The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
In the decade of 2009 to 2019, every member of President Camille N. Johnson’s immediate family served a full-time mission. These missions — including her call to serve with her husband, Brother Douglas R. Johnson, as mission leaders in the Peru Arequipa Mission — became “a remarkable time of spiritual growth in our family” as they learned two lessons: how to love God and how to love their neighbors.
“That, upon reflection, is why our family’s decade of missionary service was life-changing, because each of us found the Savior, relied upon the Savior and loved Him in a more profound way than we ever had before,” said President Johnson, Relief Society general president. “And loving Him, we loved our neighbors and friends from Samoa to Ecuador to Italy and Peru.”
Speaking to missionaries in the Provo Missionary Training Center on Dec. 12, President Johnson shared that strength in missionary work comes from loving God and others, seeking spiritual instruction through revelation and finding Christ in temple worship. Brother Johnson gave brief remarks as well, testifying that obedience brings miracles.
President Johnson said, “You will be joy-filled missionaries, distinct from the world, when love of God and your neighbor drives your missionary efforts.”
Love leads to service
Servants of the Lord are motivated by the love of God and the opportunity to share that love with those around them.
“We show our love for Him by loving and serving our neighbor with ‘heart, might, mind and strength’ (Doctrine and Covenants 4:2),” said President Johnson. “So, sisters and elders, let love be the motivator in your missionary service.”
As missionaries feel the love of God, they are impelled to partner with Him to provide relief to others, she said.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
