Missionary Success

Today in Church a returned missionary spoke about how he had to change his perspective on what success as a missionary means when he was serving. He realized when he didn’t get the results he desired that he was focused too much on the kinds of things that would look good on him (e.g. baptizing people) instead of on the Savior whose work this is. It reminds me of the statement which President Nelson made to my group at the MTC in 2004. It went something like this: “The success of your mission will be measured by the Christlike attributes in your grandchildren.” In other words, a mission is a success when we ourselves become more like Savior in such a lasting way that we pass it on to our children and grandchildren. Indeed, one of the statements in Preach My Gospel about how to measure success as a missionary is to “develop Christlike attributes.” I think we might also describe success in missionary service when we do those things that the Savior would have us do. As we come to heed the voice of the Spirit and strive each day to do what the Savior wants us to do, we are a successful servant of the Lord no matter how many people are or are not converted through our efforts. 

               I believe that the Savior helped us understand what he expects of His missionaries and what success is to Him when He made this comparison to Ezra Thayre and Northrop Sweet in a revelation calling them to missionary service: “Open your mouths and they shall be filled, and you shall become even as Nephi of old, who journeyed from Jerusalem in the wilderness” (Doctrine and Covenants 33:8). When we talk of the great missionaries in the Book of Mormon we naturally think of Ammon and his brothers who helped convert the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi or Alma who taught the gospel in so many Nephite cities or Nephi and Lehi (the sons of Helaman) who converted thousands of Lamanites. But the Lord chose to use Nephi, the son of Lehi, as a model for these missionaries of our dispensation to follow. What missionary work did Nephi do? He did not preach in large cities or convert thousands. Rather, he taught the gospel to his family and children, and most noticeably to his rebellious brothers. And ultimately those two brothers rejected his message, but that’s not the point. Nephi was a successful missionary because he “opened his mouth” to his brothers even when they threatened him. He courageously spoke the words of the Lord to them, calling them to repentance, even when he was endangering his own life. On one such occasion he finished his words to them with this heartfelt declaration: “O, then, why is it, that ye can be so hard in your hearts? Behold, my soul is rent with anguish because of you, and my heart is pained; I fear lest ye shall be cast off forever.” They did not respond kindly to this: “And now it came to pass that when I had spoken these words they were angry with me, and were desirous to throw me into the depths of the sea” (1 Nephi 17:46-48). But the Lord protected him and they were not able to touch him because of the power of God that was in Him. Here he was indeed a successful missionary because he said the words the Lord wanted him to say despite the dangers to himself. In the end his brothers did not repent in any lasting way, and yet the Lord still used Nephi as a model missionary because he opened his mouth and said what He wanted. Nephi learned to be like the Lord by doing what the Savior would do and saying those things that the Savior would say. And that is how we too are successful missionaries: we try in all things to be like the Savior, opening our mouths to say what He would have us say and do what He would want us to do. Whether or not our message is accepted is unrelated to our success in becoming like Him.