This webinar discusses the requirements to serve as an LDS missionary, worthiness qualifications, the mission cost, and other items around temporal and spiritual preparation for a Mormon mission.

1. Mormon Mission Prep Webinar:
Preparing to Serve
One of a series of webinars on LDS Missionary Preparation by Jimmy
Smith of MormonMissionPrep.com. Other Webinars:
-Gaining the Desire to Serve
-Receiving the Call to Serve
-Gearing Up 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. Lescano Family, Concordia, Argentina, March 1997
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6. Baptism of the Lescano Family, Concordia, Argentina, April 1997
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7. Agenda:
Preparing to Serve
• Requirements to Serve
– Spiritual qualifications
– Temporal: Physical fitness and financial costs
• What it Means to be Worthy to Serve a
Mission
– The Law of Chastity
– Repentance Process
• Gaining your own testimony of the Restored
Gospel of Jesus Christ
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8. Scriptural Qualifications
for Missionary Work
D&C Section 4
1. Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the
children of men.
2. Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him
with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand
blameless before God at the last day.
3. Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;
4. For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth
in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth
not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;
5. And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God,
qualify him for the work.
6. Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly
kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.
7. Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.
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9. Requirements to Serve a Mission
• Temporal Requirements
– Age requirements: 18 for YM. 19 for YW.
– Be single and no family obligations
– Be financially prepared
– Be physically prepared
– Be mentally and emotionally prepared
• Spiritual Requirements
– Be worthy
– Have a testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus
Christ
– Receive the Temple Endowment
– Melchizedek Priesthood ordination for young
men
– Receive a patriarchal blessing
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10. Being Physically Prepared
• Missionaries are expected to be physically
capable of working all day
• This could mean walking or riding a bike
several miles a day for six days a week
• If you have a physical disability, injury, or
illness that might limit your ability to do
this work, discuss it with your bishop
• In most cases there will still be ways for
you to serve a full-time mission
– Though where and how you serve may be
restricted
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11. Financially Prepared:
Mission Cost
• Missionaries pay their own expenses
• $400 a month for young men and women in the US
– That comes to $9,600 for YM and $7,200 for YW
– Costs vary for in other countries
• Monthly allowance according to needs
– Covered: food, housing, transportation, etc.
– Not Covered: souvenirs, other extras, etc.
• Mission paperwork section
– Sources of funds: Self, Family, Ward, etc.
– All are blessed for making sacrifices to pay for a
mission
• Supplemental financial assistance is available in
some countries
• Finances should not stop a worthy individual from
serving a mission
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12. Mission Preparation for Women and
How It Differs from Men
Mostly, it is the same. But consider these comments:
• “In a way it is a little more difficult because it is not an
automatic next stage in a woman’s life like it is for the
Elders.”
• Laura Daniels, Argentina Neuquen Mission
• “It is often times more difficult for sisters to adjust to
having a companion 24/7, and having a schedule that
they have to follow. We make our own decision to go
– we are not commanded to go, but we still must
decide to be perfectly obedient, even when it is
difficult.”
• Jessica Rex, Arizona Tucson Mission
• “I’ve noticed that, financially, missions can be very
straining for women, where some men have been
saving up since they were little.”
• Emily Craghead, Arizona Tucson Mission
• Read more: Mission Preparation for Women and How It Differs
from Men
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13. What it Means to be Worthy to Serve a
Mission
• Believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the
Holy Ghost
• Have a testimony of the Atonement of Jesus
Christ
• Have a testimony of the restored gospel
• Sustain the President of the Church and the
Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators
• Be honest in all you say and do
• Attend Church meetings
• Live the teachings of our Savior and His Church
• Live the law of chastity
• Be a full-tithe payer
• Keep the Word of Wisdom
• Not support or affiliate with anti-Mormon groups
• Resolved serious sins with priesthood authorities
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14. The Law of Chastity:
Keeping ourselves sexually pure
“Satan has led many people to believe that
sexual intimacy outside of marriage is
acceptable. But in God’s sight, it is a serious
sin…The prophet Alma taught that sexual sins
are more serious than any other sins except
murder and denying the Holy Ghost (Alma
39:3–5)…Heavenly Father has given us the
law of chastity for our protection. Obedience
to this law is essential to personal peace and
strength of character and to happiness in the
home. As you keep yourself sexually pure,
you will avoid the spiritual and emotional
damage that always come from sharing
physical intimacies with someone outside of
marriage.” (True to the Faith, p. 29)
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15. The Repentance Process
• Faith in God and Christ
• Sorrow for committing the sin
• Confession
• Abandonment of Sin
• Restitution
• Righteous Living
– See True to the Faith p. 132
• “Attempts to create a list of specific steps of repentance
may be helpful to some, but it may also lead to a
mechanical, check-off-the-boxes approach with no real
feeling or change. True repentance is not superficial.”
– The Divine Gift of Repentance, Elder D. Todd Christofferson
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16. Repentance Process:
Faith in God and Christ
• Through faith in God and the
Atonement of Jesus Christ, you can
– Receive help and strength to repent
– Have a change of heart and mind
– Be cleansed
– Be forgiven
• “Therefore may God grant unto you,
my brethren, that ye may begin to
exercise your faith unto repentance,
that ye begin to call upon his holy
name, that he would have mercy
upon you” (Alma 34:17).
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17. Repentance Process:
Sorrow for committing the sin
• This means that you feel godly sorrow and acknowledge that you
have done something wrong
• It means you feel remorse and sadness for having sinned
• Godly sorrow means you have a sincere desire to change and a
willingness to submit to the requirement for forgiveness
• Alma counseled Corianton: “Let your sins trouble you, with that
trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance” (Alma 42:29)
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18. Repentance Process:
Confession
• Confession is telling Heavenly Father
in prayer what you have done wrong
• Serious sins, such as breaking the
law of chastity, need to be confessed
to your bishop or branch president
• The Lord has promised “I, the Lord,
forgive sins, and am merciful unto
those who confess their sins with
humble hearts” (D&C 61:2)
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19. Repentance Process:
Abandonment of Sin
• Joseph Smith taught, “By this ye may know if a man
repenteth of his sins–behold, he will confess them and
forsake them” (D&C 58:43)
• Forsake sin means to abandon the sin and turn away from it
• Forsaking also means to resolve never to commit the sin
again, and to stay away from the situations where you may
be tempted to repeat it
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20. Repentance Process:
Restitution
• Seek to restore as far as possible all
that has been damaged by your sins
• For example:
– A thief should give back what he has
stolen
– A liar should make the truth known
• As we do this, God will not mention
our sins when we are judged
• “Behold, he who has repented of his
sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the
Lord, remember them no more.”
(D&C 58:42)
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21. Repentance Process:
Righteous Living
• For your repentance to be
complete, you must have a
change of heart
• This brings a desire to fill your
life with righteousness
• You must strive to obey all the
commandments
• The Lord revealed to the
Prophet Joseph Smith that “he
that repents and does the
commandments of the Lord
shall be forgiven” (D&C 1:32)
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22. Agenda:
Preparing to Serve
• Requirements to Serve
– Spiritual qualifications
– Temporal: Physical fitness and financial costs
• What it Means to be Worthy to Serve a
Mission
– The Law of Chastity
– Repentance Process
• Gaining your own testimony of the Restored
Gospel of Jesus Christ
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23. Basic Doctrines of the Restored Gospel
• Three of the first things you will teach investigators:
– The Godhead
– Joseph Smith and Living Prophets
– The Book of Mormon
• It is vital that you study these things and gain your own
testimony of their truthfulness in order to be effective
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24. The Godhead: God the Father, Jesus
Christ, and the Holy Ghost
• “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Additional Scriptures
Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” 1 Nephi 17:36
– First Article of Faith 2 Nephi 9:6
• Joseph Smith taught that in order to exercise faith Mosiah 4:9
in God one must have “a correct idea of his 3 Nephi 12:48
character, perfections, and attributes.” 3 Nephi 14:9–11
– See Lectures on Faith 3 Nephi 27:13–22
• God the Father D&C 38:1–3
– Father of our spirits. Perfect. Merciful. Kind. D&C 130:22
• Jesus Christ Moses 1:39
Matthew 5:48
– Savior. Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh.
Sinless life. Performed the infinite Atonement. John 3:16–17
• The Holy Ghost Acts 17:27–29
– Comforter. Testifies of truth. Bears witness of God. Romans 8:16
Hebrews 12:9
1 John 4:7–9
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25. Joseph Smith and Living Prophets
• 1820. Joseph Smith’s First Vision
– God the Father and Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph in
response to his prayer (see Joseph Smith-History 1:15-20)
• 1827. Joseph received the gold plates and began
translating the Book of Mormon
• 1829. The Aaronic Priesthood was restored to Joseph
Smith and Oliver Cowdery by John the Baptist
– The Melchizedek Priesthood was also restored when they
were given it by the Apostles Peter, James, and John
• 1830. The Church was organized
– The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is “the only
true and living church upon the face of the whole earth”
(D&C 1:30)
• The President of the Church is our living prophet
– The members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are
also prophets, seers, and revelators (see D&C 1:38)
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26. The Book of Mormon
• Is powerful evidence of the divinity of Jesus Christ
• Is proof that Joseph Smith was a true prophet
• Is an essential part of the conversion process
• Is a missionary’s main source for teaching the gospel
• President Ezra Taft Benson said, “If the Book of Mormon is
true, then Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was his prophet,
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and it
is being led today by a prophet receiving revelation” (A
Witness and a Warning, 4–5).
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27. Augustín Zapata. Beltran, Argentina. November, 1996
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28. Baptism of Augustín Zapata, November 1996
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29. Homework: Start preparing now to
serve a mission by…
1. Earning money and saving for your mission
2. Paying a full tithing
3. Keeping the law of chastity
4. Repenting when needed
5. Attending your Church meetings
6. Keeping the Word of Wisdom
7. Learning the basic doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ
8. Developing a relationship with your Father in Heaven
through prayer
9. Studying the scriptures daily
10. Reading the Book of Mormon and gaining a testimony of it
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30. Questions?
• Next Mission Prep Webinar
– Receiving the Call to Serve, Sunday February 3rd at
6pm MST
– Gearing Up to Serve, Sunday February 10th at 6pm
MST
• Register or view past webinars at
MormonMissionPrep.com/Webinar
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