Good morning brutha's and sista's. Hey, I've always wanted to say it that way just once. How was everyone's Halloween?

Good, good. Are the kids strung out enough on sugar?

Yes, Sally, I know there are a handful of families that think celebrating Halloween is akin to worshipping Satan. Pretty narrow-minded isn't it. Yes, Shermer's book, Why People Believe Weird Things, should sit right next to their scriptures.

Well let's move into the lesson. Preparing this week's lesson was kind of a difficult task for me, but let's give it the good old college try. The lesson is on missionary work, with an emphasis on the mantra of every member a missionary. Who started the saying, "Every member a missionary?"

Yes, Tamy. You are right, it was either David O. McKay or Joseph Fielding Smith. McKay was the president that used it first.

Here is an interesting tidbit. One of McKay's counselors was J. Reuben Clark, or Reub, if you like. He was also the first counselor for President Heber Grant. Any of you catch that? I left out the "J." Anyways, Reub was fairly influential with the Church News. He instructed writers and Editor of The Church News to never use the word prophet in reference to the president of the church. Reub wanted that word used only in reference to Joseph Smith as it relates to these "latter-days." After Reub died, The Church News used the word, prophet, twice in reference to McKay. Fast forward to today, and the word is used all the time. The kids sing follow the prophet in primary. What Reub had feared had come to pass, we show an undue amount of adulation to the president of the church. Tamy, did you mean to send us off on that tangent? Back to missionary work.

How many of you served missions? I see many of you did.

Tom, where did you serve? Thailand.

What about you Samantha? Atlanta, Georgia

What about you Fred? Minnesota.

What about you Brenda? France.

How would you rate your mission experience? Was it the best two years of your life? What about the worst?

Yes, Samantha. You thought it was great and very rewarding. Why is that? Oh, really? You spent much of your time helping disadvantaged inner-city youth? I guess I didn't know the church did that. You think it was a program specific to your first mission president? Oh, so when your initial mission president was replaced 14 months through your mission, that program was shut down? Why was that? The new mission president wanted to increase baptismal rates and had done a pareto analysis on the activities that led to filling the teaching funnel? Wow, I learned about pareto analysis in my job in high-tech. Ah, that makes sense, your mission president worked at Intel, prior to becoming a mission president. Got it.

Yes, Brenda. It was a very difficult time for you. You had few opportunities to serve or to teach? Oh, you were a nurse prior to going? Well, in my mission the sister missionaries who were nurses gave all of the missionaries gamma globulin shots, in the hiney..., I'm not sure if they liked it or did it out of duty. No gamma globulin shots in France. Okay. But the experience was difficult. You also felt demeaned being lorded over by young-men four to five years your junior. I can understand that as well.

Okay, so we can see that missionary experiences can vary pretty significantly. Is it good for everyone to go on a mission?

Yes, Brent. Like you, I know many people who had a wonderful experience and I know many people who had horrible experiences. One member of our ward spent years recovering from post-traumatic stress syndrome from her mission. This is serious stuff. Missions can be difficult and they are not for everyone. They should not be entered into lightly.

As for me, I didn't take it all too seriously and had a pretty good time. I baptized 20 people, but I'm pretty sure that they are all inactive now. So does that make my mission a failure? No, I really grew up a lot and had a more mature perspective on life when I returned.

I'm going to try to split the rest of the discussion into a couple of sections, one is missionary activity inside the church proper. Another is missionary activity for a life of compassion and integrity.

Why is the church so focused on missionary activity?

Yes, Rebecca. You are right. Joseph Smith said that this was a missionary oriented church. He said, ""No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done" (History of the Church, 4:540). It does beg the question, this was said 175 years ago, yet it hasn't hardly happened at all. Why is that?

Yes, Brent. As you said, some may consider your statement bold, but maybe his statement is based upon false or misunderstood pretense. Perhaps he envisioned the church rolling forth and filling the whole world, when indeed it was a church that was relevant to the social and cultural conditions of rural New England in 1830. But the church has adapted, hasn't it? The church today really isn't the church that Joseph founded in 1830, nor is it the church that Brigham established in the Great Basin. It has adapted and changed. Some say that that is one of the benefits of an open canon, but we really haven't added much of anything to the canon since Joseph was killed, so do we really have an open canon?

Yes, Aliesha. Yes, I know we are getting off topic, thanks for reeling me in. What was that? The cows are getting out? What do you mean? The barn door is open? What? Oh..., Sorry everyone. Yes, yes, I know. I don't have my G's on. My wife gave me these heart boxers. After this class...you know. The kids will be... My wife is at home... Well, you know... Sorry everyone...., Let's get back to missionary work.

Well, we have danced around the topic, but the church sees missionary work as one of the foundational tenets. The church wants to "feed" Christ's sheep, by proclaiming the gospel, until the church fills the whole earth. That is foundational to many churches, including our church. But let's move onto perhaps a different question. Just exactly what is it that Christ wanted to proclaim?

Yes, Samantha. You are correct, the two great commandments are to love God and to love your neighbor. What does it mean to love God? How do we do that?

Yes, Kelly. Many say that the main way we love God is by being obedient. But the question I would ask, is obedience to whom?

Yes, Francis. Some say obedience to God, some say obedience to church leaders, and some say obedient to those in authority, whether religious or civil. Like you, I suspect that obedience to God is much more important than obedience to anything else. What does God want us to do?

Yes, Liz. God wants us to treat others with kindness, consideration, and generosity? Well isn't that kind of the second commandment, loving your neighbor? So your perspective is that by following the Golden Rule, we are obeying the two great commandments. We are loving God by treating others as we would like to be treated and we are loving our neighbor by doing the same. Just think, what would happen in the world if everyone followed the Golden Rule. Wouldn't that be disastrous? I mean people would be nice to each other and help each other, they wouldn't be vengeful or judgmental, they would be forgiving. Wouldn't that be terrible?

But wait, what does this have to do with missionary work? How come we keep getting off track?

Yes, Tom. When we speak of every member being a missionary, one of the main things we usually mention is being a good example. So what you are saying is that by tying together the Golden Rule and setting an example, we in fact are doing the type of missionary work that would benefit those around us. What about the church specific teachings?

Yes, Sally. You would recommend tossing the dogma and sticking with the basic teaching of Christ as the foundation of our missionary work by example? Doesn't that fly in the face of the church rolling forth to fill the earth?

Samantha. Well, I suppose you are right. The key really is following the example of Christ and not the example of some men dressed in McCarthy approved dark suits, white shirts, and ties, with the correlated McCarthy approved haircuts.

This makes missionary work much more palatable. Follow the Golden Rule. Be kind to others. Help others. Don't be judgmental. Allow and support other people in being themselves. In short, be a good example and others will follow.

Okay, well, we are out of time. I must admit that is the wackiest lesson on missionary work I've ever had. Thanks for all of your input.

Tom, will you say the prayer please.

Thanks, until next time.