The Most Exciting Time For Missionary Work!

It is the most exciting time to be a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Just this last June, L. Tom Perry made the exciting announcements of missionaries working online. He said, "The message they will share—that of the Atonement of Christ, the Book of Mormon, and living prophets—is the same message that I shared as a young missionary in the Northern States Mission. However, some of the ways in which we shared the message are vastly different from the way you will share it.

When I was a young missionary, we were able to speak with contacts on the street and knock on doors to share the gospel. The world has changed since that time. Now, many people are involved in the busyness of their lives. They hurry here and there, and they are often less willing to allow complete strangers to enter their homes, uninvited, to share a message of the restored gospel. Their main point of contact with others, even with close friends, is often via the Internet. The very nature of missionary work, therefore, must change if the Lord is to accomplish His work of gathering Israel “from the four corners of the earth” (2 Nephi 21:12). The missionaries are now authorized to use the Internet in their proselyting efforts.

During less-productive times of the day—chiefly in the mornings—missionaries will use computers in meetinghouses and other Church facilities to contact investigators and members, work with local priesthood leaders and mission leaders, receive and contact referrals, follow up on commitments, confirm appointments, and teach principles from Preach My Gospel using mormon.org, Facebook, blogs, email, and text messages.

Access to the Internet by missionaries and the use of digital devices will be phased over the next several months and into next year. We will be in touch with you when it is time for your mission and area to use these tools. Of course, safety is paramount in this new frontier of missionary work. Mission presidents will monitor missionaries’ online work to help them remain safe in all they do."

 "Brothers and sisters, if our greatest and most important duty is to preach the gospel, as the Prophet Joseph Smith stated, then our purpose is clear: by virtue of our membership in His Church, each of us is called and commissioned to “invite others to come unto Christ,” whether they be active members, new members, less-active members, or nonmembers. If any around us—nonmembers or less-active members of the Church—have not received “the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, [and] receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost,” we invite them to do so.

This responsibility does not rest solely on the missionaries."

He ends his talk by saying, "May we, both members and missionaries, ever be united in fulfilling our missionary purpose to help others come unto Christ. May we be a light and a beacon to all the earth and particularly to God’s children who are seeking the Lord’s blessings."

I know that these online tools are for our benefit to share the gospel with others. We will be blessed as we share what we know with our loved ones. I hope that all of my family and friends will act. Try posting something from the church websites like lds.org, mormon.org, or familysearch.org at least twice a week. I know that the Lord will bless everyone with missionary opportunities as they do so. This IS the Lord's work! I love it and know that this what he would have us do!