I have wondered how missionaries receive their calls. I assumed that the leaders of our church were given stacks of paper with missionary information, that they prayed over that stack, and then sent the whole group to the same mission. I don't know why I thought it worked that way, but I was wrong.
The Savior's ministry is about individual people. The other day I was listening to an interview with Elder Bednar, and he spoke of the fact that the Apostles do not consider themselves to be "over" a "large corporation". Their call is to minister to the one. As he travels the world on assignment, he tries to find the one person whom he is to minister to in each place.
Isn't that beautiful?
And so continues the story of calling missionaries. Here is a quote from a recent General Conference at which Ronald A. Rasband spoke to the subject:
With the encouragement and permission of President Henry B. Eyring, I would like to relate to you an experience, very special to me, which I had with him several years ago when he was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. Each Apostle holds the keys of the kingdom and exercises them at the direction and assignment of the President of the Church. Elder Eyring was assigning missionaries to their fields of labor, and as part of my training, I was invited to observe.
UAdd a Note I joined Elder Eyring early one morning in a room where several large computer screens had been prepared for the session. There was also a staff member from the Missionary Department who had been assigned to assist us that day.
UAdd a Note First, we knelt together in prayer. I remember Elder Eyring using very sincere words, asking the Lord to bless him to know “perfectly” where the missionaries should be assigned. The word “perfectly” said much about the faith that Elder Eyring exhibited that day.
As the process began, a picture of the missionary to be assigned would come up on one of the computer screens. As each picture appeared, to me it was as if the missionary were in the room with us. Elder Eyring would then greet the missionary with his kind and endearing voice: “Good morning, Elder Reier or Sister Yang. How are you today?”
He told me that in his own mind he liked to think of where the missionaries would conclude their mission. This would aid him to know where they were to be assigned. Elder Eyring would then study the comments from the bishops and stake presidents, medical notes, and other issues relating to each missionary.
He then referred to another screen which displayed areas and missions across the world. Finally, as he was prompted by the Spirit, he would assign the missionary to his or her field of labor.
From others of the Twelve, I have learned that this general method is typical each week as Apostles of the Lord assign scores of missionaries to serve throughout the world.
Having served as a missionary in my own country in the Eastern States Mission a number of years ago, I was deeply moved by this experience. Also, having served as a mission president, I was grateful for a further witness in my heart that the missionaries I had received in New York City were sent to me by revelation.
After assigning a few missionaries, Elder Eyring turned to me as he pondered one particular missionary and said, “So, Brother Rasband, where do you think this missionary should go?” I was startled! I quietly suggested to Elder Eyring that I did not know and that I did not know I could know! He looked at me directly and simply said, “Brother Rasband, pay closer attention and you too can know!” With that, I pulled my chair a little closer to Elder Eyring and the computer screen, and I did pay much closer attention!
A couple of other times as the process moved along, Elder Eyring would turn to me and say, “Well, Brother Rasband, where do you feel this missionary should go?” I would name a particular mission, and Elder Eyring would look at me thoughtfully and say, “No, that’s not it!” He would then continue to assign the missionaries where he had felt prompted.
As we were nearing the completion of that assignment meeting, a picture of a certain missionary appeared on the screen. I had the strongest prompting, the strongest of the morning, that the missionary we had before us was to be assigned to Japan. I did not know that Elder Eyring was going to ask me on this one, but amazingly he did. I rather tentatively and humbly said to him, “Japan?” Elder Eyring responded immediately, “Yes, let’s go there.” And up on the computer screen the missions of Japan appeared. I instantly knew that the missionary was to go to the Japan Sapporo Mission.
Elder Eyring did not ask me the exact name of the mission, but he did assign that missionary to the Japan Sapporo Mission.
Privately in my heart I was deeply touched and sincerely grateful to the Lord for allowing me to experience the prompting to know where that missionary should go.
At the end of the meeting Elder Eyring bore his witness to me of the love of the Savior, which He has for each missionary assigned to go out into the world and preach the restored gospel. He said that it is by the great love of the Savior that His servants know where these wonderful young men and women, senior missionaries, and senior couple missionaries are to serve. I had a further witness that morning that every missionary called in this Church, and assigned or reassigned to a particular mission, is called by revelation from the Lord God Almighty through one of these, His servants." Ensign, May 2010
I can't tell you, as a returned missionary, how fascinating and awesome that was for me to read. Mission calls are definitely given one at a time, with the Savior presiding over the whole process.
When I received my call, I was a little disappointed. Tacoma, Washington was a days' drive from my home in Idaho. I was prepared for something exotic, like Brazil! (I really wanted to learn Spanish on my mission, so I could double major in it when I came home. The Lord taught me you do not serve a mission to pick up a double major!)
I think my mother's prayers trumped mine. She didn't want me to go anywhere where I could get a tapeworm or some other disease, she wanted me to be safe, and she wanted to be able to easily send mail back and forth.
Tacoma, Washington was the most beautiful area I could have imagined, and I met some of the most wonderful people in the world, including, of course, my eternal companion. He was an enthusiastic and record-setting missionary whom I didn't look at in a romantic way (!) until after he came to Utah State and I set him up on a date with a friend and got a little jealous that she was spending time with him and not me.
But that is another story for another time.
Just thought I'd let you know about that cool mission calling experience, in case you hadn't learned about it.
