Who IS Joseph Smith?

(This is Part I of a series of blog posts about important doctrines that missionaries teach each day . . . not only do they spend much of their time in personal and companionship study, planning and setting goals, they also are out and about for approximately 8-9 hours each day teaching and testifying of basic gospel principles.  Missionaries visit their new contacts, teach people who are investigating the church, strengthen new converts to the Church and seek out the less active members to strengthen them also.  That's a lot of responsibility for young people ages 18-25. )

Who is Joseph Smith?

A question frequently asked of the missionaries is -

Who is Joseph Smith?

Frequently missionaries encounter some confusion by those outside of our religion, or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints concerning our prophet Joseph Smith.

Some mistakenly believe that we worship the prophet Joseph Smith . . . when actually that is not the case.  He was and is a very influential and important part of the restored gospel here upon the earth.

We believe Joseph Smith was a young man called by our Heavenly Father, to be a prophet here upon the earth, and to restore the fulness of His gospel to the earth once more.

(this post illustrated with photos from our recent "First 12 Weeks Training", the arrival of new missionaries, and our recent transfer meeting, also a few scenes from our mission travels, and last but not least . . . Hna. Klein's birthday :)

(Each missionary participates with their trainers in an orientation to the 

"First 12 Weeks" program that is an inspired program that continues their studies and learning

they began in the MTC)

The Lord Reveals his Secrets to his Prophets - 

Joseph Smith lived in the United States with his family during a period of time when great religious freedom was enjoyed in the United States.  He came from a religious family who always sought the truth about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  Many ministers claimed to have the real truth, but as a young man, Joseph Smith was confused about the many conflicting doctrines surrounding him during this period of time and desired to know which church he should join.

In the Bible we read from Ephesians 4:5, "One Lord, one faith, one baptism" . . . but what exactly did that mean, and after investigating many ministries of the day . . . Joseph Smith remained confused.  As he sought the for the truth he remembered the scripture passage  -

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him" - James 1:5

A Seeker of Truth - 

Having great faith in God, Joseph Smith turned to God for the answer to one of the greatest questions of his life at his young age.  In the Spring of 1820, he went to a grove of trees nearby his home in Palmyra New York and knelt in prayer to God, to seek an answer to this question that weighted upon his mind.  He described his experience with these words:

"I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me [ … ] When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other-This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" (Joseph Smith-History 1:16-17).

(orientation to the "First 12 Weeks" is taught by Pres and Hna. Klein

the Assistants and some of our Sister Training Leaders)

As described by Joseph Smith, in a vision he saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, who answered his plea saying none of the churches upon the earth contained the fulness of the gospel truths he sought, and that he should join none of them.

We believe today, that many good people believe in Christ and try to understand and teach his gospel, but they are missing the complete gospel truth established by the Savior during his ministry upon the earth, and the priesthood authority necessary to baptize and perform other sacred ordinances. Many of the precious truths and authority were lost as doctrine was passed from one generation to another making changes to and deleting gospel truths.

A Prophet of God - 

We believe as God had previously done with Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses, and other prophets, that He called Joseph Smith to be a prophet in these great and glorious days, and bring about the restoration of the complete gospel principles of His church to the earth.

Later on, after this first vision occurred, the young man Joseph Smith received visions and visits from other Heavenly messengers, or angels. Joseph's friend and associate, Oliver Cowdery was present during some of these Heavenly visits. The most significant visitors being the John, the Baptist, and Peter, James and John, three of Christ's original apostles, who all appeared to Joseph and Oliver and conferred upon them the missing and necessary Priesthood authority to organize and direct the restoration of the Church upon the earth again.  Through the prophet Joseph Smith, Jesus Christ directed the restoration of His Church and called apostles to administer The Church once again upon the earth.


Jesus Christ will Return to Earth -  

We believe and teach, as missionaries, and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that the Savior, Jesus Christ will return to the earth again one day.  We believe that the day of his return will be soon.  We believe that we all are now living in the last days of the earth before the return of the Savior, or in another term . . . the Latter-days.  That is why we are called Latter-day Saints, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

(New arrivals at the airport)

(Some of our funnest days are greeting the new arrivals with our Assistants, Sister Training

leaders and much of our office staff)

The Current and Living Prophet Today - 

Even today, a living prophet directs The Church.  His name is President Thomas S. Monson, and we believe he also has been called of God, by our Heavenly Father, and also by His Son, Jesus Christ to be a living prophet, to guide and direct His Church upon the face of the earth in these Latter-days.  He and the current apostles trace their Priesthood Authority to Jesus Christ, in an unbroken chain of ordinations through the prophet Joseph Smith.

You can hear the counsel of these Latter-day Apostles and Prophets online if you would like.

(courtesy simpleasthatblog.com)

There is much more to be shared about the restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and you can read much more about the Prophet Joseph Smith online -

Joseph Smith - a Prophet of God
The Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith
The Translation Miracle of the Book of Mormon
The Joseph Smith Papers Project

(Missionaries are starting to arrive from all parts of the mission with all their belongings

in tow, it's TRANSFER day, and they are eager to receive new companions and

discover where they will be serving next.)

Who do we Worship?

We do not worship the Prophet Joseph Smith, he was a man of great virtue who fulfilled an extraordinary calling from the Lord, although as a man he was not perfect.  He accomplished the work our Heavenly Father called him to do until his life was taken, and we honor him for his faith, courage and devotion.

(Transfer meetings are always held in the chapel, they are special reverent meetings where

we enjoy testimonies of missionaries, new converts to the church, and special musical numbers

prepared by the missionaries)

(The hardest part for us is saying "goodbye" - we are excited for families to welcome

home their much missed missionaries, but it's hard for us to let them go.  It's incredible for us

to see the change that takes place from the less confident, unsure missionaries who arrive, as they 

depart the mission as spiritual giants . . . we hope they will stay strong in their testimonies

and be good leaders and teachers in the gospel forever more!)

(Happy Birthday wishes to Hna. Klein - who is very excited for her family to arrive

to wish her happy birthday, and have an opportunity for a family visit! - Oh!  And a peek

at the mission kitty also :)

We do worship the perfect God, our Heavenly Father and his Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.  

We invite all to seek more information

 - ask the missionaries

those young men and women you see walking the streets two by two.  They can help you find the truth about the restored gospel.  

Or you can find answers to many questions online - 

www.mormon.org

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The Realities of Missionary Life . . .

Well . . . (this will be looooong . . . so grab a snack and then come back . . .)



The Realities of Missionary Life - 

Now that we have been here for 15 months . . . and have experienced the arrival of approximately 200 new missionaries since our arrival . . .

I think we can say that . . .

many young people arrive in the mission field with a clear
understanding of what mission life is all about . . .

Many do.

(Scenes from our recent multi-zone conferences)

The Power of Example - 

But some have had not the example of other missionaries in their families, father's and brothers who served missions, neighbors who served missions, friends and classmates . . .

Many are the first members of the church in their families.

Many are the very first missionaries in their families!
(And hopefully the beginning of a long tradition of missionary service)

Some missionaries do not arrive with a clear understanding of what mission life is all about.
So I thought it would be helpful to review the realities of missionary life . . .

(Zone leaders and Sister Training Leaders)

A Basic Introduction - 

The life of a young missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can actually be very challenging and strenuous!  Being a missionary means that you are providing service as a full time representative of the Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Church every day . . .

all day . . .

24 x 7 . . .

Not a part time representative . . . not a 3/4 time representative . . . but a full time representative for the 18 to 24 months you committed to serve.  Missionaries are expected to work hard, be obedient and follow the missionary schedule.

Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are VOLUNTEER representatives . . .

(A Few More Zone Leaders)

Missionaries do not receive payment for their service - 

That means they do not receive payment for their service.  In fact, the missionaries or their families, or both will contribute funds to maintain themselves in the mission field each month.  Many young missionaries save their money all their lives to be able to pay completely for or provide a large part of the financial support necessary for their missions and service as representatives of the Savior . . .

Many young men and women work long hours, and save and sacrifice the money they could have spent on other things, dating, cars, graduation trips, motorcycles, clothing . . . to set it aside to serve the Lord and share their testimonies of the restored gospel with others.

(Multi Zone - Conferences)

In past years missionaries paid for their actual living expenses in the mission field.  That became difficult when some areas of the world had exceptionally higher costs of living than others.  Currently all missionaries pay to the Church, the same flat monthly rate no matter where in the world they serve.  The church then redistributes this money to the missionaries who are serving, in an amount proportionate to the cost of living for each individual missionary.

Therefore, during their period of service, missionaries will receive a small stipend from the Church to cover the costs of basic expenses in the mission field, for instance food, haircuts, rent for your apartment, transportation, and other personal necessities.  Learning to make the money stretch until the end of the month is an important skill to learn, and contributes to discerning basic needs from wants and desires.  Missionaries are expected to use their own personal money if they desire to purchase personal items in the mission, such as additional clothing, gifts, camera's, cultural items etc.

Then there's that rule about companions! - 

Upon arrival at the MTC / CCM or in the mission field each missionary will be assigned a companion.  It is extremely important that a missionary stay with their companion at all times.  Believe it or not, this rule really is for the missionaries protection.  The only time a missionary should be separated from their assigned companion is when using the bathroom.  This is a difficult rule to follow but is of the utmost importance! Each missionary should be prepared to follow this rule and commit to staying within sight and distance of hearing one another's conversation at all times.

All missionaries are expected to maintain a high moral standard of worthiness, both in preparation to serve a mission and in the mission field.   Before the mission, and while serving, missionaries should do all in their power to maintain a high level of physical, mental and emotional fitness.

(A visit to the Missionaries, members in Tela - where our Senior Couple is serving)

P-day stands for Preparation Day -

The Missionary schedule is a busy, full schedule each day, including P-day . . .

Some missionaries mistakenly believe P stands for "play" day . . .

But it is really a day dedicated to making preparations to be a missionary of service the remaining six days of the week.  Preparation day is a day when missionaries still rise at 6:30 am . . . follow the study schedule for personal and companionship study, and from 10 am until 6 pm, make their preparations for the week.  Activities such as laundry, writing letters, shopping, getting haircuts, cleaning apartments, shining shoes, repairing clothing items, and writing the mission president are accomplished on Preparation Day.  A missionary apartment should be cleaned each P-day!

Safe recreational and cultural activities are also permitted on Preparation day, once the important personal preparations have been taken care of.  In our mission, occasional changes in the schedule can be arranged with permission from Zone Leaders, Assistants to the President, or mission president.  Due to a hot climate, frequently zone activities can be switched to the early morning hours with preparation activities and studies to be done in the early afternoon.

(Preparation Day with Tocoa Zone)

Obedience brings increased blessings - 

Missionaries are expected to read, study and be accountable for following the Missionary Handbook.  This handbook is one of a missionaries main resources for finding success in the mission field.  Inside the handbook are found the rules outlining dress and grooming, entertainment, music and media, finances, communication with family and friends, and other expectations of missionary life.

As missionaries are obedient to the schedule outlined in Preach my Gospel, they will certainly see the hand of the Lord in their lives each day, and in their work, and in the fruits of their labors.  They will feel the comforting presence of the Spirit in greater abundance .  . . not just during their months and years of missionary service, but for the rest of their lives as well.

Each missionary serving agreed to live by the standards outlined in the Missionary Handbook when they accepted their call.  Remember each day who you are, who called you, and the importance of the work.

Let's talk about the opposite sex!

I knew that would get your attention . . .
There is a tendency with the lower age changes for missionary service, for more problems to develop in regards to the opposite sex in the mission field.  The Missionary Handbook specifies "never be alone with, flirt with, or associate in any other inappropriate way with someone of the opposite sex".  This includes other missionaries!  Missionaries and their companions should not visit individuals of the opposite sex unless another responsible adult (greater than age 18) of your own sex is also present.

Inappropriate ways would include, but are not limited to . . . relationships with members of the opposite sex that reside within mission boundaries, including other missionaries,  sending text messages, telephoning, emailing, writing letters / notes or accepting letters / notes from members of the opposite sex that live within the mission boundaries.

The best two years . . . say what??

What some don't realize is that their time of missionary service is extremely short . . . it's their only opportunity in this life to be free from the cares of the world, to serve Heavenly Father with all their heart, might, mind and strength everyday.  Once the opportunity has passed . . .

It is passed . . .

And it won't be coming back around again.  At least not for a very long time . . .

Really . . .

A mission is unlike any other experience you will ever have in your life.  Someday it will be behind you and before you even know what happened, you will be getting on that airplane to go home.

And when you arrive home, it will be nearly impossible to describe the events of your missionary service.  Words will be inadequate . . . to express your thoughts and feelings and emotions of the roller coaster you are just finishing.  

(Preparation Day with Zona Olanchito)

Words will be inadequate - 

The struggles with learning a new language and not understanding a thing for the first few months, the frustrations, the feelings of inadequacy.  All the showers with a bucket of cold water, toilets that don't flush, food that you can't even begin to describe.  Realizing that carpet and grass don't even exist here, hand washing all your clothing in a big tub, the smell of insect repellent everyday, all day . . .  feeling soaking wet everyday, all day . . . either from the crazy rain, or just the sweat running down your back . . . the bugs that are everywhere, and the bug bites that scratch and itch endlessly and cause giant welts in unlikely body areas, the dirty dusty streets, skinny emaciated dogs . . . and cows . . . and pigs and horses . . . fungal infections, bacterial infections, dengue carrying mosquitos, intestinal parasites . . .

But neither can you describe that realization when it dawned on you that you now understand almost everything in your new language . . . when did that happen?  Or how much you missed that companion when at first they drove you crazy . . . finding that first real contact, the one who is prepared and has been searching for help, searching for the truth . . . the one who wants to change his life, and watching them do it and experience their first real joy in months, maybe years . . .  finding a golden family, preparing them for baptism, and they get baptized and begin to prepare for the temple .  . . and you realize you just helped them become an eternal family.  The hard work, discouragement, that leads to increased faith in God, our Heavenly Father . . . the realization that he does answer your prayers.  That the Atonement is not just for the worst of sinners but for you as well . . . everything you have been teaching . . . is true, and applies to you in your life right now.


It's all true - 

Finally comprehending the reality of your testimony, that it was built once piece at a time .  . . a knowledge of how the Book of Mormon changes people, changes lives . . . including your own.  Joseph Smith was a prophet, he did restore the fullness of the gospel to the earth once again.  God is our Loving Heavenly Father, he does love all his children.  He has a plan for each one of them.  The power of the priesthood is here upon the earth once again, never to be removed.  Jesus Christ is the Savior, he will return to the earth . . . and you want to endure . . . endure to the end . . . no matter what the cost.

Yes . . .

Those are the realities of mission life . . .

And if you're lucky . . . you will experience every one of them.  And comprehend these

experiences for the great blessings that they are.

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We'll Teach 'n Preach 'n Work as Missionaries do . . .

Whew!  It's been a whirlwind here in the mission . . .

This last month or so we have had opportunity to travel all over the Mission, an area that takes us about 6 hours in a car to drive from one end of the mission to the other, doing interviews with each of the 240 missionaries.  

It give us a wonderful opportunity to see the missionaries in their areas, meet some of their investigators, attend some of the baptisms our missionaries are involved in that live far away from the mission home and office, as well as meet with church leadership in the areas.  

(missionaries in Telamar)

(Elder Webb teaching an English class)

(A view of the lovely Tela)

(Some of the elders of Masica - this is where I want to go to church every week!)

(A lovely family invited us for dinner after Sunday meetings)

From one big event to the next . . .

No sooner did we complete this round of travels, it was time for all our zone conferences to start!  We have 10 zones in the mission and we gather them together in groups of 2-4 zones for zone conferences every quarter. Our focus was on the additional emphasis given for Mission Presidents at the seminar in July with new instructions for missionaries to provide extra care, attention, lessons and spiritual nourishment for those who have recently been baptized for up to one year.  

In the words of President Gordon B. Hinckley, "There is absolutely no point in doing missionary work unless we hold on to the fruits of that effort.  The two must be inseparable . . .  Every convert is a great and serious responsibility"  ("Find the Lambs, Feed the Sheep," Ensign, May 1999, 108).

The goal is to get them ready for the temple! It gives us more and continued responsibility to work very closely with the members of the church in doing missionary work and is truly the work that "Hastens the Work of Salvation". 

Welcome to 19 new missionaries!

In between all that we took time out to welcome 19 new missionaries to the San Pedro Sula East Mission.  Sadly this month we said goodbye to one of our Assistants, a Sister Training Leader, a temporary missionary serving helping us in the mission, and a few who had to return home and recuperate for health reasons.  Sad for us . . . but we are happy for their families who welcomed them home!

(greeting the new arrivals from our August transfer!)

(loading everyone into buses - it's hot on the rooftop in a full suit!!)

(several missionaries were on hand to greet them and make them feel welcome!)

(Each missionary gets to attend quite a few orientation classes)

(We are always said to say goodbye to missionaries!)

(missionaries arriving for our transfer meeting)

You can see from the photos . . . 

The missionaries are always in action!

The missionaries are busy and in action at all times.  Here are a few examples of the success they are experiencing here in the mission.  Really, it's the miracles that occur as they exercise faith to find, teach and testify of our Heavenly Father who loves us and desires that all his children have an opportunity to hear of his gospel plan.

We were contacting this week and decided to visit a home that the missionaries in the area previously had told us were interested in having missionaries return.  At their door we called "buenas", "BUENAS!" . . . but no one answered.  Disappointed we turned to leave but stopped to visit with someone working in front of the house, and as we visited a young man rode up on his bicycle saying to us, "when is there going to be a baptism in the church?'  Confused we weren't sure what to think . . . he then explained that last year the missionaries had been teaching him and he hadn't had an opportunity to be baptized, he had been looking all over for the missionaries so he could continue the lessons and get baptized!  In "Preach my Gospel" is says . . . "the Lord is preparing people to receive you and the restored gospel.  He will lead you to them or He will lead them to you."  This week he led them to us!

Another similar experience . . .

We were walking to visit some families who had joined the church recently when we heard someone calling, "Hermanas!"  So we turned back to see who was calling, it was a young woman about 20 years old who inquired of us where our church was located.  She said she wanted to attend the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but hadn't been able to find it in this town.  We began to teach her lessons and offered an invitation for baptism which she accepted.  She is also attending church with us!

One of our Latin senior companions shared with us that his new North American companion who had only two weeks here in the mission and was still learning the language already has met with much success finding those who are prepared to hear the gospel message.  The new elder, in his basic Spanish has been quick to open his mouth and testify to all they have encountered. This week,  they already encountered one person while street contacting, and after hearing a message from the new elder desired to find out more about the church!   They are both very excited to be working together!

(August - our two assistants.  The missionary on the right in his last transfer and

 headed for home.  He was

an amazing Assistant to the President, we'll miss him a lot!)

(can you tell, we really enjoy Wendy's!!)

"This week we have been doing a lot of contacting and have found 10 new people who are interested in hearing our message.  I remember the promise you made that if we found 10 new people each week, we would see many miracles and it really is true! One person in particular, we challenged to baptism in the second lesson and he accepted, he then shared the most beautiful prayer I have ever heard . . . he thanked our Heavenly Father for sending him the Hermanas who could help him change his life, and help him prepare to be baptized."

An example of working with ALL the members . . .

This week an 11 year old girl accompanied us to her favorite pulperia with a "Plan of Salvation" pamphlet ready to give to her friend, an older woman who owned the pulperia. We walked up to the front and without any prompting from us, Maria said, "Hi! I am here to present my friends, the missionaries and I want to give you a little book about Jesus Christ.  The missionaries can tell you more about it.  Who says the primary doesn't make great missionaries too!!

You too can be a missionary!

I love the words of Elder L. Tom Perry - 

 D&C 33:7  . . . comes the injunction—three times—to open our mouths:

“Open your mouths and they shall be filled, and you shall become even as Nephi of old, who journeyed from Jerusalem in the wilderness.

“Yea, open your mouths and spare not, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your backs, for lo, I am with you.

“Yea, open your mouths and they shall be filled, saying: Repent, repent, and prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (vv. 8–10).

What would each of us say if we had to open our mouth three times? If I may, I would like to offer a suggestion. First and foremost, we should declare our belief in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. His redeeming act blesses all mankind with the gift of immortality and the potential of enjoying God’s greatest gift to man, the gift of eternal life.

The second time we open our mouths, we should tell in our own words the story of the First Vision—that is, our knowledge of a boy not quite 15 years of age who went into a grove of trees and, after sincere and humble prayer, he had the heavens open to him. After centuries of confusion, the true nature of the Godhead and God’s true teachings were revealed to the world.

The third time we open our mouths, let us testify of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon complements the Bible in giving us a greater understanding of the doctrines of our Savior’s gospel. The Book of Mormon is the convincing evidence that Joseph Smith is truly a prophet of God. If the Book of Mormon is true, there was a restoration of the priesthood. If the Book of Mormon is true, then with the power of that priesthood, Joseph Smith restored the Church of Jesus Christ.

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