Every Member an Angel by Erin Petersen

A few years ago, right after my brother left on his mission, I was reading in Alma 27:4 "Now when Ammon and his brethren saw this work of destruction among those whom they so dearly beloved, and among those who had so dearly beloved them—for they were treated as though they were angels sent from God to save them from everlasting destruction—therefore, when Ammon and his brethren saw this great work of destruction, they were moved with compassion…"[1] I will admit that it is a rather random verse to pick out of a war story of the Book of Mormon, but I immediately latched onto the phrase, "for they were treated as though they were angels sent from God." I read that line over and over, thinking of Ammon and his brethren. They were missionaries, they had shared the gospel and by sharing it had truly had saved the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's from "everlasting destruction." It was then that I understood the importance of missionary work and saw missionaries for what they truly were—angels.

In Moroni 7, we are told that God sent angels to "make manifest concerning the coming of Christ," and that through the ministering of angels "men began to exercise faith in Christ." Moroni continues in verses 29-32 "…neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men. For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness. And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfill and to do the work of the covenants of the Father… to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him. And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof"[2]. Moreover, when the Aaronic priesthood was restored to the earth, the keys of the "ministering of angels" were also restored [3]. Those who hold the Aaronic priesthood not only have the ability to be ministered to by angels, but also are endowed with the power to speak for God and become angels themselves.

The Bible Dictionary classifies angels as "messengers of the Lord" [4]. When I read this and made the connection that missionaries were indeed angels, I was struck with the awesome responsibility which missionaries are given. It was if for the first time I truly understood that they were messengers sent from God to declare His word. It overwhelmed me. I continued to think about this over the next couple of months before remembering the phrase by President McKay, "Every member a missionary" [5]. Till this point, I had elevated missionaries above the rest of the members of the church. While it is true that these young men and women are set apart specifically to be the messengers of God, I realized that I was just as capable of being His member messenger, or member angel. The motto "every member a missionary" could easily be changed to "every member an angel."

Furthermore, if "angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost," then it goes to follow that when I am speaking and feeling the Holy Ghost, I am acting as an angel [6]. I realized that every time that I spoke to my friends about the gospel, and I could feel the Spirit influencing me, I was being a messenger for God.

Elder Holland expanded on this thought when he said, "…when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us, and in my case, one of them consented to marry me. Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people …" [7].

When I was young, I used to read the accounts of Nephi and his brothers, of Alma the younger and so many others, and hope for an experience like theirs, that I might be blessed to have an angel come to me, and through this messenger I would know without a doubt of the truthfulness of the gospel. I have not had a messenger descend from heaven in all his glory and testify of God and tell me of His will for me. But I was born to a family where I was taught from a tender age the plan of God. I have had primary teachers and seminary teachers bear their humble witnesses of Christ. I have had friends who've buoyed me when I have gone through trials. It is through them and the quiet whisperings of the Holy Ghost that I have gained a knowledge of this everlasting gospel. I can testify that I have been ministered to by angels.


[1] Alma 27:4
[2] Moroni 7:22, 29-32
[3] D&C 13
[4] Bible Dictionary
[5] Conference Apr. 1959, President David O. McKay
[6] 2 Nephi 32:3
[7] Conference Oct. 2008, Jeffery R. Holland