PROVO, Utah — Teaching new and training full-time missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf underscored the importance of two key Christlike attributes — faith and hope — and the spiritual power that emanates from them.
“I encourage you, with all my heart, to study and practice these attributes throughout your mission,” said the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the Tuesday night, Feb. 17, devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center.
“As you do, the power of Jesus Christ will come pouring into your life like a mountain river, as a spring rain or as a morning of freshly fallen snow, and you will refresh and bless the lives of those you serve.”
And he doubled down on his invitation, charging his listeners to “go forward and be messengers and examples of faith and hope.”
President Uchtdorf — who was set apart in his new quorum leadership role on Jan. 8 following the Dec. 27, 2025, death of President Jeffrey R. Holland — was accompanied by his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf. The devotional and their messages are being shared with all MTCs worldwide.
Christlike attributes
President Uchtdorf acknowledged the Christlike attributes outlined in Chapter 6 of “Preach My Gospel,” the manual for missionaries, and said the attributes “are especially important for missionaries to become more powerful servants of Jesus Christ.”
He listed all the attributes — faith, hope, charity and love, virtue, integrity, knowledge, patience, humility, diligence and obedience. He admitted it is a long list of attributes that can’t be developed overnight but rather done with help in a lifelong pursuit, with both successes and setbacks.
“But you will succeed, because Jesus Christ is your strength. Learning to acknowledge your weaknesses and being willing to improve with His help will be the key to succeeding.”
He added: “You are called to preach repentance, so you must practice what you preach. Apply the glorious principle of repentance in your personal life. You will develop Christlike attributes through the miracle of forgiveness.”
President Uchtdorf also encouraged missionaries to learn how they need to receive the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and to rejoice in the opportunities to progress as afforded by the Savior.
“There may be tears at times, but most of them will be tears of rejoicing.”
‘Who you are and who you are becoming’
President Uchtdorf reminded his listeners that apostles of the Lord are to be “special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:23) and are to “go … into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
Because of their calling, full-time missionaries are an extended arm of the Twelve Apostles, representing the Lord and preaching His gospel.
He said a missionary’s call from the Prophet of God is an invitation to follow the example of Jesus Christ and to strive to become more like Him, while also inviting all to come unto Christ and become His disciples.
“Elders and sisters, ‘just as vital as what you do is who you are and who you are becoming,’” President Uchtdorf said, quoting “Preach My Gospel,” Chapter 6.
He added: “The call to represent Jesus Christ and bear witness of His name is to ‘Seek Christlike Attributes,’” referring back to the chapter title.
Faith
President Uchtdorf reminded the missionaries that if they’re going to invite someone to do something, they need to be willing to do it too. “Therefore, every missionary must have, as a first step, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement.”
Faith doesn’t mean all one’s questions will be answered immediately, he continued, nor does it mean one always sees clearly how things are going to turn out in the future. “Faith means moving forward regardless because you trust Jesus Christ.
Having faith in Jesus Christ means relying completely on Him — trusting in His infinite power, intelligence and love, President Uchtdorf taught. Faith in Christ also means trusting Him enough to obey His commandments, even without completely understanding the reasons for them.
“When you have faith in Jesus Christ, you work hard because you trust that He will consecrate your efforts,” he said. “And you repent because you trust that He will cleanse you, forgive you and make you stronger.”
Servants of the Lord throughout time have accomplished remarkable things because of their faith, President Uchtdorf said — not because they were powerful but because they trusted God and His power.
Questions and trust
Saying doubt and fear are opposite of faith because they stop one from taking action, President Uchtdorf cautioned his listeners against confusing doubt and fear with having questions, with seeking answers to questions through study and prayer being one way to exercise faith.
“Doubt by itself can be the beginning of a positive process of learning. But don’t let doubt overpower your witness of faith.”
He also emphasized the importance of trusting God as well as having faith. “Making covenants with God is an act of faith,” he said. “Forgiving, repenting, fasting, praying — all of these things you do in faith, not because you can see the future results but because you trust Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The better you know Them — Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost — the more you will trust Them."
Hope
President Uchtdorf taught that a missionary who has hope is confident, optimistic, humble and enthusiastic.
“When times get tough and adversity mounts, the hopeful missionary refuses to give up, persevering with patience — not because he or she is naive or oblivious to problems. Rather, the hopeful missionary has learned to draw strength from the ultimate source of hope — Jesus Christ.”
The Apostle reminded his listeners that prophets speak of a “firm hope” (Alma 34:41) and a “lively hope” (1 Peter 1:3) and compare hope to an anchor that gives life stability and abundant goodness (see Ether 12:4).
“Far from being weak or passive, when you have hope, you bear your afflictions with courage and determination,” said President Uchtdorf, underscoring faith in Christ and His Atonement. “This is why you can keep your confidence and optimism and enthusiasm no matter what is going on around you — because you have faith in God’s promises extended through the atoning sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Once filled with hope in Christ, a missionary can spread that hope to a world that so desperately needs it — “a world where too many people have given in to pessimism and despair,” he said.
President Uchtdorf concluded with his testimony and a blessing for his listeners. “I leave you my testimony as a sure witness of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He lives. I know Him. God knows you. God hears and answers your prayers. This is God’s work. Joseph Smith truly saw a vision, and he has restored the Church of Jesus Christ. President Dallin H. Oaks is the Prophet of God today. May God bless you, my beloved elders and sisters. I love you. I humbly pray for you.”
Sister Uchtdorf’s message
In a brief message and testimony before her husband’s address, Sister Uchtdorf expressed her love for missionaries and acknowledged the international spirit found not only with missionaries and at their training centers but throughout the global Church.
“During my husband’s service as a general authority and even before during his long career as an airline captain, we visited Church units in many different places around the world, and wherever we went, we felt at home among the members,” she said. “There is always a sweet bond of love, unity and purpose that words cannot describe. You will feel this when you enter your field of service.”
Sister Uchtdorf acknowledged that serving the Lord means missionaries leave home, family and familiar circumstances. “For some of you, that might feel like a sacrifice,” she said. “During our service in the Lord’s vineyard and being far away from family and friends, we have learned how important it is to be willing to bring sacrifices to the Lord. Remember, ‘sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven’ (“Praise to the Man,” "Hymns" No. 27).”
What missionaries learned
Following the devotional, missionaries spoke about what they learned from the Spirit while listening to President Uchtdorf.
“The Holy Ghost taught me tonight that my God is so incredibly aware of me and loves me so much, and I’m so excited to go teach others about faith and hope,” said Sister Abigail Rawlings of Tooele, Utah, assigned to the Spain Madrid North Mission.
Sister Haven Telford of Meridian, Idaho, also going to the Madrid North mission, added: “The Holy Ghost taught me that this is truly the Lord’s work and that He is at the head of this and leads us. He loves us so much that He sends us living prophets to guide us today.”
Elder Nathan Call of Shelbyville, Kentucky, training in Spanish to serve in the Washington Spokane Mission, said, “I learned from President Uchtdorf tonight that it’s important to use Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as my anchor and to use my faith to help others’ love for Jesus Christ.”
Elder Seth Goodwin of Blackfoot, Idaho, going to the Perú Lima East Mission, said: “I was inspired by President Uchtdorf to grow my faith and hope. Hope has more of a meaning for me to start in faith — hope is a foundation of faith. I really felt the spirit of that from President Uchtdorf.”
