“Your Call to Serve at a Sacred Historic Site,” On Holy Ground: A Guide for Missionaries at Historic Sites (2024)

“Your Call to Serve at a Sacred Historic Site,” On Holy Ground: A Guide for Missionaries at Historic Sites

Chapter 1

Your Call to Serve at a Sacred Historic Site

For thousands of years, calls to serve have penetrated the souls and shaken the emotions of the Lord’s covenant people. Immediate responses to these calls have varied from one person to another.

When Enoch received his call, he hesitated and said to the Lord, “Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight?” (Moses 6:31). When Mary learned that she would be the mother of the Savior, her first words were, “How shall this be … ?” (Luke 1:34). When Jesus Christ invited Peter and Andrew to become “fishers of men[,] … they straightway left their nets, and followed him” (Matthew 4:19–20). On the road to Damascus, Paul trembled with astonishment before the Lord (see Acts 9:1–6).

Although immediate responses to calls have varied, faithful disciples have been unified in their ultimate responses. Enoch “went forth in the land” and spoke boldly to the people (see Moses 6:37). Peter, Andrew, and others “forsook all” (Luke 5:11) to become disciples of the Messiah. Mary declared humbly, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38). Paul, still trembling, said, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6).

What was your first response when you read a letter or email from God’s prophet stating that you would serve at a historic site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Maybe you had hoped for such a call and were happy about it from the beginning. Maybe you had hoped not to receive such a call and felt afraid or disappointed. Maybe you had never even considered such an opportunity and didn’t know what to think. Maybe you were surprised but instantly knew it was right.

Regardless of how you felt at first, you can unite with Enoch, Mary, Peter, Andrew, and Paul in your ultimate response. You can go forth with faith, knowing that the Lord has a work for you to do. You are laboring at a place that is sacred to Him and His people. Your service is an essential part of His work.

Participating in the Gathering of Israel

President Russell M. Nelson taught: “These surely are the latter days, and the Lord is hastening His work to gather Israel. That gathering is the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty. And if you choose to, if you want to, you can be a big part of it. You can be a big part of something big, something grand, something majestic!”¹

What does it mean to be a part of the gathering of Israel? President Nelson explained:

“The gathering of Israel ultimately means offering the gospel of Jesus Christ to God’s children on both sides of the veil who have neither made crucial covenants with God nor received their essential ordinances.

“Every child of our Heavenly Father deserves the opportunity to choose to follow Jesus Christ, to accept and receive His gospel with all of its blessings—yes, all the blessings that God promised to the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who, as you know, is also known as Israel.”²

The work you do at a historic site is essential to the gathering of Israel. Ponder this declaration by President Nelson:

“Anytime you do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel. It is as simple as that.”³

Consider the following example:

Toward the end of the day, you see a minivan at your site. The back doors open, and two young children run to the visitors’ center where you are working. Two teenagers exit the vehicle with less excitement. The father runs his hands through his hair and opens his door. The mother opens her door and ducks into the back of the van before emerging with a crying baby and a diaper bag.

A few minutes later, you greet all seven members of this family: a mother, a father, a 17-year-old son, a 15-year-old daughter, a 10-year-old daughter, a 7-year-old son, and a 9-month-old son. You can tell they are active Latter-day Saints. You can also tell that they are tired and that they have had a difficult day. They probably thought they would be at your site a few hours ago. Now they are finally here, waiting for you to show them something they have driven over a thousand miles to see.

You might spend 30 minutes to an hour with this family. Or you might work in the background, caring for the landscape and facilities at the site. Will you be helping to gather Israel?

Think about the reasons these parents have devoted so much time and money to come here. What opportunities are ahead on the covenant path for each of their children? How might this experience influence a young man who is contemplating a mission or a young woman who is struggling to know where she belongs in Heavenly Father’s plan? How might this site help a girl who will soon be old enough to enter the temple or a boy who will soon be baptized and confirmed? How might it strengthen and encourage the mother and father as they strive to stay on the covenant path and lead their children? The baby will not remember a thing, but what will his family members tell him about this experience when he is old enough to understand?

“Anytime you do anything that helps anyone … take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel. It is as simple as that.”⁴

Personal Study

Each of the Church’s historic sites has played a part in the gathering of Israel. Using sources listed in chapter 4 of this book, look for ways your site has been part of this work. Perhaps it has been a gathering place for the Saints. Perhaps the Lord restored truths, ordinances, and covenants there that have contributed to the gathering of God’s children. This study may take weeks to complete. Consider sharing your discoveries with your companion.

Companionship Study or Site Training

As stated in Preach My Gospel, your purpose as a missionary is to “invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.”⁵

Discuss ways you fulfill this purpose at a historic site even though many visitors are members of the Church. You might consider the following questions:

In what ways can experiences at the Church’s historic sites help visitors draw nearer to Jesus Christ?
How do the Church’s historic sites testify of the Restoration of the gospel?
How can your service at a historic site help people in their efforts to make or keep baptismal covenants? to receive the Holy Ghost? to endure to the end on the covenant path?

Measuring Your Success at a Historic Site

The Lord taught, “Unto whomsoever much is given, of him [or her] shall be much required” (Luke 12:48; see also Doctrine and Covenants 82:3). As a missionary, you might feel the weight of this declaration. You know that you have been given much: countless blessings, including the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and the opportunity to share it with others. You also know that the Lord requires much of you. You might sometimes wonder how to measure your success in meeting those requirements.

What does the Lord require of His disciples? In the early days of the Church, He said:

“Be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.

“Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33–34).

If you are serving in small but significant ways, if you are giving your heart and mind to the work you have been called to do, if you are willing and obedient, you are meeting the Lord’s requirements. And as you do your best to meet His requirements, you will receive His help.

Like the sons of Mosiah, you can feel the Lord’s assurance that He “will give unto you success” (Alma 26:27) as you do what He has called you to do. The success He gives you is greater than any success you can achieve on your own. He will make you an instrument in His hands to bless those around you.

Sometimes you might see immediate evidence that the Lord is giving you success. You might see it in the eyes of grateful visitors after you have helped them connect with the site. You might hear it in their voices or sense it in the way they begin to interact with each other. Some visitors might thank you for specific things you have said or done. Family members and friends at home might tell you that they are inspired by your service.

However, you cannot depend only on immediate results as evidence of success. This is true of all missionary service, but it is especially true at a historic site, where you do not report the number of lessons you have taught or the names of people who have been baptized and confirmed because of your service. Much of your success will manifest itself in people’s lives after they leave the site.

In the absence of immediate, positive feedback, you can know the Lord is giving you success when you:

Receive guidance from the Holy Ghost as you study and serve.
Feel the love of your Heavenly Father and your Savior for you and for others.
Increase in your love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, your family, your companion and other missionaries, and the people you teach.
Receive strength to serve beyond your normal capacity.
Receive comfort when you are sick, tired, or sad.
Experience joy in the work, even in difficult times.
Feel the assurance that God is pleased with you and that you are serving as an instrument in His hands. Sister Eliza R. Snow, the second Relief Society General President, said, “If your labors are acceptable to God, however simple the duties, if faithfully performed, you should never be discouraged.”⁶

In many ways, your success is measured one person at a time as you serve the Lord, who “numbereth his sheep” (1 Nephi 22:25). But your success is greater than any number, chart, or measurement. How do you measure a person’s decision to learn about the Lord’s covenant path, or return to the path, or stay on the path? How do you measure a family’s closeness to the Lord and to each other? How do you measure one visitor’s renewed testimony of the Restoration? How do you measure the change the Lord makes in your own heart? As you magnify your calling and participate in the gathering of Israel, the Lord will bless you with success—beyond measure.

Personal or Companionship Study

President Henry B. Eyring once told of a pattern he established for his life: he decided that every day he would write an entry in his journal about something the Lord had done that day to bless him and his family.⁷ Following President Eyring’s example, write about experiences at the site when the Lord has blessed you and your companion with success. Consider the following questions:

What prepared you to have this experience?
What are your feelings as you recall this experience?

From time to time, review these journal entries as a companionship and talk about what you can learn from them.