Personal and Companionship Study: Gaining Confidence through Understanding

The scriptures and the teachings of living prophets and other general Church leaders are the foundation of your gospel study—for your own spiritual nourishment and for your preparation to minister to others. Spend time each day feasting on the words in the Book of Mormon, and regularly study the other standard works and recent general conference messages, especially the teachings of members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

As you study the scriptures, look for connections to your assigned historic site. At some of the Church’s historic sites, the Prophet Joseph Smith learned about, obtained, translated, and published the Book of Mormon. At many sites, the Lord revealed truths that are now recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. If you serve at one of these sites, take time to ponder the truths revealed there. Your site guide might contain suggestions about studying scriptures that relate directly to the places where you serve.

Even if your assigned location does not relate directly to any of these revelations, study scriptures that help you learn of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel.

Site guides are your primary resources to help visitors connect with sites and their key messages. They are available only to missionaries at historic sites, and they contain valuable details that you will not find in other resources. They describe what you should say and do to present the information that is most important for visitors to receive. They also provide material that can help you enhance visitors’ experiences and answer their questions.

Work individually and with your companion to internalize the content of the site guides. Even when you know the stories and messages presented in these guides, return to the guides often. With study and practice, you will learn to adapt their content to the needs and interests of each visitor.

Site guides are updated as historians find new and clarifying information about Church history and historic sites. These updates take time. If you see inconsistencies between the content of your site guide and more up-to-date content in a Church-published source, give preference to the more current source.

Site guides focus mostly on what you should teach. The book you hold in your hands right now focuses more on how you should teach. It is the primary teaching guide for all missionaries at the Church’s historic sites. As you study and apply the material in this book—individually and with other missionaries—you will unite with the missionaries at your site and at others. This will provide a consistent, inspiring experience for people visiting multiple sites. Continue to study the principles and practices in On Holy Ground throughout your service at a historic site.

Saints is “a narrative history designed to give readers a foundational understanding of Church history. … Each volume contains divine truth and stories of imperfect people trying to become Saints through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Their stories—like the stories of all Saints, past and present—remind readers how merciful the Lord has been to His people as they have joined together around the globe to further God’s work.”¹

Your study of Saints can expand your understanding of the significance of the places where you serve. It can help you prepare to teach visitors about the history of the Church in an understandable, engaging, and accurate way.

Many people who visit the Church’s historic sites have read stories in Saints, and they will want to experience the places where those stories occurred. You will be able to help them more effectively if you have also read the stories—especially the stories that relate directly to the places where you serve.

Preach My Gospel is a foundational resource for all missionaries in the Church. Study it often. During your time at a historic site, give special attention to the truths in the missionary lessons and to the chapters about searching the scriptures, seeking and relying on the Spirit, and seeking Christlike attributes. Your study of this book will help you in your service at a historic site, and it will guide your preparation for other missionary service.

From time to time, go to sacred places at the site when visitors are not there. In these quiet moments, listen to the whisperings of the Spirit. Allow the Holy Ghost to teach you about the places and the events that occurred there. These experiences will intertwine with your study. They will strengthen your testimony of the Savior and His restored gospel, and they will help you speak with power about the places where you serve.

You can find engaging, inspiring, and trustworthy information about the Church’s historic sites at history.ChurchofJesusChrist.org/landing/historic-sites.

The web pages for your site may include some or all of the following features. You can refer visitors to these features when they ask for additional information:

• Time lines

• Articles that focus on specific people, places, and events

• Visually rich presentations about significant events in the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ

• Maps of specific sites

• Regional maps that include information about other places of historical interest

• Talks by Church leaders

• Videos

In addition to learning about the site where you serve, you might spend time exploring the web pages for the Church’s other historic sites. As you do so, you will learn about the sacredness of other places where the Lord has restored His gospel and where His people have worked to establish His kingdom. You will see connections between the places where you serve and the sites where other missionaries serve.

The “Church History” section of the Gospel Library app and online resource contains a wealth of information to expand your knowledge and deepen your understanding. It includes the following resources:

• Church History Topics—articles about people (listed alphabetically by first name), places, key events, and unfamiliar practices in the early days of the Church

• Gospel Topics Essays—trustworthy answers to difficult questions about the Church and its history

• First Vision—a collection of information about Joseph Smith’s accounts of his First Vision

• The Joseph Smith Papers Podcasts—audio presentations produced by the Church History Department, including informative and inspiring insights about the First Vision, the restoration of the priesthood, and the Nauvoo Temple

• Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants—explanations of the historical background of revelations recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants

• Joseph Smith’s Revelations—taken from the Joseph Smith Papers, a compilation and historical study of the earliest existing versions of Joseph Smith’s revelations and other texts now found in the Doctrine and Covenants

The “Topics and Questions” section of Gospel Library provides a broad range of Church-related subjects. Each entry in the collection features a brief overview of what Latter-day Saints believe about a specific topic, links to resources for further study, and ideas for teaching others about the topic. Some of the entries are also found in Church History Topics and Gospel Topics Essays.

The Media Library at ChurchofJesusChrist.org/media includes many videos relating to Church history, including virtual tours of some of the Church’s historic sites. You can find them under “Church History” in Video Categories.

The Joseph Smith Papers website (josephsmithpapers.org) provides a scholarly collection of documents relating to the prophetic mission of Joseph Smith. You might begin exploring the website by reviewing the section titled “Featured Topics” on the home page.

As you explore further, you might search for the following features, using the drop-down menu in the upper right corner of the home page. They include the full text of revelations, letters, journals, and other sources.

• In the menu titled “The Papers”:

  • Early manuscript copies of revelations Joseph Smith received

  • Letters and other documents associated with Joseph Smith’s life

  • Journals and histories written by Joseph Smith or under his direction

  • A history recounted by Lucy Mack Smith

• In the menu titled “Reference”:

  • Biographical sketches, including information about many people who are not mentioned in Church History Topics in the Gospel Library

  • Descriptions and histories of places

  • A time line of important events

• In the menu titled “Media”:

  • Videos featuring historians discussing topics relating to Joseph Smith

  • Charts detailing Church organizations and officers

  • Maps

If your phone does not allow access to the Joseph Smith Papers website, you can visit the website on one of the site’s computers.

If you are searching for information about specific people and you are not able to find it in the Joseph Smith Papers or Church History Topics, you might try the following resources:

• Church History Biographical Database at history.ChurchofJesusChrist.org—a collection of biographical information about Latter-day Saints, including pioneers who immigrated to the Salt Lake Valley between 1847 and 1868 and missionaries who served between 1830 and 1940

• Church History Catalog at catalog.ChurchofJesusChrist.org—documents and other media housed at the Church History Library, some of which are available to view online

• FamilySearch.org—information compiled and shared by volunteers throughout the world about their ancestors (may or may not be accurate)

Each site has a library with books that are approved for your use. An annotated bibliography may be available, providing short overviews of those books. Be aware that books not published by the Church include the opinions of individual authors.

Study the historical accounts in your site guide in the order they occurred. Amplify this study by reading the narrative history in Saints. Pause to examine scriptural revelations in their historical context. New missionaries often find that this chronological, story-based approach is the best study plan for them as they begin their service.

As you search the scriptures and historical accounts, consider what your site teaches about Jesus Christ and the ongoing Restoration of His gospel. Ponder the influence of restored truth in the lives of early Latter-day Saints, in your life, and in the lives of people throughout the world.

Use the resources listed in this chapter to learn all you can about the places where you serve. If you serve at more than one historic site, focus on one site at a time.

Select important subjects, beginning with the key messages listed in your site guide. Using the resources listed in this chapter, find all you can about those subjects.

Using the resources listed in this chapter, take time to learn about individuals who lived and served in the places where you are assigned.