Conference Talk of the Week

Overview

Bishop Sean Douglas of the Presiding Bishopric speaks to the rising generation about full-time missionary service. He thanks missionaries of all ages and says that more of them are serving, and more people are being baptized, than ever before in this dispensation. He compares two of his great-nephews to the sons of Mosiah, who could not bear that any soul should perish. Then he tells the story of Elder Merlin Sanchez of Peru. Merlin was baptized at nearly 24 and stopped attending for a while. He returned at 25, served a mission, and now serves as a stake president. Bishop Douglas invites young people, including recent converts, to place a mission high on their list and not be distracted by lesser things. He restates the prophets' teaching: a mission is a priesthood responsibility for worthy, able young men and an optional opportunity for young women to pray about. He closes with the Lord's words to Thomas B. Marsh in Doctrine and Covenants 31 and invites each listener to put their own name in place of Thomas's.

Three Key Takeaways

• 1Missionaries are messengers and also living examples of their message. Bishop Douglas says their desire to serve the Lord rises above every other personal ambition, and that this desire is why they teach with convincing power. For a season they set aside school, dating, careers, and even sleeping in on Saturday mornings.
• 2Bishop Douglas teaches that you were taught and prepared before you were born to invite God's children to come unto Christ. Because of that preparation, he asks you to make a mission a priority and not let distractions or 'alternatives of far less worth' get in the way.
• 3Merlin Sanchez's story shows that it is not too late to serve. A friend helped him start his mission papers before he had decided to go. When the desire came at age 25, the Lord removed his obstacles one by one, and the mission became one step in a lifetime of discipleship that continued as a husband, a bishop, and a stake president.

Reflection Questions

• Merlin said he wanted to serve because he wanted 'to be close to Jesus Christ and to follow Him.' What reason would you give for serving the Lord, and how close is it to his?
• Which 'alternatives of far less worth' are most likely to crowd missionary service, or your own discipleship, off your list right now?
• Merlin's friend helped him prepare before he had decided to serve. Who in your life could you help take a step toward a mission or back toward church, and what would that step be?