the voluntary service of women in the mission field is valuable and most welcome. sister missionaries that serve are stunningly successful, they are enthusiastically welcomed into the mission field.
school is considered an important consideration for timing with missions.
you must enhance, improve & take more seriously your pre-mission planning. study, study, study! attend institute, attend mission prep classes, study preach my gospel.
time at the MTC will be reduced, you must prepare yourself before entering.
god is hastening his work, he needs more & more willing and ready missionaries to spread the life, truth & hope of salvation to the world.
prepare by personal worthiness and more cleanliness.
study diligently to know what you will teach. we want you to teach from the first day onward.
your life will be shaped & nourished.
the only real preparation and spirit of authorization happens from heaven.
god loves you, is aware of you, and knows your name, knows your call and your mission field, knows your companion, knows your mission president. he knows the lessons you’re going to have and the challenges you’re going to face.
if it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now.
don't give up when the pressure mounts. don't give in. certainly don't give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness. he wants everyone to be miserable like unto himself. face your doubts. master your fears. cast not away therefore your confidence. stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you.
– elder jeffrey r. holland, cast not away therefore your confidence
you don’t know everything, but you know enough... you know god loves you. that priceless piece of spiritual knowledge will replace fear with faith.
faith is not only a feeling, it is a decision. choose faith.
a testimony is to be found in the bearing of it.
read the book of mormon again, keeping in mind the idea that you will be teaching it to others.
begin praying now for the people you will serve and the companions you will have.
you will succeed in this work. you will succeed at this work because it is god’s to do, and all you have to do is say, “here, use me. take me. he’ll do the work and he’ll give you the words to say and the language to say it and the testimony to bear and the places to go and the doors to knock on and the people to inquire of on the street. he’ll do all of that if you will pledge to live by the spirit and be obedient and testify by the holy ghost and do the work his way. this is his work. he will do it, but he’s got to have an obedient and spiritually hungry missionary! – elder holland, the miracle of a mission.
start fast, run hard… you can rest later.
every day and every way it will get better! that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will get easier, but it will get better.
written january 6, 2013 :: i have never been very good at fasting, but today i tried. i really tried. i prayed before church asking heavenly father to let me know i am loved and once again remind me that i need to serve a mission. PRAYERS ARE HEARD AND PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED. love was often talked about during testimonies today, and missions were mentioned too. the this is it, this is the lord speaking to me moment arrived with the closing hymn. we sang hymn number 263 "go forth with faith." the words were screaming SERVE A MISSION to me. forget the fears, forget your own faults and serve with faith. i was contemplating taking a mission prep institute class (fears once again), but as soon as i looked at the schedule and saw who teaches the class i knew it was a tender mercy and a message from god. brother case is teaching and it just so happens he is one of my favorite institute teachers at the u.
your mission is not your mission, it is the lord's.
