PROVO, Utah — Even though missions may be hard, that is not a bad thing; because something powerful is happening, Primary General President Rosemary K. Chibota told missionaries at the Provo Missionary Training Center in a devotional Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Through their missions, the missionaries are becoming something the Lord wants them to become.
“Those difficult moments that you will go through will refine you into an instrument that the Lord can then use to do His work effectively,” she said.
President Chibota was sustained in April 2026 general conference and began serving as the Primary general president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Aug. 1. She and her husband, Brother Joel B. Chibota, returned a year ago from leading the Alabama Birmingham Mission and she said they miss being around missionaries, so seeing so many fill the auditorium on Tuesday night was heartwarming.
In his remarks, Brother Chibota told the missionaries how he joined the Church in Zimbabwe as a young man and decided to serve a mission.
“That special experience changed my life,” he said about his service in England. He told the missionaries they received a sacred calling from the Lord and a gift to cherish and magnify.
“Your missionary call is not an accident, it is a divine invitation to participate in His holy work,” Brother Chibota said.
As they do that work, missionaries need to stay connected to the source of power, which is Jesus Christ, President Chibota told the missionaries. The four key ways to stay connected to Jesus Christ every day are:
- The Holy Ghost
- Prayer
- Scripture study
- The sacrament and covenant keeping
The master potter
President Chibota said the Lord is not simply interested in what the missionaries accomplish as they serve; “He is deeply interested in who you become on your mission.”
She said when missionaries begin finding and teaching people on their missions, they may feel like no one is progressing, or they aren’t seeing results or their efforts are not making a difference. But growth is happening — roots are forming and no effort is wasted. And the missionaries themselves are changing.
The missionaries read together Alma 32:41, which says: “But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.”
Through a video example, President Chibota showed the missionaries how a potter sees what a lump of clay can become. She said the master potter — the Savior, Jesus Christ — presses, shapes and refines the clay into what He envisioned from the beginning.
Those disciples of Jesus Christ who open their hearts and yield to His will become teachable, changeable and able to reach their full potential, she said. She read Ephesians 2:10, which says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.”
The source of power
While missionary work is labor and can be hard, President Chibota taught the missionaries to tune into the source of true spiritual power to do the work — this means to stay tuned in to Jesus Christ every day.
Remember the counsel in Helaman 5:12, that “it is upon the rock of our Redeemer that ye must build your foundation,” she said.
The first and most essential source of power is the Holy Ghost, President Chibota said, explaining how Preach My Gospel teaches, “The Spirit will edify you … enlighten your mind … and lead you to do good.”
Meanwhile, prayer is direct connection to God.
“When you pray in faith, you invite power into your life; you align your will with His; you receive strength beyond your own. Prayer is not routine; it is power,” President Chibota said.
Then, the scriptures are how God speaks to His children, President Chibota reminded the missionaries.
Finally, the sacrament is their weekly spiritual recharge. This is where they will renew their covenants, receive forgiveness and be filled again with the Spirit, she said.
She testified to the missionaries that their power comes from the name they wear on their badge — the name of Jesus Christ.
“Please do the work necessary to keep the Spirit with you,” she said. “Stay tuned to the Holy Ghost through sincere prayer, through daily study of Preach My Gospel and the scriptures. Stay tuned through worthily partaking of the sacrament and keeping your covenants.”
If missionaries do this, she said, they will feel guided, they will be strengthened, they will see miracles, and most importantly, they will become who the Lord needs them to become.
