The mission application form, or the “Checklist for Full-Time Missionary Recommendation,” is the official Church paperwork you will need to fill out when applying to go on a mission. (Note: you may want to read my earlier post on Mission Papers, which talks about the process of starting and submitting your paperwork from a high-level perspective, and a previous post on the Mission Application Timeline which talks about more details of the application process with particular emphasis on the timing of when to begin each step.)

You can get the “Checklist for Full-Time Missionary Recommendation” from your bishop or branch president. They will give you all the paperwork and help you through the application process. Whether you fill out the physical paperwork, or complete the application online, the form has eight major sections:

1. Missionary Recommendation
2. Priesthood Leaders’ Comments and Suggestions
3. Education and Service of Missionary Candidate
4. Unit Information for Missionary Candidate
5. Personal Health History of Missionary Candidate
6. Physician’s Health Evaluation
7. Dental Evaluation for Missionary Candidate
8. Personal Insurance Information of Missionary Candidate

1. Missionary Recommendation

The first section of the mission application form is called the Missionary Recommendation.  This is where you fill out your name, address, and other contact information. In this section you attach a photograph of yourself, dressed according to missionary dress standards. You will fill in your birth date, confirmation date, and any criminal record you might have.  This part of the application asks for your citizenship information, and residency documents, if applicable. You will need to provide the name, occupation, and contact information of your parents, or caregiver if you live with someone other than your parents.

2. Priesthood Leaders’ Comments and Suggestions

The priesthood leader section has two parts. First is the Bishop’s or Branch President’s Recommendation.  Once you have completed all your paperwork, your bishop will review it and give you a worthiness interview.  He will ask about your testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and make sure you are worthy, willing, and able to serve a mission.  Then he will write a few comments on your application on what he thinks of your leadership potential, interests, talents, or limitations that should be considered in determining the mission assignment. A similar interview and written assessment will then also be done by your stake president, or mission president if you live in an area where no stake is organized.

3. Education and Service of Missionary Candidate

On this part of the mission application form, you are asked your native language and other languages you speak or have studied.  You will then describe your education, including seminary and institute, work experience, and military service.  Here you also specify any extracurricular activities, special skills, accomplishments, previous Church callings, and other leadership experience. This is also the section where you will outline how you will be financing your mission. You will be asked to describe your source of funds, indicating how much money will be contributed from yourself, your family, your ward or branch, and other sources.  You are also given the opportunity in this section to explain any special circumstances that the Brethren should consider when making your mission call.

4. Unit Information for Missionary Candidate

Most of the information that needs to be filled out in this section will be provided by someone in your ward or branch such as the clerk.  This information includes: your membership record number, your home ward or branch unit number, the name of your bishop or branch president, and the name of your stake president.

5. Personal Health History of Missionary Candidate

This is a section that you will fill out yourself or with the help of your parents.  You are asked here to specify whether have currently, have had previously, or have never had about 50 different medical conditions, including: serious injuries, various diseases, allergies, seizures, asthma, diabetes, tattoos, skin conditions, severe headaches, insomnia, tumors, cancers, learning disabilities, emotional instability, been a victim of abuse, used illegal drugs, etc. You will need to answer all of the questions completely and honestly.

6. Physician’s Health Evaluation

This section of the mission application form will be filled out by your medical doctor.  The Doctor will note your height, weight, and blood pressure.  He or she will do a urinalysis and various tests: blood tests, a tuberculosis test, etc. The doctor will fill in your immunization dates (MMR, Polio, Hepatitis A and B), and give an overall missionary fitness report (the doctor’s assessment of your ability to serve) and note any physical or medical limitations.  This part of the form is concluded with the physician’s signature, name, address, and other contact information.

7. Dental Evaluation for Missionary Candidate

Every missionary candidate needs to have a complete oral examination and corresponding form sections filled out by your dentist. All dental treatment, including active orthodontic treatment (braces), must be completed before a prospective missionary begins to serve. (Wearing a retainer appliance is not considered active treatment.) Have your dental examination early, perhaps as early as 6 months before you plan to go on your mission, to allow plenty of time to complete all dental treatment or your application may be delayed. The dentist will need to certify that you will be free of dental problems during the next two years (assuming proper oral hygiene is practiced). For many missionaries this means having wisdom teeth removed before going on a mission.

8. Personal Insurance Information of Missionary Candidate

The final section of the mission application form is several pages of authorizations, releases of information, and medical privacy notices that you and your parents will need to sign.  Health insurance is not required, but if you have health insurance coverage, please do not cancel it.  You will need to provide information about your health care policy so the Church can properly process your medical expenses for events that may happen on your mission. If you become sick or injured during the mission, the Church will provide initial payment for medical expenses, but that is not intended to replace your personal insurance. Health care expenses paid by the Church on your mission are made from the general funds of the Church and are thus sacred in nature and should be treated as such.

Mission Paperwork Complete

Once the paperwork is complete, you will need to make an appointment with your bishop and stake president. You will hand over the forms for them to review and ultimately submit to Church headquarters in Salt Lake.

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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 more fruitful, more effective, and more successful when they serve and more people will come into the Church and will create more enthusiasm and there will be a chain reaction….Can you imagine what would happen to the seminary and institute programs with so many wonderful young men who have been planning for missions from birth until seminary days? Seminary and institute buildings would be crowded with a new kind of maturity and seriousness that would give the Church a new image. The morality of the youth would greatly increase. They would be taught cleanliness and righteousness in a way that they have never been taught before…I wish every boy and girl could go to seminary, because that is where they learn many of the truths of the gospel. Seminary is where many of them get their ideals settled in their minds about what they are going to do, and they go on missions.” (President Kimball Speaks Out on Being a Missionary, New Era, May 1981, 46)

Testimonies of Seminary and Institute

The January 2009 Ensign article called Nourishing the Soul through Institute as has some great testimonies of mission preparation aided by seminary and institute.

José Araujo, said “Among the many blessings I have received by attending institute are improved family relationships and an increased interest in the scriptures. It has also increased my testimony. Before attending institute, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to serve a mission. Now I know that serving a mission is what I need to do.” (“Strengthening My Testimony,” Ensign, Jan. 2009, 54)

Malinda Morrison said, “My love for institute started back in seminary. I joined the Church at age 14, and I had a thirst for knowledge. I enjoyed learning about the gospel and loved the admirable friends and teachers I met along the way…Just as seminary enriched my life when I was a teenager, institute has enriched my life during my young adult years. I have treasured up the words of Christ in my heart and in my mind (see D&C 6:20; 84:85). These teachings helped me serve the Lord more effectively as a missionary. I am grateful for institute and know that it is an inspired program because I have seen its blessings in my life.” (“Showing Faith,” Ensign, Jan. 2009, 55–56)

Make Seminary and Institute a Priority

President Thomas S. Monson has said the following regarding institute, but I believe it applies to seminary as well:

“I ask you to make participation in institute a priority. Married students and other young adults are also welcome and encouraged to attend. Think of it. Friends will be made, the Spirit will be felt, and faith will be strengthened. I promise you that as you participate in institute and study the scriptures diligently, your power to avoid temptation and to receive direction of the Holy Ghost in all you do will be increased. Divine favor will attend those who humbly seek it. That is a promise which I leave with you.” (April 21, 2009).

And Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave this prophetic promise: “Don’t neglect the opportunity of attending seminary and institute classes. Participate and gain all you can from the scriptures taught in these great religious-education settings. They will prepare you to present the message of the restored gospel to those you have opportunity to meet.” (“Raising the Bar,” Ensign, Nov. 2007, 48.)

How Do I Find an Institute Program Near Me?

Visit the Institutes of Religion site for information about any of the more than 500 institute locations worldwide. In many cases, you can register for classes online. If you don’t have Internet access, ask your bishop or branch president for a list of institute locations.

Videos
Here are a couple of videos I found on the LDS Institute program and the blessings, promised by a prophet, if we attend.

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I have added a Mormon Mission Prep Widgets page on the site for widgets and other tools to share Mormon Mission Prep content through your sites and blogs.  There are current three widgets to choose from including the newest one which uses the latest logo image shown on the right.  Please use these resources on your site or blog to link back to Mormon Mission Prep and to share the content you find valuable and useful to future LDS missionaries.  Thanks.

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I met German (pronounced Herman) Arrieta on one of my first days in the Godoy neighborhood of Rosario. The previous missionaries had found German and taught him and his wife, Sara, the first discussion.  Then I was transferred to the area and arrived prior to the second discussion.  When we went to German’s house and taught the second discussion, Sara asked lots of questions, and seemed genuinely interested throughout the discussion, while German remained quite and pensive.

At the conclusion of the second discussion, I decided to invite German and Sara to be baptized. Based on how they had reacted to the first two discussions, I thought for sure Sara would accept the invitation, while German, I assumed, would turn down the invitation to be baptized.  I was wrong on both counts.  When I invited them both to be baptized, German spoke right up and said he would like to be baptized.  Sara, however, was hesitant and said she would have to think about it longer.

Two weeks before German’s scheduled baptism, he lost his job.  I expected this to be a stumbling block to German’s progression toward baptism, but once again, German surprised me with his great faith.  He told me, with extreme confidence, that he would find another job and begin working by the day after his baptism.

We continued to teach German and Sara the discussions, but Sara continued to have her doubts about the restored gospel and about getting baptized.  In one of the final discussions, we taught German the principle of the fast: going without food and drink for 24 hours to strengthen us spiritually, and to receive special blessings from our Heavenly Father. It was about 9 o’clock at night when we taught the lesson, and German said he was going to start fasting at that very moment.  He invited us to come back for dinner the next night at 9pm to break the fast with him.

German’s fast was a success, and his break the fast dinner was delicious. German had many tests prior to his baptism: the loss of his job, and his daughter became sick (we gave her a priesthood blessing and she immediately began to get better).  Throughout it all, German showed that he was a man of great faith. He came to the required two Sundays of church meetings, and was baptized on May 18, 1997.  His wife, Sara, and their two daughters, attended the baptism, but only German was baptized.  The baptism was a great event for all who attended, and true to his word, and as a demonstration of his faith in the Lord, German got a job the Monday after his baptism.

A few months later I got word that I was going to be transferred from the Godoy ward. German, and many other ward members, several of whom I baptized, arranged a surprise going away party for me.  The first and only such event in my mission.  I sure made me feel good that the people in this area loved me and would miss me when I was gone. You’ll notice German in the picture, he’s in blue on the far right. He has a gloomy look on his face because, though he was a big, tough guy, he was sad to see me go.  I, of course, was saddened too, and will always have fond memories and remember German and his great faith in Christ and His restored gospel.

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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 thought some information about what to expect at the MTC would make a good blog post.  My MTC experience, which I will tell you about below, was nearly 15 years ago, so I thought I would turn first to a New Era magazine article called The MTC Experience.

The MTC is where missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints go to get doctrinal and language training at the beginning of their missionary service.  There are 17 MTCs located in nations throughout the world including Brazil, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, and the flagship MTC is located in Provo, Utah, USA, adjacent to the campus of Brigham Young University. Missionaries not learning a language usually spend 3 weeks in the MTC, while those learning a foreign language will generally spend 9 to 12 weeks at the MTC. The MTC is a crucial part of getting missionaries prepared to serve, but it was not always so.

History of the MTC

In the early 1900s, new missionaries would report to the Mission Home in Salt Lake City, a small building adjacent to Temple Square.  Missionaries would stay there just a day or two before leaving to their assigned areas.  During the early 1900s, the typical English-speaking missionary would arrive on a Saturday and leave the following Wednesday.  Those foreign serving missionaries frequently had to wait longer for visas and would often serve temporarily as tour guides on Temple Square or do clerical tasks at the LDS Church headquarters.

In November 1961, missionaries started heading a few miles south, to Brigham Young University, at the beginning of their mission for some language training.  Soon, a new LDS mission, the Language Training Mission (LTM), was created, with the geographic extent of the mission to be the perimeter of the buildings in Provo, Utah. These buildings included dormitories as well as classrooms for the missionaries.

As the Church and the number of missionaries continued to grow in the 1970s, the church acquired some nearby land near the BYU Provo campus, built dormitories, a gymnasium, and other buildings. The name of the LTM was changed to the Missionary Training Center in 1978, to note that it was for more than just language training.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, other MTCs popped up in other parts of the world.  In 1998, all North American missionaries called to Brazil were sent to the Brazil MTC in São Paulo for the second month of their training.  Although the integrated MTC program was originally thought of as a solution to overcrowding at the MTC in Provo, it has also proven successful in better training missionaries and revolutionized the MTC experience. Now, I believe, many Americans called to serve abroad are instructed to report directly to the MTC in that country.

Life at the MTC

Life inside the MTC is definitely different than life outside, but it is great. There’s so much to learn in just a few weeks at the MTC:

• Gospel doctrines
• How to develop Christ-like attributes
• How to teach by the Spirit
• Communication skills
• A foreign language (for some)
• The mission rules

You will be assigned a companion, put in a district with three or four other companionships.  Your companion and district will be with you throughout your training and you will become great friends.  Every day you will go to classes, on the gospel of Jesus Christ and on your language, with your district, and several times a week you will be able to go together to play sports in the gymnasium.  Once a week you’ll go to the temple, Sundays will be filled with Church meetings, and once a week you have a devotional by a General Authority. You’ll have weekly service opportunities on the MTC campus (‘celestial service,’ as they called it, cleaning toilets, mopping floors, etc.).

If you’ll recall my previous post, Work Hard, Obey, and Love Others, it was at the MTC that a teacher of mine made that challenge that affected my whole mission.

MTC Services

In a lot of ways, the MTC is a virtual city with all the services you will need as a missionary.  Here’s a run down:

• Cafeteria—Three meals a day are served. When missionaries have a scheduling conflict, they can pack a sack lunch instead of eating in the cafeteria.
• Laundry—Washers and dryers are available. Missionaries must purchase their own detergent from vending machines or the bookstore.
• Bookstore—The bookstore is stocked with learning materials, book bags, plus everyday items such as toiletries, white shirts, or treats.
• Dry cleaning—Rates are reasonable. There is a trend for missionaries to gain weight while at the MTC, so suit alterations are also available for a fee.
• Barbershop—Elders are entitled to one or two haircuts depending on their length of stay at the MTC. Sister missionaries are not offered haircuts, although a beautician is available for paid appointments.
• Copy center—Services such as copying, laminating, or binding are available here.
• Sheets and pillowcases—All bed linens are provided. Exchange for clean linen can be made weekly.
• Mail—Letters are delivered to mailboxes, and packages can be picked up at an adjoining window. The MTC will not accept hand deliveries, so you must send packages through the post office or private carriers.
• Banking services—The office has capabilities to cash checks and sell travelers’ checks.
• Medical services—The health center is adjacent to the MTC. Immunizations are available. Health needs can be treated. Also, doctors are on call for emergencies.

BYU hosts a Web site for the Provo Utah MTC. Visit the site for an MTC Virtual Tour and, to get answers to additions questions, see their MTC FAQs page.

My MTC Experience

I entered the Provo, Utah MTC in October 1995 on my way to serving in Rosario, Argentina.  I was in one of the first trial programs of Technology Aided Language Learning (TALL), which I now believe is part of all missionaries’ curriculum.  I loved the MTC from the very beginning; everyone was so nice and the spiritual growth I experienced was phenomenal.

I was in the MTC just after I completed my first year of college at BYU and all the facilities (beds, laundry, cafeteria) was just like in the BYU dorms.  I was amazed at how they just threw us into Spanish, teaching us to pray and contact people in Spanish on our very first full day at the MTC.  A the MTC, in a lot of ways, I felt I had a stress-free life.  I had no worries about what was going on in the outside world, I just studied Spanish and the gospel and felt the Spirit all day, every day.

Other missionaries I knew, though, had a harder time.  Many missionaries have a hard time learning the language and many have a hard time being spiritual.  If you have largely ignored spiritual things throughout your life, then  going to the MTC can be a difficult transition.  All the more reason to spiritually prepare before your mission.

I had one very spiritual, faith-promoting experience after I had been in the MTC for about a month.  We had a lesson on faith and as I sat there listening, my mind and soul seemed to open up and receive knowledge from heaven.  After the class, one of the other missionaries asked me what I had learned about faith, and as I tried to convey through words what I had felt the Spirit of the Lord poured over me like never before.  The other missionaries and I worth both greatly edified by this experience.

The more I learned about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, the more I realized how much I didn’t know.  The more I studied the scriptures, the more I wanted to immerse myself in them and learn all that I could.  An hour a day of personal scripture study suddenly didn’t seem like nearly enough.

I came away from the MTC with more gratitude in my heart, more meekness and penitence, a stronger testimony of the Book of Mormon, understanding of the importance of obedience to the commandments and to the mission rules, deeper gospel knowledge, a stronger testimony of the Church and of the atonement of Jesus Christ, greater sensitivity to the Spirit, greater trust in the Lord, and joy and happiness that worldly things cannot bring.

At the conclusion of my MTC experience, I wrote in my journal, I knew I had had a life altering experience, even if I never set foot in the mission field.  While that is certainly true, oh how little I realized how much I would learn and grow once I got into the mission field.

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The following is a the text of a talk I gave in Church today. It’s not extremely mission prep related, except inasmuch as missionaries’ work is to help establish Zion. But hopefully you’ll still enjoy it.

City of Enoch
I’d like to talk to you about the Zion society known as the City of Enoch. While Enoch and his people lived long ago, there times were not that different than our own today. The scripture says that at that time, “there were wars and bloodshed” all upon the earth, yet “the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness.” (Moses 7:16) It says that “so great was the faith of Enoch” and his people that “all nations feared greatly.” (v 13) It says that “the Lord blessed the land” where the people of Enoch lived, and they “did flourish.” (v 17)

Then we get to the familiar verse, Moses 7: 18, where it says “And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.” Then, as we know, due to the faith and righteousness of Enoch and his people, “Zion was taken up into heaven.” (v 23) 

Collectively and individually, each of us can achieve the blessings of joy and happiness and prosperity, both spiritual and temporal, when we strive to achieve a Zion-like society. I see in the verse above, three things that lead to a Zion society:

• Unity: “they were of one heart and one mind”
• Righteous Living: they “dwelt in righteousness”
• Caring for the Poor: “there was no poor among them”

1. Unity

“We sometimes hear the words “celebrate diversity” as if diversity were an ultimate goal,” said Elder Dallin H. Oaks. Yet “Jesus did not pray that His followers would be “diverse.” He prayed that they would be “one” (John 17:21–22). Modern revelation does not say, “Be diverse.” …It says, “Be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine” (D&C 38:27)… Our Church has an approach to the obvious cultural and ethnic diversities among our members. We teach that what unites us is far more important than what differentiates us. Consequently, our members are asked to concentrate their efforts to strengthen our unity… We seek to establish a community of Saints—“one body,” the Apostle Paul called it (1 Cor. 12:13)—where everyone feels needed and wanted and where all can pursue the eternal goals we share.” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Weightier Matters,” Ensign, Jan 2001, 13)

Stand Close Together and Lift Where You Stand

In his talk about a year ago, President Uchtdorf taught of the need for unity among the saints when he urged us to “stand close together and lift where you stand.” Said he, “a group of brethren was asked to move a grand piano from the chapel to the adjoining cultural hall, where it was needed for a musical event. None were professional movers, and the task of getting that gravity-friendly instrument through the chapel and into the cultural hall seemed nearly impossible. Everybody knew that this task required not only physical strength but also careful coordination. There were plenty of ideas, but not one could keep the piano balanced correctly. They repositioned the brethren by strength, height, and age over and over again—nothing worked. As they stood around the piano, uncertain of what to do next, a good friend of mine, Brother Hanno Luschin, spoke up. He said, “Brethren, stand close together and lift where you stand.” It seemed too simple. Nevertheless, each lifted where he stood, and the piano rose from the ground and moved into the cultural hall as if on its own power. That was the answer to the challenge. They merely needed to stand close together and lift where they stood.” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Lift Where You Stand,” Ensign, Nov 2007)

2. Righteous Living

Like the people of the city of Enoch, we live in times of many “wars and bloodshed,” yet we can, like they, “flourish” by living “in righteousness.” Enoch saw in vision a view of the world after his city was taken up into Heaven. He saw that Satan “veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness” and that this wickedness caused the Lord to weep. The Lord explained that wickedness caused misery and doom, and that it saddened him to see the “workmanship” of his own hands make such poor choices. The Book of Mormon prophet Alma expressed this concept well when he told his son “wickedness never was happiness.” (Alma 41:10) Righteous living is an indispensible component for all people in a Zion society.

Self-Reliance

A major part of righteous living of gospel principles is work and self-reliance. I found it interesting what the First Presidency said in 1936 about the establishment of the Church welfare program. They said, “Our primary purpose was to set up, in so far as it might be possible, a system under which the curse of idleness would be done away with…The aim of the Church is to help the people to help themselves. Work is to be reenthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our Church membership.” (First Presidency, General Conference, October 1936.) 

Righteous living means obeying the Lord’s commandments. The first and great is to “love the Lord thy God” Matt 22:37, “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Matt 22:39 The Savior taught that loving and serving others was the basis for all the other gospel commandments. The prophet Spence W. Kimball said that “we can see that Welfare Services is not a program, but the essence of the gospel. It is the gospel in action.” (Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, Dec 1984, 2) 

3. Caring for the Poor

Righteous living naturally leads to the third component of a Zion society, caring for the poor. King Benjamin that, benevolent prophet king in the Book of Mormon, taught that by caring for the poor and needy, we help keep ourselves unspotted from sin. Said he, “for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.” (Mosiah 4:26.)

President Monson’s Example

President Monson’s compassion for and caring of the poor and needy throughout his life is an example we should all know and emulate. It has been written many times about the 85 widows that lived in his ward when he was a young bishop. “At Christmastime he called personally at the home of each widow, leaving a gift and his blessing,” and continued that even after his release as bishop. (see President Thomas S. Monson). At the First Presidency Christmas devotional last month, President Monson said, “real joy comes as we show the love and compassion inspired by the Savior of the world, who said, ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me.’” (First Presidency Gives 2009 Christmas Message)

My Dad’s Example with Sister Funderburk

My father provided a great example to me of caring for the poor and needy. When I was a young teenager, I was my father’s home teaching companion. One of the families we visited on a regular basis were the Funderburks. Sister Funderburk was an older lady who lived in extremely impoverished conditions. She had no husband (not that lived with her anyway). Sister Funderburk always had a foster child living with her. I believe this was her only means of income, as the government would pay her a small stipend in return for housing and caring for a foster child. She lived in a very old trailer/mobile home, with plastic sheeting on many of the walls and windows and in general need of serious repairs.

The plumbing in Sister Funderburk’s home was a frequent object of our attention as home teachers. My dad and I were no plumbers, but the plumbing needed attention, so we rolled up our sleeves and worked on it many times. I remember one winter, the mountains of northern Georgia got pretty cold and her pipes froze, leaving her without running water. We went, the following Saturday, and worked the entire day to insulate and bury the pipes in the ground.

Sister Funderburk had no telephone, so my dad and I simply dropped in on her a couple times a month to make sure everything was ok. I remember one night we stopped by and found they had no food in their house. My dad immediate made a run to the grocery store, which was probably a ten to fifteen mile drive each way, since she lived out in the country, as did we. My dad bought milk, bread, and other essentials. The Spirit had prompted him to stop by and ask if she had any needs, and it was at just the right time as Sister Funderburk was, no doubt, praying for help.

Working with James Walker

Years later, when my wife and I were living in Memphis Tennessee, I met a member of the Church in similar impoverished circumstances. His name was James Walker. James was an older gentleman, perhaps 65 years old. The missionaries had recently baptized him. James lived alone, aside from the hand full of chickens he raised, which as far as I could tell was his only source of income. I had met James when he got baptized, but I really didn’t get to know him until our bishop asked me to work with James and teach him how to read and write. In working with James, as I did over the next couple of years, I was no doubt prepared by the great example of my father.

While James was very poor in terms of material possessions, I never felt my purpose in working with him was to give him financial assistance as much as it was just to be his friend. I was aware of the many generous Church members who gave freely to help James, as did we from time to time. But James needed friends as much as anything. He needed people in his life who had love and confidence in him. Working with James in this literacy program allowed me to help and support him in all those ways. And though we live 2,000 miles apart now, James and I still talk on the phone from time to time.

Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts

In the late summer of 2005, we were living in Memphis Tennessee, just 6 hours north of New Orleans, when Hurricane Katrina struck. Within days, if not hours, our Church and many others organizations were on the ground helping those peoples whose lives and property had been destroyed. A couple of weeks after the storm, in Church one Sunday, we got a request like I’ve never had before or since as a Church member. They asked us, particularly the brethren, though a number of sisters went as well, to go to New Orleans to help with the relief efforts. They asked us to leave Friday afternoon, drive down to New Orleans, sleep in the Stake Center or its parking lot, work all day Saturday, then work half the day Sunday and then drive home Sunday evening. This schedule allowed us to put in a day and a half of labor and not miss any of our normal Monday through Friday jobs.

For me this seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity to help and I jumped at the chance. If you remember the photos and videos of the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, seeing it in person trumped it all. Photos and videos just can’t completely convey the horrible scene of destruction. Over the next months, I made three of these weekend trips down to New Orleans for relief, recovery, and rebuilding. The brethren from our stake and many others were there every weekend for months and we helps thousands of people. 

President Hinckley’s Comments on Church’s Katrina Relief

President Hinckley spoke of these relief efforts in the Priesthood Session of General Conference in October 20005. “Great numbers of our men have traveled considerable distances, bringing with them tools and tents and radiant hope. Men of the priesthood have given thousands upon thousands of hours in the work of rehabilitation. There have been three and four thousand at a time. There are some there tonight. We cannot say enough of thanks to them…

“Two of our Area Seventies, Brother John Anderson, who resides in Florida, and Brother Stanley Ellis, who lives in Texas, have directed much of this effort. But they would be the first to say that the credit belongs to the great numbers of men and boys who have given assistance. Many have worn shirts that say “Mormon Helping Hands.” They have won the love and respect of those they have assisted. Their assistance has gone not only to members of the Church in trouble, but to great numbers of those concerning whom no religious affiliation has been made. 

“They have followed the pattern of the Nephites as recorded in the book of Alma: “They did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need” (Alma 1:30).

Listening to Pres Hinckley from Waveland Mississippi Building

I heard this talk of Presidents Hinckley’s live from that storm battered LDS Church building in Waveland Mississippi. The walls and carpet of that building had been ripped out, but there was still a roof over head so it was serving as a sort-of rescue and relief headquarters, with tons of tools, supplies and willing helpers. I remember sitting in these circumstances, in filthy clothing from a hard days work, with dozens of other brothers and sisters, huddled around a little television set in that gutted building. I remember the sense of pride, and accomplishment, and joy in having helped others.  In some respects, of course, it was a sacrifice to go there, but the rewards of serving others far outweighed that in my mind.

I uploaded to my Flckr account all the photos I have of my trips to the gulf coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:

• Hurricane Katrina Relief Trip 1: Waveland, Mississippi, from My Camera
• Hurricane Katrina Relief Trip 1: Waveland, Mississippi, Nate Purcell’s Camera
• Hurricane Katrina Relief Trip 2: Slidell, Louisiana
• Hurricane Katrina Relief Trip 3: New Orleans, Louisiana

Conclusion

As I said at the beginning, each of us will enjoy that truest form of joy and we will have an abundance of spiritual and temporal prosperity when we strive to achieve a Zion-like society through:

• Unity: “they were of one heart and one mind”
• Righteous Living: they “dwelt in righteousness”
• Caring for the Poor: “there was no poor among them”

Then we, like the Zion society established by the Savior in the Americas, it may be said of us, “surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.” (4 Ne. 1:16)

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Any of you who have visited Mormon Mission Prep since the beginning of the new year will have already noticed this, but over Christmas break I redesigned the Web site.  Actually, I have done far more than simply redesigning the look of the site, I added a Spanish version of the site and I changed the underlying technology the site is built on. I hope you all enjoy the new site design and new features.  Feel free to give many any feedback you have.

Spanish Version of Mormon Mission Prep

From the beginning, I have wanted to do the site in both Spanish and English.  Up until recently, though, I have used my limited time and resources to simply get the site up and running in my native English.   But with recent requests from readers, and the opportunity provided by the technology change, I decided to go ahead and create a Spanish version of Mormon Mission Prep.

Not all blog posts have been translated yet, but I will slowly be working on them.  What I have translated thus far is about 8 of the most recent blog posts, and most of the other pages in the top navigation menu. I’ve also created a Spanish Facebook page and a Spanish YouTube channel for the mission prep videos, though I’ve only translated one of the videos so far. Here’s a run down of the Spanish and English content:

Under the Hood Technology

For those of you interested in the technical details, I moved the site from being run on the Windows-based BlogEngine.net, to the Linux-based WordPress.  BlogEngine was okay during the first year of running the site, but I began to run into more and more limitations with it.  WordPress is a powerful free blog platform that provides me all the resources I need to run the site now and long into the future.

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One of the blessings of missionary work is that missionary work cleanses sin. Of course only our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has the power to cleanse us of sin, which power he possesses thanks to his suffering for the sins of the world.  And by faithfully doing missionary work, we do the things that are necessary to take advantage of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

When I arrived in Argentina and had my first interview with my mission president, he shared this scriptural concept and it has always stuck with me. I wish I had written down the scripture he shared with me that day, but perhaps it’s better that I can’t remember what it was because it has caused my to do my own scripture study of the subject.

The following are scriptural examples I have found as evidence that missionary work cleanses sin:

• To early Church missionaries the Lord said, “And in this place let them lift up their voice and declare my word with loud voices, without wrath or doubting, lifting up holy hands upon them. For I am able to make you holy, and your sins are forgiven you.” D&C 60:7
• To the early pioneers of these latter days the Lord said, “And I give unto you, who are the first laborers in this last kingdom, a commandment that you assemble yourselves together, and organize yourselves, and prepare yourselves, and sanctify yourselves; yea, purify your hearts, and cleanse your hands and your feet before me, that I may make you clean.” D&C 88:74
• Praying about the 12 apostles he chose in the ancient Americas, our Savior said, “Father, I thank thee that thou hast purified those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, and I pray for them, and also for them who shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me, through faith on their words, even as they are purified in me.”3 Ne. 19: 28
• When the ancient Jared rejected the prophet Ether after he was sent by God to exhort the people to believe in God, the Lord said, “If they have not charity it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful; wherefore, thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father.” Ether 12:37
• Ezekiel 33:9 “if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”

Which, if any, of these scriptures was the one my mission president shared with me all those years ago, I do not know.  But it seems to me, through studying these scriptures, that sincere, true missionary efforts naturally leads to forgiveness of sins.  By being a worthy missionary and helping others come unto Christ, we ourselves are brought closer and receive His cleansing power.

It’s not the doing missionary work gives you a free pass from your sins.  It’s that to do true missionary work requires the individual to go through the God-given steps of faith, repentance, and cleansing Priesthood ordinances of salvation which make us worthy and able to return to live with God.

The main purpose of missionary work is to help bring others to Christ, but and importance secondary purpose is that it brings the missionaries themselves closer to Christ.  I thank Heavenly Father for this wonderful blessing of missionary work with its dual effect of gathering those into the restored gospel who previously did not know of it, and its ability to cleanse and purify the missionary workers themselves.

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The conversion story of Aldo is perhaps the easiest conversion process and baptism of my whole mission. It was September 1996, and I met Aldo at Church my first Sunday serving in the city of Fray Luis Beltran, a little town north of Rosario. We were in Sunday School and there was a young man who was answering all the questions from the teacher. I leaned over and asked my companion, Elder Gertge, who this person was who was so engaged in the lesson. Elder Gertge told me his name was Aldo and he was not a member of the Church. Aldo lived in the city of Rosario, but his girl friend lived with her family in Beltran. I asked Elder Gertge if he and his previous companion had been teaching Aldo the discussions, and he said no.

After Church I went up to Aldo and introduced myself and asked him if he wanted to hear the missionary discussions. Without hesitation, Aldo agreed to hearing the discussions and we began teaching him that week at his girl friend’s home. Gabriela had told Aldo she would not marry outside the temple of the Lord, and therefore Aldo had been attending Church for the three months before I met him. I don’t know why the previous missionaries never pursued teaching Aldo the discussions, but I was very happy to do it. It is always a great joy to teach someone who is hungry to learn and take the next step in his eternal progression by getting baptized.

Aldo cruised through the six discussions and got baptized within a couple of weeks of our first meeting. While Elder Gertge and I taught Aldo and guided him into the waters of baptism, we really did very little other than being in the right place at the right time. It was his girl friend Gabriela, her family, the ward members in Beltran, and the Lord who prepared Aldo to become a member of the true Church of Jesus Christ. We missionaries just opened our mouths and invited him to come unto Christ.

About a year after Aldo’s baptism, I was serving in the city of the Rosario. My companion and I were doing some street contacting along a major avenue, when a car pulled up beside us and Aldo jumped out. Aldo gave me a big hug and told me how he and Gabriela would soon be married in the Buenos Aires temple. I was so very happy to know that Aldo had stayed true to his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that he and Gabriela were going to be sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. And I was thankful that I had had a small part in the conversion story of Aldo.

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And the winner is … Wendy. Wendy, I’ll be reaching out to you to get your mailing address.

Thanks to everyone who entered.  I’m sure I’ll be giving another book away soon, so be watching for it.  If you didn’t win the book, I have good news, you can buy your own copy of The Ultimate Missionary Companion from Amazon. Used copies sell for a little as $0.22 plus shipping.

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3. Free Mission Prep Book Giveaway For those of you who overlooked it at the bottom of my previous post,...