Send us a text

This episode features a candid conversation with Elder Brayden Hendricks, who has just returned from his mission in England, Birmingham. Shawn, who has known Brayden and his "triplet" sister, Lauren, since high school, explores the pivotal choices that transformed Brayden from a "lukewarm" teenager into an "on fire" missionary.

The central theme revolves around Principle 1: the choice to be "hot" or "cold" rather than "lukewarm," drawing heavily on Revelation 3:15-17. Brayden openly shares his journey, admitting he was lukewarm in high school, even turning "cold" in his junior and senior years. He continued in a "very lukewarm" state through BYU and even into the MTC and his first mission transfer.

A significant turning point occurred during an exchange with a zone leader in Birmingham City. This elder, through "high love and high expectation," prompted Brayden to confront his own lack of commitment without direct accusation. Seeing his pirated music and texts, and being asked "Who do you want to be on your mission?" led Brayden to a personal "call to repentance". This resonated with the scripture in 1 Kings 18:21, which speaks of being "halted between two opinions".

Key motivations for Brayden's transformation included:

• An "ownership mentality" and the desire to make his parents and mission president proud.

• An admiration for dedicated missionaries, including one who had personally paid for his mission.

• His self-created "Parable of the Dishes," where he recounts a moment from his youth watching his tired mother do dishes while he played video games. This experience, akin to Elder James Faust's story of his grandmother gathering wood, taught Brayden about moving beyond selfishness to thinking of and loving others. This newfound love for others became a driving force for his dedication.

The episode emphasizes that the "field is white" not just for baptisms, but for "reaping" conversions—which includes people feeling the Spirit, making commitments, and growing their faith through the process of faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Brayden shares a story of teaching a new Christian named Manoj about loving God and neighbors as the first step to building a relationship with God, illustrating this principle.

The discussion also highlights the cost of being "all in," requiring the sacrifice of fears, pride, laziness, and disobedience, as discussed in a quote by Tad R. Callister. This commitment leads to missionaries becoming "instruments in the hands of God" and experiencing a "rebirth" in Christ, learning to apply their hard work to something bigger than themselves.

Brayden's main advice for future missionaries is to "be 1% better every day" and to "be all in," echoing Elder Holland's counsel to "work so hard that you have to be brought home on a stretcher". This dedication results in knowing you "earned your pillow" at the end of the day, feeling happy and exhausted from diligent effort.