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In this episode of the Mission Stories podcast, Shawn interviews Laura Neuhaus, a BYU student who recently returned from serving in the Curitiba, Brazil Mission. Shawn highlights that while Laura served in a relatively affluent area, her success came from her humility and her disciplined application of gospel principles. Throughout the episode, Shawn connects Laura’s extraordinary experiences to the seven missionary principles, emphasizing that these are practical applications of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Power of Sincere Prayer: Valerini

Laura shares her "rock bottom" moment as a new missionary who struggled with the language and homesickness. One Saturday night, she pleaded with God to know she was needed in the work. The next morning, she approached a newcomer named Valerini and completely butchered the pronunciation of her name.

To Laura's surprise, Valerini began to cry; she had dreamed of a missionary with that specific name tag mispronouncing her name in that church building. Valerini had found the church through a Facebook ad and felt the Spirit confirm that this was God's true church. This experience illustrated Principle Five—that miracles are a missionary's right—and led to Valerini’s baptism three weeks later.

Prophetic Promises: Niata

One of the most powerful segments involves Niata, a lawyer who had been labeled by previous missionaries as a "dot" who was unlikely to progress. Despite her deep belief in the Book of Mormon, Niata hesitated to commit to baptism. Following a strong spiritual prompting, Laura made a bold, prophetic promise: if Niata would be baptized and live the gospel, she would pass her law school exams.

Shawn identifies this as the Spirit speaking through a servant of the Lord. Niata exercised her faith, was baptized, and subsequently passed her test. Her husband, Mario, was later baptized after witnessing the profound change and "pure joy" in his wife.

Turning the "Hard" into "Holy": Echo Valley

Laura recounts being transferred to Echo Valley, an area with a difficult reputation and a challenging companion. Shawn highlights her choice to avoid a "lukewarm" attitude, instead deciding to make it the best transfer of her mission. In this "hard" area, they found Karen, a successful businesswoman who had spent the entire night praying to know if God was real. Karen viewed the missionaries as a direct answer to her prayer. By the end of that six-week transfer, Laura witnessed five baptisms, proving that a faithful mindset leads to success even in difficult circumstances.

Key Takeaways and Principles

• Principle One (Choose Ye This Day): Laura’s success was rooted in her deliberate choice to be "hot" (dedicated) rather than lukewarm, even when she felt like a "lost dog" following her companion.

• Principle Two (Revelation Leads to Conversion): Both Valerini and Karen were led to the truth through personal revelation, which was then confirmed by the words of the missionaries.

• Member-Missionary Synergy: Laura emphasizes that the humility of the Brazilian members and their willingness to help were vital to the mission's success.

• The Worth of a Soul: Shawn and Laura conclude by discussing D&C 18, noting that the immense joy Laura feels is a direct result of her laboring to bring souls to Christ.

Laura’s final message to those on the fence about serving is simple: "Go." She testifies that God’s plan is far greater than anything we could choose for ourselves and that the sacrifices made are forever rewarded with joy.

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In this Part 2 episode of the Mission Stories podcast, Shawn welcomes back Sister Kirra Eddington to discuss her service in the Texas Dallas South Mission. While the previous episode focused on her pre-mission conversion through repentance, this episode explores how that spiritual foundation sustained her through tragedy and fueled her success as a missionary.

A Prophetic Warning and a Tragic Test

Kirra shares a profound experience from the MTC. While reading 1 Nephi 3:15, she received a lingering, unshakable thought that something "really bad" was going to happen on her mission, but that it was God's will for her to stay and finish her service no matter what. Shawn notes that this revelation—specifically the "lingering" nature of the Spirit—gave her confidence that God was in control.

Three months into her mission, the trial arrived. Kirra received a call that her mother had been diagnosed with Grade 4 Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer with a short life expectancy. devastated and fearing she would never see her mother again, Kirra found strength in a moment of grace at a church activity. Looking through a window, she saw a painting of Jesus Christ’s face perfectly framed, reaffirming the MTC revelation that she was exactly where she was supposed to be. This spiritual confirmation allowed her to stay and serve with purpose despite the heartbreak.

The "Wave of Energy" in Teaching

Kirra explains that without her prior experience of repentance, her mission would have felt like "summer sales on steroids"—miserable and rejection-filled. Instead, teaching became her favorite part of the work. She describes feeling a "wave of energy" whenever she sat down to teach because she wasn't just reciting a script; she was offering people the same "exquisite joy" and relief she had personally tasted through the Atonement.

Deli and the "Meteor"

Kirra recounts finding a "meteor" (a media referral) named Deli. Expecting a woman, she and her companion were greeted by a man covered in tattoos and piercings. Despite his intimidating appearance, Deli was a "golden" investigator. He had been told by previous pastors (and his own mother) that he was destined for hell due to predestination doctrines (which Shawn identifies as Calvinism). Deli had deep, sincere questions about why God would create children just to damn them, and Kirra was able to offer him the hope of the Restored Gospel.

Tina and the Power of the Book of Mormon

The episode highlights the story of Tina, a woman who had hopped from church to church seeking "more". For three months, Kirra tried to convert Tina using logic, Bible verses, and "lawyer mode," but nothing clicked. Finally, following a prompting from their mission president, they decided to stop "bashing" and simply read the Book of Mormon with her.

The change was instant. Tina began devouring the book, reading ten chapters ahead between visits and recognizing Joseph Smith's prophetic role on her own. Shawn uses this as a prime example of the principle that "the Word of God answers every question", noting that logic cannot replace the converting power of the Spirit found in the scriptures.

Shawn concludes the episode by emphasizing that a missionary's ability to endure "hot, dusty days" and tragic news comes from building a foundation on the "Rock of Our Redeemer" (Helaman 5:12). Kirra’s final advice to listeners is simple and urgent: "Don't not go on a mission... You won't regret it."

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This episode of the Mission Stories podcast features Shawn hosting two "Gen Z" guests, Izzi (16) and Lara (17), who have attended his mission prep classes for several years. Shawn affectionately labels them "punk rockers" because they rebel against the Southern California cultural norms of partying and vanity. Instead, they choose to read the Book of Mormon and hold "righteous raves" (pizza and preaching), demonstrating true independence by bucking the system to follow God.

The discussion centers on Principle Two: Revelation Leads to Conversion, specifically focusing on the "pattern" God provides to discern truth and avoid deception. Shawn cites D&C 52:14, arguing that the only reliable pattern for knowing truth is through the Holy Ghost.

Distinguishing Events from the Spirit

Izzi shares a story about praying on a jetty while recovering from a surfing injury. Feeling low, she asked God to help her know Him. She immediately felt calm and peace, after which a rogue wave crashed over her. Shawn challenges Izzi to recognize that the revelation was the peace she felt before the event, not the dramatic wave itself. He teaches that reliance on physical signs rather than spiritual feelings can lead to deception.

To illustrate this, Shawn recounts a story from his mission in Russia. A woman claimed she saw the prophet Moses in her bedroom and touched his cloak. However, she reported feeling "scared to death" and full of fear. Shawn explains that this violated God's pattern; true revelation is accompanied by peace, joy, and comfort, not darkness or fear.

Listening vs. Hearkening

Lara shares an experience at a funeral where she felt she should sit by a lonely woman but didn't. She identified this as a spiritual prompting rather than her own thought because the feeling "dwelt" in her heart and "lingered" with her.

The group discusses the difference between hearing and hearkening. Izzi and Shawn define hearkening as "listening with the intent to act". They agree that one cannot passively wait for revelation; one must have a desire and dive into the scriptures with the intent to share and do.

Retrospective Revelation

Shawn shares a pivotal MTC moment where a teacher, Sister Wrencher, helped him identify the Holy Ghost. She asked the class to close their eyes and feel the words of 3 Nephi 11. Shawn realized the feeling he had was the same feeling he had as a child at Disneyland with his family—a feeling of pure joy. This taught him that the Spirit often manifests as joy and love, and we can look back at our lives to see where God was present.

Izzi shares a similar childhood memory of being swept out to sea in first grade. She heard a voice say, "Put your feet down," and felt a sensation of floating, which she identifies as a core memory of the Spirit protecting her.

Advice for Youth

The episode concludes with advice for aspiring missionaries:

• Izzi: You must "knock" to receive. You will find God's mercies only if you are actively looking for them.

• Lara: Stop waiting to be "ready." Act immediately on promptings that invite you to do good (Moroni 7:13) rather than doubting if it is truly the Spirit.