This year marks 200 years since Joseph Smith’s first encounter with Deity—known by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the First Vision.
Throughout this bicentennial year of this foundational event in Church history, the Church and its leaders are sharing messages about the relevance of Joseph’s experience for people everywhere.
A new video encourages people all over the globe to minimize distraction and noise to better hear and feel the voice of God in their lives.
Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ remains a sacred priority for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even in the current circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to monitor the spread of the pandemic, and its impact on missionaries worldwide, because it takes very seriously the health and safety of our missionaries and of those they teach.
However, according to the Church Newsroom, missionaries will continue to be called to serve and assigned to labor in missions worldwide. Missionary recommendations will continue to be received, and missionary assignments for worldwide service will continue to be made, even if some temporary adjustments to missionary service need to be maid to adapt to constantly changing conditions.
“Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ remains a sacred priority for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even in the current circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Church leaders in a statement
According. to the Church News these changes now include:
Young missionary elders currently serving in missions within the United States and Canada — who would complete their mission on or before Sept. 1, 2020 — may be released after they have served for 21 months. The length of service for sister missionaries serving in the United States and Canada will not be impacted by the adjustments.
Young missionaries with health issues and senior missionaries may be released from service.
Some missionaries may be temporarily reassigned to another mission.
Missionary Work Doesn’t Stop
Young missionaries who cannot leave their apartments to teach, will continue teaching using technology.
Missionary work has been impacted by epidemics during other times in recent history. It has happened in Hong Kong during the SARS outbreak in 2003; in Liberia during an outbreak of Ebola in 2014; in Madagascar following an outbreak of the plague in October 2017; in 2009, when the spread of swine flu prompted Church leaders to change MTC drop-off protocols; and in 2013, when a suspected stomach flu/norovirus impacted 250 Latter-day Saint missionaries in the Provo Missionary Training Center.
Even during World War II missionary work continued, despite many men being drafted into military service.
