Prep Your Missionary Serving In Isolation
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roclaiming the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is one of the primary purposes of the Restoration. The purpose belongs to all of us, and was not named as a pillar of the Church only for the benefit of full-time missionaries. Full-time missionaries are at the service of God but are not meant to carry the burden of our shared purpose alone. We can serve where we are. Whether you have found yourself
quarantined, sheltering in place or otherwise isolated, it has become clear that the ways we usually share the gospel are not constant. We’ve learned from the Book of Mormon that when sharing the gospel, members matter. For example, the Sons of Mosiah, while on their missions, relied on believers reaching through their connections, their home networks, and their families to share what they knew. How many of us have isolated ourselves from all influences other than fellow members? What can we do to be in a position to reach those who need the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Fulltime missionaries are the support of members and they rely on our connections more than ever. In a release from the Church Newsroom on June 14th of this year, Photo by Church Media Elder Uchtdorf shared a statement entitled Churchofjesuschrist.org is a great place to start your missionary journey.
By Allison Beckert
“Embracing the Future of Missionary Work.” In it, he discusses the “immense good that comes from the righteous and intentional use of technology,” the benefits of increased communication between members and families supporting full-time missionaries, and several other wonderful examples from missionaries who have taken creative approaches toward fulfilling their purpose in these last few months of rapid change. “The future of missionary work is bright,” Elder Uchtdorf said. “We are learning much and the Lord has lessons in store for all of us as we seek to hear Him and find new ways to share His gospel. Now, it’s our turn to make the best we can out of this. I hope that we will not yearn to move back to something that didn’t work well in our lives before COVID-19, but rather look to the future with hope.” Sharing the Lord’s message of hope and love is more important now than ever before. To help the message reach those who need it, consider inventory-
ing your talents, your networks, your skills. Let’s ask ourselves: Am I in a position to bless others with His message, even as an example, or am I effectively quarantined from those who need our influence and love? Let’s allow the Spirit to lead our next steps to our neighbors and friends in need, whether this involves service from a distance or exercising our ability to befriend, support, love and connect to those not of our faith. We are all missionaries!
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