Week 9 - 31 January 2016: Authority Above That of Kings

Dear Luke,

You wrote me about confidence a couple weeks ago.  You said it's hard to be confident as you teach or knock doors because your Portuguese isn't great yet.  As I was thinking about a message I could write to help, I couldn't help but be reminded of what has come to be known as "The Missionary Commission." It was supposedly delivered by Elder McConkie when he served as a mission president in Australia.  I couldn't find anything official on it but I could find it on some non-official sites like LDS Church Quotes.  You know I'm not a huge fan of some of Elder McConkie's writings, but the law of oppositions seems to hold true within his dissertations.  He is the author of some of my favorite, and some of my least favorite LDS literature.

President McConkie gave this to the missionaries under his presiding authority, "I am called of God. My authority is above that of the kings of the earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my Master and he has chosen me to represent him. To stand in his place, to say and do what he himself would say and do if he personally were ministering to the very people to whom he has sent me. My voice is his voice, and my acts are his acts; my words are his words and my doctrine is his doctrine. My commission is to do what he wants done. To say what he wants said. To be a living modern witness in word and deed of the divinity of his great and marvelous latter-day work."

What more can be said? Write it down. Memorize it. Do whatever you have to do to keep these truths in the front of your mind on those tough days.

One other thing came to my mind as I pondered your struggle with confidence.  It's a story from church history that you might be familiar with.  The Church was receiving heavy persecution.  The Hauns Mill Massacre was still fresh in the minds of members.  Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, and other church leaders had been taken captive.  They were, "penned up in a cold, open, unfinished court house, in which situation they remained for some weeks, while their families were suffering severe privations... It was a very severe time of snow and winter weather, and [they] suffered much," (The Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, Chapter 26).  Sidney Rigdon was very sick and delirious.  I am sure they were miserable, hungry, cold, and they likely had dampened spirits.  But the experience Elder Pratt writes about next is simply astonishing.

"In one of those tedious nights we had lain as if in sleep till the hour of midnight had passed, and our ears and hearts bad been pained, while we had listened for hours to the obscene jests, the horrid oaths, the dreadful blasphemies and filthy language of our guards, Colonel Price at their head, as they recounted to each other their deeds of rapine, murder, robbery, etc., which they had committed among the "Mormons" while at Far West and vicinity. They even boasted of defiling by force wives, daughters and virgins, and of shooting or dashing out the brains of men, women and children.

"I had listened till I became so disgusted, shocked, horrified, and so filled with the spirit of indignant justice that I could scarcely refrain from rising upon my feet and rebuking the guards; but had said nothing to Joseph, or any one else, although I lay next to him and knew he was awake. On a sudden he arose to his feet, and spoke in a voice of thunder, or as the roaring lion, uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following words:

"SILENCE, ye fiends of the infernal pit. In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS INSTANT!

"He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained, and without a weapon; calm, unruffled and dignified as an angel, he looked upon the quailing guards, whose weapons were lowered or dropped to the ground; whose knees smote together, and who, shrinking into a corner, or crouching at his feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet till a change of guards.

"I have seen the ministers of justice, clothed in magisterial robes, and criminals arraigned before them, while life was suspended on a breath, in the Courts of England; I have witnessed a Congress in solemn session to give laws to nations; I have tried to conceive of kings, of royal courts, of thrones and crowns; and of emperors assembled to decide the fate of kingdoms; but dignity and majesty have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in a dungeon in an obscure village of Missouri," (Pratt, Chapter 26).

Elder Pratt's words convey the power of the experience so well.  I feel it every time I read this story.

Joseph Smith had so much reason to be afraid. He was weak, chained and surrounded by armed guards who hated him. Where did he find the confidence with which he spoke? I believe he was confident because he knew he spoke with true power and authority, using the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joseph was a large man, and perhaps he was angry, but the guards had no reason to fear a hungry, cold, unarmed prisoner bound by chains. They did, however, have reason to fear the power of God, which I am certain was manifested by the Holy Spirit as Joseph Smith rebuked them that dreadful night.  I am certain that he astonished them in the truest sense of the word: a word derived from a Latin word meaning "to thunder."

You will probably spend days on your mission walking for hours on end in 100% humidity and 105 degrees of heat, being eaten alive by mosquitoes. You will probably have been rejected dozens of times.  You'll have doors slammed in your face.  The people will be rude.  Some might make fun of your Portuguese.  You might be hungry and tired and have hardly a desire to keep working.

On those days, you remember in whose name you are preaching.  Your Portuguese might not be perfect.  You might be figuratively bound by the chains of the language barrier, but your words won't be what touch the hearts of those to whom you preach.  Find your confidence in the power of God, which is manifested by the Holy Spirit as you testify in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  That's what will touch their hearts.  And they will be astonished.

I'll finish up with a scripture and then I'll include a Spanish fail of mine from my mission.  I hope it makes you laugh!

"But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly, whilst ye were made a gazing stock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward," (Hebrews 10:32-35).

And here's the story to finish up.

I was in my training and it was my turn to do the contact.  It seemed like it was always my turn... In Chile, there are fences around all of the houses, so you have to yell "Alo!" as loudly as you can for people to come out.  A man came to the door, but stayed at the doorway.  He had a big patio so there was a lot of space between us and it was hard to hear. He looked like he had been doing construction and I understood that he couldn't come to the gate and that he was doing something in the bathroom.  I figured he was fixing his sink or something and so offered help just as sincerely as I could.  He gave me a weird look and then slammed the door.  Afterward, my companion started yelling at me, and I had no clue why.  He explained that the man had actually said that he couldn't come to the gate because he had diarrhea and I offered to help him with that.  Bet you can't one-up that one ;)

I love you Luke! Keep working hard!

Week 8 - 24 January 2016: A Beekeeper's Vision Part 2: Achieving the Vision

Dear Luke,

Last week, I wrote you about obtaining a vision.  This week I'll follow up with achieving the vision. Again, all quotes are taken from an interview with Sir Edmund Hilary found on the Academy of Achievement site.

The first thing you'll need is motivation. Sir Edmund Hillary said, "I think motivation is the single most important factor in any sort of success. Physical fitness is important, technical skill is important, and maybe even the desire for money is important in some respects. But a sort of basic motivation, the desire to succeed, to stretch yourself to the utmost is the most important factor. Certainly in the field of exploration and activity, it's the thing that makes the difference between someone who does really well and someone who doesn't."  I think that's true of missionaries too.  Teaching skills are important, the ability to speak fluently is important, but motivation is what makes the difference.

Hillary explained the role of his motivation in this way, "But, of course, we had one problem that the modern mountaineer doesn't have. That is, this psychological barrier. We really didn't know whether it was humanly possible to reach the top of Mt. Everest. And even using oxygen as we were, if we did get to the top, we weren't at all sure whether we wouldn't drop dead or something of that nature. All the physiologists had warned us that the altitude at the summit of Everest was a very marginal altitude and might be extremely dangerous. So, one had this feeling in your mind all the time that maybe you were pushing things a bit beyond what humans were meant to do and you couldn't ignore that feeling. But, because of strong motivation, you keep plugging on and you seem to be going okay and nothing seems to be going wrong, so you persist. And we persisted, of course, and ultimately, set foot on the summit."

So what was it that drove Hillary to do what he did?  Sir Edmund Hillary called it, "A very strong affection for mountaineering. I knew I could do it and enjoy it and so it grew on me." He wasn't pursuing glory.  He was pursuing his passion.  He simply loved what he did.  I've written to you about motivation a little bit already.  I've found that the best motivations are not quantifiable.  Your vision might include numbers, but don't ever let those numbers motivate you.  In fact, don't let your vision motivate you.  The vision is not the motivation.  The vision is a tool to build faith.  "A very strong affection for," God, your fellow-man, and the work, should be your motivation.

Once you're motivated, you'll need a plan.  On the subject of planning, Sir Edmund Hillary said, "I think, for instance, that prior planning of what you're doing, slowly and carefully working out how you're going to meet problems if they arise, can be enormously helpful. If an emergency arises, you've already thought out the type of thing that you can do and the type of decisions you can make, the type of orders you can give, and overcome that problem and get through... And I've always found you can do that by, each night, when you go to bed, just let your mind dwell on the likely things that may happen next day, and think out carefully the sort of decisions that might be necessary to make in order to have the program carried through."

Now let's say part of your vision is that you want to be obedient.  If you already know how you will respond to a pressure to be disobedient, you are far more likely to succeed with your vision.  You could also apply this principle in your nightly planning, personal study and companionship study.  Ask yourself how an investigator might misinterpret whatever you are trying to share, what questions he or she might have, what words might you want to use in the lesson that you don't know yet or other problems that might arise.  Role plays are a great way to prepare for those situations and will give you an advantage in the teaching arena.

As you form a plan, you might consider speaking with missionaries who are towards the end of their missions, or returned missionaries or your mission president or whoever else might be able to offer some counsel based on experience.  Sir Edmund Hillary advised young people to do that strongly, "But, I recommend to younger people that it's foolish to start from scratch again. Older people really have a lot of experience. They have a lot of knowledge. Some of them are even quite pleasant people, and I recommend to the young ones to take advantage of all that previous experience and knowledge and understanding which older people have. Absorb it all, and then drop the old people if you'd like, and go off and do your own thing. At least you're starting with all that built-up accumulation of knowledge and understanding that's been going on for generations. I think this is a very valuable thing that young people can do. Quite often a young person who is unhappy and uncertain, can make friendships with some slightly older people with more experience and maybe learn a little bit from them and get a little bit more certain in themselves. Now I know a lot of youngsters couldn't care less about this, but that's what I would recommend to a lot of them. I actually learned a lot from older people when I was in my 20s. What little I did learn was mostly from older people, not from young ones."

Be humble. Ask others for help and absorb it. You don't have to start from scratch.  You'll be far more likely to achieve your vision if you do.

Let me offer one final comment on planning.  Modern climbers that have the vision of summitting Everest use four camps in addition to the base camp in order to make the climb.  You might consider having an idea of about where you need to be in order to reach your end-of-the-mission goal at the six month mark,at the year mark, and at the year and a half mark. The you can see what you need to achieve monthly, weekly, and daily in order to meet your six month goals. You could really divide it up however you like, but dividing your big goal  into smaller, more manageable goals is key.

Another factor in achieving a vision is adaptability, or being flexible.  About his summit attempt on Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary said, "Never, at any stage, until we actually got up the rock step, was I confident that we were going to be successful. My feeling was that we would give it everything we had, but we had no surety that we were going to reach the top. In fact, I believe that if someone starts out on a challenging activity, completely confident that they're going to succeed, why bother starting? It's not much of a challenge. I think it's much better to start out on something that you're not at all sure that you can do. If you overcome and you manage to defeat the obstacles, the satisfaction is so much greater."  See how visions are faith-building things? Hillary had found the balance within the ambiguity between the real and the ideal.  He started off knowing he would have to be flexible.

When asked about failure he said, "Well, it sounds arrogant, but I can't remember having all that many failures in major things that I set out to do. Sometimes objectives almost changed during the course of something you were attempting to do. You would decide that a more important objective was such-and-such a thing, rather than what you had initially set out to do."  He didn't fail very often because he was willing to be flexible and adapt his vision as necessary.

Adapting your vision isn't necessarily a cheap excuse to cheat your way out of doing something hard.  It could be a sign of maturity.  Hillary said, "I've moved from being a child who dreamed a lot and read a lot of books about adventure, to actually getting involved in things like mountaineering, and then becoming a reasonably competent mountaineer and going off to the Himalayas, doing a lot of climbing, and going off on expeditions to the Antarctic and that sort of active adventurer stage. Then I, more or less as I got older, I moved into a period where I was more involved in organizing, raising funds and leading expeditions... As I got somewhat older, again I became increasingly interested particularly in the people of the Himalayas. I built up very close friendships with them and I became concerned about the things that they wanted: schooling and hospitals and things of that nature. This carried on for quite a while. Perhaps in more recent years, certainly in the last 15 years or so, I've also become very much involved in environmental matters. So I would say now that my major interests are in people and in the environment."

Was the vision of his later years to help the poor and preserve the environment inferior to his former vision to reach the highest peak of the world? Of course not.  To the contrary.  He simply adapted his vision as he matured.  You'll do a lot of maturing on your mission.  Every missionary does.  Your vision will likely mature with you.  Let it.  When you get to that point, don't cling to the vision of your younger missionary self because you feel that it is somehow less honorable to adapt it.  "Clinging" is a dangerous thing. After all, it was the people that clung to the iron rod which reached the tree of life, partook of the fruit, "and after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree... did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed," ("The Danger of Clinging to the Rod," 1 Nephi 8:25).

As Sir Edmund Hillary said, "be that sort of person that enjoy[s] making out plans, but... also enjoy changing plans."

"But, I recommend to younger people that it's foolish to start from scratch again. Older people really have a lot of experience. They have a lot of knowledge. Some of them are even quite pleasant people, and I recommend to the young ones to take advantage of all that previous experience and knowledge and understanding which older people have. Absorb it all, and then drop the old people if you'd like, and go off and do your own thing. At least you're starting with all that built-up accumulation of knowledge and understanding that's been going on for generations. I think this is a very valuable thing that young people can do. Quite often a young person who is unhappy and uncertain, can make friendships with some slightly older people with more experience and maybe learn a little bit from them and get a little bit more certain in themselves. Now I know a lot of youngsters couldn't care less about this, but that's what I would recommend to a lot of them. I actually learned a lot from older people when I was in my 20s. What little I did learn was mostly from older people, not from young ones."

The final lesson I would like to share about Sir Hillary is the principle of perseverance.  He said, "I never climbed up anything one step at a time. You read so much about how, at extreme altitudes, you take one step and then you stop and pant and puff for a while, and then take one more step. I don't ever remember doing that. You're much slower in higher altitudes because of the lack of oxygen, but I used to keep moving pretty steadily most of the time and I didn't have to stop too often for panting and puffing." He went on to say, "My mind concentrates rather firmly on the job in hand. Certainly, on Everest for instance, we were using oxygen and I was constantly doing mental arithmetic, checking the pressure of the oxygen bottles. I had to convert that pressure over to the number of liters of oxygen that remained in the bottle, and then work out how many hours or minutes of activity we still had left. So constantly, we were dealing with the problems of the slopes and soft snow and crevasses that we have to deal with, but at the same time, constantly ticking over in my mind was the usage of oxygen and how much time we had to get there and get down again." Keep moving steadily towards your goal and concentrate on the job at hand.  As we learn from D&C 63:47, "He that is faithful and endureth shall overcome the world."

Now, there is only one thing left to cover. Satisfaction. And Sir Edmund Hillary should certainly know a great deal about that.  Just look at the view.

On the subject of satisfaction, Sir Edmund Hillary said, "It doesn't matter what field you're in. You could be in education, science or business [or on an LDS mission]. Almost anything has its moments where you have to overcome considerable challenges, and if you're able to overcome those challenges, you get a great sense of satisfaction. And I would say a businessman who's been able to achieve a successful deal of some sort, would probably feel a very similar sort of reaction to someone who's just managed to get to the top of a mountain. You've overcome problems. You may not have been frightened to death, but you've overcome problems and difficulties and you've achieved success and you certainly feel pretty happy about it. I think the element of danger which is present in things like mountaineering and sailing around the world and all those type of things, does add a tremendous amount to the challenge. There's simply no question that if you're doing something that has the possibility that you may make a mistake or something may go wrong and you'll come to a rather sticky end, this I think, does add something, really, to the whole challenge. You really feel you're doing something exciting and perhaps a little desperate, and if you're successful, it certainly gives you that little bit more satisfaction."

I probably missed a couple, but I bolded all those you's because I want you to feel like the quote is directed to you.  

Sir Hillary said that he felt a great deal of satisfaction and excitement after summitting the mountain, and especially after returning to camp safely, and I am sure he did.  He had good reason to.  But I am also sure his satisfaction could not compare to the spiritual confirmation felt by many a young man, upon honorably completing his mission, that God is smiling down upon him and saying, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant," (Matthew 25:21)

I love you Luke! You have a lot to look forward to.  Keep on working hard.

Week 7 - 17 January 2016: A Beekeeper's Vision Part 1: Obtaining the Vision

Dear Luke,

I told you a couple weeks ago that I meant to write you about having a vision and goals.  I thought we might be able to learn a thing or two on the subject from a man who ought to know.

In my first letter to you, we learned that Sir Edmund Hillary kept a journal.  He was also the first man to summit Everest among several other peaks.  His experiences offer us many insights on the subject of "having a vision," which I'd like to share with you.  I'm going to split this one up into two letters.  The first will have to do with obtaining the vision, and the second, with achieving the vision.  All quotes come from an interview with Hillary posted on the Academy of Achievement website.

It's important to have a vision early on as a missionary.  You need to know where you're going, what you want to achieve, and who you want to be.  In answer to the question, "What advice would you give to a young person striving to achieve?" Sir Edmund Hillary said, "I would advise them to aim high. To set their sights at a pretty tough target and don't be too worried if you're not successful at first. Just keep persisting and keep improving your standards, getting better and better and ultimately, you've got a pretty fair chance at achieving your desired goal... I do think that virtually everybody that's born has the ability to be very competent at doing something. I think that, in itself, is worthy of aiming towards, just to be competent at doing anything you particularly wish to do."

That's the first step.  Aim high.

When pondering those questions, "What do I  want to achieve?" "What kind of person do I want to be?" etc., you should consider your values and principles.  Sir Edmund Hillary shared this story, "My parents also were people of very strong character. They had strong principles, as many people did in those days... My mother used to say to me a thing which, when I look back on it, wasn't terribly logical. -- and I had a pretty hearty appetite, but when I had had a large meal put in front of me, and even I couldn't get through it, she would say, "Edmund, remember the starving millions in Asia." Now what possible use my consuming it would do for the starving millions in Asia, I don't really know [I've often wondered the same thing...], but the fact remains that I was brought up to think about the starving millions in Asia. That meant I had to clean my plate up and not waste it. Later on, I got more involved with the starving millions in Asia, perhaps in a slightly more practical way: helping some of them with schooling and hospitaling and even in agriculture."

In another part of the interview, Hillary said, "As I've gotten older, my goals have become more solidified. My main concentration is on the welfare of the people I've worked with in the Himalayas and on human welfare in general."  Hillary's principles clearly helped him to obtain a solid vision of helping the poor.  Your vision as a missionary should also be based on principles and values.  Chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel, which focuses on Christ-like attributes, might be a good place to start.

It would also help to have a role model.  Hillary said, "I did have -- definitely -- one heroic figure who impressed me very much indeed, and that was the great Antarctic explorer, Shackleton. Shackleton I always admired because he was a tough man and a very good leader. And whenever he was in difficult circumstances, which he frequently was, he seemed to have the great ability to inspire his men and lead his party safely out of those conditions. So certainly Shackleton, I would have said, more than anything, was a role model for me. And later on, when I was down in the Antarctic myself and doing various adventures, I really felt that I tried to behave perhaps a little bit more like Shackleton, than any of the other famous Antarctic explorers."

Sir Edmund Hillary knew who he wanted to be like. Sir Ernest Shackleton is a great role model to have.  He was an incredible man.  He had certain characteristics that Hillary wanted to have.  He was tough, a good leader, and he was inspiring.  There are several great role models for missionaries in the scriptures who have their own characteristics which you might also want to include in your vision.  Some you might consider include Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah, the great missionary apostle Paul, and of course,the greatest role model of all, Jesus Christ, who said,"Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am," (3 Nephi 27:27).

I invite you to take some time this week and ponder those important questions about what you want to achieve and the kind of disciple you want to be and to pray about them.  Set your vision high, base it on your values, and choose a role model or two to contribute.  Write it down and refer to it regularly.  You'll find it to be a valuable thing by the end of your mission.

I'll finish up with this side note:

Sir Edmund Hillary referred to himself as a man of modest abilities throughout the interview.  He was, after all, the modest son of a beekeeper.  Hillary once wrote, "the mediocre can succeed and the fearful can achieve." It doesn't matter so much where you are now.  The Lord has a purpose in calling the "weak and the simple" "that the fulness of [His] gospel might be proclaimed." (D&C 1:23)

I love you Luke! I hope you have a great week!

Week 6 - 10 January 2016: The Real, the Ideal, and Dan Jones

Dear Luke,

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!

Week 5 - 03 January 2016: "That Ye May Not Be Bound Down By the Chains of Hell"

Dear Luke,

This week I was going to write you about having a vision and goal setting.  I thought that it would be an appropriate topic for the start of the new year and your transition to the mission field coming up.  But in light of your letter, I chose a different topic for today.  I wanted to address some of the things your former MTC President said at the close of his service there. My object in writing you is not to discredit or undermine the words of your former MTC President.  I do, however, hope to offer an alternative perspective of his words which you may take however you would like.

This is a quote taken from your email, “When he talked about obedience, I realized that I had been thinking about obedience wrong.  Obedience in the mission field is not about me, it’s about love for my investigators and my trust in God.  If I am less obedient, I will have less sensitivity to the Spirit and will not be able to teach my investigators as effectively!”

I have many thoughts about obedience in the mission field, and I am sure I will write several more emails on the topic, some of them expounding on ideas I will present today.  I’ll start by quickly addressing the second sentence of the above quote.  I love the first clause of that sentence.  Obedience is not about you.  I believe that is absolutely correct.  I would change the second clause of the sentence a little bit though.  I think obedience is about love for God and Jesus Christ first, and about your discipleship to Them, and secondly about love for your fellow man – your investigators and companions (see Matthew 22:36-40) – and your trust in the servants God has called.  It is also about the Gospel principle of submission.

I changed the phrase from “trust in God” to “trust in the servants God has called” because the mission handbook referred to as the “white bible” is not a Bible at all (not even in the linguistic sense of the word as it means “a collection of books”).  The “thou shalt’s” and “thou shalt not’s” of the “white bible” are written by men, albeit inspired men, and they are policies, not doctrines.  They are not even on the same plane as the “thou shalt’s” and “thou shalt not’s” of the doctrinal ten commandments written by the finger of God.   Mission rules were not written by God; they were written by His servants to whom He delegated authority.  We have to trust them because they are the authors.  God is not the author, although I feel certain He inspired much of the book.

But I want to focus on the third sentence today, as it causes me the most concern.  There is an ugly, viscous chain of thought that can result from this idea.  It says, “If I am not obedient, then I can’t have the companionship of the Spirit.  If I can’t have the companionship of the Spirit, then I can’t teach my investigators effectively.  If I can’t teach my investigators effectively, then I am useless as a missionary.  If I am useless as a missionary, I might as well go home.” Oftentimes, if allowed to get that far, the chain can lead to misery and leaving the Church.  My goal today is to break this chain at every link.

In the Church, we often talk about “being worthy” whether it be to take the sacrament, to be baptized, to enter the temple, or to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost.  God is the Judge.  He delegates His authority as judge to chosen servants, which include bishops, stake presidents, and mission presidents.  That is why they are often referred to as judges in Israel (D&C 107:68-76).  It is through their keys, that people are interviewed and found worthy to take the sacrament, be baptized, and enter the temple.  But to whom has God delegated the authority to judge one’s worthiness to have the companionship of the Spirit?  I know of no scripture that answers that question, and so I assume God has reserved that authority for Himself.

God is the Owner of truth.  When we tell ourselves that we are unworthy of the Spirit, a decision that is apparently not ours to make, we pit our perception of truth against God’s ownership of it.   We cannot limit God’s power to bless us with the Spirit in this way, but we can limit our ability to receive the blessings of the Spirit.  Let God decide.  Don’t limit yourself by assuming you can’t have the company of the Spirit.  In my opinion, if you can answer the temple recommend questions honestly, and are therefore worthy to enter the celestial room of the temple, which is a representation of the Celestial Kingdom of God, which is in the presence of God the Father, you are probably worthy to be in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Hopefully that was enough to break the first link so let’s move on to the second, “If I can’t have the companionship of the Spirit, then I can’t teach my investigators effectively.” Of all of the links of the chain, this one probably holds the most truth.  Lies are often beneath absolutism, and that is the case in this example too. Without the companionship of the Spirit, you certainly can’t teach investigators as effectively, but it may not be correct to say that you can’t teach them effectively at all.  After all, an investigator’s conversion depends on whether or not they feel the Spirit regardless of the spiritual state of the missionary, and anyone can feel the Spirit, no matter how sinful their lifestyle.  If that were not so, repentance would be extremely difficult and rare and maybe even impossible.  A truly prepared person will be converted as they feel the Spirit testify of the truths that are taught to them.

When it comes down to it, you’ll probably see as I’ve seen that the most disobedient and unspiritual missionaries often baptize more, sometimes much more, than the most obedient and spiritual missionaries.  And I’m not talking about baptisms that go inactive in a week.  I’m talking about real conversions. I can’t explain it.  It happens.

On to the third link of the chain, “If I can’t teach my investigators effectively, then I am useless as a missionary.”  Chapter 1 of Preach My Gospel does a great job of breaking this link.  “Your success as a missionary is measured primarily by your commitment to find, teach, baptize, and confirm people and to help them become faithful members of the Church ho enjoy the presence of the Holy Ghost.”  It’s interesting that by this measure, the disobedient missionaries who don’t work hard but baptize a lot are not as successful as the obedient, hard-working missionaries who baptize very little.  It is also noteworthy that success is based on your commitment to teach and not necessarily your effectiveness as a teacher.  Other measures of your success as a missionary listed in Preach My Gospel include loving the people and desiring their salvation, developing Christ-live attributes, seeking earnestly to improve, and going about doing good.  If you don’t teach effectively as a missionary, but you do these things, you are in no way useless as a missionary.  It’s not all about teaching investigators and helping them to convert, it’s more about your own conversion.

The fourth and final link of the terrible chain is, “If I am useless as a missionary, then I might as well go home.” The missionary at this stage has lost hope.  He has lost hope in the Gospel of change through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  He feels that his condition is irreversible, and so he gives up.  It is a tragic scene.  If only he could see the measure of Christ’s infinite love for him.  If only he could see that “the miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can be cleansed and consoled but that we can be transformed.” (Brad Wilcox, His Grace Is Sufficient) If only he could see the change that could be wrought in him (Mosiah 5:2).  If only he could hear Elder Holland’s words of encouragement, “Don’t you give up…  Don’t you quit.  You keep walking.  You keep trying.  There is help and happiness ahead.”  (Elder Holland, "An High Priest of Good Things to Come") If only he could see that there is always hope, that “there really is light at the end of the tunnel.  It is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the “light that is endless that can never be darkened.” It is the very Son of God Himself.” (Elder Holland, “An High Priest of Good Things to Come”) If only he could that see the chain can be broken through Christ.

Now, I should make mention that through daily repentance, not even the first link can form.  It says instead, “If I am disobedient, then I repent, and the Spirit cleanses me and accompanies me.” Repentance is the great preventive measure.  It protects us.

Before concluding, I want to reiterate that this email is largely based on my personal opinion and that I do not claim it to be doctrine.  I believe I have met my goal to offer another perspective for you to consider.  On that note, I would like to finish with a scripture:

"And now, my brethren, I wish from the inmost part of my heart… that ye would hearken unto my words… and not procrastinate the day of your repentance; But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering; Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest.  And may the Lord grant unto you repentance… that ye may not be bound down by the chains of hell.” (Alma 13:27-30)

I love you, Luke! Keep up the good work.

Week 4 - 27 December 2015: "The Language Will Come"

Dear Luke,

You have the wonderful opportunity to be able to learn a foreign language.  There are many blessings that come of it, both temporal and spiritual.  For example, as a bilingual person, you will more marketable when searching for a job.  You will also be more marketable if searching for a notoriously beautiful Brazilian woman to marry (after your mission!).  On a more spiritual note, you will help to fulfill the prophesy that “every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power” (D&C 90:11).  That's a wonderful privilege. If we assume all of the members who live in Brazil speak Portuguese, you will be able to communicate with close to ten percent of the members of the Church in addition to the English-speaking majority.  You will also understand more about language in general.  You will even understand English better.  You will recognize more Latin roots in English words as a result of learning a Latin-based romance language.  In fact, when I was writing my last letter to you, I realized the word "angel" is within the word "evangelize." I wouldn't have noticed that if I hadn't first realized the Spanish word for angel, "ángel" is within the Spanish word for gospel, "evangelio." In Portuguese the word for gospel is "evangelho." That's not a coincidence.  They share a root.  Angels are related to the gospel in both scripture and language.  You will find many insights like that as you study Portuguese.

But the blessings of learning a language don't come without a price.  Learning a language is hard.  It  can be frustrating and stressful.  My purpose today is to give you some suggestions that might help you out.

I went to the MTC in Chile pretty often while I was on my mission because it was part of the same complex as the temple and the mission doctor and other offices.  It seems as though every time I talked to the missionaries there, they asked me how long it takes to learn the language. That was clearly the biggest concern for the majority of them.  I often felt that I had to remind them of a principle of the very first paragraph of chapter 7 of Preach My Gospel, titled "How Can I Better Learn My Mission Language." It reads, "Strengthen your personal testimony to bring converting power to your words. First study the doctrines and the lessons in your native language. That understanding will strengthen your testimony and your capacity to teach and testify convincingly. You can then learn to express the message of the Restoration in your mission language under the guidance of the Spirit" (italics added).  I cannot stress that enough.  Focus on the doctrine first, always.  Do not get stressed out about the language.  I echo the words of Nephi, "Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?... Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ." (2 Nephi 32:2-3) The Holy Spirit communicates with our spirits (Romans 8:16) He transcends language.  With Him, there are no language barriers. As you testify of Christ, the Spirit will carry your words to the hearts of those you teach. The power of your testimony will be understood with clarity even if your Portuguese is not. 

Another principle of language learning that I learned early on was that translation is a bad habit.  I'll explain why.  Words are symbols.  They represent ideas, concepts, or things, and they are bound to those ideas, concepts and things in your brain.  From now on I will refer to "ideas, concepts and things" collectively as "concepts" for the sake of brevity.  So let's say C is the concept, B is the English word which symbolizes or represents that concept, and A is the the Portuguese word which represents the same concept.  So what translation does is it says, "Oh, I know that Portuguese word! It means this English word!" and that English word represents a concept (A = B and B = C).  How much more efficient would it be if we used the transitive property to say, "Hmm, if A = B and B = C, then A = C!" In other words, if the Portuguese word is equivalent to the English word, and the English word represents a concept, then the Portuguese word represents the same concept and can be connected directly to it.  It's a little harder to do, but you will be learn to think in Portuguese, you will be able to process information more quickly, and you will be able to respond more quickly if you learn language through the transitive property instead of through translation.

Chapter 7 of Preach My Gospel also stresses dedication and diligence.  It simply states, "Learning to teach effectively in your mission language requires diligent effort." I tried to reach a high level of diligence associated with language learning in the first transfer cycle of my mission by getting up between a half hour and an hour early every day in order to spend additional time studying Spanish.  I learned a lot in those early hours of the day and I recommend doing it yourself, but only if your Mission President is ok with it and if losing that much sleep doesn't affect your focus during the day.

The final piece of advice that I can give you is to receive correction with humility, and even search it out.  Your companion, other missionaries, and native Brazilians can all help you to improve your Portuguese by correcting your grammar and pronunciation.  Receiving it with a smile and making the correction will help you grow and encourage others to continue helping you.  Receiving it with pride and frustration will only stunt your progress.  Some days will be hard and it will be tempting to lash out when corrected, especially if it's a mistake you've made before and you know it.  Bite the bullet, stay calm, and take it.  Stay focused on your goal to master the language to put things into perspective.  If you do these things, you will have more opportunities to learn every day.

In summary, focus on the doctrine of Christ first.  Don't stress about the language.  Have faith in the words conveyed by President Frutos as he set you apart, "The language will come and you will testify clearly with the Spirit."  Strive to have the patience that he blessed you with when he said, "I bless you with patience with the Lord’s timing and patience with yourself as you learn how to  teach and as you learn Portuguese," in the same blessing.  Don't translate. Link Portuguese words directly to concepts. Be diligent and dedicated in your learning.  Receive correction humbly.  You're smart.  I think you'll pick it up pretty quick.

I'll end with a quote from President Thomas S. Monson:

“There is one language … that is common to each missionary—the language of the Spirit. It is not learned from textbooks written by men of letters, nor is it acquired through reading and memorization. The language of the Spirit comes to him who seeks with all his heart to know God and keep His divine commandments. Proficiency in this language permits one to breach barriers, overcome obstacles, and touch the human heart.”  ("The Spirit Giveth Life" Ensign, June 1997)

I love you, Luke! Keep up the good work!

Week 3 - 20 December 2015: The Manger, the Messenger, the Message, and the Means

Dear Luke,

It would be inappropriate to not write a Christmas message this week.  Perhaps it would be inappropriate to not reference the nativity story from the book of your namesake in Luke 2.  Verses 4 through 20 read:

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

There are many valuable lessons for missionaries in these verses.  Verses 10 and 11 hold several lessons by themselves.

The word "angel" in verse 10, is translated from the Greek "aggelos."  According to Strong's definition, the word means "a messenger; especially an "angel"; by implication, a pastor." It could just as easily have said, "by implication, a missionary." Messengers carry a message.  The message you carry is primarily the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  The word "message" is used 20 times in that context in the first chapter of Preach My Gospel, titled "What Is My Purpose as a Missionary?" You are a messenger akin to the Messenger Gabriel of Luke 2 and other angels such as the Angel Moroni whose first words to the young Joseph Smith were "Joseph, I am a messenger sent from the presence of God" (The Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith). You are like the messengers of the other side of the veil referenced in D&C 138:30, "But behold, from among the righteous, [Christ] organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached." You too have been have been chosen from among the righteous, and clothed with power and authority (your temple endowment, your priesthood, and your setting apart). You too have been sent with a commission to carry the light of the Gospel to all.  You have received the Holy Ghost, and therefore can speak with the tongue of angels (2 Nephi 32:2).  You are, in a very real way, an angel.  You are a messenger sent from God.  You pronounce Christ's Gospel and Atonement.  You are like the angel we read of pronouncing Christ's birth.

The angel in Luke 2:10 brought "good tidings." The words "good tidings" in verse 10 come from the Greek "euaggelizo." Translations of the word appear 55 times in the KJV New Testament.  It is translated as "preach" 23 times and "preach the Gospel" 22 times. (See Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible) Some examples include Luke 9:6, Acts 8:25, Acts 10:36, Romans 10:15, Hebrews 4:2, and 1 Peter 4:6.  The good tidings of great joy are the Gospel - that Christ was born, He atoned for our sins, He conquered death, and that through that Atonement, coupled with gospel principles and ordinances, we can be can be cleansed of sin and be saved.  In Christ's own words, you "are called to go unto the world to preach my gospel unto every creature." (D&C 18:28) You preach the same Gospel, the same good tidings of great joy, as the angel we know to be Gabriel, and at the same time, you help to fulfill his prophecy that the Gospel shall be good tidings of great joy "to all people."

In verse 11 the angel says "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." The choice of words "For unto you" is an interesting one.  If the shepherds were well versed in the writings of Isaiah, these words may have been reminiscent of Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Both verses use the similar phrases "for unto us" and "for unto you" to proceed the proclamation of Christ's birth.  Interestingly, both phrases appear only once more in the King James Version of the Bible.  Hebrews 4:2 reads "For unto us was the gospel preached" (notice that the word "gospel" is derived from the same Greek word as "good tidings" in Luke 2:10 and is included in the short list I wrote in the above paragraph). Philippians 1:29 reads, "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." The careful, and I believe to deliberate use of these two phrases in verses of scripture is significant.  They beautifully connect the birth of Christ the Lord, the Given Son, the Mighty God, to the preaching of His Gospel, belief in Him, and discipleship to Him.  His birth is associated with missionary work by scripture.

Just from these two verses, we have determined that you, as a missionary, are a messenger, an angel sent by God and not unlike the angel Gabriel who announced Christ's birth, because you announce the same glad tidings, the same Gospel.  The Christmas message is the missionary message you will carry every day throughout the year "to all people" just as Gabriel prophesied.  Your belief in Christ, preaching of Him, and the sacrifices you make for Him as a disciple will bind you to Him, just as the scriptures bind these principles to His birth.

As I said before, there are many lessons to be found in these verses.  Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught that "each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus" in his talk titled "Settle This in Your Hearts" (verse 7). You could ponder the humility of Christ's birth compared to the glory of God which shone upon the shepherds (verses 7, 9 and 12), and apply that example of humility to yourself as you serve.  You could ponder the heavenly hosts which praised God and said "Glory to God in the highest" (verses 13-14) and look forward to the day when you will join them in paradise with the people you helped to bring there. You could ponder your role in spreading "peace on earth" and "goodwill toward men" (verse 14). You could apply the urgency that the shepherds showed when they "came with haste" (verse 16), and how they spread their knowledge of it afterward (verse 17). You could relate Mary to those you associate with who will also keep the things you teach them and ponder them in their hearts (verse 19). I am sure there are many more lessons to be learned and so I encourage you to study the nativity story and search for ways to apply it to your work as a missionary.

I know you will blessed as you continue to study Christ's life, ministry and Atonement in this great work.

I'll finish up with this scripture:

"And thus the Gospel began to be preached, from the beginning, being declared by holy angels sent forth from the presence of God, and by his own voice, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Moses 5:58)

Keep up the good work bud! I love you.