I wrote this and read it in our church congregation today! I hope you know how much I have loved being a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and how much I still hope to strive to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. I love you, thanks for reading:
I feel like it is just impossible to relay this message, of all the faces and the hearts of the people that I came to feel such a deep love for. I couldn’t forget them and I never ever would want to. These people taught me how to live the Gospel and what the principles of the Doctrine of Christ really meant. I wanted to share just a tiny portion of the monumental experiences that I’ve just had on my adventure of sharing the Gospel.
Faith in Jesus Christ is the first step of the Gospel. Faith is an incredible thing and the faith of a child can move mountains. Jordan was 9 years old. He knew that the Gospel was true with his whole heart and his greatest desire was to be baptized. The entire year that he was 8, he begged his parents to allow him to be baptized. His parents kept waiting til they were in the right place and in right time in their lives, but they kept pushing it off. Jordan hoped that he could get baptized on his birthday, and then he hoped that he would be able to get baptized on Christmas. The date kept changing but, his faith never ever wavered.
As we taught their family the lessons, the Spirit burned through each of our hearts. We taught Jordan the ten commandments and he was able to repeat them back to us faster then my companion and I could. When his parents hesitated at the idea of paying tithing and fast offerings, Jordan and his sister took the heads of their parents and shook them up and down saying, “Yes, we will pay our tithing.”
Jordan’s faith taught that family how to follow the example of the Savior. He was baptized and I’ve never seen another child so aware of His covenant with Heavenly Father. Since he was baptized last year he has continued to be the strength in his immediate and extended family and they have been slowly but surely changing and coming into and back into the church.
Another woman who touched my life so profoundly was Sis. Fernandes. She was one of the most Christlike, humble people I had ever met. She was an example to me of returning and repenting. She had grown up in the church, but drifted away when she was older. She ended up raising her children in the Catholic church because it was easiest at the time, but last year as her husband was going through cancer, she realized that she needed to come back to the Gospel. She called the Branch President and asked him if there was anything that she needed to do or if she was allowed to even go back to church. In his cheery warmth, President Chandler replied, “Well of course you can!”
Sis. Fernandes has become strong and immovable. With all of her challenges she reaches out to others first. She came with us to lessons with another family that was working to come back and she was recently called to be the 2ndcounselor in the Relief Society Presidency.
The third and fourth principles of the Gospel are baptism and confirmation. It is such an incredible experience to see someone follow Christ step by step and conversion really is a miracle. It is all in the Lord’s hands and being able to witness that is an amazing experience, which has strengthened me over and over again.
One of the most influential people in my life was from the first place that I served in California. She had grown up with Jewish heritage, but celebrating Christmas every year . She was unsure about where to find the truth, but innately she was incredibly Spiritual. The Spirit guided her so much throughout her life and somehow she always found herself surrounded by these mormons. As she learned a little here and there she would apply what she felt was right to her life. When she was finally invited to take the lessons she had already quit drinking wine and coffee and she even would only eat dark chocolate, because she felt that that was what was right. As she was studying with us, she was also studying with the Catholics and for her it really just came right down to her personal prayer. She prayed and with each religion that she prayed about she felt something different; some she didn’t feel so good about and others just left her feeling hollow, but as she prayed about The “mormons” she knew in her heart it was what God wanted her to do. As she continued in her journey; her baptism and confirmation became incredibly important to her. It’s so inspiring to see that reverence and acknowledgement for the Eternal significance that baptism and confirmation really have.
I can never forget the power that flooded the room the moment that Priesthood holder put his hands on her head and told her to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. That experience has been a gift and a blessing to me and has reminded me of the anchor that baptism is in our lives. Looking back on those moments strengthens my faith.
I learned a lot about endurance on my mission. I learned so much from one of the most precious families I met. The Hamiltons came from a very tough background. With the help of church members, they had been able to get their feet on the ground and to finally have security with a nice home, in a good town, with good jobs and even a boat. But, they quickly drifted away in their comfortable life. They started boating on weekends instead of going to sacrament meeting, which led to other poor decisions and poorer decisions, which eventually led to their family being torn apart. They passed through trials that most people don’t really go through in life. They had made some wrong turns, which led them down a dark road hard and fast.
By the time that I met them, they had been quite humbled by their circumstances. They recognized the hand of the Lord in their lives and as they went through everything they learned that when they go to church things are good. Last testimony Sunday, Bro. Hamilton stood and bore his testimony that he didn’t know everything, but he knew some things and he knew he was where he needed to be.
That’s what the blessing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ really is; it is feeling and witnessing true conversion throughout our lives and in the lives of those whom the Lord leads us to. That conversion leads to a knowledge that the Gospel is true and it has been amazing to me. I know that the Lord loves us and He wants to bless us and all those around us, no matter our circumstances. He knows us all and none of us are ever lost to Him. He teaches us and He enables us to do things beyond our own strength. I know that He lives and loves us.
If I would share a secret with you, it would be that I wasn’t ever a huge fan of missionary work. I always felt that that was someone else’s job and so the idea of rising to this call that I felt in my heart was pretty terrifying to me. I remember thinking to myself, “how could the Lord have called me?” I pleaded with Him and I know that He truly did lead and guide me.
It’s an incredible what Christ can do for us. I know that when we turn to the Lord and just have even that small hope; that’s enough for Him to take our hearts and mold us and to help us do things beyond our own capabilities.
Henry Ford said, “There is no man living that can not do more than he thinks he can.” But it is only because of the Savior.
The Lord taught me this very clearly in so many instances, but there is one that really illustrated the point for me. The day I receive my mission call, I was hit with the reality of serving a mission and I was scared. That night I flew out to see my dad in Virginia. As I sat down on the plane, the woman next to me tried to teach me the Gospel and explained how she was on an assignment to teach some primary children. “Do you know what primary is?” She asked. I said, “Yes, in fact I just got my mission call today.” She was almost disappointed as she congratulated me with her missed opportunity to teach someone. Her example, however, helped me to have the courage to ask the person I sat next to why he was traveling to the D.C. area. He told me he was traveling for business and then he asked me about the book that I had on my tray table. We were able to talk about the Gospel for the next two hours on that plane ride as I explained to Him what the Book of Mormon was.
The Lord has given us a promise that in our weaknesses, He will qualify us for His work.
There have been many people in my life who have prepared me for my mission and who have since helped me along the way, but the most important and influential person in my life is Heavenly Father. I found my greatest comfort and solace as I turned to Him in prayer. I was able to call on Him and I know that He heard me every time because He answered me so every time! I cannot even begin to count the revelations and tender mercies that helped me. I found those answers as I searched my scriptures. It is that personal relationship that has blessed my life most. The joy that I receive by having a personal testimony of His love for me, is invaluable and I cherish it so much.
I know that He lives and loves us and it is through this Gospel that He shows us that. I know it, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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