Tyler in the Rockies: Service, Spirit & Sincerity

I have received a lot of emails lately about tips on becoming a successful missionary. I have been thinking pretty hard about what really makes the difference in missionary work. There are 3 things I have identified that take a mission to the next level.

One of my favorite stories of missionary work comes from the Book of Mormon. That story is the story of Ammon.

Ammon was a young man who, along with his brothers, decided to serve a mission and share the gospel that they loved so much! Kind of like me. However one difference between our missions was that Ammon chose where he wanted to serve his mission. Now personally (nothing against Colorado Springs)- I probably would have chose like Spain, Tahiti, or maybe Hawaii. Colorado is a little cold for me! When I got my call to Colorado Springs I went online and checked it out a bit. I saw that is was majority republican, the elevation, etc just little things like that. Nothing really stuck out to me. But here is the description of where Ammon went on his mission:

14 And assuredly it was great, for they had undertaken to preach the word of God to a wild and a hardened and a ferocious people; a people who delighted in murdering the Nephites (Ammon was a Nephite), and robbing and plundering them; and their hearts were set upon riches, or upon gold and silver, and precious stones; yet they sought to obtain these things by murdering and plundering, that they might not labor for them with their own hands.

15 Thus they were a very indolent people, many of whom did worship idols, and the curse of God had fallen upon them because of the traditions of their fathers; notwithstanding the promises of the Lord were extended unto them on the conditions of repentance. (Alma 17:14- 15)

Wow....If when I went online and researched Colorado Springs I found out they liked to kill Mormon missionaries...I would probably have second thoughts about packing up my suitcase to say the least! But on a serious note, it amazes me and humbles me to see that regardless of this apparent animosity, Ammon was able to feel love for these people. He wanted them to have the wonderful gift of the gospel in their lives.

For me (and I think most human beings) it is hard to comprehend how anyone could hate so vitriolically. The only modern parallel I could make is the current situation in the Gaza strip. I think that what Ammon did was similar to if an 18-20 year old Israeli boy decided he wanted to go and preach his religion to HAMAS operatives in Lebanon. It would be inconceivable but yet Ammon did exactly that!

As we read further on in the scriptures we see that (not surprisingly) when Ammon got close to the land of Ishmael he was tied up and brought before the king. The king was confused...He probably wondered if this young man was 100% there in the head. He asked Ammon what his desire in coming to this land was? Ammon humbly replied that he wanted to serve. This, although a small physical portion of the actual chapter in the Book of Mormon is what I deem one of the key attributes of a true missionary. He didn't just barge in the front door and try to preach to them. The same goes for us. I don't think that anyone would listen to me if I just knocked on their front door and began to tell them what I believed! (Ok probably someone would but..) It would be much more effective to serve before you teach! You have to show people that you care! If you look at what Jesus did when he was on the earth- he did the same thing! We can all learn from Ammon's example and the maxim of "Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words!". As missionaries we do tons of service from shoveling rocks to cleaning out storage units. We don't do it as a token empty act & expect reciprocation, we do it because service is an outward manifestation of our love for our fellow man and our Savior.

Fortunately for Ammon, the King in this instance (His name was King Lamoni) WAS interested in his message. Ammon ended up teaching King Lamoni and King Lamoni & many of his people were converted to Christianity as well. Another major reason why Ammon was so sucessful in his missionary endeavor is pointed out in Alma Chapter 17 verse 3:

3 But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.

That last sentence is indicative of the second attribute of a successful missionary - Having the spirit of the lord with him.

So now we have two of the qualities that made Ammon the man & missionary he was. Service & Spirit. The final piece of the puzzle is Sincerity.

To truly get a grasp for Ammon's sincerity you must understand his past. Ammon wasn't always a straight shooter. To be honest that is an understatement. He wasn't just a silly teenager who made a mistake or two here or there. Ammon and his brothers went about actively destroying the church, both physically and verbally. It wasn't until he had an amazing change of heart that he began to be an amazing servant of the Lord. You see, Ammon had seen both sides of the coin. He lived both lives, one of wickedness and one of righteousness. This created his conviction. Because he knew the power & happiness the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings to people's lives he sincerely had concern for the spiritual welfare & joy of others around him. I want to emphasize this point. He wasn't "blindly obedient" his obedience was 20/20. That is really what we must strive for.

There is a principle in economics that Adam Smith coined called the paradox of value. In his works, Smith points out that practical things that we use every day often have little or no value in exchange. Things like cups, utensils, socks, and water are a few examples. On the other hand, things that often have the greatest value in the market have little or no practical use. An example may be an old piece of art or 1920s baseball card. Other than looking at it, there isn't much else we can do with the art or baseball card. So, why are things valued this way? The answer is perception! If you perceive that water is a tool used for birdbaths or washing your hands, you will treat it like that, instead of the crucial necessity that it is. So the same goes for religion. If people treat it like a place you go on Sunday then that's how it will be viewed & folks will continue to be more interested in Netflix than their eternal salvation. However, if you show others that it is a lifestyle and etched into your soul the flip side will be true as well. I know that if we live our lives as an example and show genuine care for others the spirit of the Lord will be with us and help us bring others to Christ.

Love you guys,

Elder Clancy