A Blog is Born

There was a major announcement during the Saturday morning session of the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; the eligibility age for missionaries was lower to 18 for boy -- if they have a high school diploma or equivalent -- and to 19 for girls.  I had many friends react to this news on Facebook by saying that they had sons or daughters or both who could be going on missions sooner than expected.  Then my niece posted that she is considering a mission and could out her papers in eleven months from now. Later in the day, as I sat in general priesthood meeting, listening to the first two talks, I was suddenly inspired.  I thought about starting a blog or discussion group about missionary work to help my friends prepare their sons and daughters to serve.

Okay, so why the title, "The Whole Missionary"?  A couple of years ago I was reading an article in the U.S. Naval Institute's periodical Proceedings entitled “Developing the Whole Sailor” and I could not help but think of how to relate it to missionary work.  The article discussed the importance of character and integrity and I started thinking about what makes up the “Whole Missionary.” Are character and integrity important? The answer can be found in the fourth section of the Doctrine and Covenants, which missionaries everywhere repeat in groups as often as once a week – they did in my day, at least, and in San Jose we also recited The Standard of Truth.

             “. . . See that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind, and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.”

             What do character and integrity demand of the missionary? They demand hard work. I hope that you are not disappointed in the simplicity of the answer. Actually, hard work might be an understatement when it sits along side serving with all your heart, might, mind and strength.

             What other attributes make up the Whole Missionary?

              “And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work. Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.”

             Maybe this will give you an idea of what this blog will be about -- though there are other subjects, both temporal and spiritual that may be discusses as well.  I hope my friends will find this blog helpful, and may God bless all of your sons and daughters as they prepare to serve the Lord.

*Disclaimer: I have no calling or authority and do not speak for the LDS Church.  I write only from my perspective as a returned missionary.