Missionaries sacrifice time, studies, money, careers, sports, talents,
family, and friends for a specified
amount of time for a higher calling—
to teach the world that Jesus
is the Christ, that his Church is restored,
that Joseph Smith was his prophet,
that the Book of Mormon is the Lord’s
witness, and that there is a
living prophet today. When missionaries arrive
in the field, additional personal
sacrifices are required of them. Their living
accommodations are usually inadequate.
Often they have to learn a new
language and adapt to a new environment
as challenging cultures are
thrust upon them. Those
who travel to the far south or north may find
that even the climates are changed.
Such “sacrifices” are commonplace
in the mission field.
Listing these numerous sacrifices may imply that the entire mission
experience is destined to be
a self-sacrificing, joyless existence. While
a missionary may feel exactly
this way some days, the consensus of
virtually all missionaries is
that these so-called sacrifices bring forth
innumerable blessings.
Even the most trying days are considered worthy
material for personal diaries.
Cold showers, boardinghouses with fleas,
and beds without mattresses are
all taken in stride as a higher object of
devotion takes precedence.
The Lord has said: “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or
brethren, or sisters, or father,
or mother, or wife, or children, or lands,
for my name’s sake, shall receive
an hundredfold, and shall inherit
everlasting life.” (Matthew
19:29.)
To develop in them obedience, patience, and long-suffering, the
Lord has required unusual personal
sacrifices of some. The Prophet
Joseph Smith spoke of his own
tribulations in earnest supplication to
his Father (D&C 121:1-7).
Job’s trials, Abraham’s test, and President
Spencer W. Kimball’s physical
afflictions are but a few additional
examples.
The Lord gave us the supreme example at Gethsemane. Was that
an easy task to accomplish?
It was hard enough that the Lord cried out
as he fell upon his face, praying,
“O my Father, if it be possible, let this
cup pass from me: nevertheless
not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew
26:39.)
In speaking of that great and last sacrifice, Amulek said: “For it shall
not be a human sacrifice; but
it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.
Now there is not any man that
can sacrifice his own blood which will atone
for the sins of another.”
(Alma 34:10-11.)
That holy infinite sacrifice provoked immense suffering, “which
suffering,” reports the Lord,
“caused myself, even God, the greatest of
all, to tremble because of pain,
and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer
both body and spirit—and would
that I might not drink the bitter cup, and
shrink.” (D&C 19:18.)
The suffering at Gethsemane required great sacrifice.
The suffering on the cross required great sacrifice.
The suffering at Liberty Jail required great sacrifice.
The persecution of the Saints in the early history of the Church
represented great sacrifice on
their part. How much sacrifice should be
required of today’s missionary?
Is it too much of a sacrifice for him to
get out of bed on time?
Is it too much of a sacrifice for him to be out
working on time? Is it
too much of a sacrifice for him to be efficient in
his day-to-day labors?
The Lord gave 100 percent in his atonement. Can missionaries give
a 100 percent effort for two
years of their lives?
President Ronald Loveland at a mission conference in Buenos Aires,
Argentina, in January 1980, told
of a missionary who had worked himself
to utter exhaustion. When
his companion tried to persuade him to go
back to the apartment to rest,
that he had done enough for one day, he
said, “The Lord needs to know
that I was serious when I said yes to my
mission call.” Was his
sacrifice listened to from on high? It must have
been. Today that missionary
is a General Authority of the Church. The
Lord knows that he is valiant.
The moving force for any missionary is his willingness to sacrifice
a comfortable way of life to
yield to a more holy purpose in order to
effectively teach the gospel
of Jesus Christ. Sacrifice of this nature
brings forth blessings.
Even though the level of sacrifice required
generally of today’s missionaries
cannot be compared to that of old,
it is still sacrifice.
Today’s missionaries sacrifice by daily doing those
things which are difficult but
important. Today’s sacrifice requires
consistent effort with an eye
single to the glory of our Heavenly Father.
Today’s sacrifice requires a
continual concern on the part of the
missionaries to grow into perfection,
an attitude that the status quo
is unacceptable an unquenchable
desire to live the mission to its
fullest.
Elder Victors came into the mission field unprepared. His pre-
mission life was filled with
mistakes and sadness. He had the wrong
kinds of friends, the wrong motives,
and the wrong habits. Before
entering the mission field, he
had failed to fully confess his sins. The
only really good thing was that
he had finally decided to change, and
he was now willing to make the
sacrifice to do so. The road back was
not easy. He had much repenting
to do, but he was determined to do
it.
At first mission life was not easy. There were rules that were
incompatible with his personal
desires. What did he do? He sacrificed
his desires. For example,
prior to the mission he loved rock music.
When he arrived in the mission
field he sacrificed rock music for
something better—talks with the
Lord. He also was plagued with a
physical problem. An old
football back injury caused daily pain and
sleepless nights. Month
after month he sacrificed, gritted his teeth,
and kept going.
Little by little his sacrifice started paying off. He made innocent
mistakes, not completely understanding
mission life, but some very
special companions sacrificed
some of their time to love and nurture
him along until he could overcome
his past. Soon he was made senior
companion. Again there
were some mistakes. With each mistake there
was more personal sacrifice so
that he did not make the same mistake
again. He sacrificed his
comfortable old way of life and replaced it with
eternal values. Next he
was made district leader. His district soared.
He soon became the leading baptizer
in the mission, not for a week or
a month, but month after month.
His personal sacrifice was received
by the Lord, and the Lord poured
forth blessings abundantly. It was no
surprise to anyone when Elder
Victors was called to be assistant to the
president. The single outstanding
characteristic of Elder’s success was
his understanding that personal
sacrifice in doing the Lord’s work brings
forth blessings. He returned
home from his mission a godlike man. The
change was total. The principle
of sacrifice was the changing agent.
There was another missionary who came into the field much better
prepared and qualified than was
Elder Victors. The difference was in his
attitude relative to personal
sacrifice. This elder was determined that he
would not make any personal sacrifices
during the mission. He would be
a missionary, but he was not
going to sacrifice anything. He liked his life-
style and was determined that
he would not change.
His mission was one of continued contention and misunderstanding.
Because of his rebellious attitude
he could not have the Spirit with him.
And his rebellious attitude was
a result of his determination to not
sacrifice anything for his mission.
He did not understand the law;
therefore, the blessing pertaining
to that law did not come forth. In
spite of the fact that everyone
tried to help him, he regressed. His
personal commitment not to “change”
had limited his progress. By
the time he left the mission
field, he was notably less spiritual and
more immature than when he had
entered—all because he did not
understand the law of personal
sacrifice.
Missionaries are to eliminate their weaknesses by replacing them
with strengths. Personal
sacrifice to do that brings forth blessings. It
is one of God’s laws. Let
it work for you.
(From the book: Serve with Honor, by Randy Bott, 1995)
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