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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.