Rejoice in Missionary Work

Prayerfully select and read from this message the scriptures and teachings that meet the needs of the sisters you visit. Share your experiences and testimony. Invite those you teach to do the same.

The Prophet Joseph Smith:“What if all the world should embrace this Gospel? They would then see eye to eye, and the blessings of God would be poured out upon the people, which is the desire of my whole soul” (History of the Church, 5:259).

Why Do We Rejoice in Sharing the Gospel?

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:“The restored gospel of Jesus Christ has within it the power to bring deep and abiding happiness to the human soul—something that will be valued and cherished for the rest of time and for all eternity. We are not just trying to get people to join our Church; we are sharing with them the fulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ” (“The Essential Role of Member Missionary Work,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2003, 40).

President Gordon B. Hinckley: “You never can foretell the consequences of that which you do when you talk about the Church with another. … Try it. Taste the sweet and wonderful joy of sharing your testimony of this work with others” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [1997], 373–74).

How Can I Prepare the Way for a Gospel Discussion?

Alma 17:11: “Go forth … that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.”

President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency: “No matter what circumstances you sisters experience, your influence can be marvelously far-reaching. I believe some of you have a tendency to underestimate your profound capacity for blessing the lives of others. More often than not, it is not on the stage with some public pronouncement but in your example of righteousness and the countless gentle acts of love and kindness done so willingly, so often on a one-to-one basis” (“You Are All Heaven Sent,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2002, 111–12).

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “Pray daily for [your] own personal missionary experiences. Pray that under the divine management of such things, the missionary opportunity you want is already being prepared in the heart of someone who longs for and looks for what you have” (“Witnesses unto Me,” Liahona, July 2001, 16; Ensign, May 2001, 15).

Bonnie D. Parkin, Relief Society general president: “Too often we allow inhibitions and fears, unexpected obstacles, uncertainty, tenacious distractions, misinformed others—the list is endless—to inhibit our sharing of the truths we hold so dear. … [But] we can remember that all of us who lose our lives for Jesus’ sake shall find them” (“Bearing Record: Nothing Compares to It,” in Ye Shall Bear Record of Me: Talks from the 2001 BYU Women’s Conference [2002], 21–22).

Painting by Sam Lawlor

Photograph by Welden C. Andersen, posed by models