Elder Uchtdorf Offers Missionaries Simple Formula for Success

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By Scott Taylor, Church News

In fewer than a dozen words, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf offered a simple formula for training full-time missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be successful in their efforts.

“Success means doing well those things over which you have control,” said the member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the Tuesday night, October 15, devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah.

Elder Uchtdorf’s message was not only delivered to the nearly 2,000 missionaries at the Provo MTC but via broadcast to missionaries at the Church’s other MTCs worldwide.

Some may think a missionary’s success is measured in other ways, such as the number of converts an Elder or Sister may help bring to into the Church. However, baptism is a matter between the individual and God, and some missions are in areas where baptisms occur frequently while others are in areas where conversions may be few, Elder Uchtdorf said.

Equating success with baptismal numbers can result in frustration, disappointment or false pride, the Apostle added.

He listed the three things over which missionaries — and all individuals — have control: “Our thoughts, our feelings and our actions. Be successful with these three things, and the Lord will magnify your efforts as missionaries.”

One may not be able to choose the trials they face nor have control over how others react, Elder Uchtdorf said, “but you do have control over how you think, how you feel and how you act or react. … Take solace in knowing that God will work through you — even when you do not see evidence of Him doing it. You are His instrument in His hands, And He will bless your work in ways you cannot know or see right now.”

As Jesus Grew

He offered Luke 2:52 — “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” — as a template to his listeners to grow as Christ grew, posing three self-reflective questions for his listeners, with emphasis on the key verbs:

• “How will you grow closer to God?
• “How will you serve others better?
• “How will you improve yourself mentally and physically?”

“You will find these areas as important in how the Savior became the person He became,” he said, “and surely it will be very beneficial for you.”

And he reiterated a reminder from a previous general conference message: “Remember that discipleship is not about doing things perfectly; it’s about doing things intentionally.”

Elder Uchtdorf encouraged his listeners to serve with all their hearts and minds. “And the sacrifice you are making as missionaries will be more sacred to your Heavenly Father than your success,” he said, adding, “Never give up on yourself. Your Father in Heaven and the Savior Jesus Christ will never give up on you.”

Repentance

The Apostle also spoke on repentance and how it activates the Atonement of Jesus Christ to not only have sins and transgressions forgiven but “remembered no more” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:42). Daily repentance is an intentional effort to turn weaknesses into strengths, he explained.

“Approach your Father in Heaven and ask for his assistance. … He will lead you, line upon line, until you have overcome your difficulties. Try to become perfect in small things, like following mission rules,” Elder Uchtdorf said.

Ripples Through Eternity

He recounted two Uchtdorf family conversion stories — ones he has frequently retold over the years — as examples of how missionary efforts and influences will extend as “ripples through eternity.” One is the “Fourth Floor Last Door” account telling of how missionaries in Frankfurt, Germany, went to the last residence in an apartment building to find, teach and later convert a young widow and her two daughters, one being a Harriet Reich, who later married Elder Uchtdorf.

The other story speaks of “Schwester Ewig,” which translated from German to English is “Sister Eternal.” She was the elderly single woman who while standing in a line for post-World War II purchases talked with the nonmember grandmother of young Dieter Uchtdorf about the Church of Jesus Christ and invited her to attend Sunday meetings. That conversation and invitation led to conversion of the Uchtdorf family in East Germany.

Appreciation and a Blessing

Elder Uchtdorf concluded by thanking the missionaries for their tireless efforts in serving the Savior. “Thank you for doing well the things over which you have control,” he said.

And he left an apostolic blessing “that as you draw near to God, He will draw near to you. He will magnify your efforts.”

Before leaving the MTC auditorium, Elder Uchtdorf walked along the aisles and in front of the bleachers, waving, gesturing and speaking to the missionaries in attendance.

What Missionaries Said

Afterward, several missionaries shared what they had learned from the Spirit during the devotional.

• Elder Jackson Thayn of Price, Utah, training to serve in the Korea Busan Mission, said: “Elder Uchtdorf said, ‘Don’t think little of yourself’ tonight, and that especially affected me, because I have some self-confidence issues. When he said that, it taught me to think more highly of myself.”
• Elder Toy Landers of Buckeye, Arizona, also going to the Busan mission, said: “The Spirit taught me tonight that I should leave everything on the field — that is the mission field — and that I should give my all to the mission and do my very best so that I have no regrets when I return.”

• Sister Camila Griffith from Chesapeake, Virginia, assigned to the Romania Bucharest Mission, said: “I learned that no matter how hard it gets, I need to just keep a positive attitude, because God is with me every step of the way.”
• Sister Emma Nigh, of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, also going to the Romania mission, said: “The beauty that you see in everything is actually a reflection of the beauty that’s within.”

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