You're finally out of the MTC this week! I remember those days leading up to entrance in the mission field. I was full of energy and enthusiasm. I was so excited to finally get to work. I remember comparing my feelings to those of Alma who wrote, "O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people! Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth." (Alma 29:1-2) I wanted to be like the great preacher, Dan Jones whose legendary missionary work is portrayed in this painting titled, "Dan Jones Awakens Wales." I wanted to be as fearless as the painting depicts him, proclaiming the message of the restored gospel to multitudes at a time. (The painting is featured in Chapter 1 of Preach My Gospel).
I think most missionaries feel that way as they come out of the MTC. It's no great surprise. The MTC is a sort of spiritual bubble. "The purpose of the MTC is to provide an atmosphere of peace, love, trust, confidence, and respect in which missionaries can prepare for missionary service." ("About the MTC") MTC's are dedicated for that purpose with an a blessing of apostolic authority.
Intentionally or not, the MTC fosters a culture of optimistic idealism while ignoring the face of reality. Bruce C. Hafen once described in the following way, "Some seem almost consciously to filter out any perception of a gap between the real and the ideal. Those in this category are they for whom the gospel at its best is a firm handshake, an enthusiastic greeting, and a smiley button. Their mission was the best, their student ward is the best, and every new day is probably going to be the best day they ever had. These cheerful ones are happy, spontaneous, and optimistic, and they always manage to hang loose. They are able to weather many storms that would seem formidable to more pessimistic types, though one wonders if the reason is often that they have somehow missed hearing that a storm was going on." (Love Is Not Blind: Some Thoughts for College Students on Faith and Ambiguity).
I think Dan Jones may have had a similar spirit of innocent optimism before his mission to Wales. He had good reason to. Joseph Smith prophesied of his mission to him personally. They were side by side in Carthage Jail when Joseph said to him, "You will yet see Wales and fulfill the mission appointed you ere you die." (Dan Jones Welshman: Taking the Gospel Home) That was the final prophesy of the prophet Joseph. He was martyred the next day.
Ronald D. Denis wrote, "Having traveled to Britain in company with Wilford Woodruff, Elder Jones had no doubt heard accounts from Elder Woodruff of the wonderful success he had enjoyed in Herefordshire a few years earlier. Surely, similar success awaited the returning Welshman; he may have thought it would be just a matter of proclaiming the good news to his compatriots, locating a pool of water, and keeping order as scores of converts lined up for baptism." (Dan Jones Welshman: Taking the Gospel Home)
But that was not how it was to be. While Dan Jones's contemporary, Merthry Tydfil, who was working in South Wales, baptized 195 people in a year, Dan Jones did not baptize a single soul in three months. (An interesting sidenote in relation to my letter to you, "The Language Will Come," Elder Tydfil dd not speak Welsh and Elder Jones did.) Elder Jones wrote to Wilford Woodruff, "I have neglected writing until now, expecting to have the better news to give you, because I had some forebodings of glorious consequences." (Dan Jones Welshman: Taking the Gospel Home)
Maybe Dan Jones was like me, and he had also compared his feelings to those Alma described in Alma 29. And maybe at this point, he took notice of the of the verse immediately following Alma's aspiration, "But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me." (Alma 29:3)
Now imagine Bruce C. Hafen is responding to Dan Jones's letter to Wilford Woodruff as he said, "I invite you, then, to step up to level two, where you see things for what they are; for only then can you deal with them in a meaningful and constructive way. If we are not willing to grapple with the frustration that comes from honestly and bravely facing the uncertainties we encounter, we may never develop the kind of spiritual maturity that is necessary for our ultimate preparations." (Love Is Not Blind: Some Thoughts for College Students on Faith and Ambiguity)
It was after gaining that spiritual maturity that Dan Jones became the man that President Hinckley described as perhaps the greatest missionary of this dispensation. (Elder Holland Dedicates New MTC Buildings) Dan Jones set a record by bringing almost 4,000 people to baptism in less than four years. He averaged over a thousand souls a year. He earned the caption under the painting of him in Preach My Gospel, "Dan Jones, one of the greatest missionaries in this dispensation, preaches the gospel in Wales."
I've taken a lot of time to get this point across. The culture of the mission will lean more to the side of realism than the idealistic MTC in many aspects, including obedience. Try to find the balance in the space of ambiguity which exists between the real and the ideal. Be optimistic, but be aware. Even Dan Jones struggled the first few months of his mission. Most importantly, don't judge yourself too harshly, and don't judge your missionary companions. Be patient with their imperfections and your own imperfections. I believe the Lord will bless you when you reach that level of spiritual maturity just as he blessed Dan Jones.
I'll finish with this scripture:
"For the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls." (Jacob 4:13)
I love you, Luke! You're doing great!
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