Full-time missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should give “first-class devotion to first-class causes” during their service, with one of those “first-class causes” how a mission can impact the missionary’s own future, said Elder Michael T. Ringwood of the Presidency of the Seventy.
He and his wife, Sister Rosalie Ringwood, spoke at the Tuesday, Jan. 21, devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center.
Elder Ringwood said his message’s theme came from a line in the October 2012 general conference address by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who said some people “spend most of their time giving first-class devotion to lesser causes.”
Citing President Russell M. Nelson’s teaching to begin with the end in mind, Elder Ringwood expressed hope that his missionary listeners are thinking about — and setting goals on — what they want to gain from their missions.
“I pray that this message tonight will help you see your mission differently,” he said, “and that you will give first-class devotion to the cause of who you should and can become from your service as a missionary.”
He acknowledged the “first-class causes” of missionaries helping in the gathering of Israel and teaching of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. “President Nelson called the gathering of Israel the greatest cause, and it is,” he said. “But I can’t think of a greater cause than your personal development. Your mission isn’t just about finding, teaching and baptizing, it is also about you.”
A member of the Church’s Missionary Executive Council, Elder Ringwood recalled that President Gordon B. Hinckley, the late Church president, frequently taught that every good thing that had ever happened to him he could trace back to a lesson he learned on his mission and that President Jeffrey R. Holland, the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, has repeatedly emphasized that nobody has benefitted more from mission service than he has.
“We don’t often talk about selfish reasons for serving a mission. Perhaps we should,” Elder Ringwood said. “If a mission did what it did for President Hinckley and for President Holland, it ought to be an opportunity for each of us to become better sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, students, employees, employers and leaders in the Church and in our communities. A great cause indeed — doesn’t this deserve first-class devotion?”
He continued: “What can you do to give first-class devotion to this first-class cause? Everything. You can learn from every moment of your mission. When you see someone who inspires you as a parent, be aware of what they do and make a note of what you liked. When you see a leader who inspires you, remember what they did and record what you liked. You can learn about careers, leadership, endurance, patience and everything else you can imagine.”
Elder Ringwood encouraged missionaries to look for such lessons and moments throughout their service, from being assigned companions and areas “that will feel like you are meant to be there” to meeting people “you will feel like you were meant to meet. …
“These moments will be the moments you can learn the most from as you focus on the first-class cause of becoming who God needs and wants you to become. This is worthy of first-class devotion.”
And the result will be similar to President Hinckley’s and President Holland’s declarations, Elder Ringwood said. “I know you will be able to say every good thing that ever happened to me I can trace back to a lesson I learned on my mission. You will also be able to say, ‘Nobody ever benefited more from a mission than I did.’”
Sister Ringwood spoke of “treasures” she had gleaned from her recent study of the Book of Mormon — treasures that came from the trying times described in the war chapters of Alma and Helaman. They included Alma the prophet feeling compelled to go forth preaching the word of God, the people being battle-ready and the zeal of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies.
“Our prayer is that you are zealous for God, living in passionate pursuit of your purpose,” she said, “and that you are now already armed with truth, righteousness and God’s word in your hearts — you have the greatest message in the world.”
Besides the training missionaries and their MTC leaders, the devotional attendees also included the new leadership couples and directors of operations for the Church’s 11 missionary training centers worldwide, who are participating in this week’s 2025 New MTC Leadership Seminar at the Provo MTC.
President Jeffrey C. Harper, of Provo, Utah, who will preside over the Thailand Missionary Training Center, said a key learning for him from the devotional messages was “that every moment of your mission counts, and you have to be accountable for every action you take, which in turn will help in all aspects of your life. If you do that, you’ll look back with fondness in making every moment count.”
Sister Kim E. Harper, his companion who will serve with him at the Thailand MTC, added: “The experiences we receive as we go out on a mission and that we receive during our missions — it’s Heavenly Father paving the way for our precise needs. Nothing is by accident; he’s preparing us for the future.”
