Yesterday was the Worldwide Leadership Broadcast. In the past (correct me if I'm wrong), the broadcast has been for mission leaders and missionaries only. But with the increase in missionaries due to the changes in ages when missionaries can now serve, the First Presidency felt it was important to include as many church members as possible. My roommate and I went to our stake building to watch the broadcast with the rest of our stake. We were one of the first people there, but by the time the broadcast started, there was not an empty seat to be seen!
I got more out of this broadcast then I thought I would. I figured the messages shared would be for missionaries and mission presidents, since normally it's a training session for them. But the First Presidency did a good job focusing on us too!
It's crazy to think that the number of full-time missionaries has increased from 52,000 to 70,274 in the 8 months since the age change was announced. And I believe the age change has developed a desire in more girls to serve. This year, I know of 10 girls currently on missions that are either my close friends or I had a class with at BYU-Idaho, and I know of 4 others that will soon be leaving. That doesn't include the 4 girl friends I already have on missions, and the other 3 I know but am not close with. This is just an estimate... there's probably even more I'm not aware of! Crazy huh?
To accommodate for the missionary increase, 58 new missions were created this year alone, bringing the total to 405. There's also currently 173 mission presidents, more than ever before. If you haven't noticed, I'm totally into statistics!
During the broadcast, there were a lot of video clips shown of successful missionary stories by from the work of missionaries and ward members. These were a great reminder that with dedication and faith, you can accomplish whatever you desire. You just have to make the necessary effort. Even in Utah, where 64% of the population is LDS, there's still always an opportunity for us to be missionaries and share our testimony with others. I need to remember that.
I loved hearing some of the apostles speak. Elder Neil L. Andersen reminded us that although missionaries teach the lessons to those investigating the church, it is our duty as ward members to find those whom the missionaries should teach. I've never really thought about that before, but now that I think about it, it's really a no-brainer. Of course the missionaries need our help to find people to teach.
A quote from Elder Andersen was very meaningful to me. "We work together in faith and unity, faith that the Lord will guide our steps and unity with each other and the missionaries, always motivated by our love for Him, our love for one another, and our love for those we serve." It really is all about love! We share the gospel with others because we want what is best for them. We want them to find true happiness. Why else would we share the gospel? Why do we go out of our way to do so? There's really no other reason other. It's all because of love.
Elder Russell M. Nelson also spoke of love in missionary service. I love the comparison he made with a father and his child. The father noticed a child was missing during a family gathering, and he immediately goes to search for the child.
"What parent would postpone looking for the child a handbook was written?" Elder Nelson said. "Good leaders, like good parents, take action because of love."
There is no handbook on how we should teach others, only what to teach them. I now see that the "How" is "Love." We serve others because like Christ, we love them.
I learned so much from this conference, but those are a couple of the highlights that I found were meaningful to me. I just love missionaries and am grateful for all they do! I have to admit, a while back I use to think of missionary service as somewhat of a postponing stage in life, since those who go out on missions put their lives on hold to serve the Lord for two years (or a year and a half if you are a girl). But although your life may be postponed, the spiritual knowledge you gain and the growth you experience is much more valuable than anything else you could receive in this life. It's definitely the right and smart decision to "postpone" your life so you can be closer to our Heavenly Father! Those you teach and bring into the gospel will forever be grateful for you.
You can watch the broadcast HERE incase you missed it! It's found on the new website talked about during the broadcast, which will now be a tool both missionaries and ward members can use to help share the gospel.
