So we had a Zone Conference last Thursday and it was awesome! I
learned a very valuable lesson about missionary work. The missionaries
aren't there for you to help them with missionary work. They're there to
help you with missionary work. It's up to the members to convert others, the missionaries are only tools in conversion. I also learned that tracting is very ineffective...very.
I hope the kids are enjoying school and I also hope your photography is going well. I've been doing great here, a little tired but it's good. By the way the hills here don't end they're not steep, just really...really long.
I hope the kids are enjoying school and I also hope your photography is going well. I've been doing great here, a little tired but it's good. By the way the hills here don't end they're not steep, just really...really long.
Every Member a Missionary
6.7 billion people live on the earth right now, but only 52,000 members are full-time missionaries. Mormons are invited to share the gospel with their friends so more people have the chance to learn about Jesus Christ in a personal, meaningful way.
It isn't only our full-time missionaries who share the gospel. Because we believe the gospel of Jesus Christ is the way to true happiness, we want to tell as many of our friends and family about it as we can. We believe, as Peter taught in the New Testament, that we should "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15)
Of course the most convincing testimony is the good, happy life of a person who lives according to Christ's teachings, but we also feel that sharing our individual experiences with others is a great way to invite them to come to know more about Jesus Christ.
Sharing the gospel isn't always easy, though. Many of us feel afraid of offending our friends, seeming pushy or saying something that might be misinterpreted. We gather our courage and try our best to find a way to talk about how much the gospel means to us while respecting other people's beliefs and choices. We are thrilled when friends share in the joys of living the gospel. This can happen by attending Church meetings and activities during the week and meeting with missionaries to talk about how the gospel can bless their lives. If you want to make a Mormon's day, ask if you can visit their Church. However, we love our friends whether they accept the teachings of our Church or not.
You might wonder what, exactly, a Mormon missionary does, other than ride a bike and knock on doors, or how a young man or woman just out of high school might end up on a mission. Here are the basics.
Most of the Church's missionaries are around twenty years old, though many members also volunteer to serve after they've retired. All prospective missionaries turn in applications to Church headquarters and they receive a call to a specific mission around the world. They spend a few weeks in a training center where some of them learn a new language and all of them rigorously study and practice teaching the gospel. Then they set off to their assigned locations and begin their service. Missionaries' lives are completely dedicated to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. They pay their own way and put off school, dating and work for two years in order to focus entirely on doing the Lord's work.
A common morning for a missionary might consist of waking up at 6:30 a.m., studying the scriptures, and meeting new people to share the gospel with. The afternoon might include discussing gospel lessons with people they meet and volunteering for service in the community. A good night has them teaching the gospel to interested individuals and helping them learn and keep God's commandments or attending a baptismal service for someone who's decided to join the Church. They return home around 9:30 p.m. and fall into bed, usually exhausted and happy.
