PROVO, Utah — As thousands of full-time missionaries in training prepare to go out into the world, they have an important and critical role to play in building the Lord’s kingdom on earth.

In an Oct. 24 devotional originating from the Provo Missionary Training Center and broadcast to MTCs around the world, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave words of testimony and encouragement to those he called “my wonderful, fellow disciples of Jesus Christ.”

He told the missionaries that when they meet people around the world, the most important thing they will do is encourage them to come to a greater faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“When you don’t know what to say, you speak of Christ. And as you do, there will be a Spirit that comes into that room, into your voice. Because the knowledge of Jesus Christ is the most important knowledge you can share,” Elder Andersen said.

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks during his devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.

Adam Fondren, for the Deseret News

Missionaries do not need to be afraid of what is ahead of them — languages, cultures, companions, teaching or rejection — as they put Jesus Christ first, he said.

President Russell M. Nelson said in October 2023 general conference, “Put Jesus Christ first, because your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement.”

More than anything else, said Elder Andersen, missionaries should “put this deep into the core of your soul.”

“You put the Lord Jesus Christ first. You think of Him, you speak of Him, and you will find deep into your bones will come a knowledge, faith and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. It will be a solid foundation for you for all of your life and for all eternity,” Elder Andersen said.

President Nelson also spoke of choices and how they determine destiny. Elder Andersen said the choice to serve a mission has helped set the missionaries on the path toward eternal life.

“You could be in no greater place than where you are. You could be doing nothing more important than what you’re doing. You could not have made a better decision than to come serve missions.”

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks during his devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.

Adam Fondren, for the Deseret News

In eternity are the three degrees of glory. Elder Andersen said once missionaries testify of the Savior, they can testify of the Father’s plan and explain how the Lord has a glorious plan for each of His sons and daughters.

“It’s amazing, and we know that because of the restored gospel. We know that because the Lord has spoken to us in this day.”

Elder Andersen told the missionaries that they will encounter opposition in their lives and in the lives of those they teach. But they will come to realize that the main choices in life are between good and evil. 

“We look at the lens of life differently, and we treasure things the world doesn’t treasure,” Elder Andersen said. 

Missionaries will be able to lift those they teach from thinking “eat, drink and be merry,” step by step to a better way of life — how to pray, look into the scriptures, see the power of ordinances and covenants and to think celestial.

Elder Andersen counseled the missionaries to pray deeply in the MTC and to open the New Testament and read about the Savior. “Try as much as you can to hear the witness of others. As you live the gospel — as you are doing — this is the best way you can become truly converted.”

But he also reminded them to be patient with themselves; this process of conversion comes differently to each person. They can keep working on developing their own faith.

“The process of life is a beautiful process of becoming and we never truly become all that we want to be. But we become a lot more than we were previously.”

During his devotional Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles passes off the microphone to his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.

Adam Fondren, for the Deseret News

Five years ago in general conference, President Nelson said: “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”

Sister Kathy Andersen called this statement “one of the most ominous warnings I have ever heard from the mouth of a prophet in my lifetime.” 

“It is so amazing to me that our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ allow us to have in our lives the gift of the Holy Ghost — a member of the Godhead to guide us and direct us,” she said.

Elder Andersen told the missionaries to look for that Spirit as they are learning in the MTC and recognize how they are learning line upon line. The experience of the Spirit works on each one differently, and they can grow into these things.

“Through my life, I have been able to grow into this faith in Jesus Christ,” Elder Andersen concluded. “In the nearly 15 years that I have been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the evidence and experiences, the sacred moments, the unforgettable events that I have lived myself — that I could never ever deny — have given me the sure and certain witness that He lives.”

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, visit with missionaries at the Provo Missionary Training Center on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.

Provided by Elder Neil L. Andersen

Afterward, Elder Denton Dobbins, from Overland Park, Kansas, who is assigned to the Baltic Mission, said he appreciated the opportunity to read out loud some of the quotes Elder Andersen shared.

“He really emphasized the point of how our Prophet, President Nelson, is the mouthpiece for God,” he said.

His companion, Elder Simon Andre from Bountiful, Utah, said what stuck out to him was Elder Andersen’s assurance to the missionaries that they are in the right place.

“He said, ‘You are called to be here. You are wanted here. There’s nothing that is more important that you could be doing than to be here.’”