The third major focus of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to proclaim the gospel. We believe that the Savior instituted His church during His mortal ministry. After His crucifixion, and the deaths of His apostles, we believe that the gospel was taken from the earth. During this time, the great apostasy, the gospel in its fullness was not found on the earth. For this reason, we believe that the true and everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ had to be restored in its entirety. We, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, believe the gospel was restored in 1820 through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Joseph Smith was an instrument in the hands of the Lord as he restored each and every piece of the gospel. Though he was tortured, ridiculed, and eventually martyred simply for bearing his testimony that he had seen the Father and the Son, he provided the means whereby we may all receive the saving ordinances required for entrance into the kingdom of God. He restored the same organization with the same ordinances as was instituted almost two thousand years ago. "We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, namely apostles prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth." (6th Article of Faith)
Because we believe that the true gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored, we also feel a responsibility to share the gospel with our families, friends, and neighbors. Since we are all children of our Heavenly Father He desires that we all return to live with Him. For this purpose, the Church has a worldwide missionary program. Young men and women, as well as those who have retired, have an opportunity to serve a full time mission. These missionaries pay for their missions and volunteer their time to teach any and all who will listen about the gospel. Currently the Church has approximately 60,000 missionaries serving in the most remote areas of Africa to the busiest cities in the United States. Those who serve missions are given some basic training in the language and customs in a Missionary Training Center. However, the time spent in the MTC is quite short and it is through the faith of these missionaries and the blessings of Heavenly Father that they rapidly learn to communicate in foreign lands. Those who serve honorable missions gain experiences that cannot be equaled in any other capacity. The motivating force behind the desire to serve a mission is to proclaim the gospel.
