The New Year is a time of
renewal. A new year. A fresh start. A time to consider such things as progress,
change, improvement, resolution, repentance, and covenants.
Our mission vision
includes the hope and faith that each missionary will be fully engaged in the
process of personal conversion. The extent to which this happens is the
foundation for all that we can or will accomplish as a mission, as individual
missionaries, and as sons and daughters of God. Conversion is a process that
includes repentance and the renewing of covenants. It is not something that we
experience once in our lives, “rather, when repeated throughout life these
principles become an increasingly rewarding pattern of living”(PMG, p. 6, see
also D&C 50:14).
Our mission plans include
an important charge that will help us greatly accelerate our personal
conversion: Be strictly obedient. This is a process that must be undertaken by
each missionary in order to successfully engage in serving the Lord. We are
blessed to know the commandments of God and to understand why they will bring
us protection, happiness and freedom. In addition, full-time missionaries are
asked to voluntarily submit to many additional restrictions. Why do we have
mission rules and why should we strive to obey them?
As missionaries we have
tremendous responsibilities placed upon as that are clearly beyond our capacity
to accomplish by our own wisdom, experience and ability. “The message of the
Restoration of the gospel must be taught by divine power…. The Spirit is
essential for teaching truths of the gospel in a way that builds faith in
others” (PMG, p.3). If we are to fulfill our divinely appointed callings, we
cannot lack this power. In the
recent worldwide missionary broadcast, Elder David A. Bednar put it this way,
“Without the power of the Holy Ghost, we are utterly incapable of doing what we
have been called to do. Do you really think that our capacity to explain the principles
of the gospel is going to persuade someone in and of itself?" This power also
does not come by simply putting on a nametag. It has a price. What is that
price?
Last week I received an
email from one of our newest missionaries that had the numbers “3/5/6“ at the
top. I did not know what the numbers meant, but later in the email he explained
as follows.
“Something that I learned
over the past two weeks is the importance of exact obedience. Before I came on
my mission, I committed to my bishop to be exactly obedient. Even getting up at
6:31 meant that I was starting the day off on the wrong foot. During the MTC,
my branch president had us report 7/7/7, which is how many times we do
something during the week. The first seven is getting out of bed on time, the
second is starting daily planning on time, and the third is going to bed on
time. We would report how many times out of seven we did each thing that week,
and after going on both district and zone leader exchanges the past couple of
weeks, I realized how much missionaries don't care about this. It is by small
and simple things that great things are brought to pass, and I know that
because [my companion] and I are trying to strive for perfect 7's, we have been
blessed. We have been trying to sharpen the ax before focusing where on the
tree we need to start chopping. And by being exactly obedient, I know that we
will truly be blessed.”
President Ezra Taft
Benson once said, “When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our
quest, in that moment, God will endow us with power.” I invite you to discuss
this quote and today’s email as a companionship. Ask yourselves, what can we do
to show the Lord we are willing to be exactly obedient in order to qualify for
the power of the Holy Ghost? Make a plan to improve. I would also like you to
report the three numbers, as explained above, in your weekly emails going
forward.
President Blickenstaff
Mentor of Obedient
Champions
