Dear Elder Jake,
Just got your email.
Made me laugh. Made me
proud. Made me happy. Thank you.
I wanted to send a quick note to you about your “concerns”
with numbers. Remember, Christ said feed my sheep, not count my sheep. In fact, when
the Lord does talk about numbers, He often speaks about the number one:
“And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying
repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great
shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!” and the parable of the
one lost sheep (Matt 18:11-14).
Remember also that the greatest teacher and missionary, with
perfect faith, obedience, and wisdom, converted relatively few, and even one of
His own apostles fell away.
If you are a good missionary who loves the Gospel and those
whom you teach, your mission will be full of disappointments. Only poor missionaries who do not have strong
testimonies and who do not love the people – those who do not care – are not
disappointed. You will be disappointed
every time someone exercises his or her agency (that neither you nor even God
himself can take away) in not accepting the Gospel. How sad do you think the Savior felt when
Peter denied Him, when Judas betrayed Him, when Alma the younger and the sons
of Helaman were going about persecuting His people?Don’t worry about the numbers. They are not the measure of a great missionary. While it is necessary to “return and report,” as numbers and statistics are used throughout the Church to measure progress, identify areas of need, and to move the work forward, they do not necessarily reflect the obedience, effort, and faith of those reporting the numbers. If you are faithful, obedient, and hard working, the Lord will, without fail, bless you – the blessings may be in ways that are quantifiable or they may not. That is up to the Lord.
Goals are important.
Set them prayerfully and work to achieve them. But keep the numbers in perspective. Also, remember that the Lord’s timeline is
not yours. My Mission President asked us
to set a baptism goal the first week we were in Japan. Not knowing any better (and not really
realizing that the entire mission was baptizing only 5-10 people a month), I
set a goal to baptize 23 people, one for each month I would be in Japan. One year into my mission, I think I had 4
baptisms. We set teaching, finding and
sacrament meeting attendance goals every week.
Sometimes we accomplished them; often we did not. But I stuck with my mission-long baptism
goal, and Sister Shinoda, who was baptized when my dad and Sean came to meet
me, was #23. But in the end, the number
matters little. What matters is the
people we are able to meet and help while serving a mission.
The Lord knows where Hilda is. Even if you never see her again, you blessed
her life by loving, teaching and testifying to her. The Lord knows that and appreciates your
effort.
From D&C 75:
2 Hearken, O ye who have given your
names to go forth to proclaim my gospel, and to prune my vineyard.
3 Behold, I say unto you that it is my will
that you should go forth and not tarry, neither be idle but labor with your
might—
4 Lifting up your voices as with the sound of
a trump, proclaiming the truth according to the revelations and commandments
which I have given you.
5 And thus, if ye are faithful ye shall be
laden with many sheaves, and crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality,
and eternal life.
Anciently, grain was cut by hand and tied into large bundles
or sheaves which were then carried to the place of threshing. To see a person
or an animal “laden with many sheaves” was proof that the person had reaped an
abundant harvest and would now enjoy the fruits of his labors. Missionaries who go out to preach the gospel
sometimes return and report that they know not whether they have been the means
of converting anybody or not. But if they have been faithful, the harvest is
sure. The seed they have sown may sprout and come to maturity years after they
have been released.
Keep up the great work.
We love and pray for you.
DCP, Esquire.
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