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PROVO, Utah — With an informal approach, President James E. Faust during the Mission Presidents Seminar invited specific mission presidents and wives to read selected passages of scripture to "emphasize the blessings of the Lord which come to us as humble servants in missionary work."
President Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency, gave his presentation June 22 at the Missionary Training Center, using large-screen projected images of the scripture verses, mostly from the Doctrine and Covenants and Book of Mormon. In some cases he encouraged his listeners to apply the passages specifically to themselves.
For example, pertaining to Doctrine and Covenants 4, which states, "He that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not," President Faust asked, "Who perisheth not?"
"Us, our missionaries," was the reply.
"I hate to admit how long it was before I realized that Section 4 was really talking to me," President Faust reflected.
Addressing John 4:36, "And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together," President Faust asked what that means. He thus elicited the reply that it has deep meaning for those who work hard to introduce the gospel to people but perhaps have never baptized, with others coming along later to reap what an earlier missionary had sown.
"You're talking to the right man," President Faust said, reflecting that when he served his mission in Brazil, in one year the mission total was three baptisms. Told that there are now more than 800,000 Church members in the country, with about 30 percent in Sao Paulo alone, he said, "Well, I used to preside over Sao Paulo, and we had about 28 members."
Later, President Faust asked a sister who is going with her husband to a Spanish-speaking mission to read Doctrine and Covenants 11:20-21, which promises that if one seeks first to obtain God's word, his tongue will be loosed and he will have God's Spirit to declare His word.
"How many of you need now to learn another language?" he asked. "Well, I put this in here to give you some comfort."
Near the conclusion of his presentation, President Faust focused on three scriptures — Jacob 3:1; Alma 29:4; and Moroni 7:29-30, which teach that success comes to those who have "strong faith and firm minds."
"All right, presidents, what kind of a mission do you want?" he asked. "Well, you can have the kind of mission you want, subject, of course, to the will of the Lord, if you have what? Strong faith and firm minds in every form of godliness."
In conclusion, he invoked blessings on the departing presidents and their wives. "Bless you in all your comings and all of your goings. Bless your children and their companions, your children's children. . . . I pray, in your companionships, you will be tender and understanding and sweet with each other. Hold hands together as you say your prayers."
E-mail to: rscott@desnews.com
