Every Member A -- oh no, you can't seriously expect that of ME

Every member a missionary is a well-known slogan of the Church.  Every member, not just those called on fixed-duration missions and sent away from their homes.  Every one of us.  Yet, many of us act like Scrooge McDuck, sitting on our pile of golden truth, enjoying our comfortable perch, but unwilling to share it with anyone.  Unwilling, unsure of ourselves, or just apathetic.  All is well in Zion, after all, right?

Okay, so I'm just describing myself. Graham and I attended member missionary classes, and while he was enthusiastic and eager to get out and find people, I shrank back and squirmed in my seat.  I always blamed shyness.  I couldn't imagine bringing up the subject of religion with friends or colleagues of other faiths for fear they'd be offended, or uninterested, or some other negative thing. As if my ego was the important thing. And friends who used to come to church and didn't any more -- well they must have had a good reason not to come, and how was that any of my business?

While I was at the MTC in April of this year, the first Tuesday fireside I attended was given by the brother of the MTC President.  For some reason I failed to write anything in my journal about it, but what he said has stuck with me.  He was, I believe, the area authority over the Russian missions.  As you know, Russia has outlawed missionaries, and while the Church is still functioning there, the missionaries now call themselves "volunteers."  They are not allowed to tract or openly proselyte.

In the MTC, with other senior missionaries

Now you would think that would put a serious damper on missionary efforts.  You would think that the numbers of baptisms would take a sharp downturn under these restrictions.

The opposite has been true.  Now the "volunteers" teach the gospel exclusively in member generated lessons (MGLs), usually in members' homes, and the number of baptisms is even higher than it was before the restrictions were imposed.

In this North Carolina mission, the missionaries who walk the sidewalks and knock on doors in the heat and humidity would love to get more good referrals from members, so they can have more MGLs.  More teaching time, fewer doors slammed in their faces, less sweat expended. With a trusted friend who is a member in the teaching situation, an investigator is so much more likely to listen and understand and accept the message of the gospel.

Tonight I attended a Mission President's Fireside at the Mission Home.  Those attending were missionaries, newly baptized members, and investigators still progressing toward making the commitment to be baptized.  A very touching part of the evening was when the non-missionaries stood and told their stories of meeting the missionaries, their path to conversion, their thought processes, and their testimonies.

One newly baptized sister told some sad details of her early life and said she had felt lost.  Until the missionaries found her and she found a home in the Church.  A man said he felt that he had found a new family in the Church; that he felt welcomed and accepted and at peace for the first time in his life. Another man told of serving in the military, and said that he used to boast of not having a religious bone in his body -- until the missionaries found him and taught him the gospel. Another sister simply told us how much she loved reading the Book of Mormon.

Those of us who have been in the Church all our lives just take the many blessings of church membership for granted.  We don't even notice the feeling of peace we have, because we've never experienced the chaos that comes from living a life contrary to the commandments of God.  The veil of familiarity clouds our vision, and we many times fail to be thankful for this wonderful Church.

I encourage all of us to be bold; to pray for and seek for opportunities to share this wonderful gospel with our friends and associates of other faiths or of no faith.  The truth of the gospel is too precious to keep to ourselves.

Sister Grandma Ambrose
Full-time Office Missionary, North Carolina Raleigh Mission

Fayetteville Zone Conference