LDS Missionaries

Today I'm grateful for LDS Missionaries. They are so great! They make being a member missionary so easy. Really.... think about it. All I have to do is make friends or acquaintances and invite them to meet with the missionaries. After that, the missionaries do all the hard work. They answer all the tough questions, they teach the lessons, they invite the spirit, they prepare the people listening for baptism. Meanwhile, all I have to do is listen, share my testimony once in awhile and just give support but I get all the wonderful, joyful feelings that come from sharing the gospel.

I was a ward missionary for 2 years when I lived in ABQ. I wish I would have kept a missionary journal. It was a great calling and I was so blessed to have so many wonderful experiences of teaching the gospel and going to lessons with the missionaries. I learned a lot during that time. What I love most about sharing the gospel with others if feeling the spirit so strong. I love that it makes me ponder what I truly believe. I love sharing what I love with others. Now I must claim that I have not ever had a baptism come from my efforts but I sure did some growing and I know we touched many lives.

Betty, Martin, Valeria and Camilla. A wonderful family from Peru. They lived above us in our apartment for a year. They were such kind neighbors, always willing to help and talk with me while Jared went through PA school. She thought I was so young, too young to have 2 daughters already. She was blunt (as most people are in NM) but for some reasons her comments never bothered me. It always opened up door to talk about different things. We were talking one day about her oldest daughter who was in middle school. She was stressed about the influence of other kids. She would go to the school every day and pick her daughter up during lunch so she didn't have to be influenced during that free time. It made me smile. I knew she truly cared about her daughter. She was a great mother. I told her about the strength for the youth pamphlet. It has 19 standards that it describes how to live them. I told her that the teens in the church are expected to live them. Some kids in the church may not be perfect in them but overall there are large amounts of kids who try their best to and they are good kids. Betty couldn't believe that was possible. She didn't think kids really would live such strict standards at that age. I then looked her in the eye and told her that there are kids all over the world who live these standards. I know because I was one of them. I lived the standards of Jesus Christ and have been blessed for doing so. I told her I had friends, many friends, who also lived these standards. I told her that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a world wide church, it exist even in Peru (her homeland), in their language. This caught her interest. She wanted a Book of Mormon in Spanish.

This led to the sister missionaries coming to meet them. The first lesson was the first vision. It was an amazing lesson. It was done in Spanish so I didn't understand a lot. I have a little bit of spanish speaking background but what helped the most is that I knew the lesson so I could catch what parts they were at. When it came time for Joseph Smith seeing God the Father and His son Jesus Christ, Betty's eyes got really big and she exclaimed "REALLY! Where?" The missionaries had huge smiles on their faces and explained again where this was taken place. It was so fun to see her excitement of this event possibly happening. It made me think of how I have taken my beliefs for granted. Joseph Smith did see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! That is something to be excited about!

Betty and her family never did join the church. They ended up moving across the country and we miss their family dearly. I feel that the most interesting thing about sharing the gospel is that I'm talking to people who don't think the same way as I do. It's hard when people don't believe the same things or have crazy beliefs. It's sometimes hard to put my feelings into words to help them understand why I know it is so important and the truth.

Last night I introduced the sister missionaries to my next door neighbor who is Jewish. I have never experienced a Jewish missionary lesson. It was.... different. When someone doesn't believe in Jesus Christ the way I do it can be hard. She made my heart sink several times with the comments she would share because I knew what she was saying was not true. I do respect her and her beliefs. There were some moments where I didn't know what to say, or how to respond to her questions. This is where the missionaries come in. I'm so grateful for those sisters. I felt the spirit testify very strongly as they taught her. They testified of Jesus Christ and that all things are possible through Him. They shared about prophets and of The Book of Mormon. My neighbor probably wont join the church but I'm so grateful to be apart of these experiences. I love feeling the spirit in a place where the spirit wasn't present before. It is such a good feeling. I'm grateful for the missionaries and the sacrifices they make to do the hard work for me.

It truly is incredible that theses young people would leave there homes and families for 1 1/2 - 2 years just to share what they know is true. With their own finances too. They put their lives on hold, usually college or a job, to serve the Lord. They study many hours a day. Walk around and meet strangers just hoping for a chance to share the great message of the gospel! They are representatives of Jesus Christ. What a special calling that is! Their job is to bring people closer to their Savior Jesus Christ. We are so blessed to have missionaries world wide. I'm grateful for those young people who live their lives in such a way. My children LOVE the missionaries and my girls are already talking about being a missionary when they grow up. I'm grateful for all the wonderful examples that my children have of missionaries. I'm grateful that we get to have the missionaries come to our home to eat and to teach us. They truly bless my life. They mentioned last night when they were over that they could feel the spirit in our home every time they come. That meant SO MUCH to me. It is something that I have been working a long time at building but I feel that it's something that I haven't achieved to the level I expect it to be at. Just hearing those words brought me comfort and gave me peace. It was the nicest thing that anyone has said to me in a long time. It is what I needed to hear. Thanks to all those missionaries who are serving. You are loved and prayed for everyday in our home. May Heavenly Father bless you and your families. Thank you!