Lessons on Missionary Service
Lesson No. Fourteen

Obedient Missionaries are Protected

Introduction – One of the favorite songs of the Kentucky Louisville Mission was We’ll Bring the World His Truth also known as the Army of Helaman.  (Children’s Song Book, p. 172)  In our mission we changed the last verse slightly from “Daily we’ll learn until we are called to take the gospel to all the world” to “Daily we’ll learn because we are called to take the gospel to all the world.”

One reason we enjoyed singing the Army of Helaman with our missionaries is that it reminded us that, like the army of Helaman, obedient missionaries are protected

The Lord protects missionaries – One of the greatest miracles of missions is how the Lord protects his missionaries just as he protected Helaman’s stripling warriors.  He protects them for the same reason, and that is because they are faithfully engaged in his work.  There are tens of thousands of full time missionaries assigned throughout the earth.  Even though there is an occasional death or serious injury considering the number of missionaries and where they live and what they do it is absolutely certain that the Lord protects his missionaries. 

We were the recipients of the Lord’s blessings in this regard.  The Kentucky Louisville Mission averaged over 180 missionaries, and therefore over a three-year period we had over 500 missionaries in the mission.  There were over 60 cars assigned to our mission that were driven by young drivers.  Missionaries who were not in cars were on bikes.  The roads were often narrow and had no shoulder.  Bike safety was a major concern.  During our three years we had no serious injuries either from car or bike accidents.  There were no serious illnesses with only one or two missionaries that had to be hospitalized for appendectomies.

Helaman wrote what the military would call “after action report.”  In it he described to captain Moroni, his senior military officer, how the Lord protected the 2,000 stripling warriors.  These words apply to our experience with our missionaries in the Kentucky Louisville Mission:  

“And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe – that there is a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.

“Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually” (Alma 57:26-27).

Conclusion and Testimony – The 2,000 striplings fought to protect their freedom, their country, their religion, and their families.  Missionary work today is intense combat between good and evil in the battle for the souls of those who will listen to the message of the Restoration.  Missionary work requires physical, emotional, and spiritual strength.  Helaman’s description of the 2,000 stippling soldiers applies to the young missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints:

“And they were all young men (and women), and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all – they were men (and women) who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.

“Yea, they were men (and women) of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.

“And now it came to pass that Helaman did march at the head of his two thousand stripling soldiers, to the support of the people…” (Alma 53:20-22). 

At times during our mission I imagined myself, like Helaman, marching at the head of over 500 missionaries in the eternal contest between good and evil.  There was never any doubt, then or now, as to the outcome of this contest.  The Lord and his servants will prevail.