Dropped off six of my 7 kids at the MTC. My own mission was back in April 1966 so just the "Mission Home" in SLC for about 4 days. But Senior Mission in 2016 started at the MTC for 10 days.
Good memories. I came into the MTC without a clear confirmation that this was what I needed to do. After prayer and learning how to listen for spiritual guidance, I came away with a profound sense of the reality of God and a desire to share a witness of His love and power with others.
For me, it's remembering those missionaries who came with me to the Nevada Las Vegas West Mission and how much we grew after two years. I hope my three sons when they turn 18 choose to serve and have an impact on people's lives.
The MTC was amazing when I was there 35 years ago. The spirit was so strong. I’ll never forget one night when the Holy Ghost flooded over my entire body one night when I was praying before bedtime.
I’m a Protestant missionary in Mozambique. We have many LDS missionaries here and I talk with them whenever I see them. I love that their heart is for people to know God. We may not agree on some aspects but at the heart we are the same. We love God and we love people.
That is a lie. They worship satan and will even hold satan worship services in the evening as stated by a Mormon. It is all about worshipping satan. Considering Mormonism, the only one who can be an elder or pastor in a church is one who has one wife and is above reproach in every way. The Bible books of Timothy and Titus explain the requirements for a pastor. Joseph Smith nor Birmingham Young met these godly requirements set by God Almighty. Joseph Smith had 40 wives and Bingham Young had 55 wives and could never be pastors or church leaders and some of Smith’s wives were already married. They even took married women to be their wives and young girls. They believe men can call as many women as they desire from the grave to rule planets alongside of them. They believe they will be more mighty than God in rulership of planets. An honest Mormon will have no problem stating this. I knew a lady years ago, whereby, a male Mormon friend told her he was going to call her from the grave to be one of his wives. Though this teaching is all a lie and no where found in the Bible which cannot be added to or subtracted from. I knew a gal who was visiting in a Mormon home and she was shocked when the husband/father asked will a woman come and turn off the television. Christ was not married and is not. Mormons state, Christ had wives on the earth and now, in heaven. This is a total lie. Plus, there are no female angels and no wives in heaven. Christ is undefiled, holy, innocent, pure, set apart from sinners and exalted above the heavens; Hebrews 7:26. Mormons state they believe the Bible. If they believed the Bible they would not follow one word these adulterers’ preached. Adulterers are not allowed into heaven. And there is no marriage in heaven. Mormons will lie and state marriage is in heaven. Sinful men love to hear they can have more than one wife as their sinful flesh desires this. This is why these lies appealed to so many when Smith and Young preached and they knew it and ran with it to make adulterous sinners feel righteous. I was lied to on a Mormon tour in Salt Lake. I was told Mormons were allowed to have more than one wife for the purpose of populating Utah. This is a deliberate lie as plural wives was instituted by Joseph Smith who never knew of Utah. Moving Mormons to Utah all arose under Bingham Young. It was in upstate New York that this occultic religion originated. My husband once worked with Mormons and they had no problems being unfaithful to their wives; and why would they when adultery is the foundation of this occultic belief system? Plus, they are not born again by the Holy Spirit of the Bible. They are unsaved fleshly men. And I will add, many Mormons have no problem swearing. A Christian man is to view women, outside of their wife, as sisters in all purity through the power of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling. Plus, adulterers are not allowed in the true church. Anyone who commits this sin must repent or be put out of the church. One example is found in 1 Corinthians 5 and chapter 6 is important too regarding sin. It must be remembered: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” Heaven is reserved for those who believe in the Jesus Christ of the Bible alone and have been wash clean through His blood. Though no Christian is perfect and when they sin they must ask forgiveness through God’s love for them. God is compassionate and understands our weaknesses. A true Christian is deeply convicted of sin that they might repent. Jesus Christ stated there is no marriage in heaven. Please read the inerrant, holy Bible, Matthew chapter 22. True Christians will rule no planets and have no wives. They will be servants to the living God with whom lies no sin. It will completely encompass the LORD God and worshipping Him alone. Only through one’s surrender to Jesus Christ can would be delivered from sinful temptation. No garment with markings can do this! Such garments are obvious idols. Romans 10:9-10 from the Bible: “That if you confess with your mouth the LORD Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.” Mormon men owning many wives has caused grief amongst many Mormon women with their incestuous ways. I knew a lady who was secretary to a local counselor and he did not know what to do as all these Mormon women were coming to him for help. One local Christian counselor would ask Mormon women, when they were sexually abused by their fathers, not when, because he understood Mormonism and rightly assumed all who came to him had been abused. No false prophets are allowed in the church. If one prophesies wrongly one time, it reveals their prophecy came from satan, not from God who never lies. Brigham Young taught that Adam is actually god and Adam impregnated Mary, etc. Some of Mormonism blasphemes Almighty God and teaches that God the Father impregnated Mary. It is all satanically insane. There are also no secrets in the Bible and within Mormonism you can get to certain levels to obtain special revelation. This is satanic doctrine. There are no levels of gaining special hidden truths when it comes to God’s and His holy Word. And no white under garments will special markings will usher one into heaven. Nor are they holy. They are stitched by sinful men and women and mean nothing; nor are they different from any other garment. And this is not commanded in Scripture. No works can get anyone to heaven. According to the LDS Church, “The temple garments serve a number of purposes. First, the garment provides the member ‘a constant reminder’ of the covenants they made in the temple. Second, the garment ‘when properly worn ... provides protection against temptation and evil.’ “ I will also add, all the original leaders of Mormonism were Freemasons and Joseph Smith and his gang obviously stole the ritual ideas from this satanic cult group. “LDS Church temple worship shares an extensive commonality of symbols, signs, vocabulary and clothing with Freemasonry, including robes, aprons, handshakes, ritualistic raising of the arms, etc.[4] The interpretation of many of these symbols has been adapted to the Mormon narrative from their original meanings in Freemasonry. For example, whereas Masons exchange secret handshakes to identify fellow Freemasons, Mormonism teaches that these handshakes must be given to sentinel angels so that Mormons may be admitted into the highest kingdom of heaven. LDS temple garments also bear the Masonic symbols of the Square and Compass, although the LDS Church has imbued these symbols with religious meaning that exceeds the meaning of the symbols as intended by Freemasonry.” “Tuesday, [March] 15. - I officiated as grand chaplain at the installation of the Nauvoo Lodge of Free Masons, at the Grove near the Temple. Grand Master Jonas, of Columbus, being present, a large number of people assembled on the occasion. The day was exceedingly fine; all things were done in order, and universal satisfaction was manifested. In the evening I received the first degree in Freemasonry in the Nauvoo Lodge, assembled in my general business office. History of the Church, by Joseph Smith, Deseret Book, 1978, Vol.4, Ch.32, p.550-1.)” All God’s truths are laid out perfectly in the Bible which cannot be added to or subtracted from. Jesus Christ of only the Bible and no other books is the thrill of hope for a sick, hurting, and weary world-Romans 10:9-10 from the Bible: “That if you confess with your mouth the LORD Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”
My single worst experience as a missionary was an encounter with a minister who came armed with a carefully worded handout detailing many alleged problems in LDS theology. I took the bait, attempted to “win” a debate, and wasted hours in contentious vitriol. When I left, I felt that the Spirit was grieved, not so much at the minister, but grieved at me. I should have known better. As the Lord has stated, “Contention is not of me.” I vowed that I would never again allow myself to engage in contention. I needed to ALWAYS approach others with love and empathy. And Pastor Jeff, thank you for approaching so many topics with kindness, insight, and empathy. You have obviously learned many life lessons. My mission to Mexico City taught me a few of these lessons, and I’m still learning. God bless your ministry.
I had a similar experience. Sometimes the Holy Spirit chastises you for trying to do something your way instead of listening and trusting God's way. Charity never faileth.
I had one show me The God Makers. I laughed at how absurd it was! It started out complimentary and historically factual but slowly injected more and more half truths and manipulations. Ultimately it resorted to straight up attacks on the faith. All it did was to show me that any church with Christ's name should rely on truth and love. If you have a message, share it, don't be preoccupied with others. If it is true, it will touch the hearts of those prepared for it.
"...encounter with a "field of choking weeds" who came armed to choke out any seeds that I might plant." That is what I hear. The parable of the sower in action. Good job. Great lesson to learn.
I served my mission in Russia. The interactions I had with evangelicals were as varied as you can imagine. Some condemned me to hell, some became investigators, some of them just shouted at me, some were fascinated by us but uninterested in the message. Jehovah's Witnesses were easily identified by the questions they would ask us. Some of them were kind and professional, and some were not. I learned on my mission to never attribute any specific attitude to a group of people at large. We interact with individuals and each owns their own behavior.
So you have Christian’s who believe Christ is the eternal God. Not the father or the spirit. But one of 3 persons of the being of God. You have Jehovah’s witnesses who believe Michael the archangel is Jesus Christ. First and greatest creation of Jehovah God. And then you have Mormons who believe Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer who is a created being, separate in being creating a tritheistic view of Christianity. Now I suggest you read Colossians 1:15-16 and Isaiah 43:10 to see which one is correct out of those 3.
@maxfrost9028 Mormons believe Jesus is The Eternal God, not the Father or the Spirit. We believe that Jesus is the first born son of God The Father, preordained to come to Earth as The Christ, half God, half human. We believe that only through Jesus The Christ, can we be saved through His grace and infinite atonement. I urge you all to read "The Living Christ" a very unique understanding of Jesus The Christ from a Church of Jesus Christ aspect. Thanks for your time and attention❤
I served an LDS mission in Thailand 30+ years ago. Last summer I had evangelical missionaries from Texas knock on my central Utah door. I welcomed them in and we had a wonderful conversation that lasted more than an hour. They were very cordial and kind. Our conversation was respectful. They asked sincere questions and did not accuse nor malign. We ended our meeting with a prayer. We stood and held hands as one of them offered the prayer. It was very nice. Very educational for both parties. I wish all missionary interactions could be like this.
Texas-The BUCKLE of the Bible Belt! You probably confronted Church of Christ or probably Baptists! Church of Christ is Faith ,Repentance and Baptism but don't have the Holy Spirit which is where the rub is! Lots of good people in my Church of Christ but when they convert we can be a Fire Brand!
I unfortunately did not serve a mission, I am 25 now and really regret not serving a mission. I unfortunately fell away when i turned 18/19. I am glad, though, that I came back.
If I'm not mistaken, I think you can begin missionary service from ages 18 to 26. I know that it may not be possible in your life right now but I'm so proud you returned! And there is always a senior mission when you get older!!!
Don’t even worry about it. There are many that don’t serve that end up coming back and being great members. There are too many RM’s that fall away. I’m just glad you are back so only look forward and not in the past. You are on the right track today and that’s what really matters
Missionary mamma here! One just returned and one is still out. Thank you, Pastor, for encouraging others to be kind to the missionaries. I tell anyone who will listen to be kind to any missionary from any denomination. These people are often out on their own dime, sometimes at great personal sacrifice to their families. They get no reward for their efforts except the joy that comes from seeing others come to know Christ. My son works tirelessly every day and when he calls home once a week, the experiences that impress him most are the people who are kind. It means so much to him! I would also like to point out that, while leading souls to Christ is the goal, missionaries also often become truly converted themselves as they make this sacrifice for the Lord. Thank you for your kind and insightful insights into the LDS faith!
I never served a mission ( because I was too old , 26 , when I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday- Saints ) but I am an convert of 2 young men coming to my door 34 years ago in the Netherlands , Elder Newman and Elder Wood , who both were trained in the MTC in Provo , I am so grateful to these men to bring me to the fold of our Shepherd , Jesus Christ !!!
I'm not LDS, but the missionaries I've encountered always really impress me. It's awesome that they do this and I can see the benefits this can give for young men and women.
False religion that preaches a different gospel and different Jesus from the Bible. Let them be accursed. Jesus Christ (is God) and He created ALL things. He is NOT Lucifer's brother. Sick and twisted cult.
@@ese_JONNYX3 The latter. They think they can become gods through their own efforts. Very sad they are believing Lucifer's very first lie he told Eve in the very beginning.
❤❤Another great video. One of the best places on earth. There are about a few thousand of us subscribers who would love to see you interview David Boice from 52 Churches in 52 Weeks. What say you, pastor Jeff? All those in favor show by the uplifting of the Like button.
I left this site for a while, because thre was too much comparing of how evangelicals do it. I was an Evangelical Lutheran but missionaries brought live Christ to my life over 50 years ago. I made another comment on this video about my now 4 grands on their missions It truly is a springboard for life to walk the streets of Mexico at 115 temp, att age 19, and to have non- domesticated dogs chasing you, no water to wash ones muddy pantlegs on rainy season, but at the same time to find people and families, who have been looking for Christ, who are ready to be committed.Another granddaughter served a mission during covid lickdowns. What a trooper for Christ!
@lafrancehannele6884 - Hello. The reason there is comparing and contrasting is because that is what Pastor Jeff has stated was his original purpose in starting Hello Saints. Almost all his videos do this. I thought he said in this one that a video was forthcoming on the Evangelical approach to The Great Commission (missionary work) to go forth and preach the Gospel.
I just LOVE how he chooses to talk so gracefully about a church he doesn't believe in! I'm protestant, but very keen to also broaden my knowledge about different gospels and beliefs! May God bless pastor Jeff, his family and his channel, and to continue to use him to share the gospel as a vessel of the body of Christ!
What does the Bible teach about to additions to the gospel that Jesus taught? It's not a true gospel! It also says to test spirits that present at of God. The book of Mormon teaches lots of things that are against the gospel that Jesus taught. First of all it teaches that Jesus earned his way to heaven and that people can become gods.
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we too believe we serve in the ministry for life. In fact, a common phrase throughout LDS culture is “Every member a missionary.” We serve one another in our congregations, in our communities, and in humanitarian efforts throughout the globe. As a mother of three missionaries, my sons learned selflessness, integrity, compassion, empathy… what it was like to truly walk in the footsteps of Jesus the Master missionary, giving of themselves to bring people to Christ. They learned to love and embrace people of all walks of life. My sons were at times hungry, cold, scared, lonely, in dangerous situations… yet their experiences have made them better humans who look outward rather than inward. Now they carry what they’ve learned and experienced into their engagements with everyone they encounter in life, sharing the light and goodness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I served an LDS mission in Taipei, Taiwan, Mandarin Chinese speaking. I lived in Provo through junior high and high school and later at BYU. Our house was just a couple of blocks from the MTC. The roof of our home could seen from just in front of the MTC. As a youngster before serving my mission, we could even walk through the MTC on our way to BYU basketball games (later on, they stopped allowing us to do this). I had many memorable experiences in the MTC and in Taiwan, working with many wonderful, motivated, bright people. The experience does shape your life. I still vividly remember the first door I knocked on stumbling through my Chinese and explaining who we were! It felt daunting! There are various Christian religions in Taiwan, but Christianity is definitely a minority religion, with most people claiming to be Buddhist. I remember one man I met who had heard of Jesus Christ but who had not ever heard of the Bible. Definitely a different place compared to those that are predominately Christian. The people are beautiful, good people that I grew to love deeply. They and their culture are forever a part of me and who I am.
I am a member of the LDS Church. I did not serve a mission. Two of my kids served missions, one in Canada and the other in South Korea. They had great experiences and they grew so much as individuals in their faith gave them confidence all the way around, which has helped prepare them for the achievements and future success success beyond their mission. We are proud of their achievements. I enjoyed watching your video. I love that we as Christians can find common ground finding love for one another. I believe we are living in a world that is becoming more and more evil and wicked and we need to stand together United as Christians to stand up against the evil in this world. I appreciated the loving kindness toward our faith in this video. You did a great job!! ❤
Speaking on behalf of missionary momma's everywhere, so much love and appreciation for those who help to care for our children serving the Lord. Especially when those of other faiths reach out and feed and care for missionaries❤
I served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan. One day, someone called out to my companion and me on the street. When we turned around, two American women dressed much like us RAN to us to talk and share materials about their church. I don't remember which religion they were, but after they left, my companion and I said, "Wow, we should be as exuberant as them." To be fair, the Japanese people are usually reserved and might be shocked by that kind of excitement, but we were struck by it and loved these missionaries' energy.
I'm ex-LDS, now Russian Orthodox, I served a full-time mission and have very warm memories of the two months I spent in the MTC learning a foreign language. There were great speakers, great lessons, adversity and triumphs. I can remember my companion loved to eat healthy and challenged me to do the same. Of of the great laughs I gave him was sitting down with a large bowl of salad but having a doughnut not so well hidden under the lettuce. Good times! I am glad you had a good tour. You are lucky to live in Utah, so many wonderful people there and natural beauty.
We are taught on our missions to continue being a missionary even after we return home for the rest of our lives. If one serves an honorable mission, it's ingrained in you. Not to say sometimes we don't get complacent, and lazy on that front. We are always taught to bring others to Christ regardless of a mission. Even if one doesn't serve a full-time mission, we are taught "every member a missionary". Some of the best missionaries I know didn't serve full time missions when young women/men, but later in life catch the missionary spirit and bring many souls to Christ. Some of our Prophets and Apostles never served full time missions. For me, my mission was the best choice I've ever made, and I contribute everything good in my life to be a byproduct of that decision.
I had four sons serve missions (I did as well). Missions are one of the great experiences of life. I tell people if I could only afford to send my kid on a mission or to college, but not both, I would send them on a mission in a heartbeat. On a mission they will learn things they could not learn just in college: They will learn self confidence, cooperation, success and failure, spiritual, cultural and social growth. They will learn to sacrifice, follow rules, be courageous, be humble, learn to step into the "dark" of the unknown. They will learn to study and absorb information. They will learn to heartfully pray. They will learn to count on the Lord for insight and inspiration. For those on foreign missions, they will become ambassadors for those countries. They go off as boys, but come back as men. They will figure a way to go to college and hopefully contribute to society and raise good families.
Well said! I loved college and grew a ton, but the mission prepared me for life and family. 6 kids and we started a lawn care biz which has allowed the kids to cover the cost of their mission. However, I told them that if they are willing to serve a mission, but unable to cover the cost, I will guarantee that finances will not keep them from serving. For all the reasons you mentioned I want my kids to have the life changing, coming-of-age experience!
@@brihal6498 I forgot, missionaries will also learn a great deal about leadership, service and budgeting of time and finances. By the way, the sister missionaries that I have dealt with were outstanding. And of course the overriding experience will be spiritual growth and developing a relationship with the Lord.
The church will pay for the monthly cost of a mission if the missionary is too poor. It is equalized payments now so no matter where you serve the cost is the same for U.S or Canadian residents. As for college they should learn as much in this economy and job market. Trades are also a good choice.
I spent 2 months in the MTC learning a Filipino language, absolutely loved my time there. Then later fell in love with the Philippines where I was assigned. My mission continues to bless my life as I have since made a career on UA-cam using my mission language 🙏🏽
As a student at BYU in the 70’s, I taught Japanese at the Missionary Training Center for 2.5 years. I was part of the first teachers there. When I served in Japan, we went to the LTM ( Language Training Mission ) in Hawaii. I was a convert from the Deep South at 18 as I was an Evangelical Southern Baptist and was converted by the Spirit of God and went on my mission at 19. I saw and heard so many miracles and the true order of speaking in tongues. The Gospel is true some 50 years later I can testify.
Hi Jim, I went to the LTM in 1970. I was in the 6th group just 1 year after it opened. It was a wonderful experience. I thought I had learned the language but I was wrong. About 4 months after I got to Japan I still couldn’t understand what our investigators were saying. I humbled myself and prayed and asked God to help me. I received the gift of tongues and a week or two later, I was transferred and given a companion junior to me. For the next 18 months I never had much difficulty understanding or speaking the language. Jonathan Daniels
@@user-id7gi8oz7z, how cool. Yes it was about the 5 month mark for me as I had 3 native speakers Japanese as Companions and the light bulb came on. Japanese being one of the 5 most difficult languages in the world, this Mississippi kid actually spoke without a southern accent. lol. Greatest single time of my life.
Just love your content...after leaving the Church for close to 15 years, I had my own come to Jesus moment in 2020 which actually led me back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I was baptized Catholic, worshipped with my Protestant, Methodist and Catholic families before being baptized into the LDS church. I'm grateful for being amongst all denominations and worshipping as one glorious group of many denominations whose focus is on Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ. Blessings to you and your family❤️
@@basedsigmalifter9482Not our goal to go tit for tat about one another’s church history. We could go to town with “interesting” (the kindest word I could think of to be honest) Catholic Church history 😅 trust me. I won’t bring up anything even if you come back stating this that or another about our LDS church history, I just want you to know that the LDS church has very little to scoff at compared to Catholic Church history. The great apostasy is easy to prove honestly.
Thank you for seeing that we are all on the same team. We are Christians. We love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We all want to spread the “Good News”. As a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I appreciate all my friends of different denominations and all the things we have in common. I’ve had 2 sons go on missions, 1 to the Philippines and 1 to Brazil and they were life changing experiences. They are great men, husbands, fathers, providers. The mission played a big part in who they became. You are doing great work in your church, too! I can tell you are a man who loves the Lord and you’re influencing many people for good every day. Bless you!
Same team??? You all believe each other is on the wrong path and won't dwell in the presence of God lol. Civility should be the norm, it's odd that among Christians it's not.
@@ericreed4535***correction*** not on the wrong path but a different path. Same destination. Some evangelical will make it to the Celestial Kingdom. Some LDS members will not.
@@ericreed4535 it’s sad that for whatever reason you are choosing to tell Latter-Day Saints what they/we believe. It seems you’ve had some negative experience with LDS members or that you’re unwilling to admit that our beliefs are spiritual in nature and not intellectual. If it’s bad experiences I am sorry that whomever it was offended you. If it’s intellectual then personal pride is certainly not something Christ would condone.
Thank you for your fair review. That’s really all most LDS members want. There is so much that is biased and unfair in reviews of our church. I served in the Southern United States and there was a fair amount of other churches that taught anti “Mormon” teachings and I did run into people wanting to fight about doctrine. But one thing I can say, no matter how hard the mission was, missionaries love the people in the areas they go-no matter the differences. I felt a deep love for the people in the areas I served. It wasn’t just work, it was a work of love.
I'm from Finland and went to the MTC for three weeks. I served in Texas Dallas Mission. I loved the speakers we had a chance to listen to. It was very interesting experience although I have to say I was big time sleep deprivated after the MTC... And Dallas was a very interesting area to serve in. I had never before or since experienced such hostility and been told I will go to hell together with Joseph Smith. 🤷🏻♀️ After wishing well to those people I just had to say to my companion that I would rather be in hell with Joseph Smith than in heaven with all those hostile people. But I also met so many wonderful people, both members and people from many different denominations. I loved my mission and it has had a great impact on my life. ❤
Wow, 3 weeks to go to Dallas ! ! :) I served in the Texas Dallas Mission 1978-1980. Rather than the MTC, which was not an option then... we went the the Salt Lake Missionary Home (SLMH) for 4 days, took a flight to Dallas and were tracting on day 5 ! ! ! We memorized 10 discussions while we struggled with the language, culture and heat and humidity :)
@@michaeljhuntsman Three weeks was "the normal" if you didn't have language training. Our group had missionaries from Norway, Tonga, Samoa, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Germany, Netherlands etc. and we spoke English as a second (or third or fourth) language. That's why they thought we didn't need language training. 😅 But having only four days in a Mission Home... 😮😬 It wasn't easy after three weeks, can't even imagine what it would have been like after only four days! 😳 But I know in the early days of Finnish Mission - and other missions as well, I'm sure - the missionaries were just sent out.
I had a roommate in college who went to Finland 🇫🇮 on her mission. She absolutely loved it. She shared a bedroom with another roommate who went on a mission to Italy 🇮🇹. So, there was a giant Finnish flag and a giant Italian flag on their wall. It was wonderful 😊. I had a friend who had a similar experience in Texas. They actually threw sticks and rocks at her. It was a really hard mission. My mom went on a mission to Japan, and I don't think that there was any language training in those days. She went to Salt Lake for a week and then on to Japan. But, she loved it.
@@Compulsive-Elk7103 it's a semi facetious remark. This person clearly doesn't think that Joseph Smith is going to hell, but the point is that if he did it would be more of a heaven than the real heaven would be with the protestant meanies.
Thank you for being so respectful and curious about us as a people. I loved my time serving a mission and the people I met while there. I would like to add that a mission is only the beginning of our service. We continue to serve within the church all our lives. It is so much more than just a church. We dedicate our lives to serving the Lord.
I served as a full-time missionary in Hong Kong from 1998 to 2000. The MTC was not as big or modern then and though it was challenging in many ways (that’s what training is supposed to be) it was an amazing experience and the springboard to the most pivotal time of my life. Learning Cantonese along with solidifying principles of the gospel was intense! When I left the MTC, I remember how excited I was to go to Hong Kong, the place the Lord wanted me to go. I felt completely inadequate of myself but I learned at the MTC that I could go forward without fear. Fast forward two years through the most difficult and amazing experiences of my young life and I had been blessed with the confidence needed to take on any challenge that was right and good-the Lord would guide and consecrate my efforts. I draw from that well to this very day. I fail at times, but as I strive to draw closer to Christ, I know it can all be made right.
On my mission in Germany, the Catholic Priest was far more friendly than the Lutheran Minister who saw us as more competition. Our church's outreach is helping tone that down some. We often work with the Catholic Relief agency on joint projects. We welcome your curiosity and kindness.
I just returned from my Mission 2 months ago! I am still in contact with my friends from the MTC. The spirit was so strong there! I will always be praying for the Missionaries!
I was in the last group of missionaries to be trained at the BYU Hawaii Language Training Mission. As a convert of about 18 months at the time it was a fabulous experience. My most memorable experiences were the devotionals - when the group of about 50-60 missionaries sang the hymns it sounded like the heavens opened and angels singing with us. That and the instructors who were amazing at what they did teaching us Japanese. Memorizing what we called the missionary discussions or lessons to give us a basic grasp of language/vocabulary was certainly challenging - it was amazing to see different missionaries struggling to learn a foreign language and how to interact with each other. Were this not truly “by their works ye shall know them” I’m certain that the Church of 3 million at the time would not be one of 17-18 million today.
Your logic fails you. The percent of humans who are active LDS, is smaller today than in the past when compared to the global population. Your losing ground, now what?
@@ericreed4535 “losing ground” by comparing world and church populations is a false flag argument. Why are you even posting such an opinion when the purpose of Pastor Jeff is to find common ground? I’m sorry but trolling isn’t what this forum is for or about. Please take your dissension elsewhere.
As a missionary in Cape Verde, a remote African country, I was amazed that there were other American missionaries out there, in this case Jehovah Witness sister missionaries. Usually we would kinda just respect each other's space but we were so thrilled to meet and see each other that we ended up chatting every time we ran into each other and swapped recipes and stories. It was fun. Good on em!
This video is well done, I did serve a mission in Europe truly changed my life. I’m still an active member of the LDS faith. one thing that you missed is that every missionary pays their own way.
I never had the chance to attend the MTC because I served during the pandemic. But I loved my mission! I served in Iowa (and IL and MO), and I will always cherish the experiences I had has an elder. Coming from the LDS dense East Valley in AZ, my eyes were opened to a side of the country I never knew existed. I loved all the people I served with and interacted with. Missions are life changing.
Hi Jeff. I served my mission in Ukraine thirty years ago. Like many, my experiences with missionaries from other faiths were mixed. However, to this day, I remember some interactions I had with a Baptist missionary. His group was passing out a tract that listed doctrines of various religions, including the LDS Church. He asked me how much of his tract was accurate (some points were, some weren't). We had a great conversation about our different beliefs. After that, we'd run into each other occasionally. We'd chat without caring about "converting" each other. He told me some amazing things about his family's history with Christianity in the Communist era. It was very much a "fight criticism with curiosity" kind of relationship, and I developed a tremendous amount of respect for him and his commitment to Christ.
There are also service missions. My husband and I are serving a mission in Adam-Ondi--Ahman, Missouri. The reason we are here is to beautify the earth and make friends. We are also preparing the land for the return of the Savior, and we're preparing ourselves to be ready to meet him when die, or if we are alive when he comes again.
My wife and I are serving a service mission. We help at a church employment center. We see some people who are discouraged, who have lost their jobs, or may be just looking for their first job out of high school. We help them with resumes, interviewing skills, job search skills and sometimes just help them know that even in this low point, God still loves them. Prior to this mission, we spent four years in the church's 12 step addiction recovery program. That was AMAZING! One of the most spiritually rewarding experiences of my life. All these programs are available and free to anyone who walks through the door...even evangelical Ministers 😉
I spent four weeks in the Provo MTC, and four weeks in the Spain MTC. I will say that after studying Spanish for 6 years, pre MTC, which included living in Chile for a month, studying abroad in Mexico with BYU, I never experienced the level of learning a language like I did as a missionary. I felt like I had glasses put on me in the MTC, and I could FINALLY understand what I was learning! It was incredible. I know God helped me learn the language as a missionary. Best experience of my life up until that point.
I love your tag line! “Fighting criticism with curiosity “. Thank you for publicly sharing your Christ like compassion and care for all of God’s children ❤
My son has been out for a year now. He just trained a missionary. Missions are hard for these kids but they grow so much because of the challenges they go through. They learn to love the people they serve and their companions. In his case, he is learning to love the Swedish people where his ancestors are from. Love and service go together and we become true disciples of Christ as we learn to do this. All of my children have served on their missions because they wanted to bring people to Christ and because they had a testimony of the restored gospel. They chose to go and serve. I'm very proud of my kids for that selfless act. I would say that the majority of these kids are the same way. It doesn't make it easy but it does help because they know they chose it. They also know that God willed it for them because they prayed about it and received that prompting to go.
I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I did meet some Baptist and some Jehovah's Witness missionaries frequently from the United States when serving a full-time mission in South America. What both pairs did was to engage in friendly conversation about what we had in common. We did not argue. Neither did they wish to, nor did we. I remember asking how things were going with them. They asked us the same. Before that, I'd had no idea that Baptist missionaries existed! I thought them to be good and kind people. When on vacation with my family, we were also given a tour by a missionary from The Community of Christ, which was what most in my church consider to be a break-off of our church. The interesting thing is, they probably think of our church as a break-off from their church. They believe in The Book of Mormon: another Testament of Jesus Christ, as well. I was impressed with that missionary. He was a good young man who was also fresh our of high school.
Pastor Jeff! I just love your videos and am so grateful for your kindness as you explore our beliefs and our church culture, etc. My husband served a mission in Sweden, my son served in Washington state during covid (that was rough), and my daughter is currently serving in Provo, UT!! The main thing I wanted to say, was thank you for asking people to be kind to our kids. They really are just trying to share the good news and kindness means the world to them. I seriously started weeping when you made that request in your video. Thank you again!
I served a mission in Japan about 13 years ago. It changed my life - not just in how I view my faith and beliefs but how I view myself and how I can be confident in who I am as a person. I was in the MTC for 12 weeks and it was an absolute blast. Seeing your opening shot of the long hallway leading down from the main entrance to the cafeteria brought back SO many memories. It was great! I didn't come across any... protestant missionaries. Unless Jehovah's Witnesses are considered protestant? I'm not sure. But it was one of the more heart breaking yet poignant moments of my life. We were walking down a street and this lady we were walking by looked like she wanted to speak. I saw her hesitate then hang her head as we passed. I stopped and asked her if she was okay. She said she was a JW and just didn't have the courage to start talking to us. She asked us how we had the courage to talk to strangers and face rejection. I don't remember what I said, but I asked her if she wanted to practice her message with us. She brightened up and gladly accepted. After her thing, I asked her if she would be willing to reciprocate and let us give our message. She said no, thanked us for talking to her, and walked away. I was just kind of dumbfounded that she rejected us.. after what we had just talked about. But she needed cheering up and encouragement to do what she had made a commitment to do. I was glad to do that, regardless of the denominational line between us. Thank you for the great video and how much respect you give other religions, especially the LDS religion. Religions, especially Christian ones, don't need to be antagonistic toward each other and I'm grateful for your efforts to be as fair and open as possible.
Thanks Pastor Jeff! My good friend leads tours at the MTC. Maybe she was your guide. 😊 I've only been inside the MTC when we took our son there prior to his mission serving in the Philippines. My husband and I mostly recently served as service missionaries in the Addiction Recovery Mission. Mostly we led a family support group. Beautiful program helping to lead people to Christ.
My son is currently serving a full-time mission, and his experience at the MTC was incredibly powerful and spiritual. He misses it dearly and will always hold a special place in his heart for the MTC. During his time there, he formed lasting friendships, strengthened his testimony and faith, and prepared for the challenges ahead. Leaving home was hard, but he is willing to sacrifice two years because of his love for the Savior. I’m so grateful for my son’s decision to serve and support all our missionaries who have stepped up to the call, and have the courage and dedication to serve. God speed to our young missionaries worldwide
As a returned missionary and a current teacher at the MTC, I appreciate this video so much. I admire your approach to learning more about Latter-day Saints. Thank you for doing it with love and integrity Pastor Jeff.
I served in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia as one of my assigned cities on my mission and an American Baptist(?) missionary couple lived in my same apartment complex. We passed them from time to time on the sidewalk. My companion at the time was Sister Beronova from the Czech Republic. The baptist couple were so genuinely kind and thought my companion and I were so amazing to be foreigners of Russia but speaking the language together and venturing out everyday for new adventures! It was fun! They had the same lovely view of the town square, rode the same busses, had the same troubles with ants, cockroaches and mice and hoped to share God’s love with our Russian neighbors. It was great! I loved seeing their smiles.
It absolutely is a right of passage. It’s been 35 years since I entered the mission field. I’ve had amazing milestones in my life such as my wonderful marriage and five amazing children but to this day I still view my life as life before, during, and after my mission. It was that impactful!
I served my mission in Manaus, Brazil which is a pretty large city in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest. There were very few times that I recall seeing missionaries from other churches but I do have fond memories of finding the opportunity to connect with ministers of other churches in areas where I was serving. I remember once walking down the road and coming upon a "Deus e' Amor" church which is a Pentecostal church and in Manaus, it's very common for some churches to have the front of their church essentially look like a garage door so it can open up right to the road. They had a couple ladies singing at the road and we stopped to talk with the minister and asked if we could join them. My companion and I ended up singing a song or two as well. It was always a joy to find commonality in our purpose and our message about the Savior!
I miss the food 😭! Aloha plate!! Great times there. The focus on the Spirit was key. Really helped me out on my mission. I also felt like every time I was trained on teaching, I was also learning about following Christ's example. Principles like teaching to needs, sharing personal experience, listening instead of thinking about what I'll say next, being flexible to spiritual promptings, etc. did a lot to deepen my discipleship. Thank you for your channel and the work you put into it. I'm grateful for it being called Hello Saints. I feel welcome here and I hope our brothers and sisters of other faiths, and even no faith, also feel welcome here.
The MTC wasn’t my favorite part of my mission, but it did help me to understand the gospel better. I served in Norway and being there helped me to understand the Lutheran religion better and now I have many friends that are Lutheran. My mission did change my life and I’m so grateful for it
I grew up LDS. Never served a mission but, for professional reasons, spent some time abroad in a country where there wasn't any LDS congregation or group. I eventually found a small group of Christian friends who held prayer meetings in their homes on Sundays. They welcomed me in. It was a cultural learning curve in some ways, but I still feel grateful for the friendship, the chance to pray with them, and the things I learned from them during those years.
I grew up in a small branch in the middle of nowhere. We learned that goodness and love of our Savior Jesus Christ comes from many denominations. Glad you were able to find that too.
I served an LDS mission in Argentina, and found courage in the knowledge I was called by the Lord to represent Him, so anything that happened or how people reacted I didn't have to take personally but was content that it was all for Christ, grateful just to serve Him and help others come to know Him better, sharing His love and news of life after death and good news that we can repent and learn to become like Him. If people rejected our message, they were rejecting Christ's message, not me or my message.
I was in the MTC 2005 for less than 3 weeks. In that short time, I cherished every moment. The bonds made with my fellow missionaries was so special. The spirit and excitement is palpable. Yes, it has rules, but we still had fun and good laughs playing sports, learning how to teach, and meeting people from all over the world
I served my mission in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas. I ran into missionaries of other faiths, and it was a mixed bag, to be honest. Some, right off the bat, wanted to tell me I was going straight to hell. With some, we had great conversations and came away believing we both had the right faith in Christ, and with some, we agreed to disagree. But I loved the people and the area; I can never forget it.
Jeff, I’m a big fan & learn so much from you. I love your quote of the importance of “Being curious instead of being critical.” I served a mission in Pennsylvania. It was fascinating to see so many different Christian churches in the East coast. Joseph Smith wrote about there being a different church on every corner in the 1800’s and it was still the case in 1996-97. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve as a full time missionary in my youth & the amazing people I met, taught and mentored me. It prepared me for a life of church service and leadership opportunities. My son is finishing his mission in Mexico 🇲🇽 I’m so grateful for all the kind people who feed and are kind to the missionaries around the world. It’s remarkable service these youth give for 18 months -2yrs. It’s time for us to come together in goodness and belief in God and link arms as Christians, followers of Jesus Christ. We’re all on the same team! I love that you show us Jeff that we have a lot more in common than different about our beliefs. And we can move forward together even if we believe some things differently and it doesn’t need to divide us but teach us to show love, respect & curiosty Keep up the great work of sharing the good news!!
As a mom who has 4 children who served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I appreciate you encouraging others to be kind to our missionaries. We all just need to remember we are ALL God's children, thus brothers and sisters!
Thank you Pastor for sharing your experience the LDS Missionary Training Center. I had the opportunity as a young woman to serve a mission to the deaf in Northern California. Wow! What an unforgettable experience I still reflect on. We were focusing on is the Savior and His mission and work and how we serve our Father and Heaven and Jesus Christ. The daily preparation of pray, scripture study, reviewing our discussions or lessons on principle gospels and doctrines were included. It was about the love our Heavenly Father and the Savior loved people and how we serve those who are ready for this beautiful message for individuals. The spiritual experiences I had was amazing for those we served. Things happen to the people and us that only a loving Father who knew them would prepare them for his message. I had been blessed to know the Book of Mormon , the Second Testimony of Jesus Christ was the word of God. I am grateful for the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day Saints to spread the gospel to the earth.
Indoctrinated children is more accurate. No Adam and Eve in Missouri, no literacy in the Americas during the supposed BOM times. No Noah's ark and no global flood to get Noah's family to Israel. 🥱
I served as an LDS missionary in Germantown Ohio and we converted a Pentecostal man whose wife did not convert. We went to their church where the sang and played Wildwood Flower on guitars and I loved the song. After the music a woman minister called up to the stand "all ministers". What she meant was ministers of her faith but I was naive and simple minded and I went up on the stand and sat next to them. LOL Well, we were ministers and didn't know any better. It seemed like an open mic session so I went and testified about the Book of Mormon and even got a few "Amens" then my companion did the same. She parted ways when we talked about the stick of Judah and Joseph in Ezekiel 37 after the meeting. But we had a good time and enjoyed the service.
On my mission in Japan 1969-1971, we met some protestant missionaries. They were amazed that we became practically fluent in less than a year. Of course, nowadays at least half the missionaries in Japan are native speakers, which helps the foreign missionaries to learn the language better, having a tutor available 24/7. They didn't understand that the pastors for each native congregation were local members donating their time, rather than a paid missionary from the US.
In 1976, I received 4 days of training at the MTC that was located in downtown SLC where the conference center is located now. Then I was shipped off to the mission field in New Zealand. It was the one of the best experiences of my life, and prepared me to face the world post mission experience.
I was there in 1975, and it was called the Mission Home. I then went to Ricks College (now BYU Idaho) for Dutch Language training. All the Scandinavian languages were taught there. I served in the Netherlands Amsterdam Mission for 2 years..
Great video. The MTC was great. Long days of trying to learn Spanish. I was grateful to actually get to the mission though. I haven’t seen the new additions to the MTC. Good to see.
Great presentation! Thank you for making this a very kind, Christian like presentation though from a different background. I served a mission in Columbia, South America in the 1980s at the beginning of the drug war. And it was very difficult. I’m always grateful for the elderly Baptist missionary couple that we would see in the streets every now and again they were always very kind to us and made us feel a little bit like we’re back at home. One thing I did want to mention is that the mission prepares the young missionaries for a lifelong ministry Wherever they go - whether they go to school or go back home and get settled down. But they will always be involved in various ministries whether with youth or adult within the congregation that they are part of at that time. In my career, I served as a chaplain with the military, and had the beautiful opportunity to work with chaplains of so many different denominations and faiths. Like you, I’ve learned so much and have come to appreciate the gifts that each brings to the table.
You are just the nicest, most respectful person! I love hearing your videos and your perspectives!! If you are ever looking for a new church, look first at being a LDS! We would be beyond lucky to get you! Your teaching is so great!
Thank you for taking the time to see the training that goes on at the MTC. I served in South Georgia 30 years ago and building on the commonalities we shared with those we met were the sweetest experiences. However, one encounter my companion & I had with a Missionary Baptist wasn't as positive as most. She invited us back to her home & then started to try to bash everything we believe in, she demanded to see an original copy of the Book of Mormon to show us how things had been corrected from the original book to our present copies. She got pretty hostile & finally we just told her we weren't there to argue, we were there to share with her the things that were important to us. Finally we shared our testimonies & left with a prayer. It was very unfortunate that with this individual we weren't able to share any commonalities. I pray that her heart was softened one day to understand we can still be together with peace in Jesus Christ rather than act with anger & hostility.
I served a mission in Japan in 2017, and I spent 9 weeks at this MTC before departing. I always reflect on that time as one of the most sacred times of my life. It was also without doubt one of the hardest times of my life. But I am always grateful for the experience I received in the MTC, and for what it taught me. To this day I have a profound respect for the missionaries that I see walking around in there as I drive by, and for the missionaries bravely serving all over the world! Thank you for a wonderful video!
Thanks, Pastor Jeff! What great insight, brother! I recently served with two LDS Missionaries at a local food bank where they regularly participate in loading and unloading. I think they may have a better attitude towards "in mission together" than some of our Protestant counterparts. Made me wonder how they are encouraged and/or warned in these types of scenarios.
I was a missionary about 2 years ago and I can speak to how it was back in my day haha😂 when we’re serving at organizations or food banks we generally don’t proselytize. Our main focus is to serve our community and neighbors while we’re there. But in a more general sense when it comes to interacting with people from other faiths we’re encouraged not to debate with people but answer any questions if people genuinely want to know, and to be kind and Christlike. I served my mission in Ohio and there were a ton of Protestant denominations as well as other faiths, and I became friends with so many people of different faiths there. Some people we taught, and some we just loved and talked to. There was a couple who I remember still who we would just mow their lawn and pray with them. I’m not saying we were perfect, but we try our best on our missions not just to represent the church but to represent Christ:).
Hi. I’ve been listening now for a couple years. To be honest, I have been skeptical of your motives in doing this, even though you have been up front of why you’re doing this. In this video, I had a clarity moment. When you called on those of your faith to care for and be kind to missionaries my perspective changed. Thank you! I ran into an evangelical missionary when I was serving in Paraguay. We had missed the last bus for the night. He was in a truck and stopped and spoke to us. We were both American and he spoke to us in English, but we couldn’t understand what was being said. You see, we were expecting Spanish not English. Finally, we realized he was speaking English and he asked if we needed a ride. We gladly accepted and had about 10 min in the truck chatting with him as he gave us a ride. I will forever be thankful to this evangelical missionary for stopping to help two LDS missionaries in Paraguay.
I am LDS. I served my mission before the MTC was built as a complex in Provo. The last few batches we received in my mission before returning home were the first groups to go there. For my missionary training, our experience at Provo was the LTM (Language Training Mission) which was for missionaries going to European missions, other than Scadanavia - which were trained at Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho). English language missionaries were trained at the Mission home in Salt Lake City, on the land now occupied by the Conference Center. Missionaries headed to Polynesia and Asia were trained at BYU-Hawaii. At one point, all missionaries from the United States were processed at the Mission home and those going to foreign language missions were sent en-masse to their LTMs the afternoon after they were processed. Ours was the last group to undègo that step.
I served as a Latter-day Saint missionary in South Africa, and we crossed paths with missionaries a few times. Incidentally most of them were Jehovah's Witnesses. The interactions were always positive -- one time we even got invited to a get-together with other missionaries, and I wish we were able to go but we had prior committments. More togetherness and unity among Christians is always a good idea.
We're protestant parents of teenagers and while we do plan to encourage our kids to attend a Christian university, I do wish there was a more widely used missionary program in the evangelical world. Obviously we have missionaries, and obviously there are many who are young, but it's not as common and a rite of passage in our evangelical world. I was just telling my husband that we should investigate if there are college aged missions that our kids might be interested in. It's definitely good for a young person.
@@happyarchaeologistoh definitely support that too! I just have one kid in particular who is really interested in missions and I wish there were a more organized mission program available to them in the evangelical world. We'll definitely let them choose their own paths. Just offering guidance. ;)
My MTC experience was maybe different than some. I ended up switching assigned country and language halfway through. Learning two different foreign languages wasn't what I expected. It was pretty challenging on multiple levels. I think this happens more frequently now, but 25 years ago it was not common. And today there are definitely a lot of missionaries that end up learning more than one language. The fact that we send these young people out with just a few weeks worth of language training is pretty incredible. I loved my MTC experience even if it was one of the hardest parts of my mission. There was a purpose in the change of assignment and it was one of the clearest witnesses to me in my whole life that God is aware of each of his children and continues to move mountains to bless individual hearts in need. As a missionary I got the opportunity to serve in a soup kitchen run by a catholic organization. The nuns didn't care who we were as long as we showed up and worked hard. The sisters were so busy that we didn't get much chance to interact with them. But in general it was hard because many of the community organizations didn't want our help. I was so grateful that the nuns gave us a chance to serve.
I joined the LDS faith thirteen years ago this month. I married a life-long Latter Day Saint woman, my late wife's best friend, several months later. The reason I joined the Church was because of my now wife's assurances about being sealed with my late wife for time and all eternity. To this day, I have questions about a number of the LDS teachings and even LDS beliefs where there are differences with the various Protestant religions. (I was raised a protestant. My late wife was a Catholic, but she was reading the Book of Mormon during the last year or so of her life.) The best thing I can say about members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is that, as a whole, they are THE finest people I've ever known. Latter Day Saints live their religion. Religion is full time with virtually every "Mormon" I know. Wonderful people, and a first-class video you've put together here on the LDS Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. My wife is a graduate of BYU. She was an older non-traditional student. Her last year at BYU was 2011-2012, during with time the two of us were married. After Debbie graduated, we bought a house in Springville, just south of BYU. I've been on the BYU campus many times. I'm as proud of BYU as if I myself graduated from there. Thank you for this superb video. Hopefully it'll help make me a better member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Andy McKane, 21 August 2024, Maunaloa, Molokai, Hawaii.
You have been very privileged to have these inside looks into core LDS places like the MTC. While the methods can be a little different, Christian missionaries are all engaged in that same work of introducing people to Christ and how to follow His gospel. You too are quite a missionary tour guide to bring these not so different groups to a common purpose. God has His Ways of bringing us to a unity of faith, even from seemingly different directions. Thanks for the tour and the perspectives.
Wow! Thank you! As a member of the LDS church and one who served a mission over 33 years ago, it was wonderful to actually see the inside of the MTC today! And your positive and honest approach is so refreshing and wonderful, it makes me want to watch more of your videos and when I visit UT I’d love to hear one of your sermons!! Uniting our faith in Christ in love and respect is so beautiful, it’s Christ’s teachings in action! Thank you again!
I really enjoyed how you are open to learning about other faiths. I know so many people that are so closed off and just stay with their own opinions (which is fine) but I find it extremely refreshing seeing this content. You made my day
I served a mission in 2018 to Nauvoo and Carthage Illinois, and I spent 4 weeks at the MTC there in Provo. Your video brought back so many memories of study with my companion in front of the incredible artwork. Since I was a missionary preparing to serve at a historical site, I helped give tours of the MTC to visitors like yourself. Thanks for sharing how missions are viewed in the Evangelical world too. While a mission in our faith is a dedicated 18-month or 2-year service, the hope is that we also continue to heed the great commission to serve and spread the gospel throughout our lives, not just on our missions. Great thoughts!
I served a mission in Mexico. It was an amazing experience and as mentioned in the video i can confirm that I grew to have a deep love and appreciation for Mexican people and culture. I have a lot of great memories from the MTC of studying the scriptures and of feeling the spirit as I prayed and learned about the Savior and His gospel. As a missionary I interacted with missionaries of other faiths. I think that there were a lot of misunderstandings about what members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints believe but as we communicated and shared with each other a lot of the interactions ended up being very positive.
Jeff - I'd like to see a video from you exploring the other side of the coin. As a latter-day saint, I have been rejected by evangelicals when I've attempted to volunteer at soup kitchens and the like. Other saints have been fired or rejected as volunteers at pregnancy crisis centers and other evangelical charities once it was discovered they were LDS. Its becoming more and more common for evangelicals, especially pastors, to preach that latter-day saints worship a "evil, demonic Jesus Christ", are not christians, and should not be associated with. There are some really heartbreaking stories out there from saints who have attempted to volunteer only to be treated poorly and have their sincere faith in Jesus Christ slandered. It would be enlightening to hear your perspective as an evangelical pastor on why evangelicals are becoming more and more hostile towards fellow christians that are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the point they won't even accept our help with service-related charities. Obviously, the fruits of the LDS Church do not support the idea that we worship a demon. A bitter font cannot bring forth sweet water or vice-versa. So it would be helpful to hear your point of view on why evangelicals keep saying something so hurtful.
I served my mission in the Bible Belt in the Independence, Missouri mission. My experiences with Born Again and Evangelicals was negative. They generally tried to trick my companions and I into conversations where they would tear down our beliefs and argue with us. I always left those discussions feeling sad and discouraged. I vowed that if I met any missionaries from any church after my mission that I would treat them kindly. I appreciate you urging kindness and respect toward missionaries of all faiths. We all love Jesus and are trying our best to serve Him.
Thank you Jeff, I served a mission in 1977 and so this was a great update for me! A big thank you for your kind words of encouragement to look after our sons and daughters. As parents I think we are more concerned for them than they are when they leave the nest to embark on a missionary assignment. If you can fit it in you might consider an addition to this video about the “senior” missionaries. My sister who never served a mission as a young adult is now serving in Italy with her husband as a senior missionary. She’s having an experience very similar to mine as a kid. Except she gets to go with her sweetheart!
I loved my mission experience and had the opportunity to serve with my MTC companion in the field as well. I went to the Milan, Italy mission, and it is the single most pivotal experience of my life that built me as a human and took me and my testimony into marriage and motherhood and just life in general.
When my sister was on a mission in Oklahoma, she encountered some people who were hired by their church to spend all day every day studying and debunking the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She has surprisingly remained in contact with one of them and they seem reasonably friendly, so it can’t have been a fully negative interaction, but they definitely didn’t see each other as being on the same team. I’m glad to see in the comment section that there are those who’ve had more positive interactions. I guess it’s really individual
I served in Germany. In 1991, I remember meeting evangelical missionaries in the North Eastern town of Wismar on the Baltic Sea. East and West Germany had just been reunified so there were religious groups throughout the country proselyting. One night we met a group of American evangelical missionaries in the town center. It wasn’t hostile but I remember them challenging us to pray with them. They seemed surprised that we agreed, like Mormons won’t say prayers or something. So on that spot, with people walking around us, under the streetlights and the beautiful Summer moonlight, we held hands and each of us said prayers thanking the creator of the Universe for our chance meeting and being together in that beautiful country with those beautiful people at that time. We parted ways politely wishing each other well. I’ll never forget that experience. We all learned a bit more about our brothers and sisters in Christ.
This is absolutely brilliant, and a model for how we should engage with believers from other denominations. Writing as a devout, practicing Latter-Day Saint, here's hoping that members of my Church can be equally curious and gracious when encountering those who love Christ but who disagree with some of our basic truth claims.
Fantastic analysis! I served an LDS mission to Finland as a young man in the 80’s and then again in 2019 as senior missionaries with my wife. We are heading to Ghana next to work with young people in higher education. Thank you for your insights and fair treatment. I am sure you are a wonderful minister to your flock. God bless you in your work to bring souls to Christ.
I should receive my LDS mission call on Tuesday so not only did this help me understand a Protestant POV it gave me a mini tour of the MTC lol. I really enjoyed what you said about missions being lifelong. As members of the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day-Saints, we may “officially” be a missionary for 6, 12, 18, or 24 months, but the responsibilities and call that we have to spread the gospel are lifelong. Many functioning Branches or Wards have designated Ward Mission Leaders and Ward Missionaries who help facilitate missionary work within their local geographical boundaries, with the assigned young missionaries, if there are any. The support that members have the opportunity to give the assigned missionaries (the ones who go through the MTC) can be extraordinary. They give support with meals, rides, going out to preach with them, and to give referrals. For many dedicated members of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day-Saints, missionary work is an aspect of their life. Yes, we serve abroad for 18024 months, but that call to preach and spread the Gospel never really ends. Amazing video, Pastor Jeff!!
Hi 😅 I had a great and most challenging mission ‼️ It will be 50 years ago that I served the people in Ireland ‼️ Now I'm looking back, and it feels like yesterday ‼️ My how the time has moved on, but I'll never forget the mission field ‼️ I learned so much about Christ in such a short time, it's Amazing ‼️
I served in Texas Spanish-speaking and was sent to the Mexico MTC which is a little more rare. It's a good deal more modest but you get the same general feel. One of the hermanas in my group ended up being my companion in the mission RIGHT after training which is also uncommon. But the Lord knew what he was doing putting us together and it ended up being one of my favorite companionships and she set me up with my husband after the mission! My mission was truly one of the greatest blessings and privileges in my life!
To the Finland missionary. I am from Finland in America and currently have 4 grandchildren serving all over the world. One, a granddaughter is serving in Rauma , Finland rt now. Her father and aunt ( my kids) also served in Finland 25 years ago! The gospel of Jesus Christ is alive and well!
When the old age of 60 came around I decided to do a mission. I didn't want to learn a new language, so I stayed in the US and spent two years in Long Beach, California. I worked as a secretary to the president in the Mission Office there in Long Beach. The fun in that job was the missionaries that were in and out for this and that. I loved that. They were so much fun. I did this from 2005-2007. Then I came home and started to live with retirement life. 😀 Would I do it again? Yup! It's a great two years.
I am 62 and am currently involved in my local prison ministry. I serve along other faiths and we all demonstrate a mutual respect for each other's work even between Jehovahs Witness teachers and LDS! It is really refreshing. Generally The various faiths have enough in common to not have to be enemies. To anyone who needs the contention ...it will all be answered and sorted out at some point. Meanwhile we can help people come to Christ and be better people.
I served in the SLC, UT mission ... wow, over 30 years ago. I went and visited with a Lutheran pastor at his church. He showed us around and we had a nice discussion. He tried to bring a question that confused him about some scripture in the Book of Mormon. It boiled down to how do Faith and Works work together. I also had a Jehovah Witness waste time with us one morning. I did run into one person who was "not interested". But when I asked if he had any questions, he said... "Oh, yeah!" And ran to get his list. My response was to bare my testimony. It was one of the times I handled a potential contention well. (Unlike that previous encounter.) I was even invited into a Middle Eastern Muslim family's home. A very different experience, not antagonistic, just informative for both sides.
![АЛАУДИНОВ у Скабеевой: эти их ВСУ нас НЕ ДОГОНЯТ 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/an0anqU4WGQ/mqdefault.jpg)
If you’re LDS, did you serve on a mission and attend the MTC? What memories were brought back by watching this video?
Dropped off six of my 7 kids at the MTC. My own mission was back in April 1966 so just the "Mission Home" in SLC for about 4 days. But Senior Mission in 2016 started at the MTC for 10 days.
Good memories. I came into the MTC without a clear confirmation that this was what I needed to do. After prayer and learning how to listen for spiritual guidance, I came away with a profound sense of the reality of God and a desire to share a witness of His love and power with others.
I attended the MTC as part of my mission before it was the new MTC.
For me, it's remembering those missionaries who came with me to the Nevada Las Vegas West Mission and how much we grew after two years. I hope my three sons when they turn 18 choose to serve and have an impact on people's lives.
The MTC was amazing when I was there 35 years ago. The spirit was so strong. I’ll never forget one night when the Holy Ghost flooded over my entire body one night when I was praying before bedtime.
I’m a Protestant missionary in Mozambique. We have many LDS missionaries here and I talk with them whenever I see them. I love that their heart is for people to know God. We may not agree on some aspects but at the heart we are the same. We love God and we love people.
That is a lie. They worship satan and will even hold satan worship services in the evening as stated by a Mormon. It is all about worshipping satan. Considering Mormonism, the only one who can be an elder or pastor in a church is one who has one wife and is above reproach in every way. The Bible books of Timothy and Titus explain the requirements for a pastor. Joseph Smith nor Birmingham Young met these godly requirements set by God Almighty. Joseph Smith had 40 wives and Bingham Young had 55 wives and could never be pastors or church leaders and some of Smith’s wives were already married. They even took married women to be their wives and young girls.
They believe men can call as many women as they desire from the grave to rule planets alongside of them. They believe they will be more mighty than God in rulership of planets. An honest Mormon will have no problem stating this. I knew a lady years ago, whereby, a male Mormon friend told her he was going to call her from the grave to be one of his wives. Though this teaching is all a lie and no where found in the Bible which cannot be added to or subtracted from.
I knew a gal who was visiting in a Mormon home and she was shocked when the husband/father asked will a woman come and turn off the television.
Christ was not married and is not. Mormons state, Christ had wives on the earth and now, in heaven. This is a total lie. Plus, there are no female angels and no wives in heaven. Christ is undefiled, holy, innocent, pure, set apart from sinners and exalted above the heavens; Hebrews 7:26.
Mormons state they believe the Bible. If they believed the Bible they would not follow one word these adulterers’ preached. Adulterers are not allowed into heaven. And there is no marriage in heaven. Mormons will lie and state marriage is in heaven. Sinful men love to hear they can have more than one wife as their sinful flesh desires this. This is why these lies appealed to so many when Smith and Young preached and they knew it and ran with it to make adulterous sinners feel righteous.
I was lied to on a Mormon tour in Salt Lake. I was told Mormons were allowed to have more than one wife for the purpose of populating Utah. This is a deliberate lie as plural wives was instituted by Joseph Smith who never knew of Utah. Moving Mormons to Utah all arose under Bingham Young. It was in upstate New York that this occultic religion originated.
My husband once worked with Mormons and they had no problems being unfaithful to their wives; and why would they when adultery is the foundation of this occultic belief system? Plus, they are not born again by the Holy Spirit of the Bible. They are unsaved fleshly men. And I will add, many Mormons have no problem swearing.
A Christian man is to view women, outside of their wife, as sisters in all purity through the power of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling.
Plus, adulterers are not allowed in the true church. Anyone who commits this sin must repent or be put out of the church. One example is found in 1 Corinthians 5 and chapter 6 is important too regarding sin. It must be remembered: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” Heaven is reserved for those who believe in the Jesus Christ of the Bible alone and have been wash clean through His blood. Though no Christian is perfect and when they sin they must ask forgiveness through God’s love for them. God is compassionate and understands our weaknesses. A true Christian is deeply convicted of sin that they might repent.
Jesus Christ stated there is no marriage in heaven. Please read the inerrant, holy Bible, Matthew chapter 22. True Christians will rule no planets and have no wives. They will be servants to the living God with whom lies no sin. It will completely encompass the LORD God and worshipping Him alone. Only through one’s surrender to Jesus Christ can would be delivered from sinful temptation. No garment with markings can do this! Such garments are obvious idols. Romans 10:9-10 from the Bible: “That if you confess with your mouth the LORD Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”
Mormon men owning many wives has caused grief amongst many Mormon women with their incestuous ways. I knew a lady who was secretary to a local counselor and he did not know what to do as all these Mormon women were coming to him for help. One local Christian counselor would ask Mormon women, when they were sexually abused by their fathers, not when, because he understood Mormonism and rightly assumed all who came to him had been abused.
No false prophets are allowed in the church. If one prophesies wrongly one time, it reveals their prophecy came from satan, not from God who never lies.
Brigham Young taught that Adam is actually god and Adam impregnated Mary, etc. Some of Mormonism blasphemes Almighty God and teaches that God the Father impregnated Mary. It is all satanically insane.
There are also no secrets in the Bible and within Mormonism you can get to certain levels to obtain special revelation. This is satanic doctrine. There are no levels of gaining special hidden truths when it comes to God’s and His holy Word.
And no white under garments will special markings will usher one into heaven. Nor are they holy. They are stitched by sinful men and women and mean nothing; nor are they different from any other garment. And this is not commanded in Scripture. No works can get anyone to heaven.
According to the LDS Church, “The temple garments serve a number of purposes. First, the garment provides the member ‘a constant reminder’ of the covenants they made in the temple. Second, the garment ‘when properly worn ... provides protection against temptation and evil.’ “
I will also add, all the original leaders of Mormonism were Freemasons and Joseph Smith and his gang obviously stole the ritual ideas from this satanic cult group.
“LDS Church temple worship shares an extensive commonality of symbols, signs, vocabulary and clothing with Freemasonry, including robes, aprons, handshakes, ritualistic raising of the arms, etc.[4] The interpretation of many of these symbols has been adapted to the Mormon narrative from their original meanings in Freemasonry. For example, whereas Masons exchange secret handshakes to identify fellow Freemasons, Mormonism teaches that these handshakes must be given to sentinel angels so that Mormons may be admitted into the highest kingdom of heaven. LDS temple garments also bear the Masonic symbols of the Square and Compass, although the LDS Church has imbued these symbols with religious meaning that exceeds the meaning of the symbols as intended by Freemasonry.”
“Tuesday, [March] 15. - I officiated as grand chaplain at the installation of the Nauvoo Lodge of Free Masons, at the Grove near the Temple. Grand Master Jonas, of Columbus, being present, a large number of people assembled on the occasion. The day was exceedingly fine; all things were done in order, and universal satisfaction was manifested. In the evening I received the first degree in Freemasonry in the Nauvoo Lodge, assembled in my general business office. History of the Church, by Joseph Smith, Deseret Book, 1978, Vol.4, Ch.32, p.550-1.)”
All God’s truths are laid out perfectly in the Bible which cannot be added to or subtracted from.
Jesus Christ of only the Bible and no other books is the thrill of hope for a sick, hurting, and weary world-Romans 10:9-10 from the Bible: “That if you confess with your mouth the LORD Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”
My single worst experience as a missionary was an encounter with a minister who came armed with a carefully worded handout detailing many alleged problems in LDS theology. I took the bait, attempted to “win” a debate, and wasted hours in contentious vitriol. When I left, I felt that the Spirit was grieved, not so much at the minister, but grieved at me. I should have known better. As the Lord has stated, “Contention is not of me.” I vowed that I would never again allow myself to engage in contention. I needed to ALWAYS approach others with love and empathy. And Pastor Jeff, thank you for approaching so many topics with kindness, insight, and empathy. You have obviously learned many life lessons. My mission to Mexico City taught me a few of these lessons, and I’m still learning. God bless your ministry.
Heat but not much light!
I had a similar experience. Sometimes the Holy Spirit chastises you for trying to do something your way instead of listening and trusting God's way. Charity never faileth.
I had one show me The God Makers. I laughed at how absurd it was! It started out complimentary and historically factual but slowly injected more and more half truths and manipulations. Ultimately it resorted to straight up attacks on the faith. All it did was to show me that any church with Christ's name should rely on truth and love. If you have a message, share it, don't be preoccupied with others. If it is true, it will touch the hearts of those prepared for it.
The missionary program also trains the men and women towards taking on leadership roles later in their lives.
"...encounter with a "field of choking weeds" who came armed to choke out any seeds that I might plant." That is what I hear. The parable of the sower in action. Good job. Great lesson to learn.
I served my mission in Russia. The interactions I had with evangelicals were as varied as you can imagine. Some condemned me to hell, some became investigators, some of them just shouted at me, some were fascinated by us but uninterested in the message. Jehovah's Witnesses were easily identified by the questions they would ask us. Some of them were kind and professional, and some were not. I learned on my mission to never attribute any specific attitude to a group of people at large. We interact with individuals and each owns their own behavior.
I served in Montreal Canada and can confirm the same.
Yes, and sadly the loud ones are obviously going to get more attention. Most people aren't interested in being mean or negative. ❤
Hands down the best comment. You could copy and paste this everywhere.
So you have Christian’s who believe Christ is the eternal God. Not the father or the spirit. But one of 3 persons of the being of God. You have Jehovah’s witnesses who believe Michael the archangel is Jesus Christ. First and greatest creation of Jehovah God. And then you have Mormons who believe Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer who is a created being, separate in being creating a tritheistic view of Christianity. Now I suggest you read Colossians 1:15-16 and Isaiah 43:10 to see which one is correct out of those 3.
@maxfrost9028 Mormons believe Jesus is The Eternal God, not the Father or the Spirit. We believe that Jesus is the first born son of God The Father, preordained to come to Earth as The Christ, half God, half human. We believe that only through Jesus The Christ, can we be saved through His grace and infinite atonement. I urge you all to read "The Living Christ" a very unique understanding of Jesus The Christ from a Church of Jesus Christ aspect. Thanks for your time and attention❤
I served an LDS mission in Thailand 30+ years ago. Last summer I had evangelical missionaries from Texas knock on my central Utah door. I welcomed them in and we had a wonderful conversation that lasted more than an hour. They were very cordial and kind. Our conversation was respectful. They asked sincere questions and did not accuse nor malign. We ended our meeting with a prayer. We stood and held hands as one of them offered the prayer. It was very nice. Very educational for both parties. I wish all missionary interactions could be like this.
I also served in Thailand 85-86!
Loved the experience!!!
Loved the people!!!
I was baptized in 1987 in Mahasarakham branch. Thank you for your service in Thailand.
Someone getting it right. Good for them!
Texas-The BUCKLE of the Bible Belt! You probably confronted Church of Christ or probably Baptists! Church of Christ is Faith ,Repentance and Baptism but don't have the Holy Spirit which is where the rub is! Lots of good people in my Church of Christ but when they convert we can be a Fire Brand!
I unfortunately did not serve a mission, I am 25 now and really regret not serving a mission.
I unfortunately fell away when i turned 18/19. I am glad, though, that I came back.
Glad you're back. We all need each other. 🕊
I hope you can use your experience to edify your ward.
If I'm not mistaken, I think you can begin missionary service from ages 18 to 26. I know that it may not be possible in your life right now but I'm so proud you returned! And there is always a senior mission when you get older!!!
So very happy you came back! 😊
Don’t even worry about it. There are many that don’t serve that end up coming back and being great members. There are too many RM’s that fall away. I’m just glad you are back so only look forward and not in the past. You are on the right track today and that’s what really matters
Missionary mamma here! One just returned and one is still out. Thank you, Pastor, for encouraging others to be kind to the missionaries. I tell anyone who will listen to be kind to any missionary from any denomination. These people are often out on their own dime, sometimes at great personal sacrifice to their families. They get no reward for their efforts except the joy that comes from seeing others come to know Christ. My son works tirelessly every day and when he calls home once a week, the experiences that impress him most are the people who are kind. It means so much to him! I would also like to point out that, while leading souls to Christ is the goal, missionaries also often become truly converted themselves as they make this sacrifice for the Lord.
Thank you for your kind and insightful insights into the LDS faith!
I never served a mission ( because I was too old , 26 , when I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday- Saints ) but I am an convert of 2 young men coming to my door 34 years ago in the Netherlands , Elder Newman and Elder Wood , who both were trained in the MTC in Provo , I am so grateful to these men to bring me to the fold of our Shepherd , Jesus Christ !!!
I love you, pastor. Thank you for caring and being a good bridge builder. We are stronger being unified.
Consider StandFirmSaint's video. There are some points made about him that I can't un-see now.
@betterhoads183 what? 😂
@@GldnClawHaha, I just saw one of those videos, it was great.
I'm not LDS, but the missionaries I've encountered always really impress me. It's awesome that they do this and I can see the benefits this can give for young men and women.
Appreciate your fair and generous approach to our faith.
All Christians should link arms to preach Jesus!
Unfortunately, the message of LDS doesn't teach the true message of Jesus!
False religion that preaches a different gospel and different Jesus from the Bible. Let them be accursed. Jesus Christ (is God) and He created ALL things. He is NOT Lucifer's brother. Sick and twisted cult.
Which Jesus? The true Jesus who is God in the flesh, or the one who is Satan’s brother?
@@truthhearit1471Yup.
@@ese_JONNYX3 The latter. They think they can become gods through their own efforts. Very sad they are believing Lucifer's very first lie he told Eve in the very beginning.
❤❤Another great video. One of the best places on earth. There are about a few thousand of us subscribers who would love to see you interview David Boice from 52 Churches in 52 Weeks. What say you, pastor Jeff? All those in favor show by the uplifting of the Like button.
Also, it would be wonderful for Pastor Jeff to interview David Alexander. 🙏 Pastor Jeff did a great, sincere video on the MTC.
I left this site for a while, because thre was too much comparing of how evangelicals do it. I was an Evangelical Lutheran but missionaries brought live Christ to my life over 50 years ago. I made another comment on this video about my now 4 grands on their missions
It truly is a springboard for life to walk the streets of Mexico at 115 temp, att age 19, and to have non- domesticated dogs chasing you, no water to wash ones muddy pantlegs on rainy season, but at the same time to find people and families, who have been looking for Christ, who are ready to be committed.Another granddaughter served a mission during covid lickdowns. What a trooper for Christ!
Lockdowns sounds better...
@@lafrancehannele6884lol
@lafrancehannele6884 - Hello. The reason there is comparing and contrasting is because that is what Pastor Jeff has stated was his original purpose in starting Hello Saints. Almost all his videos do this. I thought he said in this one that a video was forthcoming on the Evangelical approach to The Great Commission (missionary work) to go forth and preach the Gospel.
I just LOVE how he chooses to talk so gracefully about a church he doesn't believe in! I'm protestant, but very keen to also broaden my knowledge about different gospels and beliefs! May God bless pastor Jeff, his family and his channel, and to continue to use him to share the gospel as a vessel of the body of Christ!
As a member of the church he’s talking about I really appreciate his kind approach as well!!
@@TheCamilleon3 Yes! As he explains everything, he does it with such Christlike love💕
He got baptized into our church. He does believe now. 🎉
@@corinnae6660 No he didn't. You're probably referring to the two David's that have youtube channels and were recently baptized.
What does the Bible teach about to additions to the gospel that Jesus taught? It's not a true gospel! It also says to test spirits that present at of God. The book of Mormon teaches lots of things that are against the gospel that Jesus taught. First of all it teaches that Jesus earned his way to heaven and that people can become gods.
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we too believe we serve in the ministry for life. In fact, a common phrase throughout LDS culture is “Every member a missionary.” We serve one another in our congregations, in our communities, and in humanitarian efforts throughout the globe. As a mother of three missionaries, my sons learned selflessness, integrity, compassion, empathy… what it was like to truly walk in the footsteps of Jesus the Master missionary, giving of themselves to bring people to Christ. They learned to love and embrace people of all walks of life. My sons were at times hungry, cold, scared, lonely, in dangerous situations… yet their experiences have made them better humans who look outward rather than inward. Now they carry what they’ve learned and experienced into their engagements with everyone they encounter in life, sharing the light and goodness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I served an LDS mission in Taipei, Taiwan, Mandarin Chinese speaking. I lived in Provo through junior high and high school and later at BYU. Our house was just a couple of blocks from the MTC. The roof of our home could seen from just in front of the MTC. As a youngster before serving my mission, we could even walk through the MTC on our way to BYU basketball games (later on, they stopped allowing us to do this). I had many memorable experiences in the MTC and in Taiwan, working with many wonderful, motivated, bright people. The experience does shape your life. I still vividly remember the first door I knocked on stumbling through my Chinese and explaining who we were! It felt daunting! There are various Christian religions in Taiwan, but Christianity is definitely a minority religion, with most people claiming to be Buddhist. I remember one man I met who had heard of Jesus Christ but who had not ever heard of the Bible. Definitely a different place compared to those that are predominately Christian. The people are beautiful, good people that I grew to love deeply. They and their culture are forever a part of me and who I am.
I loved serving in the Taipei mission. The people are amazing!
I am a member of the LDS Church. I did not serve a mission. Two of my kids served missions, one in Canada and the other in South Korea. They had great experiences and they grew so much as individuals in their faith gave them confidence all the way around, which has helped prepare them for the achievements and future success success beyond their mission. We are proud of their achievements. I enjoyed watching your video. I love that we as Christians can find common ground finding love for one another. I believe we are living in a world that is becoming more and more evil and wicked and we need to stand together United as Christians to stand up against the evil in this world. I appreciated the loving kindness toward our faith in this video. You did a great job!! ❤
Speaking on behalf of missionary momma's everywhere, so much love and appreciation for those who help to care for our children serving the Lord. Especially when those of other faiths reach out and feed and care for missionaries❤
Amen!❤
Amen!!! From another current missionary momma!!
I served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan. One day, someone called out to my companion and me on the street. When we turned around, two American women dressed much like us RAN to us to talk and share materials about their church. I don't remember which religion they were, but after they left, my companion and I said, "Wow, we should be as exuberant as them." To be fair, the Japanese people are usually reserved and might be shocked by that kind of excitement, but we were struck by it and loved these missionaries' energy.
@@AnnikaChampenois we lost when the leaders from the church killed Joseph Smith.
We are not the same as Joseph asked.
Did you know that ?
Of course you don’t remember their religion! Of course!
I'm ex-LDS, now Russian Orthodox, I served a full-time mission and have very warm memories of the two months I spent in the MTC learning a foreign language. There were great speakers, great lessons, adversity and triumphs. I can remember my companion loved to eat healthy and challenged me to do the same. Of of the great laughs I gave him was sitting down with a large bowl of salad but having a doughnut not so well hidden under the lettuce. Good times! I am glad you had a good tour. You are lucky to live in Utah, so many wonderful people there and natural beauty.
We are taught on our missions to continue being a missionary even after we return home for the rest of our lives. If one serves an honorable mission, it's ingrained in you. Not to say sometimes we don't get complacent, and lazy on that front. We are always taught to bring others to Christ regardless of a mission. Even if one doesn't serve a full-time mission, we are taught "every member a missionary". Some of the best missionaries I know didn't serve full time missions when young women/men, but later in life catch the missionary spirit and bring many souls to Christ. Some of our Prophets and Apostles never served full time missions. For me, my mission was the best choice I've ever made, and I contribute everything good in my life to be a byproduct of that decision.
I had four sons serve missions (I did as well). Missions are one of the great experiences of life. I tell people if I could only afford to send my kid on a mission or to college, but not both, I would send them on a mission in a heartbeat. On a mission they will learn things they could not learn just in college: They will learn self confidence, cooperation, success and failure, spiritual, cultural and social growth. They will learn to sacrifice, follow rules, be courageous, be humble, learn to step into the "dark" of the unknown. They will learn to study and absorb information. They will learn to heartfully pray. They will learn to count on the Lord for insight and inspiration.
For those on foreign missions, they will become ambassadors for those countries. They go off as boys, but come back as men. They will figure a way to go to college and hopefully contribute to society and raise good families.
Well said! I loved college and grew a ton, but the mission prepared me for life and family. 6 kids and we started a lawn care biz which has allowed the kids to cover the cost of their mission. However, I told them that if they are willing to serve a mission, but unable to cover the cost, I will guarantee that finances will not keep them from serving. For all the reasons you mentioned I want my kids to have the life changing, coming-of-age experience!
@@brihal6498 I forgot, missionaries will also learn a great deal about leadership, service and budgeting of time and finances. By the way, the sister missionaries that I have dealt with were outstanding. And of course the overriding experience will be spiritual growth and developing a relationship with the Lord.
God's MBA program
The church will pay for the monthly cost of a mission if the missionary is too poor. It is equalized payments now so no matter where you serve the cost is the same for U.S or Canadian residents. As for college they should learn as much in this economy and job market. Trades are also a good choice.
I spent 2 months in the MTC learning a Filipino language, absolutely loved my time there. Then later fell in love with the Philippines where I was assigned.
My mission continues to bless my life as I have since made a career on UA-cam using my mission language 🙏🏽
Caloy lang sakalam. Glad to see your comment here bro!
As a student at BYU in the 70’s, I taught Japanese at the Missionary Training Center for 2.5 years. I was part of the first teachers there. When I served in Japan, we went to the LTM ( Language Training Mission ) in Hawaii.
I was a convert from the Deep South at 18 as I was an Evangelical Southern Baptist and was converted by the Spirit of God and went on my mission at 19.
I saw and heard so many miracles and the true order of speaking in tongues.
The Gospel is true some 50 years later I can testify.
Hi Jim, I went to the LTM in 1970. I was in the 6th group just 1 year after it opened. It was a wonderful experience. I thought I had learned the language but I was wrong. About 4 months after I got to Japan I still couldn’t understand what our investigators were saying. I humbled myself and prayed and asked God to help me. I received the gift of tongues and a week or two later, I was transferred and given a companion junior to me. For the next 18 months I never had much difficulty understanding or speaking the language.
Jonathan Daniels
@@user-id7gi8oz7z, how cool. Yes it was about the 5 month mark for me as I had 3 native speakers Japanese as Companions and the light bulb came on. Japanese being one of the 5 most difficult languages in the world, this Mississippi kid actually spoke without a southern accent. lol. Greatest single time of my life.
I was a Southern Baptist before converting to the LDS church.
Just love your content...after leaving the Church for close to 15 years, I had my own come to Jesus moment in 2020 which actually led me back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I was baptized Catholic, worshipped with my Protestant, Methodist and Catholic families before being baptized into the LDS church. I'm grateful for being amongst all denominations and worshipping as one glorious group of many denominations whose focus is on Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ. Blessings to you and your family❤️
I'm sorry.
I left the LDS Church for Catholicism. If you look into early church history, the great apostasy is an obvious lie.
@@basedsigmalifter9482Not our goal to go tit for tat about one another’s church history. We could go to town with “interesting” (the kindest word I could think of to be honest) Catholic Church history 😅 trust me. I won’t bring up anything even if you come back stating this that or another about our LDS church history, I just want you to know that the LDS church has very little to scoff at compared to Catholic Church history. The great apostasy is easy to prove honestly.
@@dcarts5616 Could you enlighten me on the great apostasy?
@@basedsigmalifter9482 What would you like to know about it?
Thank you for seeing that we are all on the same team. We are Christians. We love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We all want to spread the “Good News”. As a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I appreciate all my friends of different denominations and all the things we have in common. I’ve had 2 sons go on missions, 1 to the Philippines and 1 to Brazil and they were life changing experiences. They are great men, husbands, fathers, providers. The mission played a big part in who they became. You are doing great work in your church, too! I can tell you are a man who loves the Lord and you’re influencing many people for good every day. Bless you!
Same team??? You all believe each other is on the wrong path and won't dwell in the presence of God lol. Civility should be the norm, it's odd that among Christians it's not.
@@ericreed4535haha RIGHT!
@@ericreed4535***correction***
not on the wrong path but a different path. Same destination.
Some evangelical will make it to the Celestial Kingdom. Some LDS members will not.
@@ericreed4535 it’s sad that for whatever reason you are choosing to tell Latter-Day Saints what they/we believe. It seems you’ve had some negative experience with LDS members or that you’re unwilling to admit that our beliefs are spiritual in nature and not intellectual. If it’s bad experiences I am sorry that whomever it was offended you. If it’s intellectual then personal pride is certainly not something Christ would condone.
@@ericreed4535 the LDS believe we both follow Christ and are both Christians.
Thank you for your fair review. That’s really all most LDS members want. There is so much that is biased and unfair in reviews of our church. I served in the Southern United States and there was a fair amount of other churches that taught anti “Mormon” teachings and I did run into people wanting to fight about doctrine. But one thing I can say, no matter how hard the mission was, missionaries love the people in the areas they go-no matter the differences. I felt a deep love for the people in the areas I served. It wasn’t just work, it was a work of love.
I'm from Finland and went to the MTC for three weeks. I served in Texas Dallas Mission. I loved the speakers we had a chance to listen to. It was very interesting experience although I have to say I was big time sleep deprivated after the MTC... And Dallas was a very interesting area to serve in. I had never before or since experienced such hostility and been told I will go to hell together with Joseph Smith. 🤷🏻♀️ After wishing well to those people I just had to say to my companion that I would rather be in hell with Joseph Smith than in heaven with all those hostile people. But I also met so many wonderful people, both members and people from many different denominations. I loved my mission and it has had a great impact on my life. ❤
Wow, 3 weeks to go to Dallas ! ! :)
I served in the Texas Dallas Mission 1978-1980. Rather than the MTC, which was not an option then... we went the the Salt Lake Missionary Home (SLMH) for 4 days, took a flight to Dallas and were tracting on day 5 ! ! ! We memorized 10 discussions while we struggled with the language, culture and heat and humidity :)
@@michaeljhuntsman Three weeks was "the normal" if you didn't have language training. Our group had missionaries from Norway, Tonga, Samoa, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Germany, Netherlands etc. and we spoke English as a second (or third or fourth) language. That's why they thought we didn't need language training. 😅 But having only four days in a Mission Home... 😮😬 It wasn't easy after three weeks, can't even imagine what it would have been like after only four days! 😳 But I know in the early days of Finnish Mission - and other missions as well, I'm sure - the missionaries were just sent out.
I had a roommate in college who went to Finland 🇫🇮 on her mission. She absolutely loved it. She shared a bedroom with another roommate who went on a mission to Italy 🇮🇹. So, there was a giant Finnish flag and a giant Italian flag on their wall. It was wonderful 😊.
I had a friend who had a similar experience in Texas. They actually threw sticks and rocks at her. It was a really hard mission.
My mom went on a mission to Japan, and I don't think that there was any language training in those days. She went to Salt Lake for a week and then on to Japan. But, she loved it.
You would rather go to hell with Joseph Smith?
@@Compulsive-Elk7103 it's a semi facetious remark. This person clearly doesn't think that Joseph Smith is going to hell, but the point is that if he did it would be more of a heaven than the real heaven would be with the protestant meanies.
Thank you for being so respectful and curious about us as a people.
I loved my time serving a mission and the people I met while there.
I would like to add that a mission is only the beginning of our service. We continue to serve within the church all our lives. It is so much more than just a church. We dedicate our lives to serving the Lord.
I served as a full-time missionary in Hong Kong from 1998 to 2000. The MTC was not as big or modern then and though it was challenging in many ways (that’s what training is supposed to be) it was an amazing experience and the springboard to the most pivotal time of my life. Learning Cantonese along with solidifying principles of the gospel was intense! When I left the MTC, I remember how excited I was to go to Hong Kong, the place the Lord wanted me to go. I felt completely inadequate of myself but I learned at the MTC that I could go forward without fear. Fast forward two years through the most difficult and amazing experiences of my young life and I had been blessed with the confidence needed to take on any challenge that was right and good-the Lord would guide and consecrate my efforts. I draw from that well to this very day. I fail at times, but as I strive to draw closer to Christ, I know it can all be made right.
On my mission in Germany, the Catholic Priest was far more friendly than the Lutheran Minister who saw us as more competition. Our church's outreach is helping tone that down some. We often work with the Catholic Relief agency on joint projects. We welcome your curiosity and kindness.
I just returned from my Mission 2 months ago! I am still in contact with my friends from the MTC. The spirit was so strong there! I will always be praying for the Missionaries!
I was in the last group of missionaries to be trained at the BYU Hawaii Language Training Mission. As a convert of about 18 months at the time it was a fabulous experience. My most memorable experiences were the devotionals - when the group of about 50-60 missionaries sang the hymns it sounded like the heavens opened and angels singing with us. That and the instructors who were amazing at what they did teaching us Japanese. Memorizing what we called the missionary discussions or lessons to give us a basic grasp of language/vocabulary was certainly challenging - it was amazing to see different missionaries struggling to learn a foreign language and how to interact with each other. Were this not truly “by their works ye shall know them” I’m certain that the Church of 3 million at the time would not be one of 17-18 million today.
I learned Japanese in the FIRST LTM in Hawaii, in 1969.
Why did they stop doing Hawaii
The Church built the MTC in Provo and at that time the MTC absorbed all the new missionary training.
Your logic fails you. The percent of humans who are active LDS, is smaller today than in the past when compared to the global population. Your losing ground, now what?
@@ericreed4535 “losing ground” by comparing world and church populations is a false flag argument. Why are you even posting such an opinion when the purpose of Pastor Jeff is to find common ground? I’m sorry but trolling isn’t what this forum is for or about. Please take your dissension elsewhere.
As a missionary in Cape Verde, a remote African country, I was amazed that there were other American missionaries out there, in this case Jehovah Witness sister missionaries. Usually we would kinda just respect each other's space but we were so thrilled to meet and see each other that we ended up chatting every time we ran into each other and swapped recipes and stories. It was fun. Good on em!
This video is well done, I did serve a mission in Europe truly changed my life. I’m still an active member of the LDS faith. one thing that you missed is that every missionary pays their own way.
I never had the chance to attend the MTC because I served during the pandemic. But I loved my mission! I served in Iowa (and IL and MO), and I will always cherish the experiences I had has an elder. Coming from the LDS dense East Valley in AZ, my eyes were opened to a side of the country I never knew existed. I loved all the people I served with and interacted with. Missions are life changing.
Hi Jeff. I served my mission in Ukraine thirty years ago. Like many, my experiences with missionaries from other faiths were mixed. However, to this day, I remember some interactions I had with a Baptist missionary. His group was passing out a tract that listed doctrines of various religions, including the LDS Church. He asked me how much of his tract was accurate (some points were, some weren't). We had a great conversation about our different beliefs. After that, we'd run into each other occasionally. We'd chat without caring about "converting" each other. He told me some amazing things about his family's history with Christianity in the Communist era. It was very much a "fight criticism with curiosity" kind of relationship, and I developed a tremendous amount of respect for him and his commitment to Christ.
There are also service missions. My husband and I are serving a mission in Adam-Ondi--Ahman, Missouri. The reason we are here is to beautify the earth and make friends. We are also preparing the land for the return of the Savior, and we're preparing ourselves to be ready to meet him when die, or if we are alive when he comes again.
Do you get any sort of impression or feeling that Adam-Ondi-Ahman is near? My 6 year old prays that we get invited. It’s so cute.
Met you the other day when I was visiting with my family! Say hi to my dad, Matt Ellsworth, for me!
My wife and I are serving a service mission. We help at a church employment center. We see some people who are discouraged, who have lost their jobs, or may be just looking for their first job out of high school. We help them with resumes, interviewing skills, job search skills and sometimes just help them know that even in this low point, God still loves them.
Prior to this mission, we spent four years in the church's 12 step addiction recovery program. That was AMAZING! One of the most spiritually rewarding experiences of my life.
All these programs are available and free to anyone who walks through the door...even evangelical Ministers 😉
That must be such an amazing place to serve a mission! You are very lucky 😊
Say hello to Jay & Trina Bair from Bob & Karen W
I spent four weeks in the Provo MTC, and four weeks in the Spain MTC. I will say that after studying Spanish for 6 years, pre MTC, which included living in Chile for a month, studying abroad in Mexico with BYU, I never experienced the level of learning a language like I did as a missionary. I felt like I had glasses put on me in the MTC, and I could FINALLY understand what I was learning! It was incredible. I know God helped me learn the language as a missionary. Best experience of my life up until that point.
My 8 weeks in the MTC were magical. Great spirit and I grew a lot. Studied French with some amazing teachers. Would do it again in a heartbeat
I love your tag line! “Fighting criticism with curiosity “. Thank you for publicly sharing your Christ like compassion and care for all of God’s children ❤
My son has been out for a year now. He just trained a missionary. Missions are hard for these kids but they grow so much because of the challenges they go through. They learn to love the people they serve and their companions. In his case, he is learning to love the Swedish people where his ancestors are from. Love and service go together and we become true disciples of Christ as we learn to do this. All of my children have served on their missions because they wanted to bring people to Christ and because they had a testimony of the restored gospel. They chose to go and serve. I'm very proud of my kids for that selfless act. I would say that the majority of these kids are the same way. It doesn't make it easy but it does help because they know they chose it. They also know that God willed it for them because they prayed about it and received that prompting to go.
I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I did meet some Baptist and some Jehovah's Witness missionaries frequently from the United States when serving a full-time mission in South America. What both pairs did was to engage in friendly conversation about what we had in common. We did not argue. Neither did they wish to, nor did we. I remember asking how things were going with them. They asked us the same. Before that, I'd had no idea that Baptist missionaries existed! I thought them to be good and kind people. When on vacation with my family, we were also given a tour by a missionary from The Community of Christ, which was what most in my church consider to be a break-off of our church. The interesting thing is, they probably think of our church as a break-off from their church. They believe in The Book of Mormon: another Testament of Jesus Christ, as well. I was impressed with that missionary. He was a good young man who was also fresh our of high school.
Pastor Jeff! I just love your videos and am so grateful for your kindness as you explore our beliefs and our church culture, etc. My husband served a mission in Sweden, my son served in Washington state during covid (that was rough), and my daughter is currently serving in Provo, UT!! The main thing I wanted to say, was thank you for asking people to be kind to our kids. They really are just trying to share the good news and kindness means the world to them. I seriously started weeping when you made that request in your video. Thank you again!
I served a mission in Japan about 13 years ago. It changed my life - not just in how I view my faith and beliefs but how I view myself and how I can be confident in who I am as a person. I was in the MTC for 12 weeks and it was an absolute blast. Seeing your opening shot of the long hallway leading down from the main entrance to the cafeteria brought back SO many memories. It was great!
I didn't come across any... protestant missionaries. Unless Jehovah's Witnesses are considered protestant? I'm not sure. But it was one of the more heart breaking yet poignant moments of my life. We were walking down a street and this lady we were walking by looked like she wanted to speak. I saw her hesitate then hang her head as we passed. I stopped and asked her if she was okay. She said she was a JW and just didn't have the courage to start talking to us. She asked us how we had the courage to talk to strangers and face rejection. I don't remember what I said, but I asked her if she wanted to practice her message with us. She brightened up and gladly accepted. After her thing, I asked her if she would be willing to reciprocate and let us give our message. She said no, thanked us for talking to her, and walked away. I was just kind of dumbfounded that she rejected us.. after what we had just talked about. But she needed cheering up and encouragement to do what she had made a commitment to do. I was glad to do that, regardless of the denominational line between us.
Thank you for the great video and how much respect you give other religions, especially the LDS religion. Religions, especially Christian ones, don't need to be antagonistic toward each other and I'm grateful for your efforts to be as fair and open as possible.
Thanks Pastor Jeff! My good friend leads tours at the MTC. Maybe she was your guide. 😊 I've only been inside the MTC when we took our son there prior to his mission serving in the Philippines. My husband and I mostly recently served as service missionaries in the Addiction Recovery Mission. Mostly we led a family support group. Beautiful program helping to lead people to Christ.
My son is currently serving a full-time mission, and his experience at the MTC was incredibly powerful and spiritual. He misses it dearly and will always hold a special place in his heart for the MTC. During his time there, he formed lasting friendships, strengthened his testimony and faith, and prepared for the challenges ahead. Leaving home was hard, but he is willing to sacrifice two years because of his love for the Savior. I’m so grateful for my son’s decision to serve and support all our missionaries who have stepped up to the call, and have the courage and dedication to serve. God speed to our young missionaries worldwide
Thank you. My son has been out 6 months ❤ I appreciate your words about all missionaries wourlswide including mine. ❤
As a returned missionary and a current teacher at the MTC, I appreciate this video so much. I admire your approach to learning more about Latter-day Saints. Thank you for doing it with love and integrity Pastor Jeff.
I served in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia as one of my assigned cities on my mission and an American Baptist(?) missionary couple lived in my same apartment complex. We passed them from time to time on the sidewalk. My companion at the time was Sister Beronova from the Czech Republic. The baptist couple were so genuinely kind and thought my companion and I were so amazing to be foreigners of Russia but speaking the language together and venturing out everyday for new adventures! It was fun! They had the same lovely view of the town square, rode the same busses, had the same troubles with ants, cockroaches and mice and hoped to share God’s love with our Russian neighbors. It was great! I loved seeing their smiles.
It absolutely is a right of passage. It’s been 35 years since I entered the mission field. I’ve had amazing milestones in my life such as my wonderful marriage and five amazing children but to this day I still view my life as life before, during, and after my mission. It was that impactful!
I served my mission in Manaus, Brazil which is a pretty large city in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest. There were very few times that I recall seeing missionaries from other churches but I do have fond memories of finding the opportunity to connect with ministers of other churches in areas where I was serving. I remember once walking down the road and coming upon a "Deus e' Amor" church which is a Pentecostal church and in Manaus, it's very common for some churches to have the front of their church essentially look like a garage door so it can open up right to the road. They had a couple ladies singing at the road and we stopped to talk with the minister and asked if we could join them. My companion and I ended up singing a song or two as well. It was always a joy to find commonality in our purpose and our message about the Savior!
I miss the food 😭! Aloha plate!!
Great times there. The focus on the Spirit was key. Really helped me out on my mission.
I also felt like every time I was trained on teaching, I was also learning about following Christ's example. Principles like teaching to needs, sharing personal experience, listening instead of thinking about what I'll say next, being flexible to spiritual promptings, etc. did a lot to deepen my discipleship.
Thank you for your channel and the work you put into it. I'm grateful for it being called Hello Saints. I feel welcome here and I hope our brothers and sisters of other faiths, and even no faith, also feel welcome here.
The MTC wasn’t my favorite part of my mission, but it did help me to understand the gospel better. I served in Norway and being there helped me to understand the Lutheran religion better and now I have many friends that are Lutheran. My mission did change my life and I’m so grateful for it
I grew up LDS. Never served a mission but, for professional reasons, spent some time abroad in a country where there wasn't any LDS congregation or group. I eventually found a small group of Christian friends who held prayer meetings in their homes on Sundays. They welcomed me in. It was a cultural learning curve in some ways, but I still feel grateful for the friendship, the chance to pray with them, and the things I learned from them during those years.
I grew up in a small branch in the middle of nowhere. We learned that goodness and love of our Savior Jesus Christ comes from many denominations. Glad you were able to find that too.
I served an LDS mission in Argentina, and found courage in the knowledge I was called by the Lord to represent Him, so anything that happened or how people reacted I didn't have to take personally but was content that it was all for Christ, grateful just to serve Him and help others come to know Him better, sharing His love and news of life after death and good news that we can repent and learn to become like Him. If people rejected our message, they were rejecting Christ's message, not me or my message.
My experience at the MTC was AMAZING! I will never forget the spirit I felt there!!!!!❤
I was in the MTC 2005 for less than 3 weeks. In that short time, I cherished every moment. The bonds made with my fellow missionaries was so special. The spirit and excitement is palpable. Yes, it has rules, but we still had fun and good laughs playing sports, learning how to teach, and meeting people from all over the world
I served my mission in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas. I ran into missionaries of other faiths, and it was a mixed bag, to be honest. Some, right off the bat, wanted to tell me I was going straight to hell. With some, we had great conversations and came away believing we both had the right faith in Christ, and with some, we agreed to disagree. But I loved the people and the area; I can never forget it.
Jeff, I’m a big fan & learn so much from you. I love your quote of the importance of “Being curious instead of being critical.” I served a mission in Pennsylvania. It was fascinating to see so many different Christian churches in the East coast. Joseph Smith wrote about there being a different church on every corner in the 1800’s and it was still the case in 1996-97. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve as a full time missionary in my youth & the amazing people I met, taught and mentored me. It prepared me for a life of church service and leadership opportunities. My son is finishing his mission in Mexico 🇲🇽 I’m so grateful for all the kind people who feed and are kind to the missionaries around the world. It’s remarkable service these youth give for 18 months -2yrs. It’s time for us to come together in goodness and belief in God and link arms as Christians, followers of Jesus Christ. We’re all on the same team! I love that you show us Jeff that we have a lot more in common than different about our beliefs. And we can move forward together even if we believe some things differently and it doesn’t need to divide us but teach us to show love, respect & curiosty Keep up the great work of sharing the good news!!
As a mom who has 4 children who served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I appreciate you encouraging others to be kind to our missionaries. We all just need to remember we are ALL God's children, thus brothers and sisters!
Thank you Pastor for sharing your experience the LDS Missionary Training Center. I had the opportunity as a young woman to serve a mission to the deaf in Northern California. Wow! What an unforgettable experience I still reflect on. We were focusing on is the Savior and His mission and work and how we serve our Father and Heaven and Jesus Christ. The daily preparation of pray, scripture study, reviewing our discussions or lessons on principle gospels and doctrines were included. It was about the love our Heavenly Father and the Savior loved people and how we serve those who are ready for this beautiful message for individuals. The spiritual experiences I had was amazing for those we served. Things happen to the people and us that only a loving Father who knew them would prepare them for his message. I had been blessed to know the Book of Mormon , the Second Testimony of Jesus Christ was the word of God. I am grateful for the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day Saints to spread the gospel to the earth.
Missionaries aren't apologists, they are, hopefully, witnesses.
Indoctrinated children is more accurate. No Adam and Eve in Missouri, no literacy in the Americas during the supposed BOM times. No Noah's ark and no global flood to get Noah's family to Israel. 🥱
They used to introduce themselves as "Servants of Jesus Christ."
I served as an LDS missionary in Germantown Ohio and we converted a Pentecostal man whose wife did not convert. We went to their church where the sang and played Wildwood Flower on guitars and I loved the song.
After the music a woman minister called up to the stand "all ministers". What she meant was ministers of her faith but I was naive and simple minded and I went up on the stand and sat next to them. LOL Well, we were ministers and didn't know any better. It seemed like an open mic session so I went and testified about the Book of Mormon and even got a few "Amens" then my companion did the same.
She parted ways when we talked about the stick of Judah and Joseph in Ezekiel 37 after the meeting. But we had a good time and enjoyed the service.
On my mission in Japan 1969-1971, we met some protestant missionaries. They were amazed that we became practically fluent in less than a year. Of course, nowadays at least half the missionaries in Japan are native speakers, which helps the foreign missionaries to learn the language better, having a tutor available 24/7. They didn't understand that the pastors for each native congregation were local members donating their time, rather than a paid missionary from the US.
In 1976, I received 4 days of training at the MTC that was located in downtown SLC where the conference center is located now. Then I was shipped off to the mission field in New Zealand. It was the one of the best experiences of my life, and prepared me to face the world post mission experience.
I was there in 1975, and it was called the Mission Home. I then went to Ricks College (now BYU Idaho) for Dutch Language training. All the Scandinavian languages were taught there. I served in the Netherlands Amsterdam Mission for 2 years..
Great video. The MTC was great. Long days of trying to learn Spanish. I was grateful to actually get to the mission though. I haven’t seen the new additions to the MTC. Good to see.
Great presentation! Thank you for making this a very kind, Christian like presentation though from a different background. I served a mission in Columbia, South America in the 1980s at the beginning of the drug war. And it was very difficult. I’m always grateful for the elderly Baptist missionary couple that we would see in the streets every now and again they were always very kind to us and made us feel a little bit like we’re back at home. One thing I did want to mention is that the mission prepares the young missionaries for a lifelong ministry Wherever they go - whether they go to school or go back home and get settled down. But they will always be involved in various ministries whether with youth or adult within the congregation that they are part of at that time. In my career, I served as a chaplain with the military, and had the beautiful opportunity to work with chaplains of so many different denominations and faiths. Like you, I’ve learned so much and have come to appreciate the gifts that each brings to the table.
You are just the nicest, most respectful person! I love hearing your videos and your perspectives!! If you are ever looking for a new church, look first at being a LDS! We would be beyond lucky to get you! Your teaching is so great!
Thank you for taking the time to see the training that goes on at the MTC. I served in South Georgia 30 years ago and building on the commonalities we shared with those we met were the sweetest experiences. However, one encounter my companion & I had with a Missionary Baptist wasn't as positive as most. She invited us back to her home & then started to try to bash everything we believe in, she demanded to see an original copy of the Book of Mormon to show us how things had been corrected from the original book to our present copies. She got pretty hostile & finally we just told her we weren't there to argue, we were there to share with her the things that were important to us. Finally we shared our testimonies & left with a prayer. It was very unfortunate that with this individual we weren't able to share any commonalities. I pray that her heart was softened one day to understand we can still be together with peace in Jesus Christ rather than act with anger & hostility.
I served a mission in Japan in 2017, and I spent 9 weeks at this MTC before departing. I always reflect on that time as one of the most sacred times of my life. It was also without doubt one of the hardest times of my life. But I am always grateful for the experience I received in the MTC, and for what it taught me. To this day I have a profound respect for the missionaries that I see walking around in there as I drive by, and for the missionaries bravely serving all over the world! Thank you for a wonderful video!
Thanks, Pastor Jeff! What great insight, brother! I recently served with two LDS Missionaries at a local food bank where they regularly participate in loading and unloading. I think they may have a better attitude towards "in mission together" than some of our Protestant counterparts. Made me wonder how they are encouraged and/or warned in these types of scenarios.
I was a missionary about 2 years ago and I can speak to how it was back in my day haha😂 when we’re serving at organizations or food banks we generally don’t proselytize. Our main focus is to serve our community and neighbors while we’re there. But in a more general sense when it comes to interacting with people from other faiths we’re encouraged not to debate with people but answer any questions if people genuinely want to know, and to be kind and Christlike. I served my mission in Ohio and there were a ton of Protestant denominations as well as other faiths, and I became friends with so many people of different faiths there. Some people we taught, and some we just loved and talked to. There was a couple who I remember still who we would just mow their lawn and pray with them. I’m not saying we were perfect, but we try our best on our missions not just to represent the church but to represent Christ:).
Hi. I’ve been listening now for a couple years. To be honest, I have been skeptical of your motives in doing this, even though you have been up front of why you’re doing this.
In this video, I had a clarity moment. When you called on those of your faith to care for and be kind to missionaries my perspective changed. Thank you!
I ran into an evangelical missionary when I was serving in Paraguay. We had missed the last bus for the night. He was in a truck and stopped and spoke to us. We were both American and he spoke to us in English, but we couldn’t understand what was being said. You see, we were expecting Spanish not English. Finally, we realized he was speaking English and he asked if we needed a ride. We gladly accepted and had about 10 min in the truck chatting with him as he gave us a ride. I will forever be thankful to this evangelical missionary for stopping to help two LDS missionaries in Paraguay.
I am LDS. I served my mission before the MTC was built as a complex in Provo. The last few batches we received in my mission before returning home were the first groups to go there. For my missionary training, our experience at Provo was the LTM (Language Training Mission) which was for missionaries going to European missions, other than Scadanavia - which were trained at Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho). English language missionaries were trained at the Mission home in Salt Lake City, on the land now occupied by the Conference Center. Missionaries headed to Polynesia and Asia were trained at BYU-Hawaii. At one point, all missionaries from the United States were processed at the Mission home and those going to foreign language missions were sent en-masse to their LTMs the afternoon after they were processed. Ours was the last group to undègo that step.
I served as a Latter-day Saint missionary in South Africa, and we crossed paths with missionaries a few times. Incidentally most of them were Jehovah's Witnesses. The interactions were always positive -- one time we even got invited to a get-together with other missionaries, and I wish we were able to go but we had prior committments.
More togetherness and unity among Christians is always a good idea.
We're protestant parents of teenagers and while we do plan to encourage our kids to attend a Christian university, I do wish there was a more widely used missionary program in the evangelical world. Obviously we have missionaries, and obviously there are many who are young, but it's not as common and a rite of passage in our evangelical world. I was just telling my husband that we should investigate if there are college aged missions that our kids might be interested in. It's definitely good for a young person.
Just tell them go to college and have fun!
@@happyarchaeologistoh definitely support that too! I just have one kid in particular who is really interested in missions and I wish there were a more organized mission program available to them in the evangelical world.
We'll definitely let them choose their own paths. Just offering guidance. ;)
My MTC experience was maybe different than some. I ended up switching assigned country and language halfway through. Learning two different foreign languages wasn't what I expected. It was pretty challenging on multiple levels. I think this happens more frequently now, but 25 years ago it was not common. And today there are definitely a lot of missionaries that end up learning more than one language. The fact that we send these young people out with just a few weeks worth of language training is pretty incredible. I loved my MTC experience even if it was one of the hardest parts of my mission. There was a purpose in the change of assignment and it was one of the clearest witnesses to me in my whole life that God is aware of each of his children and continues to move mountains to bless individual hearts in need.
As a missionary I got the opportunity to serve in a soup kitchen run by a catholic organization. The nuns didn't care who we were as long as we showed up and worked hard. The sisters were so busy that we didn't get much chance to interact with them. But in general it was hard because many of the community organizations didn't want our help. I was so grateful that the nuns gave us a chance to serve.
I joined the LDS faith thirteen years ago this month. I married a life-long Latter Day Saint woman, my late wife's best friend, several months later. The reason I joined the Church was because of my now wife's assurances about being sealed with my late wife for time and all eternity. To this day, I have questions about a number of the LDS teachings and even LDS beliefs where there are differences with the various Protestant religions. (I was raised a protestant. My late wife was a Catholic, but she was reading the Book of Mormon during the last year or so of her life.) The best thing I can say about members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is that, as a whole, they are THE finest people I've ever known. Latter Day Saints live their religion. Religion is full time with virtually every "Mormon" I know. Wonderful people, and a first-class video you've put together here on the LDS Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. My wife is a graduate of BYU. She was an older non-traditional student. Her last year at BYU was 2011-2012, during with time the two of us were married. After Debbie graduated, we bought a house in Springville, just south of BYU. I've been on the BYU campus many times. I'm as proud of BYU as if I myself graduated from there. Thank you for this superb video. Hopefully it'll help make me a better member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Andy McKane, 21 August 2024, Maunaloa, Molokai, Hawaii.
You have been very privileged to have these inside looks into core LDS places like the MTC. While the methods can be a little different, Christian missionaries are all engaged in that same work of introducing people to Christ and how to follow His gospel. You too are quite a missionary tour guide to bring these not so different groups to a common purpose.
God has His Ways of bringing us to a unity of faith, even from seemingly different directions. Thanks for the tour and the perspectives.
Wow! Thank you! As a member of the LDS church and one who served a mission over 33 years ago, it was wonderful to actually see the inside of the MTC today! And your positive and honest approach is so refreshing and wonderful, it makes me want to watch more of your videos and when I visit UT I’d love to hear one of your sermons!! Uniting our faith in Christ in love and respect is so beautiful, it’s Christ’s teachings in action! Thank you again!
I really enjoyed how you are open to learning about other faiths. I know so many people that are so closed off and just stay with their own opinions (which is fine) but I find it extremely refreshing seeing this content. You made my day
I served a mission in 2018 to Nauvoo and Carthage Illinois, and I spent 4 weeks at the MTC there in Provo. Your video brought back so many memories of study with my companion in front of the incredible artwork. Since I was a missionary preparing to serve at a historical site, I helped give tours of the MTC to visitors like yourself. Thanks for sharing how missions are viewed in the Evangelical world too. While a mission in our faith is a dedicated 18-month or 2-year service, the hope is that we also continue to heed the great commission to serve and spread the gospel throughout our lives, not just on our missions. Great thoughts!
I served a mission in Mexico. It was an amazing experience and as mentioned in the video i can confirm that I grew to have a deep love and appreciation for Mexican people and culture. I have a lot of great memories from the MTC of studying the scriptures and of feeling the spirit as I prayed and learned about the Savior and His gospel. As a missionary I interacted with missionaries of other faiths. I think that there were a lot of misunderstandings about what members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints believe but as we communicated and shared with each other a lot of the interactions ended up being very positive.
Jeff - I'd like to see a video from you exploring the other side of the coin. As a latter-day saint, I have been rejected by evangelicals when I've attempted to volunteer at soup kitchens and the like. Other saints have been fired or rejected as volunteers at pregnancy crisis centers and other evangelical charities once it was discovered they were LDS. Its becoming more and more common for evangelicals, especially pastors, to preach that latter-day saints worship a "evil, demonic Jesus Christ", are not christians, and should not be associated with. There are some really heartbreaking stories out there from saints who have attempted to volunteer only to be treated poorly and have their sincere faith in Jesus Christ slandered. It would be enlightening to hear your perspective as an evangelical pastor on why evangelicals are becoming more and more hostile towards fellow christians that are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the point they won't even accept our help with service-related charities. Obviously, the fruits of the LDS Church do not support the idea that we worship a demon. A bitter font cannot bring forth sweet water or vice-versa. So it would be helpful to hear your point of view on why evangelicals keep saying something so hurtful.
I’ve already made a couple of videos covering this topic.
ua-cam.com/video/wCFMCxt_9Bg/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/47R5Wp-pgeM/v-deo.html
I served my mission in the Bible Belt in the Independence, Missouri mission. My experiences with Born Again and Evangelicals was negative. They generally tried to trick my companions and I into conversations where they would tear down our beliefs and argue with us. I always left those discussions feeling sad and discouraged. I vowed that if I met any missionaries from any church after my mission that I would treat them kindly. I appreciate you urging kindness and respect toward missionaries of all faiths. We all love Jesus and are trying our best to serve Him.
Thank you Jeff, I served a mission in 1977 and so this was a great update for me! A big thank you for your kind words of encouragement to look after our sons and daughters. As parents I think we are more concerned for them than they are when they leave the nest to embark on a missionary assignment. If you can fit it in you might consider an addition to this video about the “senior” missionaries. My sister who never served a mission as a young adult is now serving in Italy with her husband as a senior missionary. She’s having an experience very similar to mine as a kid. Except she gets to go with her sweetheart!
I loved my mission experience and had the opportunity to serve with my MTC companion in the field as well. I went to the Milan, Italy mission, and it is the single most pivotal experience of my life that built me as a human and took me and my testimony into marriage and motherhood and just life in general.
My son served in the Milan Italy Mission as well! He was there from 2010-2012!
@@sharonsmith7525 Sorry! I meant 2012-2014.
When my sister was on a mission in Oklahoma, she encountered some people who were hired by their church to spend all day every day studying and debunking the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She has surprisingly remained in contact with one of them and they seem reasonably friendly, so it can’t have been a fully negative interaction, but they definitely didn’t see each other as being on the same team. I’m glad to see in the comment section that there are those who’ve had more positive interactions. I guess it’s really individual
I served in Germany. In 1991, I remember meeting evangelical missionaries in the North Eastern town of Wismar on the Baltic Sea. East and West Germany had just been reunified so there were religious groups throughout the country proselyting. One night we met a group of American evangelical missionaries in the town center. It wasn’t hostile but I remember them challenging us to pray with them. They seemed surprised that we agreed, like Mormons won’t say prayers or something. So on that spot, with people walking around us, under the streetlights and the beautiful Summer moonlight, we held hands and each of us said prayers thanking the creator of the Universe for our chance meeting and being together in that beautiful country with those beautiful people at that time. We parted ways politely wishing each other well. I’ll never forget that experience. We all learned a bit more about our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Thank you for always being respectful
I just wanna say thank you for these.I am a Latter Day Saint Woman and I am so grateful that You are building bridges and not walls, thank you.
You’ll never find a happier group of young people.
This is absolutely brilliant, and a model for how we should engage with believers from other denominations. Writing as a devout, practicing Latter-Day Saint, here's hoping that members of my Church can be equally curious and gracious when encountering those who love Christ but who disagree with some of our basic truth claims.
Fantastic analysis! I served an LDS mission to Finland as a young man in the 80’s and then again in 2019 as senior missionaries with my wife. We are heading to Ghana next to work with young people in higher education. Thank you for your insights and fair treatment. I am sure you are a wonderful minister to your flock. God bless you in your work to bring souls to Christ.
I should receive my LDS mission call on Tuesday so not only did this help me understand a Protestant POV it gave me a mini tour of the MTC lol.
I really enjoyed what you said about missions being lifelong. As members of the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day-Saints, we may “officially” be a missionary for 6, 12, 18, or 24 months, but the responsibilities and call that we have to spread the gospel are lifelong. Many functioning Branches or Wards have designated Ward Mission Leaders and Ward Missionaries who help facilitate missionary work within their local geographical boundaries, with the assigned young missionaries, if there are any. The support that members have the opportunity to give the assigned missionaries (the ones who go through the MTC) can be extraordinary. They give support with meals, rides, going out to preach with them, and to give referrals.
For many dedicated members of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day-Saints, missionary work is an aspect of their life. Yes, we serve abroad for 18024 months, but that call to preach and spread the Gospel never really ends. Amazing video, Pastor Jeff!!
Hi 😅
I had a great and most challenging mission ‼️
It will be 50 years ago that I served the people in Ireland ‼️
Now I'm looking back, and it feels like yesterday ‼️ My how the time has moved on, but I'll never forget the mission field ‼️ I learned so much about Christ in such a short time, it's Amazing ‼️
I served in Texas Spanish-speaking and was sent to the Mexico MTC which is a little more rare. It's a good deal more modest but you get the same general feel. One of the hermanas in my group ended up being my companion in the mission RIGHT after training which is also uncommon. But the Lord knew what he was doing putting us together and it ended up being one of my favorite companionships and she set me up with my husband after the mission! My mission was truly one of the greatest blessings and privileges in my life!
To the Finland missionary. I am from Finland in America and currently have 4 grandchildren serving all over the world. One, a granddaughter is serving in Rauma , Finland rt now. Her father and aunt ( my kids) also served in Finland 25 years ago! The gospel of Jesus Christ is alive and well!
When the old age of 60 came around I decided to do a mission. I didn't want to learn a new language, so I stayed in the US and spent two years in Long Beach, California. I worked as a secretary to the president in the Mission Office there in Long Beach. The fun in that job was the missionaries that were in and out for this and that. I loved that. They were so much fun. I did this from 2005-2007. Then I came home and started to live with retirement life. 😀 Would I do it again? Yup! It's a great two years.
I work at the MTC as a teacher to prep missionaries to teach and I love it! I’m glad they do tours and that you were able to go!
I am 62 and am currently involved in my local prison ministry. I serve along other faiths and we all demonstrate a mutual respect for each other's work even between Jehovahs Witness teachers and LDS! It is really refreshing. Generally The various faiths have enough in common to not have to be enemies. To anyone who needs the contention ...it will all be answered and sorted out at some point. Meanwhile we can help people come to Christ and be better people.
I served in the SLC, UT mission ... wow, over 30 years ago. I went and visited with a Lutheran pastor at his church. He showed us around and we had a nice discussion. He tried to bring a question that confused him about some scripture in the Book of Mormon. It boiled down to how do Faith and Works work together.
I also had a Jehovah Witness waste time with us one morning. I did run into one person who was "not interested". But when I asked if he had any questions, he said... "Oh, yeah!" And ran to get his list. My response was to bare my testimony. It was one of the times I handled a potential contention well. (Unlike that previous encounter.)
I was even invited into a Middle Eastern Muslim family's home. A very different experience, not antagonistic, just informative for both sides.