About the first of May, the Church reached a major milestone when a call letter was issued to the 500,000th full-time missionary of this dispensation, according to the Missionary Department.

This missionary - who will remain appropriately anonymous - will soon be part of a missionary force started 161 years ago.The Church's first full-time missionaries began sharing the gospel shortly after the Church was organized April 6, 1830. One of the Prophet's brothers, Samuel Smith, started on his missionary journey in June, carrying the gospel message and a satchel of newly printed copies of the Book of Mormon. He shared both with anyone who would listen.

Other missionaries soon followed. By the turn of the century, some 13,000 had been called. That total increased to 60,000 by 1950, to 83,000 by 1960, 145,000 by 1970 and 264,000 by 1980.

Their individual and united efforts have brought incalculable results.

"As I reflect on the great contribution of the elders of this dispensation in bringing the gospel to their fellowmen, I think of their great fortitude, sacrifice and boldness," said President Ezra Taft Benson in June 1980. "Certainly the efforts of thousands in this dispensation who have served are without precedent."

Among the benefits of missionary work are:

- Conversions. The Church grew from six members to 51,000 in the first two decades, obviously mostly converts. In more recent years, 1.4 million converts joined between 1950 and 1975, 1.9 million from 1976-84, and 1.5 million from 1985-1990.

"If there were no converts, the Church would shrivel and die on the vine," President Spencer W. Kimball told regional representatives in 1974. "But perhaps the greatest reason for missionary work is to give the world its chance to hear and accept the gospel."

- The very survival of the Church and most of its growth. When the Twelve Apostles went to England in 1839, many Church members were struggling and some lost the faith. The ensuing stream of converts allowed the Church to survive these trying times.

"Even during the dark days of Missouri and Illinois and in the pilgrimage across the plains, missionaries went forward on their work," wrote President Benson in his book, So Shall Ye Reap. "At times it was interrupted slightly, but always there was that urge and desire on the part of the elders of the Church, who had burning within their souls the testimony of the truth - to carry the message of the restored gospel to the people of the world."

- The immigration and settlement of part of the West by missionary converts from abroad. More than 40,000 British and Scandinavian converts from 1850-66, plus those from other European countries, crossed the plains and settled in the some 500 Mormon colonies.

- The devotion and experience of returned missionaries in Church leadership. "Not . . . every man has to be a returned missionary to be a priesthood leader, but those who fulfill an honorable mission develop an understanding of the gospel and a self-discipline that results in dedication and commitment to what they know to be true," said Elder Royden G. Derrick, then of the Presidency of the Seventy, in April conference, 1983.

- Temple marriages and strong families of returned missionaries. A 1977 survey of returned missionaries reported that their "activity levels stay at about 90 percent in Church meeting attendance, temple marriage, and activity, payment of tithing, and keeping the Word of Wisdom." (Church News, June 14, 1980, p. 19.)

- Cultural enrichment in both the mission field and at home, and broader international perspectives, including improved linguistic abilities. Missionary language abilities are well-known. In an activity typical of returned missionaries, more than 1,000 of them volunteered as interpreters for the summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984.

- Individual benefits. Research conducted by the Missionary Department indicates that returned missionaries are likely to be successful in their careers and personal lives because they work and study harder, and seem to be better at expressing themselves.

BYU football Coach LaVell Edwards described the returned missionaries on the university's 1984 national championship team. A returned missionary athlete "will return with a greater understanding of himself, greater leadership capabilities, better work habits, and a better knowledge of what it takes to be successful."

Today, missionaries serve in more than 120 countries and have come from more than 123 nations. Full-time missionaries from lands outside the United States numbered 13,833 at the end of 1990, 32 percent of the total.

Areas with large numbers of missionaries include Mexico and Central America with 4,160; South America with 3,106; and the Philippines and the Pacific with 2,443.

Couples, numbering 1,491 (2,982) at year end, comprise another significant part of the missionary force. (See story, page 10.)