Introducing Missionary Mail
My mission is to unearth, compile, and share hidden treasures of knowledge from Church-approved libraries, to inspire your full-time or member missionary efforts.
GOSPEL LIBRARIES offer a vast resource for learning, but finding material ESPECIALLY FOR MISSIONARIES can be time-consuming. That's why I've made it my mission to “find wisdom and HIDDEN TREASURES of knowledge” for YOU within the Church’s ever-expanding educational ecosystem. Then, I share these gems to inspire your quest in being the best FULL-TIME MISSIONARY (or member missionary) as you could possibly be.
This is only a brief introduction and short sample. If you like them, please share them with your family, friends, other missionaries on the field, ward missionaries, returned missionaries, and teens preparing to go on a mission. If you think this is not really for you, try at least four more issues. If at that point the contents don’t resonate with your priorities, by all means click Unsubscribe.
From Critic to Convert
A young lady I met at a Saturday evening dance in Belfast, Northern Ireland, was my first contact with the LDS church. We made a date for the following evening—Sunday—and I attended my first meeting of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Because of my religious upbringing, however, and my activities in two Protestant faiths, I was not very responsive to the Latter-day Saints.
Indeed, in a friendly way, I heckled the elders as they held street meetings in the city, and I argued with them in regard to the validity of Joseph Smith as a prophet. Perhaps as a result of my interest in the young lady, I continued to attend LDS church meetings and social activities, but I continued to stubbornly oppose the claim that Joseph Smith had been given divine authority.
And then it happened! One evening at sacrament meeting a young elder who arrived in the mission field just that morning was called on to bear his testimony. He looked a little unkempt and travel-worn. He spoke English with a German accent, and as he stood to bear his testimony, I thought he was the most unlikely ambassador the Church could possibly have appointed.
Simply and humbly he told “The Joseph Smith Story,” and as the tears rolled down his cheeks I unashamedly believed him as my tears joined with his. Shortly thereafter I was baptized in Helens Bay in Belfast Lough.
[Source: By Joseph W. Darling, From Critic to Convert, Ensign September 1982]
Occasionally, I will include a commentary.
The lesson we can draw from this story is twofold. First, it demonstrates the significance of personal testimony. No matter how knowledgeable or eloquent we may be, it is often our personal experiences and heartfelt convictions that have the greatest impact on others. The elder's appearance and background may not have fit the traditional mold, but the authenticity of his testimony spoke volumes. It is important for each of us to cultivate and share our own testimonies, as they can touch lives in ways we may never anticipate.
Secondly, this story serves as a reminder that truth can touch us and others unexpectedly, breaking through our preconceived notions and challenging our resistance. The storyteller initially held firm in his opposition to Joseph Smith as a prophet, but the power of the elder's testimony broke through those barriers. It is a testament to the transformative power of truth when it is shared with sincerity and vulnerability.
In our own lives, we may encounter individuals who are resistant or skeptical of our beliefs. This story teaches us to have patience, compassion, and the willingness to share our testimony with genuine authenticity. We never know when a seemingly unlikely messenger or a heartfelt account of our own experiences may be the catalyst for someone else's journey of faith.
So, let us take this lesson to heart and remember the power of personal testimony. Let us cultivate our own convictions and share them with others, knowing that truth has the potential to touch hearts, even in the most unexpected ways.
Inspirational Music
[Source: March 1984 New Era]
Ye Sisters of Israel
Lyrics by Randy F. Rubio
Ye sisters of Israel Come sing now with me
Go preach the gospel with everyone you see
Show them the path through the straight and narrow way
Invite everyone not to turn the Lord away
O Zion, O Zion, we’re marching now to thee
We’re going to be gathered where Israel will be
This newsletter is my heartfelt tribute to my mother, Mamie F. Rubio, who dedicatedly mailed missionary letters from the moment she was baptized in in 1969 until her passing at the age of eighty-six in 2014.