Work demanding; impact everlasting
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In His call to the elders in Kirtland to preach the gospel, the Lord declared: "And ye shall go forth in the power of my Spirit, preaching my gospel, two by two, in my name, lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, declaring my word like unto angels of God." (Doctrine and Covenants 42:6.)
In the context of this passage, President Thomas S. Monson, then second counselor in the First Presidency, said at October 1987 general conference:
"Fathers, bishops, quorum advisers, yours is the responsibility to prepare this generation of missionaries, to quicken in the hearts of these deacons, teachers, and priests not only an awareness of their obligation to serve, but also a vision of the opportunities and blessings which await them through a missionary call. The work is demanding, the impact everlasting. This is no time for 'summer soldiers' in the army of the Lord.
"The missionary recommendations that arrive daily at Church headquarters present a spectrum of preparedness. Let me share with you just one or two comments gleaned from the period I served on the Missionary Committee. One recommendation form contained this comment written by the bishop: 'John is very close to his mother. She would be happy if he were assigned to a mission close to their home so she could phone weekly and visit him on occasion.' As I read this comment to President Spencer W. Kimball, who assigned the missionaries then, I wondered what his reaction would be. Would he assign the young man to California or Washington, that he might be near his Oregon home? Without raising his eyes from the assignment sheet, President Kimball said, 'Please assign this young man to Johannesburg, South Africa.'
"Another missionary recommendation contained the comment from the stake president: 'This young man was instrumental in bringing his stepfather into the Church about a year ago. His stepfather told me it was because of Jerry getting up each Sunday morning and going to church that caused him to wonder what kind of church could have that much influence on a boy.' "
