MINI MISSIONARY LESSON: HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH AS A MISSIONARY

With the lowering of the mission age, the Mormon Tabernacle Enquirer is doing its part to help train young men for the rigors and blessings of doing God’s work. As part of this effort, Elder Kory Anton, who is hoping to clear things up and return to the mission field very soon, offers his insights to help others prepare. 

Don't be fooled: This is exactly how he did it!

Spending time talking with people about the only true and living church every day is really great! But let me just say, if you do it wrong, you can end up with a lot of pesky questions and maybe even doubts. If there is one great thing about being a Mormon missionary it is knowing that you are always right, that you have all of the correct answers, and that no one is as right as you are. To keep just as strong as possible that completely unwavering faith, here are some tips.

One: You Have the Keys to the Only Right Path for Everyone
Remember that you have the keys to the only path that actually leads to God. It is a modern day heresy, like saying “sometimes prophets make mistakes” or “Joseph Smith had sex with more wives than just Emma” or “Diet Coke is not a sin” to say that someone can be a Baptist or a Buddhist or a Ute and still get to the highest level of the Celestial kingdom. When people say, “well, there are many roads to God,” tell them that there is one faith, one baptism, and only one super right path that God wants every single person to follow.

Two: Use Science very Selectively
We know that most science is controlled by the devil, and that God lets him use it to allow the weak and faithless to show their true colors. Science uses things like fossils and elaborate guesses about how old stuff is to try to make people doubt that the earth is about 6,000 years old or that Adam named all of the animals. Science usually helps sinners who want to reject God, drink wine, or be gay. But sometimes we can take the power back from Satan and use it for good. For example, when someone asks why they should not drink tea, use science to tell them that tea has tannic acid, which is a chemical so strong that it is used to tan hides. Clearly God would not want you drinking that chemical, which would at least discolor your insides.

Three: Remember that You have All of the Right Answers
Most importantly, remember that you have all of the right answers no matter what. Some missionaries get into big trouble when they are teaching. They get too close to investigators. Soon those missionaries are actually listening to some Catholic who has felt “really inspired by Pope Francis or Mary.” Missionaries might start to believe that someone could have a spiritual experience in the dark, satanic gloom of a Great and Abominable church. Nothing could be more dangerous for a missionary than to be tempted to think that spiritual experiences happen outside of the Mormon church, Scout camp, or BYU sports events. Remember that faith means never having a question or doubt, and it is certainly the opposite of taking risks! If doubts arise, your first answer should not be to pray, since God will be upset at your lack of faith. No, the proper response is to be more obedient and all of the questions will go away.

Let me reassure you that the scriptures, General Conference, the Proclamation, and what your mission president says answer all questions completely. You have the truth, and that means you have the answers for any question, whether that question is about politics, foreign policy, economics, family planning, parenting, marriage, divorce, career planning, addiction, modesty, Bible translation, archaeology, philosophy, art, or baby names. Ever since Joseph “lacked wisdom” and got his answer, the church has never had any questions, doubts, or concerns; it is only the unbaptized or faithless who still doubt.

The Best of Luck,

Elder Kory Anton

PS: This article, this article, and this article are probably from Satan--Avoid!