Book of Mormon Missionaries Then and Now

Why do young people all over over the world give up two years of their lives to do missionary work? Perhaps some of the reasons might be found in reading about missionaries in the Book of Mormon:

The Book of Mormon, Jacob, chapter 1, verse 19:

19
And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day.

An example of missionaries in The Book of Mormon:

The Book of Mormon, Alma, chapter 26, verse 29:

29 
And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been stoned, and taken and bound with strong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again.

Listening to the Spirit is also important on the bad days:

The Book of Mormon, Alma, chapter 26, verse 27:

27 
Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.

... and this is what makes it all worth while:

The Book of Mormon, Alma, chapter 26, verse 30 - 31:

30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.

31 
Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are many; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us.


Young and old, Brothers and Sisters all over the world go and serve on missions, not because they have to and not because anybody makes them. They go because their message is real, they know the required process for spiritual change and they have seen it work. These missionaries bring the same message that changed their own lives for the better. To see that change and the happiness it brings into people's lives is only a small part of the motivation behind a good missionary. It becomes a duty with the understanding that responsibility is not about yourself but others!

Our Living World

The Mountain from TSO Photography on Vimeo.


Sub Zero - winter night timelapse from Randy Halverson on Vimeo.

That's Our Missionaries, All 53.000 of Them at Any Given Time

"Most successful men have not achieved their distinction by having some new talent or opportunity presented to them. They have developed the opportunity that was at hand."
-- Bruce Barton  

As young men in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints go and serve on missions, they are not leaving because they have nothing else to do. They are busy, active, socially well functioning and often successful young people. They leave all this behind to serve God on a two year mission. Why, because they have faith in God and something to share, something to do and they act on it. These are the successful young missionaries we hear about and these are the beginning testimonies that future generations of our church will be building upon. That's our missionaries, all 53.000 of them at any given time.  

You're Not Alone!

Expressions of Love - Forever

Scriptures: Do We Value Them Enough?

On the the 400th anniversary of the King James translation of the Bible we might remind ourselves of its true value and humble beginnings. 

Every day of the year valuable time and thousands of dollars are spent by young people in the prime of their lives to share a message found in a few books known as scripture. 


People serving as missionaries make sacrifices that we all can become more aware the contents of these scriptures and make them a part of our lives. Lives, rights and freedom have been lost sharing or preserving our right to access these same books known as scripture. If we are not ready to make even a small sacrifice to preserve our access to, or maintain our knowledge of the scriptures, perhaps we are not sufficiently familiar with its contents?


We are a generation blessed with easy access to the scriptures but such privilege come with the risk of taking our treasured scriptures for granted. Are we justifying these great acts of sacrifice with an equal effort of knowing what's on the very pages, that people have died for?

Elder Jepsen - Thank you God for blessing my son, his new wife and our family

He's home, he's released and he's happily married but I came across this comment in the blog and it warmed my heart all over again. I can't help being reminded that it really was all worth it and how great a feeling it is when others feel the same way. Missionary work is truly a great blessing to our youth and all the rest of us!


Jan 14th 2011, a comment was made a comment on "Minnesota Minneapolis Mission Update" that I think gives credit not only to Elder Jepsen and the Spirit in missionary work but also the many people behind the scenes making it all possible. Thank you to all of you, I hope and pray that Elder Jepsen earned his place in the mission field:

I just returned from my mission in Minneapolis. I was in the MTC with Elder Jepsen, I think I met him his first day there. I only served near him once in the field though, the transfer he trained an Elder from Finland. He's an extraordinary missionary, well respected, loved by his fellow missionaries and by the people of Minnesota. Thanks so much for sending him on a mission. He was a great example to me.
- Martha Harper (returned Sister missionary from the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission)


Thank you to all of you many wonderful people that made it possible that my sons could go on a mission. Thank you for support and thank you for being there. Thank you to Mission President and Sister Howell, thank you to the many missionaries of the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission, thank you to the wonderful members of the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission, thank you to all the people writing and supporting him while out there without whom it would not have possible, thank you to friends and family everywhere and thank you God for blessing our son with faith and spiritual knowledge, thank you God for letting our son be instrumental in helping people's lives find faith and strength in you as Elder Jepsen has done so many times before, thank you God for keeping and returning him back home safely, thank you God for blessing my son, his new wife and our family, these are the things that matter most. Thank you!