The first missionary discussion with Dr. Wang didn’t go as planned. On Sunday we had invited him and the sister missionaries to dinner for Tuesday evening. An hour later I had gotten a call about a sick elder in Fanafo. Marjorie and I made a quick run there, and brought the elders back to Luganville. Elder McCain was a very sick young man with a raging fever, a racing heart (193 beats per minute), diarrhea, and a sore gall bladder. Through intravenous rehydration and medicines, Dr. Wang had him stabilized and on his feet by evening, but we had decided to keep him in our care. I gave his companion to another set of elders who needed him, and Elder McCain became my companion for the next couple of days. Our Tuesday evening dinner appointment had thus grown to a party of six.

The philosophies held by, and the techniques used by the missionaries in the Book of Mormon are worthy of examination.
First was Abinadi—courageous Abinadi. His mission call sent him to a degenerate people who were so steeped in sin that the likelihood of success among them was very small indeed. He was aware of that at the outset; but he also knew that unless the people repented, they would be destroyed. They had to be warned. Indeed, the people could neither be converted nor destroyed unless someone should first warn them, for “…the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7).