The Missionary Tool We Forget
My favorite hobby—by a mile—is missionary work. There are dozens of ways to introduce others to this incredible, restored Church of Jesus Christ. And we all know ways to make it easier, and remove the fear so many feel about sharing the greatest news since the resurrection. The essential key is love. When people feel you truly love them, fear should evaporate. This is because if they say no, you will still continue to love them. Here are some ideas you’ve probably experienced:
- Invite neighbors to your home—for a barbecue, watching a sport on TV, Family Home Evening, game night, and so on. Obviously you first build a strong friendship, and it’s one that will continue even if they decline your offer.
- Pray for opportunities, and be willing to act upon promptings– God knows and loves every single individual, and He’s thrilled to team up with you to find people with open minds and open hearts.
- Hold fast to your standards at work—but don’t judge others who do not share your same set of values.
- Invite people to attend the fun activities at church: Trunk or Treat, a sock hop, talent night, Christmas dinner, a winter Concert, a Nativity display, Humanitarian quilt-making, youth camps, Patriotic breakfasts, Disaster Preparedness Conventions, Chili cook-offs, Cooking classes, Finance tips, everything that comes up.
- Reach out to people from different countries, different walks of life. Expand your address list and don’t be guilty of living in an echo chamber.
- Exercise or go walking with a neighborhood friend.
- Invite friends and co-workers to attend your baby’s blessing, your child’s baptism, or a mission farewell or homecoming. These special events are a perfect opportunity to explain our beliefs and thank our friends for supporting us.
- Strike up conversations with clerks, strangers, and people you meet every day. It’s easy to talk about what you did last weekend. Include church, and share what “job” you have in the congregation. Talk about a child who attends a church school, or is getting married in the temple. Explain the amazing ministering program, and how we check in with each other every month. Is anyone sick, suddenly unemployed, lonely? Done properly, not one member should ever fall through the cracks.
- Keep a stack of copies of the Book of Mormon by your front door and hand them out to visitors or repairmen. Keep a few in your car, as well.
- When you’re given a compliment, share the source of it—did you do this with God’s help? Did you learn this skill at a Youth Camp? Was a favorite scripture guiding you? Did you learn compassion at a Sacrament meeting? Did you develop this in a calling? Does your daily scripture study play a part?
- Invite people who enjoy singing to join the Ward Choir.
- Make friends with the other parents of your kids’ teammates in sports.
- Gather Priesthood Quorum members to help folks move in, or out.
- Invite friends to the annual Primary Sacrament meeting, especially if they have children of the same ages.
- Invite athletes to join you in a basketball game in the cultural hall.
- Pass along nonmember service opportunities to the missionaries assigned to your ward.
- Invite friends and neighbors to search their genealogy. Show them how easy it is now, and how many ancestors will pop up when they discover our Family Search sites.
- If they have teens, tell them about Seminary and see if their child might like to attend.
- Make yourself useful. If someone needs a ride, offer one. If they need copies made but they’re rushing into a meeting, make the copies for them. Think of ways to make their lives easier.
- Take them to the Giving Machines at Christmastime.
- Invite them to watch General Conference (with cinnamon rolls?)
- Share an inspiring LDS book.
- Choose a service opportunity on JustServe.org and invite others to come along.
- Get involved in community clubs and social gatherings of people with like interests.
- If a friend or co-worker is struggling, ask them if they will allow you to pray for them. Find a quiet, private place, hold their hands, and petition Heavenly Father in their behalf.
Truly, there are dozens of ways to show your friends how much this gospel blesses you. You don’t have to be a chatty extrovert—you simply have to feel genuine love for others.
But here’s the one missionary tool I rarely hear mentioned: Use hardships to model what we’ve learned: Patience, long-suffering, charity, forgiveness, humility, trust in God. When others see how we handle setbacks, will they want to learn what we know? Or do we complain and allow hopelessness or anger to overshadow our faith? Can we really show them that joy in Christ prevails? No one wants difficulties, but what an opportunity to demonstrate how our beliefs strengthen our hearts and actions.
Imagine we’re all at your funeral. Wouldn’t you love it to be said that, no matter what adversity arose in your life, your faith never wavered? That’s a missionary moment that lives beyond your lifetime!
Maybe print out this list and set some goals with a calendar. I just know you will catch the zeal and excitement of sharing this amazing gospel of Jesus Christ.
Hilton’s novel, Golden, is now an Amazon audiobook. Her book, A Little Christmas Prayer, is perfect for Christmas– Sometimes it takes a child to raise a village, and this tale teaches anyone, of any faith, the magic of gratitude. All her books and Youtube Mom videos can be found at jonihilton.com.