Starting Mission - Prepare to enter the Field

 “Prepare to enter the Field”

Within the temple, quiet as a flame,
I knelt to pledge my soul and voice anew,
The scriptures opened—truth came pouring through,
And each word carved a purpose to proclaim.

From Enos' cry to Alma’s patient care,
I traced the path of one who seeks to give,
To mourn, to teach, to help a soul to live,
To take upon my heart another’s prayer.

The Savior bore all grief for every land,
That I might walk beside Him, step by step,
And speak with power the truth I’ve come to know.
With daily goals and love for each command.

I’ll rise with faith, wherever I’m assigned,
To lift His children, leaving none behind.

**Background: Final Days at the MTC**

During my final days at the Missionary Training Center (August 26–27, 1992), I experienced a deep spiritual transformation that shaped my missionary purpose. A challenge from my teacher, Hermana Nelson, inspired our district to identify five ways to love the people of Mexico. This led to a powerful moment during a devotional with Elder Jensen, where scripture study and discussion with my companion, Elder Bingham, helped clarify the worth of a soul and the sacred duty to serve with love, diligence, and faith.

Key scriptures such as *Enos 1:4*, *Jacob 1:19*, and *Mosiah 28:3* emphasized the eternal significance of every individual. Two personal insights emerged from *Alma 37:6* and *Alma 7:11–12*, reminding me to appreciate the small, daily efforts and to find strength in Christ's empathy as I serve others.

What worth while does one soul have 

• Enos 1:4
• 2 Nephi 33:3  by praying day and night for the people who we serve!
• Jacob 1:19 - by taking upon the sins of the people if we do not teach them!
• Mosiah 28:3 - To give to them their Salvation So that No Human Soul will perish!
• Enos 1:9,11 - To have a great desire for the Eternal Life of our Brethren!
• Enos 1:12 - To labor with all diligence unto the Lord and he will grant unto us our Desires, By our Faith through Prayer!
• Alma 37:6 - we should take each day step by step always looking for the small things that need to be done!
• Alma 7:11-12 - We will suffer pains and afflictions and temptations of all kinds So that we may know how to succor our people in their infirmities!

In the temple's Celestial Room, I recommitted to previous covenants and made four specific commitments to the Lord. These spiritual goals were sealed with prayer and reflection.

On August 27, although the day felt more relaxed, a lesson on **sacrifice** deepened my understanding of Christ’s love and the joy and pain involved in missionary service. Inspired by scriptures and a powerful song, I created six mission goals in Spanish, focusing on following Christ’s example, sharing His word, and loving others as He did.

From that song I came up with these goals:

• Sequiré el ejemplo de Jesucristo!
• Me extendré la palabra de Jesucristo!
• Compartire mi testimonio de mi alma!
• Mostrare mis hermanos la manera vivir!
• Les dare el don mas precious que Yo Se!
• Yo amare todos los personas en el mundo como el amor que Jesus tuvo!

Starting Mission - Ready Your Heart

"Ready Your Heart"

The field is white, and now the hour is here.
The Master’s voice has called you by your name.
His work is joy, His gospel still the same,
A light to those who walk in doubt or fear.

For doubts can rise like clouds in stormy skies,
Yet faithful hearts find answers kneeling there,
The Lord is near, your burdens He will bear,
He knows your soul, He hears your quiet cries.

Each step you take becomes a song of grace,
Each trial a stone to build His sacred name,
For Christ walks with you in this hallowed space,
And angels guard your path in His great fame.

So take this time to anchor, grow, prepare,
The Lord will send you where you’re needed there.

 

"It's More Than Just A Shirt"

 

I come to church with reverence in my frame,
Prepared to serve, to learn, and to be still.
Not just in white, I hope to do His will—
My heart, not just my shirt, declares His name.
 
She chooses hues with care, and I give place,
Content to follow where her colors lead.
In step and spirit, both of us proceed.
A quiet act that time will not erase.
 
She dresses bright; I walk in step and grace,
Reflecting unity in what we wear.
Our colors speak of care and blended prayer,
And reverence shines gently from her face.
 
It’s not the shade, but how I lift my eye.
In worship, clothed with purpose, tie, and why.

"Worship, Not a Checklist"

 

I walk inside the chapel, take my seat,
But more is asked than simply being there.
The hymns invite, the prayers draw soft and rare,
And heaven waits for hearts—not just our feet.
 
To check the box and say the week’s complete
Is not the gift the Lord would have me give.
He seeks a soul that longs to truly live,
To lay down pride and worship at His feet.
 
Not all who sit are offering their soul;
Not every bowed head yields a broken heart.
Yet He who sees the inward, quiet part,
Knows worship is what heals and makes us whole.
 
So let me come with purpose, not pretense,
To love, to change, and not just mark attendance.

"More Than Attendance"

 

I sit among the saints, but in my core
I sense the Lord desires something more still.
Not motions passed, nor just a silent will,
But worship offered deep, not from a chore.
 
A song, a prayer, a talk; these help restore,
Yet heaven’s gaze goes past the spoken part.
He seeks a soul, a consecrated heart,
Not just a checklist opened at the door.
 
I want to go beyond those quick replies:
“Pray, read, obey”, and think the task was done.
But worship rises only when begun,
With broken will and lifted, seeking eyes.
 
Let not my Sabbath end where it began,
But shape my soul in praise, not just a plan.

"Undivided Worship"

 

No other voice should rise above His name,
No other cause compete to claim my praise.
Though Sunday fills with structure, song, and phrase,
The heart may drift while lips repeat the same.
 
To truly worship is to stake my claim,
To cast off lesser loves that dim His light.
It is to choose Him wholly, not by rite,
And offer all, not portioned, not by frame.
 
I cannot serve and split my soul in two,
Nor stand for Christ while kneeling at the world.
He calls for fire, not incense faintly curled,
A life made clean, a vow completely true.
 
Worship is His and His alone to take,
A jealous God who asks my soul awake.

"To Worship Is to Become"

 

To worship God is more than bending knee,
More than a song or quiet reverent tone.
True honor lies in actions rarely shown—
In living love where only He can see.
 
The greatest praise is in the life I free
From pride, and shape to mirror what is just.
To walk like Him, to speak with patient trust,
To lift the low and bind the broken plea.
 
He seeks not flattery, but faith made real,
A heart that feeds the hungry, calms the storm.
To emulate is worship in true form—
To act as He would act, to love and feel.
 
If I adore Him, let it not be said—
Unless His ways are also how I'm led.

"The Heart of True Worship"

 

Not what I wear, nor where I take my place,
Can substitute the offering God desires.
Though outward signs may mirror inner fires,
They fade if not upheld by inward grace.
 
To simply come is not to run the race,
Nor check a box and say my soul is fed.
The Lord would have my will, my pride, my dread,
A broken heart that seeks His warm embrace.
 
Worship is more than silence, song, or seat;
It lives in how I walk, forgive, and serve.
To emulate the Lord in faith and nerve,
That is the praise no shadowed form can cheat.
 
I’ll show my praise in how I live each day,
In quiet steps that walk His narrow way.

 

All poems above are based upon the general conference talk give by Elder Christofferson April 2025

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/04/35christofferson?lang=eng