News Story

Elder Ardern Shares Message on Missionary Service

Elder Ian S. Ardern, Pacific Area President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, visited Dunedin, New Zealand this past weekend (27-28 June). After spending time with a group of young and senior missionaries, he wrote the following:

I think we would all agree that our Church experiences of the last few months have been different to those that we might have anticipated.

Home centred and Church supported learning took on a whole new reality for us, as did many other activities that we might have previously taken for granted.

One of the more significant changes came because of the repatriation of many of the foreign serving missionaries in the Pacific. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we had 2,772 missionaries serving in the Pacific Area and we now have 1,713.

In the last two months we have welcomed missionaries who were previously serving in South Africa, the Philippines, Russia, Germany, and Mexico, to name just a few places, and all have brought an added enthusiasm for the work. This rich diversity of experience, coupled with the influx of equally enthusiastic missionaries who have been virtually trained, is helping to expand the gathering of Israel in the Pacific Area.

Elder Ian S. Ardern with missionaries serving in New Zealand. 28 June 2020.
Elder Ian S. Ardern with missionaries serving in Dunedin, New Zealand. 28 June 2020.© 2020 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

This weekend, I was in the Wellington, New Zealand Mission and met and taught 13 inspiring missionaries and one senior couple in Dunedin and discovered that just one of those missionaries was originally assigned to the Wellington mission. 

For the 12 "imported" missionaries, it matters not to them that the food might be different, that the language they are speaking is "foreign" to them compared to what they were speaking, that it is currently a lot colder than their previous place of service or that they are in their own "backyard" because they are just pleased to be serving the Lord.

When you are on your knees tonight, would you please remember the missionaries and ask the Lord to help you know how you can best help them serve with honour and then act on the promptings you receive.

We extend a thank you to all of the parents, family members and leaders who helped to prepare the missionaries currently serving and extend an invitation to all young men to rise up to their priesthood responsibility to serve.

With equal fervour, we invite couples and single sisters who feel they have been "Called to Serve" to likewise rise up. You are needed to fill in the ranks of the Lord's growing army.

           

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