Lawrence R. Flake
February 20, 2003

From BYU Missionary Prep Club Web Page:

The Speaker:

Lawrence R. Flake is an Associate Professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, and is the coordinator for the Department of Religious Education’s Sharing the Gospel course. Brother Flake served as a young missionary in the Northern States mission and later as president of the Missouri, Independence mission. He also served as a Regional Representative for the Quorum of the Twelve. He is the author of five books, included his latest work, Prophet’s and Apostles of the Last Dispensation.

The Message:

What we need is better music, and more of it, and better speaking, and less of it! Thank you for that musical number.

I love missionary work – our six sons have all served missions. One son complained of having to go by “Elder Flake,” but his brother was in a companionship where it was “Elder Flake” and “Elder Looney” in Poland. It is very challenging there in Poland, but they have a good core of members, and that is the key to missionary work. Their favorite hymn over there is “Jehovah, Lord of Heaven and Earth.”

Nothing will succeed like having the members being involved in missionary work. And the best way to involve them is to inspire them. If you come across as a wonderful humble servant of God, then they will use all their resources to help you. If you try to use guilt, it will turn on you and you will not have their trust.

What is the best part about being a mission president or having had that experience? I am tempted to say it’s the tremendous number of converts who come into the church (over 3 years we saw over 2400 converts come into the church). You can count the seeds in an apple, but can you count the apples in a seed. It is amazing to think about the impact that had. But really if I had to pick the most significant blessing of being a mission president it would be the “Wednesday, Thursday missionary miracle.” The third Wednesday of every month we went to the Kansas City Airport. (I served in Zion – I have scriptural evidence it was Zion – Missouri, Independence mission!) The missionaries would get off the plane. The people working at the airport got to know us really well. Everyone knew when the missionaries came. They got off the plane and there would be 5 or 15 of them. They all look the same – they have their brand new suites, and their scriptures, and their ties, and they look wide awake even though they’ve been awake all night!

By the end of their first day we would be in a testimony meeting, and you would feel their wonderful testimony, and the next morning they would be sent out by bus. After you do that 36 times, you get used to it, and you really like it. And then the next day at about 10a.m. the old missionaries come into the office. They eat the same thing as the new missionaries did, and the old missionaries eat way more – they act like it’s their last meal in life – they’ve had two years of practice! Then you have a testimony meeting and you take them to the airport. Their suits are not as new, and their ties are not as straight, and their scriptures are definitely not new, and their shoes are definitely not new! “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that publish peace!” You listen to these seasoned missionaries’ testimonies and contrast that to the new missionaries. They have become so much more powerful. Just that experience of being with the new missionaries and then the old missionaries 36 times – you see how the Lord works and the miracle of the Gospel.

You want to make your mission your masterpiece. You take responsibility for your own mission. You may think, “of course I will,” but some people think you plug yourself into a system and it takes control of your life, and off you go. And it does happen like that – but will you trust your mission to somebody else? Will you just “go with the flow?” Or are you going to take control of your mission and be pro-active and do all the right things, regardless of whatever anyone else is doing. You create your mission with the Lord, but if you don’t do your part, the Lord is not going to create your mission for you. You need to be the architect of your mission.

“And ye shall go forth two by two.” Perhaps the biggest blessing and challenge of your mission will be your companion. That is a real challenge – an unnatural situation. Even in marriage you can go mow the lawn, etc. But in missionary life you are shackled together, and that can work for your benefit. All of your companions are going to be good, but you may never have a strong companion. Hopefully your first companion will be strong. But guess what – sometimes there are not enough strong companions to go around. It’s very possible that you’re not going to have any companions that are any stronger than you are. Some of your companions will be converts and not have as much experience, or there may be a cultural difference you will work with. What else are you going to have? Your mission president will look on your sheet and say, “oh – he went to BYU.” He’s going to assume that you’re strong – he’s going to put you with somebody who needs strengthening. D&C 84:106 – “if there is any man among you that is strong in spirit let him take him that is weak.” You may have a rebellious missionary companion who through their own decisions has become weak. Get this mindset – “I am going to be the strong companion in all of my relationships.” Then if you get an equally strong relationship it will be glorious, but in most cases you will carry the companionship.

Don’t act your age. Something strange is talking about young elders – a contradiction of terms. When you get in the mission field you will be surprised – you’ll be surprised how many kids there are that are wearing missionary clothes. Putting on that black tag doesn’t instantly bring maturity. Some people will bring in childishness or teenager-like tendencies. You need to grow up before you go. Paul: “When I was a child I thought as a child.” You need to think of yourself as a man of God – get on the level when you compare yourself with your mission president and the brethren. D&C 42:6 – “declaring my word like unto angels of God.” That is a high standard, but that is the standard the Lord has set – missionaries are like unto angels of God – and not only while teaching and baptizing, but on Preparation day and in members’ homes and at church. This will be a big dividing line in the mission field – those who are still kids and those who are striving to be like angels.

Leave the world behind. Don’t take the world into the mission field. D&C 4: “See that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind, and strength.” If you use that as the standard – if that’s your goal to serve with all of your might – you can’t follow BYU sports and still be serving with all of your might. You can’t be looking for sports pages and keep track of this and that, etc. The biggest thing that feeds into that in my opinion is your correspondence at home – if you have friends that feed you all the information from your pre-mission life you will be distracted. Cut off unnecessary communication that will only distract. Purify your actions for the Lord.

Serve the Lord with all of your heart. This has to do with girls (and boys, for sisters). This is very significant. There are some relationships that go on in the mission field that are probably productive and worthwhile, but for every one that I’ve seen that are good, there are ten that are distracting and keep the young man from serving with all of his heart. And its not the young women’s fault – the young man needs to be in charge of this. There are romantic relationships that can strengthen your mission, but this is the exception. There are no romantic relationships that develop in the mission field that are productive for the mission. Don’t get yourself involved in those relationships because they are not productive for your mission. Serve the Lord with all of your heart.

Make every important decision only once. Missionaries that spend their whole mission trying to decide what time to get up waste huge amounts of time. Only decide once whether you’re going to stay with your companion. Only decide once on following all of the rules, so you don’t find yourself in a situational decision every time.

Be a conversion-centered missionary. A lot of missionaries think they’re on a mission to baptize, but they don’t act like it. Some get involved with a lot of good “missionary stuff,” but it doesn’t bring people into the church. Look at every action you perform and say, “What is this doing that will bring someone closer to baptism?” Don’t spend a lot of time doing less-important things.

Quantity vs. Quality – you don’t have to choose. Hasty numerous baptisms and slow-snail like growth are not the only choices. We can have Quality and Quantity at the same time.

Serve two missions at the same time. What does that mean? You can go on a mission that is baptism-centered, and you bring souls to Christ. And then you’re on another mission at the same time that is even more valuable to the Lord. You can be a missionary to missionaries. You use your influence to lift other missionaries. A mission president can’t do it all. Missionaries learn to be missionaries from other missionaries. Peer group pressure works both ways. If you use your influence everywhere to go to lift and inspire, whether you have a leadership position or not, the effect you have had in the lives of the missionaries may actually be more valuable to the Lord than those you have brought into the church. Somebody said the man that can get 10 men to work is better than the man that can do the work of 10 men.

I will conclude with a testimony and a story. I hope these thoughts are helpful – they’re certainly not conclusive. I had an experience in Montana after returning home from the mission field. There was a young-man and his wife who moved up from Texas – and they were teenagers (he was 17 and she was 15). They had nothing – they just got married and moved to Montana. He got a minimum wage job somewhere… They loved each other, and didn’t broaden their circle at all – just the two of them really. And then they had a baby and that brought joy and happiness into their life. And then one night they both woke up at the same time and they found the baby dead. This left them totally devastated – they had nothing – just each other and a dead baby. They buried the baby and tried to get on with life – she’s only 16. He had to stay home with his wife to comfort her. He finally went back to work. The day he went back to work she was completely beside herself. She was not religious, but she knelt down and prayed, “God, if you’re up there, and my baby is alive, and if there’s any way I can see my baby again, please send someone to tell me about it.” Within 10 minutes two Mormon missionaries knocked on her door. They listened to the message and were baptized. Later they were sealed in the temple. The Lord will lead you to those who are seeking him.

NOTES BY KEVIN HOFFMAN