As the Returned Missionary Views It

As the Returned Missionary Views It By Roland C. Parry MISSIONARIES and more missionaries! They come and go ceaselessly, and the Church goes on and on towards perfec- tion. There shall be no halt in its progress; for God has or- dained, as related in Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, that the rock cut out without hands which smote the image and crumpled it, which is the Kingdom of God, shall become a great mountain and fill the whole earth. But what of these standard-bearers — them who have spent some of the best and most valuable years of their lives in the mission field? What does the Church offer them when they come home, humble but proud of their achievements, and glowing with life and happy anticipation? Theirs is a staunch faith in the Gospel! Theirs is the spirit of the crusader — that of the dauntless champion ready to defend righteousness here at home with zeal and devotion. What shall be done for them? Consider the status of our missionaries after they have become seasoned and experienced in their work of proselyting out among the nations of the world. They are leaders in very deed — leaders of men. No matter where one travels, whether it be in the regions of Africa, down in the South Sea islands of the Pacific, or in the heart of a great metropolis, one will find grave responsibilities resting upon the shoulders of our young missionaries. In the eyes of the Saints with whom they are associated, they are the Lord's chosen servants, pos- sessed of the judgment and wisdom which divine inspiration gives. They are blessed with those qualities which make them true repre- sentatives of the Church. They not only take the initiative in spiritual activities, but they are constantly sought in temporal counsel by the Saints. Presidents of districts and branches have duties comparable in many ways to those of our stake and ward executives. They, to- gether with the elders laboring with them, each of whom has duties not unlike those of bishops' counselors, spend their entire time preach- ing the Gospel and directing the spiritual welfare of the members living outside the stakes of Zion. In other words, they develop ini- tiative and assume the responsibilities that fall to the lot of leaders in Church activities and do so for an extended period of time. Then, when they are at their best and have complete confidence in their work and in themselves, and after they have labored diligently and perhaps have seen the fruits of their planting, they are honorably released. Released to what?

AS THE RETURNED MISSIONARY VIEWS IT 27 They arrive home possessed of ideals gleaned from a humble study of Christ's life. In their travels they have been circumspect. They are clean; yet, most of them are youthful, and young trees can- not have become so deeply rooted as those of venerable age. The Church owes them something, especially at this period of transition in their lives. It owes them responsible work in the ward or stake, be it home missionary duties, teaching classes, executive positions, or at least opportunities to speak in Church now and then. Are these opportunities provided for them at this critical time? Are newly returned missionaries encouraged to continue their ministry at home? Too often, perhaps, they are forgotten and allowed to sink into medi- ocrity and become nonentities in Church life. Is it any wonder that some of them grow cold in the faith when life buffets them with such extremes? Have you ever noticed how old age is hastened by retire- ment from active life? Successful men who have worked constantly for decades and then have retired to a life of ease have precipitated old age upon themselves by so doing. Inactivity of the body is conducive to physical ailments, and inactivity of the spirit brings a weakening of the spirit and consequent inefficiency. Notice the preliminary actions of the next batter up at a baseball game. He swings two or three bats lustily in order to have his body muscles keyed up to act in perfect coordination and with power when he strides up to the plate. The added load of bats puts his muscles in just the right condition, so that when he swings at the ball he has a maximum of power behind it. Likewise in the mission field an elder is almost constantly doing double duty. His responsibilities are many, so that when he arrives at the "home plate" he is certainly ready to step in and "hit the ball." Only today the writer was informed by a friend that since his return home from his mission, fourteen years ago, he has been asked to speak in services but four times; although, it may be added, he has more than average ability as a public speaker. Now if his experience in the field was like that of many missionaries, who speak two and three times in a day, think how his mind must have reacted at such sudden and prolonged idleness. We are prone to place young men who have just successfully completed their missions back where they were two, three, or four years ago. Such lack of recognition and con- sideration will undoubtedly have its effect on the younger returned missionaries, and, being young, they can easily get into habits that are not good. Certainly this article is not in defense of returned missionaries who have lost their testimonies to the extent of falling into real trans- gression. Nor has it any bearing on the writer's personal experience whose good fortune it was to be placed in a responsible position just at such critical time. Rather, what is written here aims to remind

28 IMPROVEMENT ERA ward officers and every member of the Church of the fact that it is within their power to keep the great majority of returned missionaries in possession of the burning testimonies that they had while preach- ing the Gospel abroad. A wise old Maori of New Zealand once made this statement to the writer, spoken in his own graphic language: "Man is a duality, consisting of the spiritual body in complement to that of the phys- ical. We nourish our physical selves very religiously because we take immediate pleasure in doing so. If conditions arise when it becomes impossible to provide our bodies with sustenance, they lose their vi- tality and in time waste away and grow old. Likewise our spiritual bodies thrive on spiritual food, which is engendered by our good works — doing our duties and magnifying our callings. And we certainly experience pleasure from so doing. But as spiritual food is intangible, and we are so uninformed and skeptical about things we cannot see, it is not so easily obtained. Satan is constantly exerting all his forces to divert us from partaking of this spiritual nourishment and often he succeeds to such an extent that even the desire for it leaves us. Consequently the spirit weakens and grows cold as do our physical tabernacles in death." We are all subject to temptations. The evil one takes great de- light in wearing down the spiritual strength of men and women who have been blessed with special testimonies. He realizes that returned missionaries are prizes worth winning, and certainly he takes ad- vantage of every chance that comes to recruit them to his cause. Arriving home, the returned missionary with his high ideals deplores the absence of such among many of his associates. He ap- pears sanctimonious to his former pals and friends. Many of his relatives and acquaintances think he is too good ever to fall by the wayside. Many people with whom he will have to associate in school or in business may consider him of little account because he is a re- turned missionary. It takes active Church work on his part, which will constantly buoy him up and stabilize his religious convictions, to keep him from sliding down to the level of many around him. Right then he needs the help of his Church in the form of opportuni- ties to go on developing his spiritual self to the point where he can safely and surely grade his surroundings as right or wrong, and choose that which is right. Surely the Church must not ignore him just when Satan has discovered that he is a shining mark — -just after he has arrived home with all the strong instincts of youth and before he has become readjusted to life at home with its vastly different entailments. These first few months constitute a most strenuous period in his life. In the field, religion has been his whole world and he has de- veloped religiously far beyond the average man of his age. Coming

AS THE RETURNED MISSIONARY VIEWS IT 29 home, he must give most of his time to making a living in competition with men whose constant endeavor is to grow rich and who have developed beyond him in that capacity. His better self cries out against the irregularities of the life around him, and with prayerful conviction he determines to adhere to his ideals — ideals which prompt him to give service to others and constantly to improve himself in an educational way. It is to be hoped that he finds the woman he loves and is united with her under the marriage covenant as soon as conditions permit; for there is no more certain truth than that it is not good for man to be alone. In the last few years it has become a necessity that a man specialize in one small field, which requires either college training or its equivalent. This complexity of modern life has often necessitated deferring marriage for several years, which complicates matters the more. Certainly with all these perplexities facing him, the returned missionary should be assisted by the Church — not in any monetary manner — but in keeping his soul developed spiritually by providing him with ample opportunities to extend himself in keeping with his previous training. But he must accept in good grace whatever he is appointed to do because humility is a heavenly attribute. If he has the true spirit of the Gospel he will experience joy in doing whatever the bishop or heads of the auxiliary organizations can offer him. After all, he must realize that he has been placed on this earth to work out his own destiny. No returned missionary should assume the attitude that he is better qualified than his associates in the ward to lead out in activities just because he has been preaching abroad. Let him come home in humility and take what is given him. If he excels it will shine out in due time. He must realize, too, what a serious problem confronts the of- ficers of the ward and stake. They must apportion out to these hundreds of recently-returned missionaries work that will suffice to keep them whole-heartedly interested and also provide a means for their increasing spiritual growth. But that is just what our Church can do. For just such purposes as this, it has been established. It paves the way to increased happiness and righteous efficiency and power for every person in the world who will but heed its call. Surely the emissaries of righteousness shall be blessed, according to their works. "When men are rightly occupied, their amusement grows out of their work, as the color petals out of a fruitful flower: when they are faithfully helpful and com- passionate, all their emotions are steady, deep, perpetual and vivifying to the soul as is the natural pulse to the body."- — John Ruskin.