Dear Sisters and Elders –
I received specific and clear revelation from the Lord for our mission during the mission tour with Elder Golden:
“We must raise our expectations to baptize. This is the Lord’s work, not ours. He wants to bless us more than He has. If we are obedient, virtuous, and work hard, the Lord will perform mighty miracles.”
Elders and Sisters, our God is a God of miracles. However, He only performs His miracles based on the faith of His children (see 2 Ne. 26:13; 2 Ne. 27:23; Mormon 9:19-21; and Ether12:12, 29-30). As our faith in God grows, so will the miracles that we experience in this mission.
How do we demonstrate faith in God as missionaries? At a minimum, God requires us to be fully obedient to the commandments and the missionary rules. He requires us to be virtuous. He requires us to work hard and use our time wisely. If we meet these minimum requirements, we have access to His power and promises. If we don’t, then we are left to our own strength.
Please ask yourself these following questions:
- Am I fully obedient to the missionary handbook?
- Am I pure and worthy?
- Am I using my time effectively and working hard?
I invite you to review your performance in these areas and to make necessary improvements. In addition, I invite you to encourage your fellow missionaries to do the same. If one missionary is not living the minimum requirements, it damages the faith of our entire mission.
I testify that God has tens of thousands in our mission boundaries that are prepared to receive the restored gospel at this time. They reside in each of our areas. We must exercise our faith for Him to help us find, teach, and baptize them. In the strength of the Lord, we can do all things (Alma 26:12; Phil. 4:13).
With much love,
President Pingree