The Greatest Generation of Missionary Parents in the History of the Church

Raising the Bar by Raising the Greatest Generation of Missionaries

By Chris Deaver, Mission Preparation Teacher and Author of Know Before You Go

Raising “The Greatest Generation of Missionaries in the History of the Church” can seem a daunting, perhaps even impossible challenge. It means accepting the fact that you are part of “The Greatest Generation of Missionary Parents in the History of the Church”. But never fear. Having these special spirits born into your household is proof enough that you are up to the task (see 1 Nephi 3:7). As a parent, it is your job to set the tone of mission preparation for your growing child and someday restoration missionary. Elder M. Russell Ballard, in his talk “The Greatest Generation of Missionaries”, boldly declared:

What we need now is the greatest generation of missionaries in the history of the Church. We need worthy, qualified, spiritually energized missionaries who, like Helaman’s 2000 stripling warriors are “exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity” and who are “true at all times in whatsoever thing they [are] entrusted” (Alma 53:20).

Listen to those words…valiant, courage, strength, active, true. We don’t need spiritually weak and semicommitted young men. We don’t need you to just fill a position; we need your whole heart and soul. We need vibrant, thinking, passionate missionaries who know how to listen to and respond to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. This isn’t a time for spiritual weaklings. We cannot send you on a mission to reactivated, reformed or to receive a testimony. We just don’t have time for that. We need you to be filled with “faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God” (D&C 4:5). (Ensign, Nov. 2002, 47)

The bar has been raised for full-time missionaries. What bar is that? It is an increased expectation of everything from moral and emotional to physical preparation. And while many great mission preparation tools are available, the best missionary training center is still a home filled with testimony and love. The right tie pin or scripture case is not going to make that young man or woman a great missionary, but consistent and powerful family prayer, scripture study, and home evening certainly will.

Here are some basics that every preparing missionary needs:

1) Help him/her know he/she is a child of God with infinite potential, who has been preparing for a mission for over 6000 years. The key to raising the bar in the Church is to first raise the bar in one’s personal life. In order to do this, youth must be empowered to quickly locate their place in the Plan of Salvation. This can mean the difference between mediocrity and greatness. It includes persistent, personalized encouragement, constant reminders of divine worth, and bold testimony of the incredible capabilities and talents of these youth. Sometimes it can seem hard to determine the talents of a timid, bored, or even stubborn youth who may not even appear to like Church. Therefore, as a parent you must stay extremely close to the Spirit to discern not only the needs of your child, but his/her Pre-mortally packaged potential, “spiritual DNA”, directly from a loving Heavenly Father. And, what better person to consult than their literal Father in Heaven?

I recall during my teenage years (which I generally like to forget) one moment when I threw a temper tantrum that was totally out of line. I went to my room fuming. I don’t even remember what happened, just that I was angry with my parents and brothers and upset at life itself. I had, in fact, lost track of my location—I didn’t know where I was in the Plan of Salvation. Therefore, I was not confident with myself or my surroundings. As I cried, my Father cautiously entered the room and sat down. I honestly do not recall a word of what my Dad said, probably because he didn’t say much of anything. He listened to me. And, after listening for a long space of time, he simply testified of my divine nature and expressed his love for me. That meant more to me than anything else, and my behavior changed instantly. Consider these words of Ezra Taft Benson regarding your wonderful child:

For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming of the Lord…While our generation will be comparable in wickedness to the days of Noah, when the Lord cleansed the earth by flood, there is a major difference this time. It is that God has saved for the final inning some of His strongest children, who will help bear off the Kingdom triumphantly. That is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God…

In all ages prophets have looked down through the corridors of time to our day. Billions of the deceased and those yet to be born have their eyes on us. Make no mistake about it—you are a marked generation. There has never been more expected of the faithful in such a short period of time than there is of us. Never before on the face of this earth have the forces of evil and the forces of good been as well organized. Now is the great day of the devil’s power. But now is also the great day of the Lord’s power, with the greatest number ever of priesthood holders on the earth. (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988]. 104-105; italics added)

2) Testify often of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Restoration in statements and questions. David O. McKay said, “No success can compensate for failure in the home.” That is absolutely true. One key to success in the home and in preparing Super Missionaries is to testify with great frequency and power. Nothing compares to a heartfelt testimony of the Savior, and Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon. When shared, it is carried to the heart of the listeners. Your children are your investigators, growing in the Gospel every day. Your responsibility is to not only provide an environment of responsibility and friendship, but to also nurture them with the good word. As you do, their love for the Gospel will grow in leaps and bounds.

One dear friend of mine, Joseph, was raised in a home where his parents always discussed the Gospel. Daily at dinner, his father asked openly, “OK. What did you learn today that is not consistent with the Gospel?” And, as children, they shared as their father and mother compared false teachings of the world to the powerful, precious, restored truths of the Gospel. The beauty of open Gospel questions in ordinary circumstances is that they provide an avenue for youth, and even young children to share thoughts they might otherwise consider taboo. With such efforts, they can freely fill the pool of meaning with specific feelings and thoughts about such potentially tough issues as dishonesty, pornography, or any “fill in the blank” Gospel question.

3) Be a Great Missionary. Someone once said, “Preach the gospel. And, when necessary, use words.” You wield greater power with your example than anything else. Just as the Lord draws His power from His honor, you will be respected and admired by your children as you diligently fulfill Church responsibilities, attend the Temple, and Proclaim the Gospel with zeal. Though wayward, Alma the Younger ultimately returned to the faithful example of his Father, a truly great missionary. One of the greatest tools for mission preparation my family applied was to frequently invite the missionaries to dinner. You can’t help but feel the Spirit when they visit (and have your food easily devoured and enjoyed) and be naturally encouraged in your missionary efforts. It was the frequent dining of missionaries at the Deaver home that turned those big, lovable guys with black name badges and white shirts into heroes for me and my brothers. I remember watching how well they treated my family and how competently they searched the scriptures. We wanted to be just like them.

Share the Gospel with your neighbors and notice how it influences your children. Often, the ripple effect of your proclaiming turns into your children bringing friends to Church activities, etc. Set missionary goals as a family to share the Gospel with specific individuals. Share Church videos, Ensigns, and Books of Mormon with friends. Pray as a family for missionary opportunities, and then proactively create them.

4) Help Your Child Set and Execute a Preparation Plan. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Plan with your child. It is exciting for a young boy to consciously prepare his mind for the amazing adventure of a full-time mission. Set aside time to speak with your child about a mission. In such settings, do not coerce or manipulate—often when children feel unduly pressured, they react negatively. Walk with them, approach the situation like a partnership in which you are a resource for their success. Ask thought-provoking questions such as, “How important is serving a full-time mission to you?” “What can we do to better help you prepare?” “How will you earn and save money to pay for your mission?” “How will you prepare yourself physically, spiritually, mentally, socially?” All of these questions will have answers, and the answers will change as the child progresses. As with most things in parenting, the key is consistency.

All of these suggestions will help you as you strive to help bring forth true servants of the Lord, even the “Greatest Generation of Missionaries in the History of the Church”. The Lord promises His blessing in your efforts, as you strive to lead His children down the path of righteousness.

And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.

(1 Nephi 17:13)

Your child’s promised land of powerful mission preparation is not only desirable, but also attainable. After all is said and done, the greatness of that missionary depends on you. May you be blessed in your efforts to testify, encourage, and uplift as you raise such noble and great spirits.