Missionary in 30 Seconds

If you were looking for a job and happened to stop by and visit an LDS employment center, at some point you would hear about something called "Me in 30 Seconds."  According to LDS Jobs.org:

"A 'Me in 30 Seconds' statement is a simple way to present to someone else a balanced understanding of who you are. It piques the interest of a listener who invites you to 'Tell me a little about yourself,' and it provides a brief and compelling answer to the question 'Why should I hire you?'

"Me in 30 Seconds" statements have also been called "30 Second Elevator Pitches" or just "elevator statements" because chance meetings in elevators have provided opportunities for networking.

A "Me in 30 Seconds" might have statements that begin with the words "I am", I have", "I can," and "I want to".  Also included might be sentences called "power statements."

A "power statement' is a concise statement "that briefly describe[s] the value you can bring to the organization."  Such statements can highlight a "a strength you have, and show how you have used that strength to achieve results."  Good power statements include "power words" such as "self-starter", "creative", "motivated", "resourceful" and "teachable", among others, as well a an achievement.

For a Me in 30 seconds, with power statements, I might say:

"I am Douglas Cox.  I am smart; I enjoy reading and writing about history and I am good at doing research.  I am flexible; I have many years of office experience in different industries, including printing, binding, publishing and medical records.  I am teachable; I have done accounts receivable, invoicing, accounts payable, estimating off a price list, manuscript reviews and quality control of transcribed medical reports.  I am reliable; I have handled $500,000 in accounts payable without incident.  I am confident that I can do just about anything in a general office setting."

A "Me in 30 Seconds" statement can be a powerful tool for a job hunter, but what about for a missionary, or a member missionary?  Could we have a different kind of statement, one that focuses on sharing the gospel, and call it a "Missionary in 30 Seconds" statement?  Consider the following statement in 3 Nephi chapter 5:

"I am called Mormon. . . .  Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life. . . .  Therefore I do make my record. . . .  And I know the record which I make to be a just and true record. . . .  I have reason to bless my God and my Savior Jesus Christ, that he brought our fathers out of Jerusalem . . . and that he hath given me and my people so much knowledge unto the salvation of our souls" (see verses 12-20).

A missionary in 30 seconds statement can include statements that begin with the words "I am", "I have", "I can", and "I know".  It can have "power statements" with which we bear testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel.  Most importantly, it can have an invitation or a challenge to the listener to hear more.

For a full time missionary, some version of a missionary in 30 statement can be used in street contacting or door knocking, or any other finding activity.  For a member missionary, a missionary in 30 statement can be a ready statement to use in an expected or unexpected missionary opportunity.

What would you say in your "missionary in 30 seconds" statement?


Sources:

"'Me in 30 Seconds" Statements" accessed at LDSjobs.org (https://www.ldsjobs.org/ers/ct/articles/me-in-30-seconds-statements?lang=eng)

"Presenting Your Skills" accessed at LDSjobs.org (https://www.ldsjobs.org/ers/ct/articles/power-statements?lang=eng)