Your Average Mormon Missionary

[210 Days]

By Sister Call

210 days ago I arrived in this little area-- we'll call it small town. 210 days ago I was overcome with concern. I didn't know how to do missionary work in a town with 4 stop lights...you could knock every door in a week! And could there possibly be more cows than people? It seemed like it to me. My only consolation was my imagined confidence that I would be transferred out as soon as possible. I just knew I wouldn't be here long!

Then 210 days happened.

210 days that changed me and are making my actual transfer out of small town immensely difficult. My time here has shaped me...I feel different after serving here and I think I know why.

These people have taught me how to love the way that Christ loves. The people here, members and non members alike, truly live the gospel of Jesus Christ. They "are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that [they] may be in."

My time in small town was not without challenges, but I felt I was able to face these challenges with greater strength because of the love of the people here. For 210 days I could feel the love and encouragement from these people as I did my best to love and serve them. Though my attempts were imperfect and inadequate, I knew that they loved me for trying, not by any merit of my own but because they were Christlike people! I honestly felt their Christlike love. Their examples were crucial in helping me learn that we really do come to love those that we serve. As we do our best to serve as Christ served, we are blessed with a greater capacity to love as Christ loved. The distance between where I am and where I should be in the "charity department" is immense but with the help of everybody here in small town, I feel like my eyes have been opened to the joy that comes from Christlike love. That is why I feel different. Loving people the way that Christ loves adds a new dimension to life that is truly indescribable. 

 

I love these people with all that I have and all that I am. They are an extension of my family and small town is an extension of my home. Though I may just be your average Mormon missionary, I dare say the love I feel for all that these last 210 days have encompassed is anything but average.

davidngoliath

A Komodo Dragon Story

By Sister David

So this is sort of a break from the Christmas rush & overwhelmingness of the season. It started the other day with a text from the Elders that went something like this:

“Hey, Sisters! Could you go help with a Sister in the ward ASAP? Let us know if you can help her!! ASAP!!”

So of course, we say yes we can help. Then we get a message that says:

“Ok good. We don’t know what’s going on but something about a Komodo Dragon!” 

On our way there, we get a call from another couple asking us if we’re going to help with the Dragon. They suggested we call the fire department just in case. We wanted to check out the situation before we did that. Have you ever seen two girls in skirts chasing a Komodo Dragon?! We were trying to figure out how we were going to catch it. And how it even got in this lady’s house! Needless to say, we were exuberant!!

So we get there and she the front door is open, we walk in. The lady who needed help was sitting on the couch crying & told us not to laugh. She pointed at the front door & said: ”It’s behind the door!”

We look behind the door & find a small lizard, about the size of the palm of my hand.

I’m sure you’ve felt like that. Where it’s just been a rough, awful, tough day. Nothing could go worse. The stress levels are high & and if any little thing goes wrong then it just feels like you’ve been hit by a Goliath… or Kimono Dragon. And to some people, it may not seem like a big deal, but to you it matters.

When Christ suffered for us, He didn’t just suffer for our sins. He has felt every stress, every moment we feel alone, every time we’ve felt we just can’t push on one more day or hour. Christ knows what that feels like. He didn’t just do that because those moments matter to you, but because you matter to Him.

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”  - Luke 10:19

So whenever a Komodo Dragon or Goliath enters into your life, you always have someone to call on for backup.

The Quest for Love

Lonely Love

By Elder Frazier

There are times in our life that we feel that we are the only ones out there. We feel that we are the only ones next to us on our path. However, we never are. In my life, I have found it difficult at times to realize this factor.  When we turn to the Lord, we can find strength that there is someone out there for us. There is someone walking the path with us. As a junior in college, I found my self depressed. I had hit a bottom low for my self esteem and I struggled to see how I could deal with everything. I went to my doctor and she put me on an anti-depressant, which soon became known as my happy pills. At this time in my life, I was a full time athlete, I was working 30 hours a week, and I was a full time biology student. My plate was a little too full. I had put my self in a depression from too much stress. I struggled to feel accepted and just was angry for many reasons. However, I was never alone. My savior, Jesus Christ, was always there for me. He was there to help me and I as turned to him, I was able to find strength. I was able to see the benefits and blessing that come from my Savior. I love how the Bible tells us that all we need to do is Knock! He will open the door to us every time. The Lord will never reject who we are. The thing that got me out my depression was prayer. I prayed to him and asked for his help. I wanted to feel happy again and I wanted to know that I didn’t need to depend on a pill to do that for me. Truth be told, while I was on my pills, I never fully felt happy. My emotions were different than my thoughts. I needed help from Savior to feel happy. It was a work in progress but I had to learn how to relay on Jesus to find that happiness again in my life.In the Book Of Mormon, the end of 2 Nephi, there many references to how the Savior has his arms open to us at all times, no matter what we do. Our Savior loves us and all we need to do is turn to him.