Dear Elder Dudley,
We love you and honor you for your service to the Lord. This has certainly been a few interesting weeks as the coronavirus has spread throughout the world. As the Church continues to make adjustments to be a good global citizen and to protect the health of the full-time missionaries and the members of the Church throughout the world, I imagine that you may be concerned about what the future holds for you and your service in Brasil, or wherever else you may be assigned to serve. As I have thought of you this week and of what this uncertainty may be like for you, two sources of truth have brought tremendous peace into my heart. Maybe these truths will calm your heart too.
Jacob 5 – Gathering Israel
First, the allegory of the Olive Tree in Jacob 5 teaches several beautiful lessons regarding the gathering of Israel. How inspiring is it that the week of March 16 – the week that many temporary adjustments were made to the current gathering of Israel as full-time missionaries were reassigned throughout the world (and as temples were closed throughout the world) – all members of the Church studied Jacob 5!
I love the teachings of Jacob 5:71-72. In these verses, the Lord of the Vineyard (Jesus Christ) speaks to His servants (Prophets, Apostles, and all who are called to help the Lord with His work – especially full-time missionaries) as they work together to gather the House of Israel (all of God’s children who will hear His voice) in the last days.
The Lord says to His servants (to you): “And if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself. And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things.” (Jacob 5:71-72, emphasis added.)
The text that is bold and italicized emphasizes the role of the Lord of the Vineyard – Jesus Christ. The text that is underlined emphasizes the role of the servant – you.
As we study these verses considering the role of the Lord, we are taught that the work of Salvation is the Lord’s work. It is not our work. It is His work. He directs His work. The miracles that you witness as you serve as a full-time missionary are His miracles. As individuals that you teach receive the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is His love and His grace that causes a change in their hearts. It is Him. It always has been Him. It always will be Him. Regardless of how much experience teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ that you have, regardless of how skilled you become in making friends with those you teach and helping them feel comfortable coming to Church and joining a new Church family, the Lord leads this work and the Lord performs these mighty miracles – not you.
But, the Lord of the Vineyard (Jesus Christ) wants you to work with Him.
In these last days as the Lord gathers the House of Israel through preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, this is what He expects of you:
· “Ye labor with your might” – The Lord expects you to work hard. He repeats this twice in verses 71 and 72.
· “They did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things” – The Lord expects you to be obedient “in all things” – the laws and commandments of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the standards of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Church, the rules of the mission – all things!
Being obedient in all things also requires that the servants of the Lord – you – receive all assignments from the Lord with gratitude and recognition of the source of such assignments. Your initial assignment to your specific mission was an assignment from the Lord made by prophets of God who hold proper Priesthood keys. Your assignments to serve in certain areas, wards and branches in Brasil were assignments from the Lord made by your mission president who holds proper Priesthood keys. Your assignments to serve with each of your companions (those you loved easily and those who you worked hard to love) were assignments from the Lord made by your mission president who holds property Priesthood keys. As you have accepted these assignments, you have obeyed the Lord “in all things”.
· “Ye shall have joy” – Jesus Christ is the source of all true and everlasting joy and happiness. Working with the Lord in His work brings great joy!
When you accepted the call to serve as a missionary, you chose to give all of your heart and all of your time for the next two years to the Lord. So, give Him everything – work hard and be obedient, but most importantly, remember that this is His work. He will direct His work in wisdom and love. When you serve with diligence and obedience, recognizing that this is His work, then you begin to experience what it is like to labor with him and you will have joy.
Elder Bednar – Mission Call and Mission Assignment
Second, I am amazed at the inspiring teachings of Elder David A. Bednar from his General Conference talk in April 2017, “Called to the Work”. Elder Bednar taught about the distinction between a call to serve and an assignment to serve in a particular mission. Elder Bednar also taught about reassignments. Apostles are seers!
Elder Bednar’s General Conference talk is another witness to me of God’s knowledge of all things and His perfect love.
In 2017, I was sitting right next to you as we listened to General Conference together. You were 16. You were well into your preparations to serve a full-time mission. It was so great to be by your side as Elder Bednar taught on the topic of mission calls and mission assignments. At the time, I thought that Elder Bednar’s comments regarding reassignment were tender and certainly meaningful to the few who had experience receiving a reassignment as part of their missionary service. But, Heavenly Father knew you and each of the other thousands of young men who certainly listened to his teachings that night with extra interest. It amazes me that Elder Bednar taught about the difference between the call to serve and the assignment and reassignment to serve in a particular mission to a group of youth who just 3 years later would be serving full-time missions at this time of tremendous uncertainty and unprecedented reassignments.
I invite you to prayerfully study Elder Bednar’s teaching in this incredible talk and ask the Lord to give you a witness of your call, your initial assignment, and your new assignment. For your ease of study, I have copied below Elder Bednar’s entire talk. I have highlighted certain text and put other text in bold and italics for emphasis. In certain parts of this talk Elder Bednar refers to his intended audience as “young men”. This talk was given in the Priesthood Session of General Conference. The doctrines and principles apply equally to the sweet young women who serve full-time missions.
****Called to the Work April 2017 Conference Talk by Elder Bednar****
Amen! The Spirit has touched and filled my heart as I have considered these teachings above. From the Lord’s clear instruction in Jacob 5 that this is the Lord’s work and we are invited to work with Him, to Elder Bednar’s inspired teachings regarding the distinction between a call to serve and an assignment and reassignment to serve in a particular mission(s). This is the Lord’s work. We love the Lord. We love His work. We love being His servants – whenever and wherever He needs us. We pray that you will feel the promised joy as you serve with Him.
We love you for your faith and willingness to serve the Lord. You are and always have been a blessing to our family. As you enter this next phase of your service and wait for a reassignment, we will do our best to be your best 6 companions of your mission! We will do our part to have a peaceful, Spirit-filled home. We will learn the gospel of Jesus Christ from you and with you. We will do the best we can to make sure that these weeks of your missionary service in our home are filled with growth and progress so that you are prepared to teach whoever and wherever and whenever you are assigned to teach.
We are ready to work harder, learn more, and love better this week . . . . with you as our missionary companion!
We love you!
Dad
