In this webinar we discuss gearing up physically and spiritually for your LDS mission. We talk about Mormon missionary clothing and other supplies you’ll need, reading lists, the MTC, the gift of tongues, teaching by the Spirit, and your purpose as a missionary.

1. Mormon Mission Prep Webinar:
Gearing Up to Serve
One of a series of webinars on Missionary Preparation by Jimmy
Smith of MormonMissionPrep.com. Other Webinars:
-Gaining the Desire to Serve
-Preparing to Serve
-Receiving the Call to Serve
View recordings at www.MormonMissionPrep.com/webinar

2. Before We Begin
• This webinar is being recorded
• Q&A Etiquette
– Ask a question at any time during the presentation
– Please mute your line if you aren’t asking a question
• You can click on the links within the slide presentation
– For example, click here to go to MormonMissionPrep.com
• What this webinar is not
– It is not an official presentation of the LDS Church
– It is not the Church Mission Prep class offered by wards,
stakes, and LDS Institute programs
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3. Introduction to Jimmy
• Working for the LDS Church
since 2008
– Currently website product
manager for Seminary and
Institute
• In 2009 started
MormonMissionPrep.com
• Graduate of BYU and ASU
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4. Served mission in Rosario, Argentina
from 1995 to 1997
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5. Theodoroy Family. Rosario, Argentina. May 1997
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6. Baptism of Maria Ines Theodoroy. Rosario, Argentina. May 1997
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7. Agenda
Gearing Up to Serve
• Gearing Up Physically
– What to bring on your mission?
• Luggage, Clothing, Reading Material, Etc.
– Skills to bring: Cooking and Laundry
• Gearing Up Spiritually
– Your purpose as a missionary
– The MTC
– Open Your Mouth
– The Gift of Tongues
– Teaching by the Spirit
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8. What to Bring on Your Mission
• For two years you’ll fit all your belongings into three pieces of
luggage
– Two large suitcases (that you could check at the airport)
– One smaller bag (a carry-on)
• You’ll have to keep it to the essentials such as:
– Clothes and Shoes
– Toiletries
– Rain and cold weather gear
– Sheets and Books
– Watch/ Alarm clock
– First aid kit
• Variations exist between missions
• Mission call letter will provide more details
– See my article on LDS Missionary Clothing List and Other Items to
Bring on Your Mission
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9. Mission Clothing List: Elders
• 10 – 12 White shirts (some short sleeve and • Sweater(s), solid dark color, as needed
some long sleeve) • Umbrella
• 2 Suits (dark colored and conservative) • Pair of flip-flops/shower shoes
• 5 – 6 Pair of dress slacks • Shaving equipment
• 5 – 6 Conservative ties • Deodorant and other toiletries
• 8 – 10 Socks (solid, dark colors) • Work clothes and gym clothes (jeans, t-shirt,
• 2 Pairs of shoes (thick-soled, comfortable, shorts, athletic shoes, etc.)
conservative) • Small first-aid kit, and sewing kit
• 8 – 10 Pairs of temple garments • Alarm clock (wind-up or battery)
• Pajamas, robe, and slippers, as needed • 2 Towels, washcloths
• Winter boots, waterproof, as needed • Twin-size bed sheets with pillowcase
• Overcoat, dark colored, with liner, as needed • Backpack
• Raincoat, dark colored, lightweight • Sunscreen and lip balm, as needed
• Cold-weather gear (gloves, scarf, ear-muffs,
winter hat, thermals) as needed
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10. Mission Clothing List: Sisters
• 4 – 5 Outfits of modest design: blouses, • Raincoat, dark colored, lightweight
skirts, dresses, jackets, vests, jumpers, suits. • Cold-weather gear (gloves, scarf, ear-muffs,
Mid-calf length. Nothing tight-fitting, or winter hat, thermals) as needed
baggy; no wrap-around skirts, t-shirts, polo- • Sweater(s), as needed
shirts, denims, or leathers.
• 12 Pairs of nylons or knee-highs • Umbrella
• 2 – 3 Pairs of shoes that are conservative and • Pair of flip-flops/shower shoes
comfortable • Work clothes and gym clothes (jeans, t-shirt,
• 1 Pair of dress shoes shorts, athletic shoes, etc.)
• 1 Pair of winter boots • Small first-aid kit, and sewing kit
• 8 – 10 Pairs of temple garments • Alarm clock (wind-up or battery)
• Personal toiletries • 2 Towels, washcloths
• Underclothing, modest and durable. • Twin-size bed sheets with pillowcase
• Pajamas, robe, and slippers, as needed • Backpack
• Dark winter coat • Sunscreen and lip balm, as needed
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11. Approved Missionary Reading List
• The Scriptures and Church study aids
• The Preach My Gospel Manual
• Official Church magazines (The Ensign, Liahona, etc.)
• Other lesson manuals and official Church materials
• The Church News
• The Missionary Reference Library
– Jesus the Christ, by James E. Talmage
– Our Heritage: A Brief History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
– Our Search for Happiness, By M. Russell Ballard
– True to the Faith
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12. Skills to Bring with You: Cooking
• In some places, missionaries get fed
dinner everyday
• In other places, you may never be fed
a meal
• In my mission, it was a mix
• My advice: Know how to cook
– Pancakes and French toast
• Breakfast cereal may not be available in
your mission (it was rare in Argentina)
– Pasta, hamburgers, pizza, cookies, salad,
soup, sandwiches, etc.
• In the picture I am cooking some
crepes, a family tradition passed down
from my dad who went to France
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13. “Teach your son how to cook”
• “An anxious mother of a prospective
missionary once asked me what I would
recommend her son learn before the arrival
of his missionary call. I am certain she
anticipated a profound response which
would contain the more familiar
requirements for service of which we are
all aware. However, I said, ‘Teach your son
how to cook, but more particularly, teach
him how to get along with others. He will
be happier and more productive if he
learns these two vital skills.’”
– Thomas S. Monson, Who Honors God, God
Honors
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14. Skills to Bring with You: Laundry
• Prior to my mission, I thought I knew how to do laundry
– I could separate lights from darks, load the washing machine, put
in soap, turn it on, and then switch the clothes to the dryer
• No apartment in my mission had a washing machine or dryer
– In some of my areas, we paid someone to wash our clothes
– In half of my areas, we washed our own clothes, by hand
• My first companion taught me the wash board method of
laundry
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15. Agenda
Gearing Up to Serve
• Gearing Up Physically
– What to bring on your mission?
• Luggage, Clothing, Reading Material, Etc.
– Skills to bring: Cooking and Laundry
• Gearing Up Spiritually
– Your purpose as a missionary
– The MTC
– Open Your Mouth
– The Gift of Tongues
– Teaching by the Spirit
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16. Your Purpose as a Missionary
The top of page 1 of the
missionary guide book, Preach
My Gospel, states your
purpose:
• Invite others to come unto
Christ by helping them
receive the restored gospel
through faith in Jesus Christ
and His Atonement,
repentance, baptism,
receiving the gift of the
Holy Ghost, and enduring
to the end.
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17. Preach the Gospel to Every Creature
• Jesus Christ commanded his Apostles: “Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark
16:15)
• Joseph Smith said, “After all that has been said, the greatest
and most important duty is to preach the Gospel.”
• The Lord’s commandment to missionaries in our day:
– “The sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and
unto the uttermost parts of the earth.” (D&C 58:64)
– “Go ye into the world and preach the gospel to every creature
that cometh under the sound of your voice.” (D&C 80:1)
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18. Why Do We Do Missionary Work?
“We do not preach and teach in order to
“bring people into the Church” or to increase
the membership of the Church. We do not
preach and teach just to persuade people to
live better lives. …We are concerned with a
higher destination. The purpose of our
missionary work is to help the children of
God fulfill a condition prescribed by our
Savior and Redeemer. We preach and teach in
order to baptize the children of God so that
they can be saved in the celestial kingdom
instead of being limited to a lesser kingdom.
We do missionary work in order to baptize
and confirm.”
– Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Why Do We Do
Missionary Work?
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19. The Missionary Training Center (MTC)
• You’ll go to one of 17 MTCs across the world to learn:
– Gospel doctrines
– How to teach by the Spirit
– Communication skills (a foreign language for some)
– The mission rules
• Every day you will have a rigorous schedule
– Classes, Exercise, Meal Time, Scripture Study, etc.
• Once a week you’ll go to the temple
• Once a week you have a devotional by a General Authority
• You’ll have weekly service (“celestial service”) cleaning toilets,
mopping, etc.
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20. MTC Services
• Cafeteria: Three healthy meals a day are served
• Laundry: Washers and dryers are available. You must purchase you own detergent
• Dry cleaning: Rates are reasonable. Suit alterations are available for a fee.
• Bookstore: Learning materials, book bags, toiletries, white shirts, treats, etc.
• Barbershop: Elders are entitled to one free haircut. A beautician is available for
paid appointments for Sister missionaries.
• Copy center: Photocopies, laminating, and bounding
• Mail: Missionaries can receive letters and packages through the mail, but MTC will
not accept hand deliveries.
• Banking services: Cash checks and buy travelers’ checks
• Medical services: Immunizations are available. Health needs can be treated.
Doctors are on call for emergencies.
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21. Three Ways to Open Your Mouth
• Once you leave the MTC, your
charge is to open your mouth at all
times and te
• Door Knocking
– Probably the most common, but also
among the least effective
• Bus Contacting
– Depending on your mission
circumstances
• Street Contacting
– Talking to people in everyday
situations, wherever you are
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22. Open Your Mouth:
A Commandment to Missionaries
• D&C 24:12, to Oliver Cowdery the Lord says, “At all times, and in all
places, he shall open his mouth and declare my gospel as with the
voice of a trump, both day and night.”
• D&C 28:16, to Oliver Cowdery the Lord says, “And thou must open
thy mouth at all times, declaring my gospel with the sound of
rejoicing.”
• D&C 30:11, to John Whitmer the Lord says, “Yea, you shall ever
open your mouth in my cause, not fearing what man can do, for I
am with you.”
• D&C 60:2, to the elders of the Church the Lord says, “But with some
I am not well pleased, for they will not open their mouths, but they
hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of
man.”
• D&C 71:1, to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon the Lord says, “it is
necessary and expedient in me that you should open your mouths
in proclaiming my gospel.”
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23. Opened Your Mouth
and It Shall be Filled
• “Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto
this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your
hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men; For it
shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very
moment, what ye shall say.” (D&C 100: 5-6)
• Almost everyone baptism was from simply opening my
mouth
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24. Everyone Shall Hear the Gospel in
Their Own Tongue
• In a revelation to Joseph Smith in 1833, the Lord said:
• “For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man
shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue,
and in his own language, through those who are
ordained unto this power.” (D&C 90:11)
• If you have been called to learn a foreign language, the
Lord will bless you with this power
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25. Receiving the Gift of Tongues
• Gift of tongues is one of the many gifts of
the Spirit (see 1Cor 12: 7-10)
• President Joseph F. Smith received the gift
of tongues when, as a young man, he went
on a mission to the Hawaiian Islands
• “I was in a foreign land, sent to preach the
gospel to a people whose language I could
not understand. Then I sought earnestly
for the gift of tongues, and by this gift and
by study, in a hundred days after landing
upon those islands I could talk to the
people in their language as I now talk to
you in my native tongue.”
– Gospel Doctrine, Deseret Book Co., 1939, p.
201
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26. Tips (for current and future
missionaries) on learning a language
• Steven R. Wright, one time director of language training at
the MTC, said, “be sure to do these three things: study the
language regularly and faithfully, use the language
whenever possible, and seek divine assistance.”
• Here are his additional suggestions:
– Take a language class (at school, or online, etc.) This will help
you learn how to learn a foreign language.
– Speak the language. Practice with friends who also speak the
language. Find native speakers to help you where possible.
– Learn about the people and culture. Visit with someone who is
from the country or who has been there.
– Study vocabulary. Buy a dictionary, label objects in your home,
and practice until the words become yours.
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27. My Experience Learning a New
Language
• My first 3 months in Argentina, I got up
an hour early every day to study the
language and the discussions
• Throughout mission, always kept a note
pad with me to write down new words
• Speaking Spanish 24/7 with several
native Argentine companions helped
• Towards the end of my mission, it
sometimes took people a couple of
minutes to realize I wasn’t a “porteño”
(someone from Buenos Aires, Argentina)
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28. The Language of the Spirit
• President Thomas S. Monson taught:
• “There is one language . . . that is common
to each missionary—the language of the
Spirit. It is not learned from textbooks
written by men of letters, nor is it acquired
through reading and memorization. The
language of the Spirit comes to him who
seeks with all his heart to know God and
keep His divine commandments.
Proficiency in this language permits one to
breach barriers, overcome obstacles, and
touch the human heart.”
– The Spirit Giveth Life, Ensign, June 1997
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29. Teaching by the Spirit
• President Ezra Taft Benson said: “The Spirit
is the most important single element in this
work. With the Spirit magnifying your call,
you can do miracles for the Lord in the
mission field. Without the Spirit, you will
never succeed regardless of your talent and
ability.”
– See Preach My Gospel, 176
• We must not put our trust in our own
intelligence, teaching expertise, or
personality
• Rather, we should trust in the Lord and
strive for the influence of the Holy Ghost
– See 2 Nephi 4:34
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30. Teaching by the Spirit is Vital for
Effective Missionary Work
• The Preach My Gospel manual points out five reasons
why missionaries should teach by the power of the
Holy Ghost. The Spirit will…
1. Teach you new truths and bring the doctrines you have
studied to your remembrance (see John 14:26).
2. Give you words to speak in the very moment you need
them (see D&C 84:85).
3. Carry your message to the hearts of the people you
teach (see 2 Nephi 33:1).
4. Testify of the truthfulness of your message and confirm
your words (see D&C 100:5–8).
5. Help you discern the needs of the people you are
teaching (see Alma 12:7).
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31. Tips for being prepared
to teach by the Spirit
• Daily personal and companion study strengthens your faith and
your ability to teach by the Spirit.
• Pray for the Spirit (see D&C 42:14)
• Purify your heart (see D&C 112:28)
• Keep the commandments (see D&C 20:77, 79)
• Diligently treasure up God’s word (see D&C 11:21; 84:85)
• Teach in ways that others understand your message and are edified
(see D&C 50:13–22)
• Exercise faith (see Moroni 10:7)
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32. Juan Carlos Lopez and his mother. Rosario, Argentina. Jan 1997
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33. Baptism of Juan Carlos Lopez. Rosario, Argentina. Feb 1997
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34. Any Questions?
• Video recordings of all Mormon Mission Prep
webinars are available at
MormonMissionPrep.com/Webinar
– Gaining the Desire to Serve
– Preparing to Serve
– Receiving the Call to Serve
– Gearing Up to Serve
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