Preparing for a Mission

The LDS Church Seminary and Institute programs are great mission preparation services that all future missionaries should take advantage of. This is what our former prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball said about seminary and institute and how they aid in missionary preparation. “Young men having planned for 19 years to fill a mission will be [...]

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Last week we sent my youngest brother Michael to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah, who is on his way to Warsaw, Poland for his mission.  In the days before entering the MTC, in talking with Michael, I realized he didn’t know what to expect once he arrived at the MTC.  So I [...]

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I’d like to address a question I have gotten from time to time regarding law of chastity violations and the ability to later go on a mission.  Many young people who have had issues with sexual morality want to repent and go on a mission, but frequently they don’t know if their prior actions will [...]

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LDS Temples are an integral part of missionary work for two reasons: The Temple endowment gives missionaries power from on high to do their work. Baptism is the first step toward higher ordinances of salvation received at the temple. Temple endowment gives missionaries power from on high New missionaries generally go to the temple to [...]

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The blessings of missionary work are infinite and eternal, though there are costs and sacrifices that must be made.  As you saw in my last post, LDS Mission Cost, one of those sacrifices is the need for young men to save almost $10,000 to pay for their mission.  And I do believe that, as much [...]

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Many of my readers have wondered: how much does an LDS mission cost?  The current LDS mission monthly cost for young men and women in the United States is $400 a month. That comes out to a total of $7,200 for 18-month long missions for sisters, and $9,600 for young men who serve two-year missions. [...]

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 I was sad to hear that Truman Madsen passed away last week at 82 years of age and after a long battle with cancer.  Many of you young future missionaries may not even know who Truman Madsen was, so let me tell you a little about him and about the influence he has had on [...]

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Giving impromptu Church talks is a pretty common request of missionaries, therefore, knowing how to write a talk is an essential missionary skill.  I gave at least one talk in every ward or branch to which I was assigned as a missionary. My first talk was my first Sunday in Argentina.  I arrived in my [...]

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Though they probably wouldn’t consider themselves experts, my parents know a lot about preparing youth for a mission.  They are getting ready to send their eighth son on a mission.  So I recently asked my dad to send me his thoughts on preparing children to serve full-time missions.  He summarized it with five key elements, [...]

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