Having Eyes to See the Seachange

On May 14, 2013, Elder Russell M. Nelson and his wife, the former Wendy Watson, were the MTC Devotional speakers. During that Devotional, Sister  Nelson said, “Pray to be led to those whose ancestors pray for you on the other side of the veil. They are eager to receive their ordinances; ask for angels to help you.”

I was especially interested in and touched by her words because of my own remarkable experiences while doing family history research. I knew the truth of those words.

After she spoke, Elder Nelson underscored her words when he stated: “Ancestors are praying for you to find their posterity. The Spirit of Elijah is on your side. People on both sides of the veil are praying for the missionaries.” He went on to suggest that the missionaries enlist the Family History Consultants in the wards they serve in to help investigators to find their ancestors.

I was astonished. Uniting family history work with missionary work was a new and unique vision. However, these Devotional talks by Elder and Sister Nelson turned out to be a mere glimpse of things to come.

About one month later, on June 23, 2013, a Worldwide Leadership Broadcast from the MTC occurred, titled “The Work of Salvation.” In that broadcast, we were presented with an enlarged vision of “hastening” the Lord’s work with Church members and missionaries working together. (“Hastening the Work of Salvation—a united effort in conversion, retention, and activation” is available on lds.org for your edification!)

Fast forward to February 4, 2014.  The MTC Devotional speakers on that date were Elder David F. Evans, executive director of the Missionary Department, and his wife, Mary. Elder Evans began his talk by mentioning that he had had a meeting that day with Missionary Council members, including Elder Russell M. Nelson, Elder David A. Bednar, Bishop Gérald Caussé, and Elder James B. Martino. The rest of Elder Evans’ talk gave us a glimpse of what had been discussed in that meeting.

He spoke of “new things” happening in our world that would present challenging conditions and situations for the missionaries in the mission field.  He said they would be called upon to defend the family and traditional marriage, and they must be prepared to answer unique questions of the soul.

Almost as an aside, he shared that two general authorities had been somewhere in the world together the previous week when they were warned by a strong spiritual impression that they should not proceed to their planned destination. The important part of it was that the Spirit had warned them and that they had  heeded that warning, not knowing what might have occurred. It was a “type” for the missionaries to follow—to recognize and trust in spiritual impressions that would keep them safe.

He also shared a person experience. He said that some years earlier the “eyes of his understanding were opened” in a “most profound experience” that “changed forever” the way he felt about his wife and children, so that ever after he tried harder with his children. Here was another “type” for the missionaries to follow—to seek life-changing understanding that would help them to live  according to God’s will.

Elder Evans admonished the missionaries to embrace truth, cling to truth for safety, and that these truths will resonate with sincere seekers of truth.

That we live in perilous times can readily be seen. That the Lord is not surprised by world events, and that He inspires His chosen servants in the things that they should do is also readily seen. Our day was foreseen. The safety and well-being of ourselves, our families, our fellow Church members, as well as that of society as a whole, depends on our heeding the promptings of the Spirit and the counsel and teachings of the Lord’s servants.

At the end, Elder Evans suggested that there would be “additional training coming” . . . . ~PLH

[My husband's "take":]

I Have No Desire to Perish

Two scriptures have come to my mind during the last little while. The first comes from the writings of the prophet Amos:

Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7)

The import of this particular passage to me during the last little while will become apparent momentarily.

One of the most delightful aspects of serving at the Provo Missionary Training Center has been the frequent appearance of the General Authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For the past year, Pat and I have been able to attend the Devotionals held on Tuesday evening, take copious notes on the addresses given by the Brethren and their wives, and then have the opportunity to mutually share what we have learned with one of the Districts in our Branch. I always come away from these evenings edified and more determined to live as I ought to, according to the light and knowledge which has just been abundantly given to me. The Brethren have also visited the MTC on other occasions when I have been instructed directly as a member of a Branch Presidency. I have been grateful for the guidance, and I have invariably been benefited when I have taken the counsel to heart.

The instruction has been timely. One of the most apparent aspects of the activities transpiring at the MTC has been the number of changes that have taken place. When we were first called to serve in our Branch, we were housed on the Main Campus, one of sixty branches that had been established there. Adapting to our new surroundings was a challenge but we achieved that with some grace. Someone asked me what it was like serving with the missionaries. I replied that it was like coming out of retirement and being called as a Bishop on the same day. We have been fully occupied. In the beginning we had to learn a considerable amount of policies and procedures, some of which we had never encountered before in our service in the Kingdom of God. These were specialized instructions and guidelines that had come about as the MTC had grown and expanded. In the process of time, we mastered these and were feeling somewhat comfortable.

Then a new set of guidelines came about with new manuals for both the missionaries and for their ecclesiastical leaders. Much was the same, but some changes revealed an improved approach to the whole process of preparing missionaries for their fields of labor. The number of branches at the MTC had increased to over one hundred. About this same time, the leadership of our Branch changed. The president with whom we had served for six months was released and a new President sustained. The first counselor was released to become the President of another Branch, requiring another counselor to be sustained. There was a flurry of activity as all of us began to adjust to our new circumstances. Administrative assignments changed and I soon found myself deeply immersed in learning heretofore unknown aspects of how a Branch should function. About the same time, our Branch was reassigned to the West Campus; all of our meeting places and times changed radically. In some respects, we were once again starting at square one. As time passed, other changes took place, all about the time we had just finished absorbing the previous changes. We found ourselves almost in a constant state of flux. It was a little unnerving, but we pressed forward in faith.

Throughout all of these disorienting events, there was a steadiness. Underpinning all that was going on were the calming voices of the General Authorities and the Mission Presidency. They assured us, with convincing evidence and not platitudes, that they understood what was going on and that there was a purpose to all that was transpiring. We were counseled to hold fast to the rod of iron, as it were, and continue in our assignments. They also assured us that the changes and adjustments that had been going on were not going to cease any time soon. In every instance these assurances have proven to be justifiable, and our trust and confidence in the midst of seeming turmoil has increased and strengthened. On reflection, I would not choose to have any of the episodes changed one whit.

For one like me, who is decidedly a conservative of the classic type, the fluctuations of our assignment have been just a little disturbing. At the heart of the matter, however, the reason why we persist in our callings, is the principle of preternatural vision, the ability to see through the seeming chaos to the goals that divine providence has mandated for our time and place. We have been strengthened and sustained by those whom we love, those who gladly serve us, until our own eyes have been appropriately opened as theirs already are. What more could anyone hope for in such an assignment? I am grateful beyond expression that there are yet three years remaining to us that our spiritual horizons might continue to expand.

The second scripture came into my mind as I have contemplated what might have happened to us had we chosen to ignore the counsel we have been given during the past year, if we had succumbed to the flurry of activity instead of finding refuge in the revelations being poured out upon those who preside in the Church and Kingdom of God.

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. (Proverbs 29:18)

 

May we always find refuge in the word of the Lord, for whether by His own voice or by the voice of His servants, it is the same. ~PNH

Caussé Devotional January 21, 2014

On Tuesday, January 21, 2014, Bishop Gérald Caussé of the Presiding Bishopric and his wife Valérie were the Devotional speakers at the Provo Missionary Training Center.

First of all, I loved listening to their French accents. They could have gone on for another hour and I would not have tired of it.

Sister Valérie Caussé shared her feelings of inadequacy and trepidation that occurred in 2008 when President Monson phoned them in Paris and asked her husband Gérald (at age 44) to “be a Seventy until he was seventy.”

She said she knew that “Life would not be the same forever.” She felt incapable of leaving children, parents, friends, French food, and her home on the outskirts of Paris: “Why would I do this?” She said that she retreated into the bathroom alone and wept. She said that she felt almost desperate, but then she felt the Savior close to her, she felt his loving presence. So she said yes when she wanted to say no. She said she wanted to be able to say to Jesus Christ when she meets him, “I did my best.”

Bishop Caussé said that during his time as a General Authority he has toured 40 missions and has collected 100 pages of missionary stories. One of his favorite stories is of two Sister missionaries in Spain. As they were passing by a bank one day, a big security guard standing at the entrance of the bank called to them. They described him as having “one and half yellow teeth and a big machine gun.”

Two remarkable things then transpired, first this somewhat intimidating man asked them for a copy of the Book of Mormon; he also went on to tell them that his wife had died and that he was working two jobs to care for his children. The second remarkable thing that happened was that the Sister missionaries instantly were filled with pure and unconditional Christ-like love for this man with the one and a half yellow teeth and a big gun. Bishop Caussé explained, “Instant love is a gift given to Disciples of Christ.”~PLH

Why did I say yes…

As I sat in the Devotional, listening to Bishop and Sister Causse, I was struck twice by statements that they made. The first had to do with the phone call that the Causses received from Salt Lake City extending the call to serve in the Church and Kingdom of God, to leave all else behind and follow the course of life that the Savior pointed out to them. For a moment I was a little envious. What would it be like to be called as a Seventy until I was seventy? I said to myself, “Well it’s a little late for that, now that you are seventy-one.” Being somewhat whimsically minded, I still pursued the thought. “What would it have been like?” Then the answer came: “You already know.”

More than forty-five years ago, I received a phone call from Weldon Thacker, one of the administrators of the Church Educational System, asking me if I would accept a position with the Department of Seminaries and Institutes. I had waited a long time for the phone call and I had almost despaired that it would ever come. In my impatience I had made substantial plans to pursue my Master Degree in English Language and Linguistics at Brigham Young University, even accepting a Teaching Assistant assignment with the English Department. The call to serve as a Seminary teacher came pretty late in the game. I had almost resolved to not allow such an assignment to disrupt what I spent a considerable amount of time setting up. “Why did I say ‘Yes’ when I wanted to say ‘No’?”, I ask, just as Sister Causse had asked, when it was her turn to address the missionaries.

For the next thirty-five years I had the joyous experience of associating with the youth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, teaching principles that were near and dear to my heart. Every day, I was immersed in the scriptures, learning and growing, that I might be able to present properly the truths of eternity to the sons and daughters of God. Could I have possibly received a more magnificent assignment in time or in eternity than that? I was twenty-seven years old when I began my career; I was sixty-two when I retired. When Bishop Causse is released from his role as a General Authority, he will have served full-time in the Church for twenty-six years. I have no need to be covetous.

Why did I say “Yes” to Brother Thacker on that late winter day in 1969? For the same reason that the Causses said “Yes” to President Monson. It was the right thing to do. The Spirit of God entered into our hearts and spoke peace to us. He encouraged Elder and Sister Causse to press forward in faith. In my case, he softened and purified my almost embittered soul.

I retired from full-time employment with the Church Educational System in 2004. I have rejoiced in the freedom, in being able to leave the house at any time and go anywhere that my wife and I have desired to go. Admittedly, I have missed the classroom and from time to time I have thought about teaching on the side, at the University or at one of the Institutes of Religion in Utah Valley. At those moments there has been a little part of me that has said, “Why in the world would you want to do that? Why would you want to tie yourself down again, now that you are free?” So I continued to enjoy my freedom.

When the call came from the Provo MTC, we willingly went to the interview. The assignment involved several hours on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and almost the entire day on Sunday. This would be every week, fifty two weeks a year, for four years, with a few exceptions. Someone asked me after we had accepted the call, “What is it like to be at the MTC?” I replied, “It’s rather like coming out of retirement, and on the same day being called as a Bishop.” Why did I say “Yes” when I wanted to say “No”? Because it was the right thing to do, because once again the Lord softened my stony, selfish little heart. ~PNH

Kindness and Love

On Sunday, January 19, 2014, Sister Rosemary Wixom, General Primary President of the Church, was the speaker for the Sisters in Relief Society at the Missionary Training Center.

During her talk, Sister Wixom told the story of an Elder in the Washington DC South Mission who was attacked by a dog. In a self-defensive reaction, the Elder thrust his Book of Mormon toward the dog. The dog chomped down on the book; its teeth marks penetrated all the way to 2 Nephi 22 [page 93]. Sister Wixom inspired laughter when she quipped, “Even the dog stopped at Isaiah!”

She then went on to use 2 Nephi 22:2 as the theme of her talk.

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song . . . .

As part of her talk, Sister Wixom included the video of the Savior appearing in the Americas at the temple in the land Bountiful, healing the blind and the lame, and blessing the children. The video, titled “My Joy Is Full,” has only background music and no dialogue as it focuses first on the Savior’s hands gently and lovingly touching and embracing the people, then on his tender expression as he looked into their faces, and his smile of love and joy as the children surrounded him.

Words cannot do justice to the emotional and spiritual impact of this video. It has been shown in the MTC Relief Society meetings during the past year on no fewer than three occasions. It unfailingly engenders deep feelings of reverence, gratitude, and love.

When the film ended, Sister Wixom admonished the Sister Missionaries to “keep this feeling with you as you enter the mission field; minister in kindness and love, as the Savior did.”~PLH

Because he loved us first

Needless to say, my wife was quite ebullient when she related the experience that she had had at Relief Society on the 19^th of January. We spoke about the video in particular which had deeply moved her. On a sudden it came into my mind that the Lord Jesus Christ had given his disciples among the Nephites at Bountiful, a striking and sobering challenge.

And know ye that ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am. (3 Nephi 27:27)

Those who preside in the Kingdom of God are frequently called upon to judge their fellow mortals. Jesus taught his servants during the Sermon on the Mount that they were to “judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged; but judge righteous judgment” (JST, Matthew 7:2).

I thought about men whom I had known during my career in the Church and in the Church Educational System. Many of them were attempting to live their lives in such a fashion that they might interact with their fellow men in the same way that the Lord Jesus Christ did. From my perspective, I knew that these were brethren who loved me, not for who I was at the time, but for what they saw in my potential as a son of God. How could I not love them in return?

On that same day that my wife was attending Relief Society, perhaps at the very moment that she was watching that inspiring video, I was preparing myself to be taught in a Branch Presidency Training Meeting conducted by the Mission Presidency. There are a goodly number who attend these meetings, usually in excess of 300 priesthood leaders. I have long forsaken my practice of sitting in the front row of a congregation, so I was sitting in room B-145 in back of the first partition where I could easily see the stand and watch a nearby monitor if necessary. President Wilkins was out of town and Brother Marcov was away on assignment, so I was sitting by myself, waiting for the meeting to begin, writing in my journal. I was painfully aware that I had to take copious notes on the meeting so that I might bring the other two up to speed when we next met.

Suddenly, President Roach, the Second Counselor in the MTC Presidency, was standing before me with his infectious smile, his hand extended to me in greeting. I smiled in return and said, “My Bishop says ‘Hello’”. He asked, “Well, who is your Bishop?” I replied, “David Harmon. I believe that you and he served together in the Philippines as young Elders.” “Oh yes,” he said, “and he was a magnificent missionary.” We chatted amiably for a minute or two and then he passed on to another of those in the audience.

A few minutes later, another person stopped in front of me with hand extended. It was Lonn Nally, the President of the Provo Missionary Training Center. He greeted me cheerfully, “How are you doing?” I replied that I was fine, when in fact I had been feeling just a little blue because I was by myself, and responsible for all that would be taught during the next hour. As he took my hand in his affable way, however, any clouds that may have been hanging over me were completely dispelled. They had been thinned a bit by President Roach’s good cheer and then torn completely asunder by President Nally’s wholesomeness and kindness. I knew that he loved me, although I cannot say what convinced me that that was the case. My whole soul was filled with light and joy.

I have given some thought to the experience and I am confident that John the Beloved clearly describes the effect that both my wife and I felt that Sunday.

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:17-19)

I came away from that meeting wanting to be a better man, not so much because of the material presented, but because of the manner in which I had been treated. I love those two men, President Nally and President Roach, together with the many others who have helped me to realize who I am and what I am capable of. I want to be as they are; I want to be like Him whom they represent. ~PNH

Bednar January 2014 Devotional

On the evening of January 14, 2014, Elder David Bednar and his wife Susan spoke at the Provo MTC Devotional (it was also broadcast live to 6 other Missionary Training Centers worldwide). Only three weeks before, the Bednars had visited the MTC on Christmas Day. On that occasion, they had distributed 200 cell phones so that the missionaries could text their questions to Elder and Sister Bednar. Simultaneously, from the International MTCs the missionaries sent emails with their questions. At that time, they received about 1000 questions. Adding the answers given on Christmas Day to those given on January 14^th, 15 questions have now been answered. “Only 985 to go,” said Elder Bednar, with a smile.

The first question addressed at the Devotional on January 14^th was, “What is the difference between faith and belief?” Elder Bednar, citing the “Lectures on Faith,” said that faith entails action, while belief is passive. He said the best example of faith in action is found in the Old Testament: the feet of the Israelites were wet before the waters of the Jordan River were parted (in faith, they walked into the waters of the Jordan River, not waiting for the miracle to occur first). Similarly, said Elder Bednar, the Lord will give you words to say after you open your mouth. The trial of your faith is always will you go and do (or act)?

As an aside to the topic of faith, Elder Bednar spoke of an “inordinate desire for miracles” among the missionaries. He strongly cautioned: don’t press for them; don’t demand them. Instead, pray for eyes to see and ears to hear the miracles that are happening every day. Pray for faith; there are plentiful miracles every day, he said.

Another question was, “Why does God let good people go through hard things?” Elder Bednar’s answer was, because God trusts them to learn from the experience of opposition.  He read from Doctrine and Covenants 122:5-8, which is about the opposition that Joseph Smith endured. Then he alluded to the trial that the Savior endured during the Atonement. Finally, he retold the account of opposition in President Kimball’s life – his needing surgery for throat cancer and then in learning to speak again. Elder Bednar pointed out that the thing that a prophet needs the most is his voice. Nevertheless, Heavenly Father let President Kimball have this trial of his faith for a purpose. Elder Bednar recounted how, after Elder Kimball’s surgery, President Lee asked Elder Kimball to speak during each session of that particular Conference in spite of Elder Kimball’s earnest pleas that he not be asked to speak. At first he could only “croak and squeak” into the microphone. But by the end of that Conference, however, Elder Kimball was on his way back to being able to speak again.

Sister Bednar addressed the question, “What is the worth of women in the Lord’s Kingdom?”  After referring to Biblical accounts of women and the Savior’s regard for them, she said God “divinely designed” men and women to be different. Thus they are different, but equal.  Equal does not mean they are the same. She recounted a personal story of one of their sons who became ill, and how a priesthood blessing by Elder Bednar and Sister Bednar’s prayers and faith combined to help the boy to recover. As a follow up on Sister Bednar’s remarks, Elder Bednar alluded to the question about women and the priesthood.  Elder Bednar gave the following analogy: The priesthood is not male. The priesthood is like an umbrella under which all members of the Church – men, women, and children – are blessed. Men hold the priesthood—like holding the handle of the umbrella.

Among the questions was a request that Elder Bednar bear his testimony about the Book of Mormon. In doing so, he said he had received a witness of the truth of the Book of Mormon by the Power of the Holy Ghost. He then expanded on the outward evidences that refute the notion that Joseph Smith made it all up. He talked about the 90 days of writing time to translate the Book of Mormon, comparing it with his own personal two year task of writing an 800 page book.  He noted that he has held in his hands and looked through the pages of the manuscript of the translation of the Book of Mormon. It was translated as one continuous stream with no punctuation and no revisions. He compared that writing with his own writing task which employed many editors and revisions, only to discover to his dismay after it was published, that there were still mistakes. He, as a writer, is a well-educated man with advanced writing skills and tools such as computers. Joseph Smith had a second grade education and only scribes to assist him.

He also pointed out the internal evidences in the Book of Mormon. For example, how the tree in Lehi’s dream of the Tree of Life in 1 Nephi chapter 8, is echoed [some 275 pages later] in Alma’s discourse in Alma 32 about planting the seed of the Word that becomes a tree springing up unto eternal life (v.41). Here is just one example of how intricately woven are the ideas in the Book of Mormon: Joseph Smith could not have written the book. No man could write the book.

Additionally, the Book of Mormon clarifies such doctrines as Faith and Works which the Bible presents incompletely. Elder Bednar referred to such clarifications as “nuggets of truth” – of which there are many. Furthermore, he spoke of the Bible as one nail that pins the truth. However, with only one nail, the truth can be made to “spin.” The Book of Mormon is the second nail that pins the truth, and thus it prevents spinning.

In answer to a question about spiritual gifts, Elder Bednar pointed out that to desire spiritual gifts in order to “show off” is priestcraft. Spiritual gifts are given to you in order to bless other people. You will receive spiritual gifts only if God trusts you. You must focus on others in love and service. For example, the gift of tongues is given to you so that others may hear the gospel preached unto them in their own language. ~PLH

Elder and Sister Bednar at GC Oct 2013 [photo: mormonnewsroom]

MY HUSBAND'S TAKE:

If you live long enough, you get to know everyone

Watching Elder Bednar in action was a delight. I first met him many years ago when he and I were both working on our Doctorates at Purdue University. His course of study was in Organizational Behavior and mine was in English Language and Literature. I was the Director of the LDS Institute of Religion at that time and had a fair amount of interaction with the students, whether undergraduate or graduate. He finished his degree in 1980, and I two years later.

As his star rose in the Church and Kingdom of God, I was one who always watched that ascent with some pleasure. When he was called to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, I sent him a short note, reminding him of our brief association in West Lafayette, Indiana. I suggested to him that while I had had an opportunity to serve as his teacher for a time, I would spend the rest of my life being his student. He, in turn, sent a short, kind reply that acknowledged that brief crossing of paths.

Yesterday, I was again reminded of the connections that we make during our mortal sojourns here upon the earth, ones that seem to surprise and delight us. Because of some heating problems in the “Bubbles” on the West Campus of the Missionary Training Center, our Branch has been temporally merged with another for the past three weeks. We have alternated in our assignments in presiding, conducting, and teaching in Sacrament and Priesthood Meetings. A couple of weeks ago, for example, I had the assignment to teach Priesthood meeting. One of the counselors in the other Branch Presidency came up to me afterwards and asked if I have been an Institute teacher at some point in my life. When I acknowledged that fact, he said “I thought so, You have that way about you when you teach.” I was a little flattered, I suppose, and mentioned it to my wife later that day.

This past Sunday morning we met again together in the Wyview chapel and between meetings this same counselor sat down next to me and asked again, “You did say that you taught Seminary and Institute, didn’t you?” When I confessed again that that was the case, he said, “Where did you teach?” I said that I had begun my career at Bountiful Seminary, north of Salt Lake City. He brightened and said, “I knew it! I was one of your students.” I looked at his name tag which had his last name on it. I laughed out loud, saying, “And your first name is Mike…” I almost burst out in tears when he nodded his head.

We had but little time to share, so many experiences had happened to us since we had last been together. But as Priesthood Meeting began, a session during which my former student was going to teach the Elders in the two Branches, I asked leave to say a couple of words. I told the missionaries about my brief association with Elder Bednar that I described above. I then related the exchange that the two of us counselors had had just a few moments before. I said, turning to my newly found friend, “More than forty years ago you sat at my feet as my student; for the next forty minutes I will sit at yours.”

I had occasion during the rest of the day to talk about the life-long, and certainly eternity-long, connections that we make with others, just as Elder Bednar and I had momentarily connected, just as my former student and I were reconnected. Two of our Districts left for Mexico today, fully half of our little Branch. Some of them will not see each other during the remainder of their mortal lives, but I testified to them yesterday that there already existed connections between them, indestructible connections, that will be rejoiced in at some future day. I have loved all of my students, the hundreds that passed through my classroom during my thirty-five years as a religious educator. I have felt much the same toward the scores of missionaries who have passed through our Branch during the last year. We are linked together for good. I believe that in the end of time, all of that good that we have shared will bring us together again, never more to be separated. ~PNH

The Lord's Timing

On that momentous occasion at the opening session of the October 2012 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, when President Monson announced the changes in ages for young Elders and Sister missionaries, my husband and I were in St. George, Utah for the burial of my 90-year-old mother. We were in a florist’s shop next to the cemetery just as the announcement was made, and we viewed it on a TV in the shop:

For some time the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have allowed young men from certain countries to serve at the age of 18 when they are worthy, able, have graduated from high school, and have expressed a sincere desire to serve. This has been a country-specific policy and has allowed thousands of young men to serve honorable missions and also fulfill required military obligations and educational opportunities.

Our experience with these 18-year-old missionaries has been positive. Their mission presidents report that they are obedient, faithful, mature, and serve just as competently as do the older missionaries who serve in the same missions. Their faithfulness, obedience, and maturity have caused us to desire the same option of earlier missionary service for all young men, regardless of the country from which they come.

I am pleased to announce that effective immediately all worthy and able young men who have graduated from high school or its equivalent, regardless of where they live, will have the option of being recommended for missionary service beginning at the age of 18, instead of age 19. I am not suggesting that all young men will—or should—serve at this earlier age. Rather, based on individual circumstances as well as upon a determination by priesthood leaders, this option is now available.

As we have prayerfully pondered the age at which young men may begin their missionary service, we have also given consideration to the age at which a young woman might serve. Today I am pleased to announce that able, worthy young women who have the desire to serve may be recommended for missionary service beginning at age 19, instead of age 21.

We affirm that missionary work is a priesthood duty—and we encourage all young men who are worthy and who are physically able and mentally capable to respond to the call to serve. Many young women also serve, but they are not under the same mandate to serve as are the young men. We assure the young sisters of the Church, however, that they make a valuable contribution as missionaries, and we welcome their service.

Less than four months after President Monson’s announcement of the missionary age-change, on 29 January 2013, my husband was called to serve at the Provo MTC as a counselor in a branch presidency. The “tsunami” of new missionaries responding to the age-change was now beginning to arrive at the MTC, dramatically swelling the numbers. Additional branches, therefore, needed to be organized to accommodate their increasing numbers. Likewise, additional ecclesiastical leaders were needed to serve in those additional branches, and my husband was privileged to be among that number.

As a branch presidency wife, I was invited to participate in the branch in several ways. I would help in the orientation of new missionaries assigned to our branch; I would visit our Sister Missionaries in their residences periodically to encourage and assist them as needed; I would speak in sacrament meeting on a regular basis; I would attend district meetings and have an opportunity to bear testimony; I would attend the Tuesday night devotionals where the speakers were General Authorities; I would attend the MTC Relief Society meetings and New Sisters meetings. In short, I was to be a “missionary to the missionaries.”

Looking back, we are impressed with the Lord’s timing in our lives. We are grateful for the privilege we have been given to serve at the Provo MTC. The young Elders and Sisters are remarkable in their faith, their maturity, and in their desires to serve the Lord. We love them as we love our own children and grandchildren. We know the Lord is with them and will bless them and their families. ~PLH

THE FOLLOWING IS MY HUSBAND'S ACCOUNT OF HIS MTC CALLING:

The Capstone

The phone call asking us to come to the Provo Missionary Training Center for an interview was unexpected. We had no idea that we had been recommended to serve there by our Stake President. After my release as the Bishop of our Ward, I had been asked to return to the Stake High Council as the advisor to the Spanish Branch, together with the assignment to oversee the Spanish-speaking missionary work in the entire Stake. I had been serving in that capacity for three and one-half years when we were invited to become part of a Branch Presidency at the MTC. From the very beginning of our service, I have thought of our participation in this grand work as a capstone to all that had transpired in my life up to that point.

My first acquaintance with full-time missionaries had come while I was in Duluth, Minnesota, as a member of the Unites States Air Force. The young men who were anxiously engaged in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ were all my age and I enjoyed their company on a regular basis as the work progressed in that part of the vineyard. I had not been there long before I determined that upon my discharge from the military that I, too, would serve in the same capacity somewhere in the world. I left for Southeast Mexico only a few days after my active duty came to an end. My two years and four months as a full-time missionary was a soul and life defining experience for me. I returned without regrets and a determination to press forward in faith through every challenge and adversity.

My academic studies clustered around my facility with Spanish and within three years after my return, I finished my course of study and began my life’s career as a Seminary and Institute teacher, a profession that would take me and my little family throughout the United States. Once again I was in continual contact with worthy young men and women who sought to do the Lord’s will to the best of their ability. This was particularly true at Purdue University and the University of New Mexico where I had direct contact with the Elders and Sisters who had been assigned to work with the students on campus. Throughout this time, my ecclesiastical callings centered on those who were preparing to enter into missionary service. I could not have asked for a more coordinated life.

During my time in the Church Educational System, I had infrequent opportunities to use my mission language. I have been counseled to keep my facility with Spanish fresh, but it had been difficult to do. There were occasional assignments in California and New Mexico in which I could use my gifts, but I was not immersed in the language. The same could be said of my direct experience with people who were investigating the truths of the restoration. I was acquainted with them, but not fully engaged in the conversion process.

In the fall of 2012, as part of a regular interview with my Stake President, I mentioned my concerns. I knew that I was as involved as anyone on the Stake level with speaking Spanish and directing missionary work, but it was an ancillary role. I said to him that if he were ever asked to recommend someone to serve in a more direct role in the missionary effort anywhere in the world, that I would like to be considered. I wanted to feel the spirit of missionary work; I wanted to be concerned with the salvation of those weltering in darkness and sin. Little did I know what was about to transpire in the Church and at the Provo Missionary Training Center. Within a few weeks of my interview with the President, the MTC Presidency issued a request to the surrounding Stakes in Utah County to make recommendations for ecclesiastical leaders who could serve with them there in light of the expanding number of new full-time missionaries.

The day that we received our call to serve in a Spanish Branch at the Provo MTC, we also had to make a visit to the Provo Temple. I had forgotten to take off my “Visitor’s Pass” that I had worn during our tour of the facility. When I paused at the front desk, the ordinance worker there said, “Oh, I see that you have been to the MTC. Did you receive an assignment?” I responded in the affirmative, that we have been called to serve there for the next four years. He smiled and said, “Well, after you are released, you might as well go ahead and die. You will have no greater calling in the Church afterwards.” I have thought about his remarks to me and I have concluded that the call to serve at the Provo MTC has not been the “greatest calling” that I have had in the Church, but it has certainly been a culmination of all that has been transpiring thus far in my life. It is the capstone. ~PNH