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What to Know Before You Go
Missionaries need to begin their exciting time of service with as much personal preparation as possible. How can they create a spiritual foundation that will help them stand strong when times are difficult? What do they need to know even before they enter the Missionary Training Center? In What to Know Before You Go, Don H. Staheli, a former mission president, provides answers to questions such as these. Each short chapter includes a great tidbit of loving advice and spiritual counsel (the sort you would get if you were sitting across the table from your own mission president), as well as a true, inspirational experience shared by a full-time elder or sister missionary. The Lord is hastening the work of salvation. He needs missionaries who know not only how to do missionary work but how to be missionaries. This insightful book will help you start off on the right foot as you work to develop the heart, mind, and soul of a missionary.
160 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 3, 2015
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12 people want to read
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January 7, 2017
I enjoyed this book and found many principles helpful for anyone trying to learn and live and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. We learn about doing out duty, following the spirit, having faith, repenting, simplifying, focusing, asking, working hard, loving your companion, keeping testimony, measuring success, being courteous, being merry, and finding joy. I especially enjoyed reading the mission stories, full of faith and miracles and goodness.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
"One of the big purposes of life is to learn to listen to the Spirit and to overcome the voice of the flesh (p. 12)."
"We owe everything to the Lord. He expects us to live up to our responsibility to him. If we do so, He will bless us and fulfill all the promises He has made to those who are obedient (p. 29)."
"Leslie taught me that to do your duty is to set aside self and give heart and mind to the higher good. It is the Leslies of the world, each one doing his or her duty, that allow us all to rise above our natural human meanness and achieve what none could do alone. To give it your all, even when the individual task seems routine and almost meaningless--that is the fulfillment of duty (p. 34)."
"When people have trusted you enough to reveal their private thoughts and feelings, it is a nice idea to thank them for sharing (p. 38)."
"'It is true intelligence for a man to take a subject that is mysterious and great in itself, and to unfold and simplify it so that a child can understand it (John Taylor, p. 39).'"
"Gospel-centered hope is a powerful belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and a faithful confidence that the Atonement has meaning for you. If you have hope in Jesus Christ, you will let your faith in Him rest peacefully and gently upon your own head and rejoice in the grace and mercy of the Lord as they are brought to pass in your own life (p. 50)."
"'We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see (Boyd K. Packer, p. 64).'"
"It is extremely important to remember that gaining a testimony does not guarantee you will keep it. So many sad and sometimes angry people claim to have 'lost' their testimony. They didn't just lose it, they let it die. Like any spiritual gift, a testimony has to be very carefully nurtured in order to be maintained. President Harold B. Lee, eleventh President of the Church, said, 'Testimony isn't something you have today, and you are going to have always. Testimony is as elusive as a moonbeam; its as fragile as an orchid; you have to recapture it every morning of your life. You have to hold on by study, and by faith, and by prayer (p. 86).'"
"'Your success as a missionary is measured primarily by your commitment (p. 89).'"
"One of the biggest roadblocks to feeling successful is comparing yourself with others (p. 91)."
"The Lord...gave...missionaries some guidance in how they should teach.... He instructed them to (1) 'life up your voices,' (2) 'speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts,' (3) do it 'in my name,' (4) 'in solemnity [seriousness] of heart,' and (5) 'in the spirit of meekness. He then promised that 'the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say (p. 97).'"
"The best teachers teach from the heart (p. 98)."
"In the end, real learning will not occur unless the Holy Ghost touches the heart of the one you are teaching and bears witness of the truth of your message (p. 99)."
"Never forget who you are and who you represent. Be that person twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week (p. 101)."
"How do we implement all the good things we learn? How do we act in line with what we know?.... There is something in human nature that allows us to go on doing, time and again, things we know are not right, or at least not the best for us to do (p. 111)."
"The goal is to be who we are, not who we think somebody else is or who others may want us to be. The obligation we have to ourselves is to develop what is in us, who we are inside. Others may give us input in the process, but no one else can really know what and how we should be.... We are all unique and should glory in that uniqueness (p. 112)."
"One of the most exciting things about becoming an adult is freedom from many of the limits that were imposed by parents and other caregivers. The natural tendency, as soon as we get some freedom, is to resist the imposition of limitations on what we can do. That is all right to a degree, but not when it leads to excess or irresponsibility. The most successful people set their own limits. They don't necessarily do what they do because someone told them to, but because they want to do it that way. They set their own reasonable limits and choose to live within them (p. 113)."
"Common courtesy may not be as common as it used to be, but each of us can do our part to keep it alive by letting the spirit of civility guide our every action--even when we don't think anyone is watching (p. 118)."
"On the Lord's errand we can be guided to those who need us most, and He will orchestrate the circumstances perfectly (p. 120)."
"'How come...when we go visit Grandma to make her happy, she cheers us up? She's the one who's sick, but she makes us feel better (p. 125).'"
"A humble person knows that we all have a lot to learn and that we can learn something meaningful from almost anyone. A person with humility doesn't care who gets the credit, as long as the right thing is done (p. 130)."
"It often seems that those who really are helpful and who do the most good for others do so quietly. They don't wear their goodness like a medal and call attention to their acts of charity or even bravery. They proclaim their goodness by what they do and let their example speak for itself (p. 133)."
"I know that Heavenly Father is aware of our goals and always blesses us for our righteous desires (p. 159)."
Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
"One of the big purposes of life is to learn to listen to the Spirit and to overcome the voice of the flesh (p. 12)."
"We owe everything to the Lord. He expects us to live up to our responsibility to him. If we do so, He will bless us and fulfill all the promises He has made to those who are obedient (p. 29)."
"Leslie taught me that to do your duty is to set aside self and give heart and mind to the higher good. It is the Leslies of the world, each one doing his or her duty, that allow us all to rise above our natural human meanness and achieve what none could do alone. To give it your all, even when the individual task seems routine and almost meaningless--that is the fulfillment of duty (p. 34)."
"When people have trusted you enough to reveal their private thoughts and feelings, it is a nice idea to thank them for sharing (p. 38)."
"'It is true intelligence for a man to take a subject that is mysterious and great in itself, and to unfold and simplify it so that a child can understand it (John Taylor, p. 39).'"
"Gospel-centered hope is a powerful belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and a faithful confidence that the Atonement has meaning for you. If you have hope in Jesus Christ, you will let your faith in Him rest peacefully and gently upon your own head and rejoice in the grace and mercy of the Lord as they are brought to pass in your own life (p. 50)."
"'We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see (Boyd K. Packer, p. 64).'"
"It is extremely important to remember that gaining a testimony does not guarantee you will keep it. So many sad and sometimes angry people claim to have 'lost' their testimony. They didn't just lose it, they let it die. Like any spiritual gift, a testimony has to be very carefully nurtured in order to be maintained. President Harold B. Lee, eleventh President of the Church, said, 'Testimony isn't something you have today, and you are going to have always. Testimony is as elusive as a moonbeam; its as fragile as an orchid; you have to recapture it every morning of your life. You have to hold on by study, and by faith, and by prayer (p. 86).'"
"'Your success as a missionary is measured primarily by your commitment (p. 89).'"
"One of the biggest roadblocks to feeling successful is comparing yourself with others (p. 91)."
"The Lord...gave...missionaries some guidance in how they should teach.... He instructed them to (1) 'life up your voices,' (2) 'speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts,' (3) do it 'in my name,' (4) 'in solemnity [seriousness] of heart,' and (5) 'in the spirit of meekness. He then promised that 'the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say (p. 97).'"
"The best teachers teach from the heart (p. 98)."
"In the end, real learning will not occur unless the Holy Ghost touches the heart of the one you are teaching and bears witness of the truth of your message (p. 99)."
"Never forget who you are and who you represent. Be that person twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week (p. 101)."
"How do we implement all the good things we learn? How do we act in line with what we know?.... There is something in human nature that allows us to go on doing, time and again, things we know are not right, or at least not the best for us to do (p. 111)."
"The goal is to be who we are, not who we think somebody else is or who others may want us to be. The obligation we have to ourselves is to develop what is in us, who we are inside. Others may give us input in the process, but no one else can really know what and how we should be.... We are all unique and should glory in that uniqueness (p. 112)."
"One of the most exciting things about becoming an adult is freedom from many of the limits that were imposed by parents and other caregivers. The natural tendency, as soon as we get some freedom, is to resist the imposition of limitations on what we can do. That is all right to a degree, but not when it leads to excess or irresponsibility. The most successful people set their own limits. They don't necessarily do what they do because someone told them to, but because they want to do it that way. They set their own reasonable limits and choose to live within them (p. 113)."
"Common courtesy may not be as common as it used to be, but each of us can do our part to keep it alive by letting the spirit of civility guide our every action--even when we don't think anyone is watching (p. 118)."
"On the Lord's errand we can be guided to those who need us most, and He will orchestrate the circumstances perfectly (p. 120)."
"'How come...when we go visit Grandma to make her happy, she cheers us up? She's the one who's sick, but she makes us feel better (p. 125).'"
"A humble person knows that we all have a lot to learn and that we can learn something meaningful from almost anyone. A person with humility doesn't care who gets the credit, as long as the right thing is done (p. 130)."
"It often seems that those who really are helpful and who do the most good for others do so quietly. They don't wear their goodness like a medal and call attention to their acts of charity or even bravery. They proclaim their goodness by what they do and let their example speak for itself (p. 133)."
"I know that Heavenly Father is aware of our goals and always blesses us for our righteous desires (p. 159)."
April 23, 2020
This is probably the best book about missionary work I’ve ever read or heard about. It is extremely insightful and motivating and not only helps to prepare people who are about to serve a mission but also has many inspiring things that can benefit any member of The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints. It really dives into the mindset of the missionary the good and the scary and sad of missionary work while sharing inspiring mini stories from missionaries around the world at the end of each chapter. A must read for anyone wanting to better understand missionary work or preparing to serve or wanting to help out their local missionaries in their homewards!
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