Prospective Missionary
Devotional
Jordan Willows Stake
January 23, 2014
Agenda
• Temporal and
Spiritual
Preparation:
• Requirements to
serve a mission
• Spiritual prep and
testimony
• Worthiness
• Physical prep and
finances
• Mental and
emotional prep
• Greatest
generation of
missionaries
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
• The Mission Call
Process:
• The lower age and
knowing when
you are ready
• Starting the
paperwork
• The forms,
medical and
dental
• Interviews with
priesthood
leaders
• Receiving the call
letter
• Called by God
through living
prophets
The Mission Call Process
• Getting Ready to
Go:
• Patriarchal
blessing
• Priesthood
Advancement
• Temple
endowment
• Speaking in
sacrament
• Setting Apart
• The MTC
• Missionary rules
• Adjusting to
missionary life
Getting Ready to Go
2
Scriptural Qualifications
for Missionary Work
D&C Section 4
1. Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the
children of men.
2. Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him
with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand
blameless before God at the last day.
3. Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;
4. For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth
in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth
not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;
5. And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God,
qualify him for the work.
6. Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly
kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.
7. Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
3
Requirements to Serve a Mission
• Spiritual Requirements
• Have a testimony of the restored gospel
of Jesus Christ
• Be worthy
• Receive the Temple Endowment (and
Melchizedek Priesthood ordination for
young men)
• Temporal Requirements
•
•
•
•
Age requirements: 18 for YM. 19 for YW.
Be physically prepared
Be financially prepared
Be mentally and emotionally prepared
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
4
Basic Doctrines of the Restored
Gospel
• Three of the first things you will teach investigators:
• The Godhead
• Joseph Smith and Living Prophets
• The Book of Mormon
• It is vital that you study these doctrines and gain your own
testimony of their truthfulness in order to be effective
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
5
The Godhead: God the Father,
Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost
• “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in
His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”
• First Article of Faith
Additional Scriptures
1 Nephi 17:36
2 Nephi 9:6
• Joseph Smith taught that in order to exercise
faith in God one must have “a correct idea of
his character, perfections, and attributes.”
• See Lectures on Faith
Mosiah 4:9
3 Nephi 12:48
3 Nephi 14:9–11
3 Nephi 27:13–22
• God the Father
D&C 38:1–3
• Father of our spirits. Perfect. Merciful. Kind.
D&C 130:22
• Jesus Christ
Moses 1:39
• Savior. Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh.
Sinless life. Performed the infinite Atonement.
• The Holy Ghost
Matthew 5:48
John 3:16–17
Acts 17:27–29
• Comforter. Testifies of truth. Bears witness of God.
Romans 8:16
Hebrews 12:9
1 John 4:7–9
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
6
Joseph Smith and Living Prophets
• 1820. Joseph Smith’s First Vision
• God the Father and Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph in
response to his prayer (see Joseph Smith-History 1:1520)
• 1827. Joseph received the gold plates and began
translating the Book of Mormon
• 1829. Aaronic Priesthood was restored to Joseph
Smith and Oliver Cowdery by John the Baptist
• Melchizedek Priesthood was also restored when they
were given it by the Apostles Peter, James, and John
• 1830. The Church was organized
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is “the
only true and living church upon the face of the whole
earth” (D&C 1:30)
• The President of the Church is our living prophet
• The members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
are also prophets, seers, and revelators (see D&C 1:38)
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
7
The Book of Mormon
•
•
•
•
•
Is powerful evidence of the divinity of Jesus Christ
Is proof that Joseph Smith was a true prophet
Is an essential part of the conversion process
Is a missionary’s main source for teaching the gospel
President Ezra Taft Benson said, “If the Book of Mormon is
true, then Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was his
prophet, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is
true, and it is being led today by a prophet receiving
revelation” (A Witness and a Warning, 4–5).
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
8
What it Means to be Worthy to
Serve
a
Mission
• Believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ghost
Have a testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ
Have a testimony of the restored gospel
Sustain the President of the Church and the Apostles
as prophets, seers, and revelators
Be honest in all you say and do
Attend Church meetings
Live the teachings of our Savior and His Church
Live the law of chastity
Be a full-tithe payer
Keep the Word of Wisdom
Not support or affiliate with anti-Mormon groups
Resolved serious sins with priesthood authorities
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
9
The Law of Chastity:
Keeping ourselves sexually pure
“Satan has led many people to believe that
sexual intimacy outside of marriage is
acceptable. But in God’s sight, it is a serious
sin…The prophet Alma taught that sexual
sins are more serious than any other sins
except murder and denying the Holy Ghost
(Alma 39:3–5)…Heavenly Father has given us
the law of chastity for our protection.
Obedience to this law is essential to
personal peace and strength of character
and to happiness in the home. As you keep
yourself sexually pure, you will avoid the
spiritual and emotional damage that always
come from sharing physical intimacies with
someone outside of marriage.” (True to the
Faith, p. 29)
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
10
The Repentance Process
•
•
•
•
•
•
Faith in God and Christ
Sorrow for committing the sin
Confession
Abandonment of Sin
Restitution
Righteous Living
• See True to the Faith p. 132
• “Attempts to create a list of specific steps of repentance
may be helpful to some, but it may also lead to a
mechanical, check-off-the-boxes approach with no real
feeling or change. True repentance is not superficial.”
• The Divine Gift of Repentance, Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
11
Being Physically Prepared
• Missionaries are expected to be
physically capable of working all day
• This could mean walking or riding a bike
several miles a day for six days a week
• If you have a physical disability, injury, or
illness that might limit your ability to do
this work, discuss it with your bishop
• In most cases there will still be ways for
you to serve a full-time mission
• Though where and how you serve may be
restricted
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
12
Financially Prepared:
Mission Cost
• Missionaries pay their own expenses
• $400 a month
• That’s $9,600 for YM and $7,200 for YW
• Monthly allowance according to needs
• Covered: food, housing, transportation, etc.
• Not Covered: souvenirs and other extras
• Mission paperwork section
• Sources of funds: Self, Family, Ward, etc.
• All are blessed for making sacrifices to pay
for a mission
• Finances should not stop a worthy
individual from serving a mission
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
13
Emotional Demands of Missionary
Service
• Speaking to future missionaries,
Elder L. Tom Perry explained:
• “Missionary service is emotionally
demanding. Your support system is
going to be withdrawn from you as
you leave home and go out into the
world. … There will be days of
rejection and disappointment. Learn
now about your emotional limits,
and learn how to control your
emotions under the circumstances
you will face as a missionary.”
• Raising the Bar, Ensign, Nov. 2007
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
14
Dealing with Discouragement and
Stress
• Ammon and his brothers, some
of the greatest missionaries in
the scriptures, got discouraged.
• “Now when our hearts were depressed, and we
were about to turn back, behold, the Lord
comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren,
the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine
afflictions, and I will give unto you success.” Alma
26: 27
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
15
How Can Future Missionaries
Prepare Themselves Emotionally?
• Work part-time or full-time before the mission call
• Live away from home for a period of time before leaving for
the mission field
• Practice meeting and talking to others
• Resolve emotional concerns before submitting mission
papers
• Practice living a balanced life, live by a schedule, and keep
appointments
• Find appropriate outlets for stress (adequate rest, exercise)
• Learn to view personal weaknesses with proper perspective
• Learn to put trials in the proper perspective
• See Preparing Emotionally for Missionary Service by Robert K.
Wagstaff, Ensign, March 2011
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
16
The Greatest Generation of
Missionaries
“We look to you, my young brethren of the
Aaronic Priesthood. We need you. ... We
need you to be meticulously obedient and
faithful, just as they were. What we need
now is the greatest generation of
missionaries in the history of the Church.
We need worthy, qualified, spiritually
energized missionaries.”
-M. Russell Ballard, The Greatest
Generation of Missionaries
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
17
Young Men:
Oh, how the Lord needs you!
“We need you. Oh, how the Lord needs you!
… My plea to you this morning for leadership
has never been more critical in The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than it is
today. I now understand abundantly why the
prophets have said that the Lord reserved for
this last day some of his very choice spiritual
sons and daughters. I understand why you
have been reserved to come forth now:
because he needs you. He needs you
desperately in the building of his kingdom.”
-M. Russell Ballard, You—the Leaders in 1988
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
18
Agenda
• Temporal and
Spiritual
Preparation:
• Requirements to
serve a mission
• Spiritual prep and
testimony
• Worthiness
• Physical prep and
finances
• Mental and
emotional prep
• Greatest
generation of
missionaries
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
• The Mission Call
Process:
• The lower age and
knowing when
you are ready
• Starting the
paperwork
• The forms,
medical and
dental
• Interviews with
priesthood
leaders
• Receiving the call
letter
• Called by God
through living
prophets
The Mission Call Process
• Getting Ready to
Go:
• Patriarchal
blessing
• Priesthood
Advancement
• Temple
endowment
• Speaking in
sacrament
• Setting Apart
• The MTC
• Missionary rules
• Adjusting to
missionary life
Getting Ready to Go
19
President Kimball’s Landmark
Address on Missionary Work
“The question has been often asked, Is the
mission program one of compulsion? And the
answer, of course, is no. Everyone is given his
free agency. The question is asked: Should
every young man fill a mission? And the answer
of the Church is yes, and the answer of the
Lord is yes. Enlarging this answer we say:
Certainly every male member of the Church
should fill a mission, like he should pay his
tithing, like he should attend his meetings, like
he should keep his life clean and free from the
ugliness of the world and plan a celestial
marriage in the temple of the Lord.”
-Spencer W. Kimball, Planning for a Full and
Abundant Life
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
20
Every Prophet Since Then Has
Repeated the Call
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
21
Lower Age and Knowing When
You Are Ready
• “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.”
• Welcome to Conference, President Thomas S.
Monson, October 2012
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
22
Mission Application Timeline
Please Note: These times are approximate.
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
23
Mission Application Timeline
• Please Note: Timing is approximate as, in reality, times will vary
• First, determine your availability date.
• This is the day you would like to start your mission
• No sooner than the day you turn 18 (YM) or 19 (YW)
• 5 months prior: Start the process
• Meet with your bishop. Get the paperwork or login for website
• 4 months prior: Submit the paperwork
• The stake will send it to Church Headquarters
• 3 months prior: Receive your call letter
• It will have further preparation instructions specific to your mission
• 2 months prior: Priesthood and Temple
• Young men should be ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood and
office of an Elder
• Go to the temple to receive your endowment
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
24
The Application Process
Meet with
Bishop
Meet
with
Stake
President
Fill out the
application
forms
Submit
Paper
Work
Call
Issued by
Prophecy
Doctor and
Dentist
Visits
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
25
Mission Application Form
…The Paperwork
• The Form: Checklist for Full-Time
Missionary Recommendation
• Online at lds.org/mss (get login from bishop)
• Eight major sections:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Missionary Recommendation: Info about you
Priesthood Leaders’ Comments and
Suggestions
Education and Service of Missionary
Candidate
Unit Information for Missionary Candidate:
Info about your ward/stake
Personal Health History of Missionary
Candidate
Physician’s Health Evaluation
Dental Evaluation for Missionary Candidate
Personal Insurance Information of
Missionary Candidate
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
26
The Divine Call of a Missionary
Elder Ronald A. Rasband
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
27
Missionaries Are Called by God
• Elder Ronald A. Rasband explains how missionaries
are called by God through our prophets
• "First, we knelt together in prayer."
• Next "a picture of the missionary to be assigned would
come up on one of the computer screens. "
• Then they "study the comments from the bishops and
stake presidents, medical notes, and other issues relating
to each missionary."
• Next, they view "another screen which displayed areas
and missions across the world.”
• “Finally, as he was prompted by the Spirit, he would assign
the missionary to his or her field of labor."
• “It is by the great love of the Savior that His servants
know where these wonderful … missionaries are to
serve. I had a further witness that morning that
every missionary called in this Church, and assigned
or reassigned to a particular mission, is called by
revelation from the Lord God Almighty.”
• The Divine Call of a Missionary, April 2010
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
28
Day of the Week Mission Calls are
Issued and Mailed Out
• Many missionaries want to know the exact
day they will receive their call in the mail
• Sorry, but exactly predicting this is not possible
• Day of the week the apostles meet
• In most weeks, it is on Friday, but it can vary
• Thursdays are the second most common day
• Day the mission call letter gets mailed
• Usually the call packets leave the Church mail
room on Tuesday
• Variation is due to individual missionary or
mission circumstances, holiday schedules, etc.
• Those living in or near Utah usually receive
the call packet on Wednesday
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
29
What’s in the Mission Call Packet?
• The Call Letter from the Prophet
• Including the mission you’re assigned to and date to report to the MTC
• A Letter from your Mission President
• A Letter from the MTC President
• General Instructions Checklist, including a list of clothing and
other items to bring
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
30
I Will Go Where You Want Me to Go
When you submit mission papers, you
commit to going wherever the Lord sends
you
It may not be on the mountain height
Or over the stormy sea,
It may not be at the battle’s front
My Lord will have need of me.
But if, by a still, small voice he calls
To paths that I do not know,
I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in thine:
I’ll go where you want me to go.
I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord,
Over mountain or plain or sea;
I’ll say what you want me to say, dear Lord;
I’ll be what you want me to be.
• Hymns, no. 270
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
31
“The Lord knows where He wants
each missionary to serve.”
• Story of Elder Misiego, from Madrid, Spain:
• “We have a Father in Heaven, who knows us—our
strengths and weaknesses, our abilities and potential.
He knows which mission president and companions
and which members and investigators we need in order
to become the missionary, the husband and father, and
the priesthood holder we are capable of becoming.
Prophets, seers, and revelators assign missionaries
under the direction and influence of the Holy Ghost.
Inspired mission presidents direct transfers every six
weeks and quickly learn that the Lord knows exactly
where He wants each missionary to serve.”
• The Opportunity of a Lifetime, W. Christopher Waddell
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
32
Frequent Interviews with
Priesthood Leaders
• Bishops and Stake Presidents are encouraged to have
frequent interviews with the prospective missionary
throughout this process.
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
33
Agenda
• Temporal and
Spiritual
Preparation:
• Requirements to
serve a mission
• Spiritual prep and
testimony
• Worthiness
• Physical prep and
finances
• Mental and
emotional prep
• Greatest
generation of
missionaries
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
• The Mission Call
Process:
• The lower age and
knowing when
you are ready
• Starting the
paperwork
• The forms,
medical and
dental
• Interviews with
priesthood
leaders
• Receiving the call
letter
• Called by God
through living
prophets
The Mission Call Process
• Getting Ready to
Go:
• Patriarchal
blessing
• Priesthood
Advancement
• Temple
endowment
• Speaking in
sacrament
• Setting Apart
• The MTC
• Missionary rules
• Adjusting to
missionary life
Getting Ready to Go
34
Patriarchal Blessings
• Many receive a patriarchal blessing long before your mission
• If not, make arrangements to get it when you begin your
paperwork
• Missionaries are required to receive a patriarchal blessing
before they start their service
• Patriarchal Blessings
• Will help motivate many young men to serve
• Will help many young women decide whether or not to serve
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
35
Patriarchal Blessings:
“A Star to Follow”
“Patriarchal blessings should be read humbly,
prayerfully, and frequently. …It is a sacred
guideline of counsel, promises, and
information from the Lord; however, a
person should not expect the blessing to
detail all that will happen to him or her or to
answer all questions. The fact that one’s
patriarchal blessing may not mention an
important event in life, such as a mission or
marriage, does not mean that it will not
happen. In order to receive the fulfillment of
our patriarchal blessings, we should treasure
in our hearts the precious words they
contain, ponder them, and so live that we
will obtain the blessings.”
• From Priesthood Blessings by James E. Faust
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
36
Melchizedek Priesthood
Advancement
• Before young men go on their missions,
they must be ordained to the
Melchizedek Priesthood
• Young men who are graduated from high
school can be ordained an Elder
• Young men are given the Melchizedek
Priesthood before going to the temple
• Both (temple and priesthood) must happen
before arriving at the MTC
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
37
What to do to Prepare to Receive
the Melchizedek Priesthood
• Gain a testimony of the restoration of the
priesthood
• Study D&C 84, “a revelation on priesthood”
• Particularly the oath and covenant (v33–44)
• “For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these
two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the
magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the
Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies… And
this is according to the oath and covenant which
belongeth to the priesthood.”
• Learn the duties of an elder
• D&C 20:38–45, 42:44, 46:2, 107:11–12
• Learn how to perform priesthood ordinances
and blessings
• See Church Handbook 2 or the Family Guidebook
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
38
Preparing to Go to the Temple
• Before young men and women go on a
mission, they receive the temple endowment
• Usually, this happens after your call is received
• President Howard W. Hunter taught, “Let us
prepare every missionary to go to the temple
worthily and to make that experience an even
greater highlight than receiving the mission
call” (Ensign, Nov. 1994, 88).
• How can you prepare?
• Live worthily
• Take the Church Temple Preparation class from
your ward or stake called Endowed from on High
• Read the Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple
Church booklet
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
39
Missionaries go to the Temple to be
Endowed with Power from on High
• “Going to the temple for your own endowment… [is]
an integral part of your mission preparation …You
cannot do this work alone. We have to have heaven’s
help, we have to have the ‘gifts’ of God… This work is
so serious and the adversary’s opposition to it so
great that we need every divine power to enhance
our effort and move the Church steadily forward”
(Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Apr. 25, 1997).
• “Missionaries …are not fully qualified to go forth,
preach the gospel, and build up the kingdom, unless
they have the gift of the Holy Ghost and also are
endowed with power from on high…[that is] given
only in the Lord’s Temple… [The Lord] said this was
so that they could go out with greater power from
on high and with greater protection” (Elder Bruce R.
McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary)
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
40
Speaking in Sacrament Meeting
• All departing missionaries are asked to speak in sacrament
meeting prior to entering the mission field.
• In 2002, President Hinckley announced that the tradition of
turning sacrament meeting over to the family of the
departing missionary needed to stop.
• “The departing missionary will be given opportunity to
speak in a sacrament meeting for 15 or 20 minutes. But
parents and siblings will not be invited to do so. There might
be two or more departing missionaries who speak in the
same service. The meeting will be entirely in the hands of
the bishop and will not be arranged by the family.”
• To Men of the Priesthood, Oct 2002
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
41
Writing and Delivering a Talk
• Impromptu sacrament meeting talks are a common request of
missionaries
• Knowing how to write and deliver a talk is an essential skill
• Four elements a sacrament meeting talk should have:
• Purpose: “Once a person has the purpose, the rest of the talk is easy.”
An example purpose statement might be: “The purpose of my talk is to
teach people how to recognize the power of faith in their own lives.”
• Main Ideas: You will need two or three main ideas that support this
purpose. One might be “Faith is the very motivating power that enables
us to act.” Another main idea might be “I can increase faith by
recognizing it in my life.”
• Expansion: You can expand or validate the main ideas with stories,
scriptures, or examples of faith (or whatever the topic is) in your life.
• Testimony: Always end your talk by bearing testimony. “I would
honestly evaluate how strongly I feel about the principle I am teaching
and then testify about that principle.”
• See article in BYU Magazine by Randy Bott called How to Write a
Church Talk
• And don’t forget to stay within the time given you
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
42
Being Set Apart as a Missionary
• The stake president sets apart all
missionaries
• A missionary is set apart as close as possible
to his or her departure date (usually a day or
two prior to entering the MTC)
• Before a missionary is set apart, the stake
president conducts an interview to confirm
the missionary’s worthiness
• The setting apart should be a special
occasion where family members and close
friends may attend.
• After being set apart, he or she is a
missionary and should live by missionary
standards
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
43
Mission Rules:
The Missionary Handbook
• Obeying these rules will keep you safe
and will help you be more successful
• It is a resource youth, parents, and
priesthood leaders should use in
preparing youth for the mission field
• It outlines the rules on language, dress
and grooming, music and media,
finances, communicating with family
and friends, and other expectations of
missionaries
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
44
Mission Rules: Missionary Conduct
• Language: Use refined, dignified language that identifies you
as a servant of the Lord.
• Dress and Grooming: Wear conservative clothing that is
consistent with their sacred calling and message.
• Schedule: Follow the Missionary Schedule (up at 6:30, daily
scripture study, proselytizing, bed at 10:30, etc.)
• Preparation Day: You have one day a week to take care of
personal needs: washing clothes, a haircut, shopping, etc.
• Communicating with Family: You can write home weekly and
call home twice a year: Christmas and Mother’s Day.
• Entertainment: No worldly entertainment, television, or
movies, and only music that is spiritual and uplifting.
• Your Companion: Stay with your companion at all times.
• Relations with Opposite Sex: Never be alone with or
associate in any inappropriate way with someone of the
opposite sex.
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
45
“To Obey is Better than Sacrifice”
• King Saul is commanded to smite and destroy the
Amalekites and all that they have, yet he saves
some animals to offer as sacrifices.
• “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as
great delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of
the Lord? Behold, to obey is better
than sacrifice, and to hearken than
the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
46
The Missionary Training Center (MTC)
• You’ll go to one of 17 MTCs across the world to learn:
•
•
•
•
Gospel doctrines
How to teach by the Spirit
Communication skills (a foreign language for some)
The mission rules
• Every day you will have a rigorous schedule
• Classes, Exercise, Meal Time, Scripture Study, etc.
• Once a week you’ll go to the temple
• Once a week you have a devotional by a General Authority
• Weekly service (“celestial service”) cleaning toilets, mopping, etc.
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
47
Traveling to and Being Dropped
Off
at
the
MTC
• Reporting to an MTC out of the county
• Many go directly to MTCs in other countries like Mexico or Brazil
• If so, the Church will make travel arrangements
• You’ll say your goodbye’s at the airport
• Reporting to the Provo MTC
•
•
•
•
•
Several hundred new missionaries arrive each Wednesday
One vehicle per family is allowed to enter the MTC grounds
Say goodbye’s to family and friends prior to arrival at the MTC
You will only have a few brief moments for a quick farewell
There is no opportunity for picture taking at this moment
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
48
MTC
Services
• Cafeteria: Three healthy meals a day are served
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Laundry: Washers and dryers are available. You must purchase you own detergent
Dry cleaning: Rates are reasonable. Suit alterations are available for a fee.
Bookstore: Learning materials, book bags, toiletries, white shirts, treats, etc.
Barbershop: Elders are entitled to one free haircut. A beautician is available for paid
appointments for Sister missionaries.
Copy center: Photocopies, laminating, and binding
Mail: Missionaries can receive letters and packages through the mail, but MTC will
not accept hand deliveries.
Banking services: Cash checks and buy travelers’ checks
Medical services: Immunizations are available. Health needs can be treated.
Doctors are on call for emergencies.
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
49
Adjusting to Missionary Life
• We have a copy of this
booklet for each prospective
missionary
Temporal and Spiritual Prep
The Mission Call Process
Getting Ready to Go
50
The End
Questions?
• This presentation will be posted for download at
JWstake.com
• More mission prep resources can be found at
MormonMissionPrep.com, a website maintained by
Brother Jimmy Smith
51