“Introduction,” Adjusting to Service Missionary Life: Resource Booklet (2020)
“Introduction,” Adjusting to Service Missionary Life
Detail from Come, Follow Me, by James T. Harwood
Introduction
You Can Be Successful with the Lord’s Help
As a service missionary, you are called to represent Jesus Christ. You are ministering to Heavenly Father’s children. The Savior loves you, and He will help you move ahead. He has promised: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:88).
Exercise your faith and act on the decision you have made to do the Lord’s work. Through your continual faith and best efforts, you will develop the skills, gifts, and strengths you need more quickly. You will feel the help of the Lord. You will grow in confidence in your ability to serve Him.
The Lord has promised to help missionaries. But many of the greatest missionaries in history suffered and struggled in their missionary labors. Ammon and his brethren “suffer[ed] much, both in body and in mind, such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit” (Alma 17:5). At times, they were overwhelmed. “Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success” (Alma 26:27).
This promise applies to you in your assigned service to the family of God. You can become a useful servant of the Lord.
Tatsu Ito, who had spinal muscular atrophy, is an example of this promise’s fulfillment. When the Ito family moved from Japan to Utah, Tatsu decided to serve as a service missionary. Tatsu’s younger brother, Dan, “could see how Tatsu was changing” during the mission and knew that Tatsu was truly “preparing to return to heaven.”
When Tatsu passed away, Dan, who also has spinal muscular atrophy, went to the temple. He felt prompted to ask if he might be called to complete the same mission assignment in which Tatsu had been serving before his passing. Dan was blessed to be able to do so. He served on the LDS.org response team and reviewed “I’m a Mormon” profiles in Japanese.
Dan said that he was also “a representative of God in everyday life.” If someone had problems, he was “always happy to listen to them and encourage them to go to their bishops to receive a blessing.”
While Elder Ito’s mission did not have a proselyting routine, he said that he absolutely felt that he was a missionary. He said that his mission helped “increase my willingness to serve more every day.”
Elder Tatsu Ito
How to Use This Booklet
A service mission can be both joyous and stressful. Hard work and service are proven tools in managing worry, despair, and weariness. They are essential for anyone engaged in the Lord’s work, both during and after missionary service. But hard work and service alone are not your only tools. Other resources include professional help, priesthood blessings, counsel from experienced adults, and this booklet. The Lord will help you develop skills and attitudes to help you succeed. You can find satisfaction and success in your service mission and in life.
This booklet is not meant to be read all at once. Use the instructions below. You will be guided to suggestions for the challenges you face. These ideas will also help as you serve and minister to others.