PROVO, Utah — Full-time missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are the epitome of sacrifice and discipleship, most beginning their service having barely turned 18 with their whole lives ahead of them.
And what’s the first thing they want to do?
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, asked that question to those attending the 2026 Seminar for New Mission Leaders — and then offered his answer.
“Put it all aside for 18 months or two years and serve the Lord in a place they didn’t choose, with a companion they haven’t met, sometimes in a language they don’t speak, having life-changing experiences they can’t even conceive.
In his seminar-opening address Thursday, June 18, at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, he asked — and answered — a follow-up question: “Who does that? True disciples of Jesus Christ, that’s who. And that’s who they are — people who love Him and trust Him implicitly, with all their ‘heart, might, mind and strength’ (Doctrine and Covenants 4:2).”
Like the Galilean fishermen Christ called as His disciples and earliest apostles as well as the earliest leaders of the restored Church of Jesus Christ in this dispensation, it is a matter of what President Uchtdorf said: “Willingness first, ability in time.”
He added: “No matter who you are, if you have desires to serve, you’re on the team. You don’t have to be good at it in order to start. Just follow Jesus Christ, walk in His paths, and seek to become more like Him.”
And that’s why President Uchtdorf underscored the sixth chapter of “Preach My Gospel” — “Seek Christlike Attributes” — and specifically highlighted faith, hope and charity for the new mission leaders preparing to lead their assigned missionaries.
“If you can help them make it a habit to make Jesus Christ their model, their example in all things, then you will have set them on a trajectory for a lifetime of joyful discipleship,” he said. “Their mission will become more than a temporary experiment or a nice memory. It will be an inflection point.
“Seeking Christlike attributes isn’t just about becoming effective missionaries. It is about becoming servants and disciples of Jesus Christ for life.”
Faith in Jesus Christ
President Uchtdorf noted that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is not only the first Christlike attribute listed but also the first principle of the gospel.
“Faith doesn’t mean all our questions are answered. It doesn’t mean that we see clearly how things are going to turn out. Faith means moving forward anyway because we trust Jesus Christ.”
The Apostle tied faith to the principle of obedience. “Obeying when we understand is just a smart practice. Obeying when we don’t understand — that is faith.”
Hope
While some may see hope as passiveness, wishful thinking or daydreaming, a missionary who has hope is confident, optimistic and enthusiastic, President Uchtdorf said.
“When times get tough and adversity mounts, the hopeful missionary refuses to give up, persevering with patience — not because they are naive or oblivious to the problems in the world. Rather, the hopeful missionary has learned to draw strength from our ultimate source of hope, Jesus Christ.”
Charity
Of charity, the pure love of Christ, President Uchtdorf said: “Charity is both the why and the how of missionary work. It’s the reason, and it is the way. We share the gospel because we love God and His children, and we try to do it with love.”
How can a mission leader encourage a missionary to “cleave unto charity” (Moroni 7:46), even when it’s really hard? “You can remind them that developing charity, like any Christlike attribute, is a lifelong pursuit,” he said. “They won’t master it by age 19.”
Experiences missionaries are having put them in what President Uchtdorf called “the advanced-placement charity development program,” adding that for years to come, “they will draw on those experiences when they meet other hard-to-love people throughout their lives.”
President Uchtdorf acknowledged that mission leaders and missionaries all desire to both take part in “this marvelous work and a wonder” and follow Jesus Christ. “The path is both strenuous and miraculous, refining and inspiring,” he said. “And with each step, we draw closer and closer to Him, ‘that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is’ (1 John 3:2).”
