As a member of the Presiding Bishopric, I have the privilege of serving on the Church’s Missionary Executive Council. I have a deep love for the missionaries of the Church. They are uniquely set apart from the world and divinely commissioned by the Savior. As President Dallin H. Oaks teaches: “We invite all [of God’s children] to come unto Christ by repentance and baptism and confirmation in order to open the doors of the celestial kingdom to the sons and daughters of God. No one else can do this.” Missionaries are called to assist in this great work.
Today more missionaries are serving in more missions and more of God’s children are choosing to enter the Lord’s Church through baptism than ever before in this dispensation.
We love missionaries of all ages. You are an army of righteousness with the doctrine of Christ as your purpose. You are a force of faith, power, love, and joy. You are what you preach. You are not only the messengers but also living examples of the message. Make no mistake—you are doing the most important work you could be doing. We thank you for building up the kingdom of God on earth.
A few months ago, I attended a sacrament meeting where my two great-nephews, who are brothers, spoke before departing for their missions. They were beaming with enthusiasm and eager to get going. Maybe it was because their assignments are thousands of miles from home at opposite ends of the earth. But in truth, their desire to serve the Lord was unmistakable.
They reminded me of the sons of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon, who “were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish.”
Their desire to serve the Lord rose above every other personal ambition. It’s what makes missionaries special; it’s why they radiate the Light of Christ and teach with convincing power. For a season, all else takes a back seat—education, dating, careers, family time, and even sleeping in on Saturday mornings. Yes, the Lord’s expectations are high for you! But, oh, is it worth it! President Russell M. Nelson taught, “Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty.”
God held you in reserve for this time. You were taught and prepared, before you were born, to invite God’s children to come unto Christ. We could say this is in your spiritual DNA. Take care not to become distracted. Prioritize it; don’t let anything get in the way. You are needed!
Sister Douglas and I served as mission leaders in Lima, Peru. One of our amazing missionaries was Elder Merlin Sanchez. Merlin was baptized when he was nearly 24 years old. As some do, he stopped participating for a time. A faithful friend helped him begin to fill out his mission papers and schedule a physical exam, even though Merlin had not yet decided to serve a mission.
With the help of friends and leaders, Merlin returned to church at age 25. A desire to serve a mission suddenly swelled in his heart. Thankfully, his mission papers were well advanced. Once he made the decision to go, it was miraculous to see how the Lord removed seemingly insurmountable obstacles one by one. When I asked him why he wanted to serve, he replied, “I only want to be close to Jesus Christ and to follow Him.”
He became a wonderful missionary, converted to Jesus Christ and His doctrine. His every experience, trial, and companion was consecrated for his gain. Interestingly, Elder Sanchez served with the same companion twice, for a total of eight months. Though opposite in personality, they became united in purpose—assigned together by divine design.
Merlin met his eternal sweetheart, Gali, just a few months following his mission. On the day of their marriage, he was called to be a bishop—quite the wedding gift! There was no time for his discipleship to be interrupted or his faith to be diminished. After all, serving a mission is just one of many significant steps on the path of lifelong discipleship.
Merlin and Gali today have a beautiful family with three children, while Merlin serves as a stake president. They cannot fathom what their lives would be if Merlin had not served a mission.
To you wonderful young converts of the Church, a mission may not have been on your radar, but it ought to be now. To all the rising generation of the Church, I invite you to place serving a full-time mission high on your list. Don’t be distracted by alternatives of far less worth. Some might be like Amulek of the Book of Mormon, who expressed, “For I was called many times and I would not hear.”
Prophets of God today strongly reaffirm “that the Lord has asked every worthy, able young man to prepare for and serve a mission. For [you], missionary service is a priesthood responsibility. … For you young and able sisters, a mission is also a powerful, but optional , opportunity. … Pray to know if the Lord would have you serve a mission.”
We rejoice exceedingly for your faithful response to the prophet’s call to action. Record numbers of missionaries of all ages are finding great joy as they humbly dedicate themselves to serving the Lord by laboring among Heavenly Father’s children. I wish to wholeheartedly add: There is still plenty of room and a special place reserved for each one of you! We need you! “Come join the ranks!”
You have a testimony of Jesus Christ and His Atonement that can bless a world suffering without knowledge of His divine mission. I pray that you will make the Savior’s grand commission your very own.
I conclude with the words of our Savior given through Joseph Smith to Thomas B. Marsh, who was called to preach the gospel in 1830. I invite each of you to substitute your name for Thomas’s:
“Thomas, my son [or daughter], …
“Lift up your heart and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is come; and your tongue shall be loosed, and you shall declare glad tidings of great joy unto this generation. …
“Therefore, thrust in your sickle with all your soul, and your sins are forgiven you, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your back. … Wherefore, your family shall live.
“Behold, … go from them only for a little time, and declare my word, and I will prepare a place for them.
“… I will open the hearts of the people, and they will receive you. And I will establish a church by your hand.”
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
See Matthew 28:19–20 ; 1 Timothy 1:11–12 .
Dallin H. Oaks, “The Purpose of Missionary Work” (missionary satellite broadcast, Apr. 1995); see also Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ (2023), 148. President Russell M. Nelson also taught: “The Lord has commanded that we spread the gospel and share the covenant. That is why we have missionaries. He wishes for every one of His children to have the opportunity to choose the Savior’s gospel and embark upon the covenant path” (“ The Everlasting Covenant ,” Liahona , Oct. 2022, 9).
Preach My Gospel states, “The gospel of Jesus Christ defines both your message and your purpose” (page 6); see Ephesians 6:11, 14–17 ; 3 Nephi 5:13 ; Doctrine and Covenants 35:13–14 .
See 2 Corinthians 3:2–3 .
President Russell M. Nelson taught: “My dear extraordinary youth, you were sent to earth at this precise time, the most crucial time in the history of the world, to help gather Israel. There is nothing happening on this earth right now that is more important than that. There is nothing of greater consequence. Absolutely nothing ” (“ Hope of Israel ” [worldwide youth devotional, June 3, 2018], Gospel Library).
See Doctrine and Covenants 31:7 ; 39:13 .
Mosiah 28:3 .
Preach My Gospel teaches: “As your understanding and testimony of the Savior and His Atonement grow, your desire to share the gospel will increase. You will feel, as Lehi did, the ‘great … importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth’ ( 2 Nephi 2:8 )” (page 2); see Doctrine and Covenants 4:3 ; 11:17 .
See 3 Nephi 18:24 ; Doctrine and Covenants 11:21 .
See Matthew 5:48 ; Mark 10:21 ; 3 Nephi 12:48 ; 27:27 . Note the high love of the Savior, along with the high expectations.
See Doctrine and Covenants 31:5–6 .
Russell M. Nelson, “ Hope of Israel .” President Nelson also explained, “Every one of our Heavenly Father’s children … deserves to hear the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.”
See Russell M. Nelson, “ Hope of Israel .”
See Doctrine and Covenants 138:55–56 .
See Doctrine and Covenants 58:14, 16 ; 121:34–35 .
“Unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them” ( 3 Nephi 18:32 ).
See 2 Nephi 2:2 .
Nephi poignantly asks this question: After entering into the strait and narrow path, is all done? (see 2 Nephi 31:19–20 ; see also Doctrine and Covenants 10:33 ).
Alma 10:6 .
Russell M. Nelson, “ Preaching the Gospel of Peace ,” Liahona , May 2022, 6.
See Doctrine and Covenants 88:72–73 .
“We Are All Enlisted,” Hymns , no. 250.
See Dallin H. Oaks, “The Only True and Living Church” (address given at the seminar for new mission leaders, June 20, 2026).
Doctrine and Covenants 31:1, 3, 5–7 .