If you are a good missionary, you will return home with the

In the words of Gordon B. Hinckley, a man whose life was dedicated to faith and service, we hear not merely instruction, but the heartbeat of true discipleship: “If you are a good missionary, you will return home with the desire to continue to serve the Lord, to keep His commandments, and to do His will.” These words, simple in their cadence yet profound in their truth, carry the eternal wisdom that faithfulness is not a season but a way of life. A mission, in its truest form, is not completed when one returns home — it is merely transformed. The labor of the spirit does not end at the boundary of duty; it flows unceasingly, like a river that nourishes all lands it touches.

Hinckley’s words speak to the nature of devotion — not as an act, but as an enduring state of the heart. A good missionary, he says, returns not with fatigue or finality, but with fire renewed — a deeper desire to live as a servant of God. This teaching reflects one of the oldest truths known to humankind: that true service refines the soul. Just as a sword is strengthened by the fire that shapes it, the servant of God emerges from labor purer, stronger, and more radiant. To serve the Lord, in Hinckley’s sense, is to give oneself wholly, that in giving, one might discover joy that no worldly reward can equal.

The origin of this teaching is deeply rooted in the Christian tradition of discipleship. From the time of the apostles, followers of Christ were sent forth not simply to preach, but to be transformed by their service. The early missionaries of the faith — men and women who journeyed through hunger, rejection, and danger — did not return home unchanged. They came back with hearts ablaze, having tasted the sweetness of purpose and the power of divine love. Hinckley, in his wisdom, reminds us that the measure of a “good missionary” is not the number of converts won, but the spirit of conversion within oneself — the change of heart that continues long after the mission ends.

History gives us many examples of such enduring servants. Consider St. Francis of Assisi, who left behind wealth and comfort to live among the poor, preaching love through humility. When he returned from his journeys, he did not retire from service; instead, his desire to do the Lord’s will grew stronger until his final breath. His mission never ended, for his entire life became one. Likewise, countless missionaries across the ages — from the deserts of Africa to the mountains of Peru — have shown that the truest transformation of service is the awakening of a lifelong desire to serve, not the satisfaction of having done so once.

Hinckley’s words also reveal a truth about obedience and continuity. To keep the commandments and do God’s will is not merely to follow rules, but to live in alignment with divine harmony. A missionary who returns home with such a spirit carries within them a sacred trust — to be a light in their family, their community, their nation. The ancient sages of every faith have taught that the greatest act of worship is not found in temples or rituals alone, but in daily action: the kindness shown to strangers, the patience in adversity, the quiet honesty in one’s work. To “continue to serve” is to let one’s life become a living sermon, where every deed proclaims faith without the need for words.

There is also a lesson here about the true measure of success. In a world that prizes accomplishment, Hinckley turns our gaze inward. The goal of service is not glory, but growth. The true missionary does not seek applause, but transformation — to leave behind a self that was bound by comfort or pride, and to return with a heart anchored in divine purpose. Just as the farmer rejoices not merely in the harvest but in the strength of the soil he has tilled, so too must every servant of the Lord rejoice in the growth of faith within.

And so, the lesson we may take from Hinckley’s words is this: let every labor you undertake in the name of God — or in the name of goodness — shape you, not end with you. When your appointed mission is complete, do not fold your hands in rest, but lift them in continued service. Carry the flame you kindled in faraway fields into your home, your friendships, your daily walk. For service that does not end, faith that does not fade, and obedience that does not weary — these are the marks of a soul truly transformed.

Thus, let this be your calling, as it was the calling of those who came before: to live each day as a continuation of your mission. Let your return not be an end, but a renewal. Keep the commandments not from obligation, but from love; serve the Lord not from duty, but from joy. For when you do so, your life itself becomes a testimony — a living echo of Hinckley’s wisdom — that the good missionary never truly comes home; they carry their home, their faith, and their purpose within them, wherever they walk.