President James E. Faust listed 10 things he would like his son or grandson to know before he leaves on his mission.
At the Saturday evening priesthood session, Elder Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency, spoke principally to prospective missionaries as he gave these 10 items:- You will be under call from the Lord Jesus Christ. "Most of our missionaries are young and inexperienced in the ways of the world. Nonetheless, the Lord said: `He that is ordained of God and sent forth, the same is appointed to be the greatest, notwithstanding he is the least and the servant of all.' " (D&C 50:26.)
Your mission president is the Lord's representative. "Do not criticize or demean him, privately, or publicly. If you will respect his authority, be obedient, humble, teachable, and follow the mission rules, you will be a successful missionary."
Hard work is more important than intellect. "President Ezra Taft Benson once said, `One of the greatest secrets of missionary work is work.' "
He said that as a mission president, President N. Eldon Tanner's slogan was "Have a good time," knowing the only way to do that was to work hard.
Forget yourself in His service. "Nothing you do as a missionary should get in the way of your important message: not your dress, your hair length, your attitude, not your deportment, and not your girlfriend at home."
Never permit contention in your companionships. "Be the kind of companion you would like to be with. Be unselfish in your relationship with your companions. When there is contention, the Spirit of the Lord will depart, regardless of who is at fault."
Keep your bodies clean and healthy and your living quarters clean. "Keeping . . . neat and clean is conducive to enjoying the Spirit."
Learn to love and serve the people among whom you work. "You should pray daily for them that the Lord will fill you with love as you serve them. If you do not love them, you will have difficulty teaching them."
Study, ponder and teach from the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon and the New Testament. "Know the truth so well that you can state it clearly."
You must know that Lucifer will oppose you and be prepared for his opposition. "Discouragement is one of the devil's tools. Have courage and go forward. Recognize that the gospel has been preached with some pain and sorrow from the very beginning of time. Do not expect that your experience will be otherwise."
Your own personal testimony is the strongest arrow in your quiver. "Do not feel that you must obtain a quota of baptisms to be successful. . . . An old saying teaches that you can count the number of seeds in a single apple, but you can't count the number of apples in a single seed. The harvest is the Lord's. Your responsibility is to thrust in the sickle."
