During this past year, I have had the exciting opportunity to be deeply involved with the worldwide missionary activities of the Church. I have often pondered and prayed about the Savior’s great commission to His disciples—us, His children—to “go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

I wrestled with the question “How can we, as members and disciples of Christ, best fulfill that great commission in our daily lives?”

Today I invite you to ponder that same question in your heart and mind.

The missionary efforts of the Church are one of its most distinctive features. Many associate the Church with smart young men and women knocking on doors.

However, missionary work should be more than the efforts of the full-time missionaries. It is important that members and full-time missionaries work closely together. Successful member missionary work relies on a true partnership between members and missionaries. The Mission and the local unit can sometimes fall into the trap of working in isolation with little contact or mutual understanding. Without the harnessing of member and full-time missionary efforts the harvest will be meagre.

What comes to your mind as you ponder Elder Uchtdorf’s question?

Elder Uchtdorf suggests five ‘guilt-free’ things anyone can do to participate in the Savior’s great commission to help gather Israel:

• first, draw close to God;

• second, fill your heart with love for others;

• third, strive to walk the path of discipleship;

• fourth, share what is in your heart; and

• fifth, trust the Lord to work His miracles.

How will doing these things help to gather Israel?

Do any of them feel impossible to do?

I am not asking that you stand on a street corner with a megaphone and shout out Book of Mormon verses. What I am asking is that you always look for opportunities to bring up your faith in natural and normal ways with people—both in person as well as online.

How do you think you could share your faith in natural ways? What has worked for you in the past?

See: Sharing via social media

Understand that it’s not your job to convert people. That is the role of the Holy Ghost. Your role is to share what is in your heart and live consistent with your beliefs.

So, don’t be discouraged if someone does not accept the gospel message immediately. It is not a personal failure.

That is between the individual and Heavenly Father.

Yours is to love God and love your neighbors, His children.

Do you think that looking at missionary work in this way might change your attitude towards it? In what way?

His gospel and His Church are an important part of your life and of who you are and what you do. Therefore, invite others to come and see and come and help, and God will do His saving work, and they will come and stay.

I love the way that Elder Uchtdorf expresses the invitations:

• come and see
• come and help
• come and stay.

How do you feel about those invitations?

How is each different to the others?

As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I bless you with the confidence to be a living testimonial of gospel values, with the courage to always be recognized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with the humility to assist in His work as an expression of your love for Heavenly Father and His children.

Why are these characteristics imprtant in missionary work?

• confidence
• courage
• humility?

How can you increase your desire and faith to share the gospel? Where will you start?

(Passages in italics are excerpts from Elder Uchtdorf’s talk)