every one of the people I meet each day, and he knows their needs. He knows each person with whom I share His gospel, and He has promised me that not even the smallest of efforts will be wasted. The Spirit has testified to my soul that the words of Moroni are true: Let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God. 

Hurrah for Israel, thank you for spreading the faith, and the courage, and the blessings of sharing the gospel.