Vol. 4, No. 4 - April 1957

On Using Time Wisely…..

Benjamin Franklin was once asked what he regarded as the most precious of all things given to man, to which he replied “TIME”. If that be so, then the wasting of time must be the greatest prodigality, since lost time is never recovered again. [1]
In our tour of the mission recently, your mission presidency has requested that you fully organize your time. Beginning with the seventeen-hour day and 119-hour week, you should list in importance your responsibilities, viz:

1. Literal proselyting – the hours dedicated to cry repentance unto this people.
   
2. Study time – both with your companion and individually.
3. Branch Business – This would apply mostly to the branch president or supervising elder.
4. Planning – This is the two hours spent weekly planning your next week’s program or schedule.
5. Time off – This is the half day off set aside to use as you see fit.
6. All other of equal or less importance.
   

In preparing your daily and weekly schedule remember that with careful and thoughtful planning, you can accomplish up to twice what you are now achieving. Remember the charge of the Lord, “Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people!” (D&C 18:14) And the only way you can fully fulfill this charge is to organize your time so that you can declare repentance unto this people seven to eight hours per day.
In all that we do we ought to try to do our best. When missionaries become discouraged or restless and can’t seem to get down to business, they can be sure that it is the spirit of the adversary that is at work upon them. If companions will sing a song or two together and then read Sections 4, 13, and 18 of the Doctrine and Covenants, and then kneel together in prayer and "Ask the Father in my name, in faith believing that you shall receive, and you shall have the Holy Ghost, which manifesteth all things which are expedient unto the children of men,” their prayers will be answered.
Seek the Lord through sincere prayer, in faith, knowing that the Lord will hear you and give you additional strength to go forth to accomplish this work.
Missionaries spend a lot of time in preaching the “Mormon Philosophy of Life” and in order to become EFFECTIVE preachers – YOU will have to live every principle that you teach so that when you proclaim your testimony on any of the principles you can RADIATE the very truth of it.
I once took a course in radio theory. In it I learned that many students learned the theories, demonstrating great brilliance in their comprehension of them, but when it came time for us to go into the laboratory to demonstrate our ability to apply the theories to working models, many “washed out”. Why? Because they lacked the ability to apply in a practical way the theories they had been exposed to.
This same thing applies to us as missionaries, it is one thing to know all of the doctrine of the Church, but it is quite another thing to APPLY this doctrine in our daily lives. We teach that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the pathway that leads mankind unto Life Eternal and exaltation. Yet if we fail to learn how to apply the truths we are teaching in our everyday lives then we will be denying ourselves the blessings we encourage others to partake of. Let us be doers of the word by example in all that we do – as the Lord says: “Filled with love, faith, hope and charity” toward all.

Sincerely, your brother,
Asael T. Sorensen