Preparing Members and Prospective Missionaries to Share the Gospel.
Disclaimer: I Have No Calling Or Authority and Cannot Speak for the LDS Church. I Write Only from My Perspective as a Returned Missionary. Any and All Mistakes are Mine Alone.
I try to keep an eye out for resources that can help prospective missionaries prepare to serve. There is a a section at LDS.org called "My Role in the Work of Salvation" and it has some study guides for youth, as well as for their parents and leaders. https://www.lds.org/youth/learn/work-of-salvation?lang=eng This looks like a very good resource. Included in one of the guides is a suggestion that I have been talking about a lot in this blog: "Teach a Preach My Gospel Lesson
Study one of the lessons found in chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel
(2004). Teach this lesson in a family home evening, in a Sunday class
or quorum meeting, as a home or visiting teacher, or to a friend not of
our faith."
I would suggest doing this as often as you can. I struggled the first few times I taught mock discussions, but the more I did it the better I got at teaching. Practice makes perfect.
Earlier this month, on Fast Sunday, a brother in my ward stood in Sacrament Meeting to share his testimony (sharing is best, that way you don't have to decide whether to "bare" or "bear" your testimony, and you certainly don't want to "bury" it). Anyway, this gentleman shared an incredible story. He was up in Idaho at a meeting where World War II veterans were talking about experiences they had during the war. One vet had been a prisoner of war in a Japanese POW camp, and one morning he decided that he was just too tired to get up and face the day. The Japanese had not signed the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war and, therefore, did not feel bound by its requirements for humane treatment of prisoners, including the providing of sufficient food and decent medical care.
At the same time, the Japanese forced prisoners to do manual labor under brutal task masters and guards. In Thailand, the Japanese forced prisoners of war and civilians to build a railway through the jungle and over mountains to Burma -- 250 miles from Bangkok to Rangoon. Of 180,000 civilians pressed into labor on the railroad, around 90,000 died. Of 60,000 allied prisoners of war, 16,000 perished, including 6,318 British personnel, 2,815 Australians, 2,490 Dutch, about 356 Americans and a smaller number of Canadians and New Zealanders. Faced with physically demanding work, with little food and almost no medical care, many prisoners reached the point where they simply could not go on. "It was usually apparent when a man was preparing himself to die," wrote James D. Hornfischer in his book, Ship of Ghosts, about the heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA-30) and her survivors, many of whom worked on the railway in Thailand. "Often," continued Hornfischer, "he would stop eating. Sometimes he would announce his despair to the world." "They'd tell you, 'I'm finished. I'm gone,'" said John Wisecup, a Houston survivor. The men who died did so out of despair. "They died," wrote Hornfischer, "in a dissociating madness, protesting their circumstances then shutting themselves down like zombies." Returning to the veteran, telling his story at a meeting somewhere in Idaho, he explained that he wished the guards would shoot him and end his misery. But, suddenly, two "wacko" Mormons came over to him and gave him a blessing. They blessed him that he would get through the day, and this man soon felt the strength to do just that. Then the two Mormons went off to give blessings to other prisoners, even going to other buildings in the camp, despite the risk of being caught by the guards. All of the prisoners who received blessings got through the day, and many survived the war to return home. The veteran telling the story gave the name of one of the Mormons who had given him a blessing, and the brother from my ward recognized the name. As it turned out, one of the two who had given blessings to the prisoners was the uncle of this gentleman from my ward. He went to see his uncle, and there heard the rest of the story. The uncle had not been particularly serious about his religion, yet he had received the priesthood. Because he had been less than faithful, he was surprised that morning in the POW camp to be awakened by the Spirit and given the names of men who needed blessings. He sneaked out of his building to another where he got the second Mormon. He said they were guided by the Spirit as they moved from building to building. They were not caught, and, as noted above, every man who received a blessing lived through the day. Most, perhaps even all, of those who received blessings were not members of the LDS church, and one of the men sent to bless them had been, as we would say today, less active in the church. We are all, member and non-member alike, children of a loving Heavenly Father who is mindful of each of us and the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Anyone of us may be sent to bless the lives of others, to be an instrument in the Lord's hands. One of the things I like about history is that I can find people who have experienced difficulties far in excess of anything I have experienced. I have a nephew serving his mission in Thailand, and I told him that at those times when he might feel discouraged he should think of those men who built the railway. There are lessons that we might learn from them. "Suffer is a dangerous word here just now," said Ray Parkin, another Houston survivor, "it can induce self-pity. Endure is a better word, it is not so negative. Enduring can give aim, a sense of mastery over circumstance. I have seen so much self-conscious suffering and men dying from self-pity." Jim Gee told his friend, Howard Charles, "Look Charlie, your mind is like the muscle in your arm. Either you use it or it gets flabby and useless." Gee then told Charles "There are three forces at work here. Like the legs of a triangle. First, food. Either we have enough or we're dead. Second, health. That needs no explanation. Third, attitude, which is probably the best medicine. Food, health, attitude. They're interlocked, each totally dependent on the other. We have to have all three. No food, no health. Bad attitude: the triangle collapses." Frank Fujita, also a Houston survivor, was at some point sent to Japan where, in the midst of his ordeal, he kept an unshakably positive attitude. "I find beauty in everything, even in death, you know," said Fujita. "I always find something that's worthwhile. And even when were were starved to death -- most of us down to eighty or ninety pounds or walking skeletons - then instead of me sitting around thinking how horrible a shape we were in and 'Oh, woe is me,' I thought this was an absolutely marvelous opportunity to study anatomy." Ray Parkin added, "There is a lot to grumble about; a lot to be disappointed about; a lot to lose our tempers over; but there is also much to marvel at. For instance, the loyalty of a man's body -- to watch a sore heal itself -- to feel that pain is not so much a tragedy but a process. There is fascination in trying to help it consciously, to try to break down any internal resistance to recovery by trying to quell devastating emotions like bad temper, hatred, fear, lust, envy."
As Hornfischer put it, "There was enough of an enemy in nature. There was no need to allow a psychological fifth column to form up from within."
Missionary companionships, districts or zones, or any other organization, can experience similar problems if candor is missing. It is interesting to note the importance of candor to integrity as the subject of integrity has been discussed previously in this blog. Missionaries have multiple opportunities to communicate with candor, in planning, in weekly companionship inventories, weekly district meetings, monthly zone meetings, and other conferences and training within the mission to which they are assigned. One final comment by Hull, "We are all quick to jump on the 'people must be allowed to make mistakes' bandwagon, but too often we quietly caveat this with the thought, 'As long as they're not my people.'" There can be a temptation to judge companions and other missionaries because of their weaknesses, and possibly to micromanage companions and other elders and sisters in a district or zone. We are all human, and because of this we all have weaknesses, and we all make mistakes. We should not judge others because we, too, are weak. General Charles Krulak, who was Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps in the late 1990s, defined a mistake as something that is made when, in an attempt to do something right, someone makes the wrong choice. The distinction, then, is made between mistakes and willful disobedience. Disobedience must be dealt with while people must be allowed to make mistakes. "There are lessons to be learned from mistakes," said General Krulak. "Good leaders create an environment where subordinates are allowed to make mistakes, yet are not put into situations for which they are unprepared or for which the scope of the mistake could be dangerous." Mistakes, however, are better made in training and preparation than in execution in real situations. "We must be allowed to err in peacetime to ensure that we do not err in combat," said Krulak. "We will not be able to survive if we do otherwise."
On November 11, 1988, I attended a conference at which Elder Gene R. Cooke of the Seventy, who was on a mission tour, was the main speaker. It was an incredible meeting. When a general authority visits a mission, he shakes hands with each missionary who gives his name and his home stake. When I said that I was from the Bountiful Central Stake, Elder Cooke said that this was where he was now living. Jump ahead about 18 months, after I had returned home; at the homecoming of a friend in the Central Stake, Elder Cooke was sitting on the stand. I had the opportunity to shake his hand after the meeting and he asked me where I had served, and when I said where he responded with "I thought you looked familiar", or something like that. How cool was that! Anyway, back to the mission tour. Elder Cooke talked about many things, but two really stood out to me at the time. First he talked about what he called "the meeting." He counseled us that whenever we were in a meeting or a class and someone was giving a talk or teaching a lesson, that we should be praying that both the speaker and ourselves would be filled with the Spirit. That is "the meeting" within the meeting or class that we should also be having. We should pray that the speaker or teacher will be inspired to say the things that the Lord wanted us, the listeners, to hear. We should also pray that we will be taught by the Spirit those things that the Lord wanted us to learn. It we have this "meeting", then we will truly be edified. The second thing Elder Cooke discussed that made an impression on me was about the hymns found in the LDS hymnbook. He referred to Doctrine and Covenants 25:11, in which Emma Smith is called "to make a selection of sacred hymns, as it shall be given thee, which is pleasing unto me, to be had in my church." He then said that, since Emma was called by revelation, and then inspired by the Spirit in selecting the hymns, and because a similar process of inspiration was involved in subsequent collections of hymns, we could therefore consider the hymns in the LDS hymnbook to be scripture. He encouraged us to become familiar with the hymns and even to quote them as scripture.
Several years after returning from my mission, at a time when I was facing some difficulties, I felt inspired to read through the sacrament hymns in the hymnbook (#169-#197). As I did so I found comfort in the lyrics. I also found something else, something rather surprising; many lines within these hymns contained important truths about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As now we take the sacrament, Our thoughts are turned to thee, Thou Son of God, who lived for us, Then Died on Calvary. We contemplate they lasting grace, They boundless charity; To us the gift of life was given For all eternity. Help me remember, I implore, Thou gav'st life on Calvary, That I might live forever more And grow dear Lord to be like thee. For us the blood of Christ was shed; For us on Calvary's cross he bled, And thus dispelled the awful gloom, The else were this creation's doom. How infinite that wisdom, The plan of holiness, That made salvation perfect And veiled the Lord in flesh, To walk upon his foot-stool And be like man, almost, In his exalted station, And die, or all was lost. For Jesus died on Calvary! That all through him might ransomed be. I also found beautiful expressions that I hope never to forget: Let me not forget, O Savior, Thou didst bleed and die for me When thy heart was stilled and broken On the cross at Calvary. Oh that our faith may never move But stand unshaken as thy love, Sure evidence of things unseen; Now let it pass the years between And view thee bleeding on the tree: My Lord, my God, who dies for me. Each Sunday, as the sacrament is administered, I read through these hymns and contemplate the sacrifice and atonement of Jesus Christ. And over the years I have become more and more familiar with the words and ideas that they convey. These hymns teach and testify of Christ, and they are another witness to add to many others I have received. I know the Jesus is the Christ and that he died for me that I might live again with Him. There are more beautiful hymns, and more truths to be found in the rest of the hymnbook. Hymns: 169: As Now We Take the Sacrament 171: With Humbler Heart 172: In Humility, Our Savior 173: While of These Emblems We Partake 175: O God, the Eternal Father 176: 'Tis Sweet to Sing the Matchless Love 189: O Thou, Before the World Began.
There are two hymns that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is known for, The Battle Hymn of the Republic and Come, Come, Ye Saints. If you have heard either rendition, then you have had a treat, if not,
then you have missed out on some great performances.
Come, Come, Ye Saints has become an anthem of the Mormon Church. What follows is the story of how it came to be. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints did not come to be headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, by
happenstance; instead,
thousands of Americans, and Mormon immigrants from Europe, went west in
1846 hoping to find peace and safety.
The Church had originally been organized in Fayette, New York in 1830,
but local persecutions soon led the members of this new religion to move
in the winter
of 1831-32 -- it was always in winter, it seemed -- to Kirtland, Ohio.
At the same time, a branch of the Church was organized in Jackson
County, Missouri.
In July of 1833 the old settlers in Independence, Missouri began to
agitate. Violence broke out as mobs attacked Mormon settlements. In
January the Church
agreed to leave the county by April 1, 1834. The Mormons moved north to
newly organized Clay County.
In Kirtland, things began to turn sour in 1837. The
bank panic of that year caused the failure of the Church's Kirtland
Safety Society, and anti-bank.
The resulting bad feelings led many to leave the Church and fight
against it. So, again in winter, the Mormons began leaving for Missouri. Their stay in the "show me state" would not be a long one, for soon the Missourians were
agitating again. once more violence broke out and Mormon settlements were
attacked.
Governor Lilburne Boggs signed an "extermination order" against the
Mormons and The main settlement at Far West was laid under siege. The
winter
brought another involuntary migration, this time east to Illinois.
At first the Illini were generous in their welcome of the refugees and
the Mormons were allowed to build the city of Nauvoo. But, again, it was
only a matter
of time before the citizens of another state began to agitate against
the Mormons. In June of 1844 the president of the Church, Joseph Smith,
was murdered by a
mob in the jail at Carthage. A year later, the depredations began. When the shock of the murder of their
beloved Joseph had eased and it became clear that the Church was not
going to disintegrate
from the loss of its founder, the Illini again grew restless. Fields of
grain were burned, cattle were driven off, then houses on the outskirts
of Nauvoo were
destroyed. Under these circumstances, Brigham Young and the other
leaders of the Church decided that the time had come to seek out a place
where the Mormons
could live in peace, unmolested by mobs and prejudiced politicians.
So, in the fall of 1845, the Church began to make preparations for the
westward migration. The Mormons once again agreed to leave their homes,
this time in the
spring of 1846. But, strangely, the Illini grew impatient, and two
events prompted the Church to make an early departure. The first was the
indictment of
Brigham Young and eight other leaders on baseless charges of
counterfeiting. The second was a warning by Governor Thomas Ford and
others that federal troops in
St. Louis planned to intercept the Mormons and destroy them. It wasn't
until years later that it was learned that this was nothing but a rumor
started to
hasten the exit of the hated Mormons.
The final decision to leave early was made on February 2, 1846, and the
first company, with Brigham Young in the lead, crossed the Mighty Mississippi River
on the 4th. A
few days later the river froze sufficiently to support teams and wagons.
The freezing temperatures were both a blessing and a curse; the frozen
river expedited
the movement, but the cold brought intense suffering.
One woman, Eliza R. Snow, wrote in her diary:
"I was informed that on the first night of the encampment, nine children
were born into the world, and from that time, as we journeyed onward,
mothers
gave birth to offspring under almost every variety of circumstances
imaginable, except those to which they had been accustomed; some in
tents, others in wagons
-- in rain-storms and in snow-storms. . . .
"Let it be remembered that the mothers of the wilderness-born babies
were not savages accustomed to roam the forest and brave the storm and
tempest . . . .
Most of them were born and educated in the Eastern States -- had there
embraced the gospel as taught by Jesus and his apostles, and for the
sake of their
religion, had gathered with the saints, and under trying circumstances
had assisted, by their faith, patience and energies, in making Nauvoo
what its name
indicates, 'the beautiful.' There they had lovely homes, decorated with
flowers and enriched with choice fruit trees, just beginning to yield
plentifully.
"To these homes, without lease or sale, they had just bid a final adieu,
and with what little of their substance could be packed into one, two,
and in
some instances, three wagons, had started out desertward, for -- where?
To this question the only response at that time was, God knows."
During the rest of February, 1846, three
thousand people crossed the Mighty Mississippi, gathering to the camp at
Sugar Creek. On
the 14th it snowed, and on the 19th a northwest wind brought eight
inches of snow, a very cold night, and "much suffering in the camp, for
there were many
who had no tents or any comfortable place to lodge: many tents were
blown down, some of them were unfinished and had no ends." (Willard
Richards, in
History of the Church)
On March 1, 1846, the first company, with Brigham Young, departed Sugar
Creek for the trail west. The original plan was to cross Iowa and the
Great Plains and
find a home in the Rocky Mountains. It did not take long for the harsh
realities of the Iowa countryside to change that plan. It would take
Brigham's
"Camp of Israel" 131 days to cover the 300 miles across Iowa. One year
later, Brigham's Pioneer Company would travel the 1,050 miles from the
Missouri River to the Great Salt Lake in just 111 days. Inadequate
preparation, lack of knowledgeable guides, delays, miserable weather,
and difficult terrain
made the Iowa journey one of the most trying in the Church's history.
Nevertheless, these hardy folk knew no such word as fail. The Iowa
crossing simply hardened their resolve and provided invaluable
experience for the future.
The "Camp of Israel," and the companies that followed in its wake,
"traveled in a northwesterly direction, through a sparsely settled
region
between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. In the early days of the
movement, snow lay on the ground to a depth of six or eight inches, and
their canvas
wagon covers offered little protection against the cold north winds.
"With the coming of spring, the snow melted, making travel even more
difficult. There were no roads in the direction the Saints traveled;
they had to
build their own. At times the mud was so deep that three yoke of oxen
were required to pull a load of five hundred pounds. Exhausted by a day
of pushing and
pulling, chopping wood for bridges, loading and unloading wagons, the
travelers would find they had moved only a half dozen miles. Slush and
rain made their
camps veritable quagmires. Exposure to such conditions, together with
improper nourishment, took a heavy toll of life.
"Burials along the way were frequent. Crude coffins were fashioned from
cottonwood trees, brief services were held, and the loved ones of the
deceased
turned their faces and their teams westward, realizing they would never
pass this way again. One wonders why these people did not become bitter
and vindictive,
particularly when they remembered their comfortable homes now ravaged
and burned by the Illinois mob.
"But they lightened their sorrows with self-made pleasures. They had
their own brass band, and they made good use of it. The settlers of Iowa
were often
amazed to see these pioneers clear a piece of land about their camp
fires, and then dance and sing until the bugler sounded taps.
"When food became scarce, the pioneers found it necessary to trade
precious possessions -- dishes, silverware, lace -- brought from the
East or across the
sea, for a little corn and salt pork. In this way the homes of many Iowa
settlers were made more attractive and the Mormons were able to
replenish their scant
food supplies. Occasionally the brass band traveled out of its way a
considerable distance to give a concert in a frontier settlement in
order to add to the
commissary.
"One of the remarkable features of this movement was the building of
temporary settlements along the way. The pioneer company occasionally
stopped long
enough to clear, fence, plow, and plant large sections of ground. The
leaders called for volunteers -- some to split rails for fences and
bridges, others to
remove trees, and others to plow and sow. A few cabins were built, and
several families were detailed to remain and care for the crops. Then
the pioneer
company moved forward, leaving the crops for later companies to harvest.
"This spirit of mutual service and cooperation characterized the entire
movement. Without this, the migration of twenty thousand people through
the
wilderness could have ended in disaster.
"Approximately three and a half months after leaving Sugar Creek, their
camp on the west shore of the Mississippi, the pioneer company reached
Council
Bluffs on the Missouri. Following them, across the entire territory of
Iowa, was a slow-moving train of hundreds of wagons. They were to
continue to filter out
of Nauvoo and move over the rolling Iowa hills all of that summer and
late into the year." [Gordon B. Hinckley, Truth Restored: A Short History of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, pgs
82-86] It was in the midst of these travails that Come, Come, Ye Saints was penned. On April 15, 1846, the "Camp of Israel" was
encamped at Locust Creek, near the present Iowa-Missouri border. William
Clayton, who shouldered much official responsibility in the company, was
frustrated at the slow progress of the camp plus the burdens of caring
for a large
family. On this day there came news that his fourth wife, Diantha, who
had been left behind in Nauvoo because she was pregnant and unable to
travel, had given
birth to a son, a "fine, fat boy," on March 30.
Now in a jubilant mood, Clayton sat down to write a new song, which he called "All Is Well."
Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear,
But with joy wend your way.
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
'Tis better far for us to strive
Our useless cares from us to drive;
Do this, and joy your hearts will swell --
All is well! All is well! With the words set to a popular English
melody, the new song caught on immediatly. It became the anthem of the
entire Mormon Pioneer epoch and is perhaps the
song most closely associated with the LDS Church today. It speaks of
optimism and assurance that ultimate joy awaits those who faithfully
endure adversity. It
is a remider to us, who have not suffered the hardships and depredations
that these Mormon pioneers suffered, that we, too, can "with joy wend
[our]
way" through the trials and temptations we experience. Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?
'Tis not so, all is right.
Why should we think to earn a great reward
If we now shun the fight?
Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.
Our God will never us forsake;
And soon we'll have this tale to tell --
All is well! All is well!
We'll find the place which God for us prepared,
Far away in the West,
Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid;
There the Saints will be blessed.
We'll make the air with music ring.
Shout praises to our God and King;
Above the rest these words we'll tell --
All is well! All is well!
And should we die before our journey's through,
Happy day! All is well!
We then are free from toil and sorrow, too;
With the just we shall dwell!
But if our lives are spared again
To see the Saints their rest obtain,
Oh how we'll make this chorus swell --
All is well! All is well!
By the summer of 1846, most of the Mormons had left Nauvoo, but in the fall some 700 still remained. These were the poor and destitute who did not have the resources to cross the plains. The enemies of the LDS Church became impatient and forced these poor souls out of Nauvoo. When word reached Brigham Young at Winter Quarters he called for rescue parties to go back to Nauvoo. The saints at Winter Quarters were not much better off than those who had been driven by mobs out of the City of Joseph. In calling for rescue parties, Brigham Young reminded the saints of the Nauvoo Covenant, which they had made in the temple before leaving the city. Each had made a covenant to not leave anyone behind, even if they had to sacrifice their own goods to bring them along. "Now is the time for our labor," said President Young on September 28, 1846. "Let the fire of the covenant, which you made in the house of the Lord, burn in your hearts like flame unquenchable! Rise up, brethren, take your teams and wagons and go straightaway to the Mississippi and bring a load of the poor back here where we can help them find shelter for the winter." One of those present at Winter Quarters that day was James G. Willie who ten years later, in 1856, would lead the fourth company of handcarts across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley. A fifth company led by Edward Martin would follow. Both companies left late in the season and were caught in the snow in what is now the state of Wyoming. When word reached Salt Lake City of these two companies, Brigham Young would again issue a call for rescue parties. "That is my religion," said the prophet on October 5, 1856. "That is the dictation of the Holy Ghost that I possess. It is to save the people! We must bring them in from the plains." After detailing the number of wagons, mule teams and drivers needed, he went on, "Let me make myself perfectly clear. I will tell you all that your faith, all your religion, and all your profession of religion will never save one soul of you in the celestial kingdom of God, not unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you. Go and bring in those people now on the plains! Attend strictly to those things which we call temporal duties, otherwise your faith will be in vain. The preaching you have heard will be in vain to you, and you will sink to hell, unless you attend to the things we tell you." Today we are called to a different kind of rescue mission. Young men and women are called to serve full time missions to preach the gospel and to gather in the tribes of Israel. The rest of us are called to be member missionaries, to share the gospel with our friends and to work with the full-time missionaries in finding for them people to teach. Like the saints in Nauvoo, we too have made covenants, and the fire of those covenants can burn within us like an unquenchable flame. For many gathering to Zion between 1846 and 1869, it was the fire of the covenant that sustained them as they crossed the plains. Pioneers crossing the Oregon, California and Mormon trails spoke about "seeing the elephant"; this phrase meant that somewhere along the trail the enormity of the task of crossing the overland trail was impressed upon them. Today we may feel that our calling to share the gospel is an enormous one, and we may shrink from it. There may be days on a mission when an elder or a sister might feel that the fire of the covenant is not burning very brightly within them. A character in Gerald Lund's novel of the Willie and Martin handcart companies, Fire of the Covenant, felt that way after her company had been rescued only to find that they still had to walk the trail to get to the Valley. This led another character to ask, "Do you have even the slightest doubt about whether God lives, about whether His Son came to earth and lived and died so that we might live again?" The first character answered, "No, I have not the slightest doubt." "Then why do you say that the fire of the covenant has gone out in you," asked the second character. "Don't you see? It is the fire that drives us. It is our faith in the Savior that sustains us. That is what give us the strength to go on, even now as we start this terrible day." Though rescued, this party was about to cross one of the most difficult parts of the trail known as Rocky Ridge. "And it is our faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice that allows us to say, 'And should we die before we reach Rock Creek this night, then happy day! All is well." It is through faith in Jesus Christ that we may find the strength and courage we need on our most difficult days. The fire of the covenant may be burning brightly within us even when we are discouraged. So, "Gird up your loins; fresh courage take. Our God will never us forsake! And soon we'll have this tale to tell -- All is well! All is well!"
Discouragement is something most missionaries will experience, when they do, this would be a good quote to remember: "The Lord would want you to be successful. He would. You are His sons and daughters. He has the same kind of love for you that your earthly parents have. They want you to do well and you can do it." That was President Gordon B. Hinckley in 1997, three years later he had this to say: "The Learning process is endless. We must read, we must observe, we must assimilate, and we must ponder that to which we expose our minds. I believe in the evolution of the mind, the heart, and the soul of humanity. I believe in improvement. I believe in growth. There is nothing quite as invigorating as being able to evaluate and then solve a difficult problem, to grapple with something that seems almost unsolvable and then find a resolution." Missionaries will have many opportunities to learn and grow. For some, success on a mission may be defined by their personal growth and the evolution of their heart, mind and soul. Even to achieve other types of success on a mission, elders and sisters need to learn and prepare, including studying and pondering the scriptures. The Lord has promised, "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear" (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30). So, Put your shoulder to the wheel; push along, Do your duty with a heart full of song, We all have work; let no one shirk. Put your shoulder to the wheel. The world has need of willing men, Who wear the worker's seal. Come, help the good work move along; Put your shoulder to the wheel. The Church has need of helping hands, And hearts that know and feel. The work to do is here for you: Put your shoulder to the wheel. Then don't stand idly looking on; The fight with sin is real. It will be long but must go on; Put your shoulder to the wheel. Then work and watch and fight and pray With all your might and zeal. Push every worthy work along; Put your shoulder to the wheel. Put your shoulder to the wheel; push along, Do your duty with a heart full of song, We all have work; let no one shirk. Put your shoulder to the wheel.
