Member Missionaries
From the beginnings of the Church in Venezuela, local members have embraced the responsibility of sharing the restored gospel with their neighbors. Along the way, they have shown that there are many different approaches to doing missionary work.
One way that Venezuelan Latter-day Saints have introduced the Church to their neighbors has been through community engagement. In August 1983, the Venezuela Caracas Mission and the Caracas Venezuela Stake hosted a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Simón Bolívar, the famed Venezuelan revolutionary, at the Caracas Venezuela Stake Center. The evening included performances from two of the country’s most popular musical groups, and members of the public were invited to attend free of charge. More than 1,300 Venezuelans, over half of whom were not members of the Church, crowded into the cultural hall to enjoy the show. Hundreds later signed a register, asking to meet with the missionaries. The concert also made local members “more excited about missionary work than they’ve ever been.”
Latter-day Saint youth have been among the most faithful missionaries in Venezuela. In 1990, more than 700 seminary students from around the country responded to Church President Ezra Taft Benson’s admonition to flood the earth with the Book of Mormon. They spent every Saturday for seven consecutive months sharing the Book of Mormon with strangers they met on the street. They asked people questions such as “Do you like to read?” or “If I give you a book that tells of our Savior, Jesus Christ, coming to this continent, would you read it?” Through their tremendous faith and bravery, more than 2,500 people agreed to meet with the missionaries.
As part of a three-day youth conference in September 2012, 150 youth from the Barcelona Venezuela Stake spent an entire day knocking on doors and sharing the gospel with people in a nearby village. Yusmelis Guerra, the stake Young Women president, remembered: “The reaction of the people was positive. Very few were rejected. People stopped what they were doing to listen to the young people and were very receptive and gentle with them.” Many leaders reported that this was the young people’s favorite part of the conference.