I was at the Visitors' Center the other day and was asked to share what I've learned serving as a full-time missionary. I've only been here for three months, but I have learned A LOT. Do you have a million years to sit & listen? Because I have at least ten million lessons I've learned so far. There is one lesson that stands out most to me though, and it's this: God loves me.
It was a regular Monday afternoon, the busy kind where we prepare ourselves for the upcoming week. Everything seemed fine, but then in an instant it wasn't. The tears came and they just would not stop. It's not unusual for me to cry, I'm an emotional person, but really?... again?! My poor companion! Let it be known that I have the most wonderful, patient, and forgiving companion out there (shout out to Sister Mendenhall!). We battled my bad day with some bottomless french fries, ice cream, and writing letters. As I was writing my parents, a thought popped into my head. I was reminded of a story I had heard numerous occasions about a young Gordon B. Hinckley serving a mission in England...
Forget yourself and go to work, that's the part of the story that had always stood out to me. But this time it was different, this time Heavenly Father had a different message for me. It had finally donned on me... I'm not the only missionary who struggles! It was in that moment that I realized I'm not alone. I have missionaries around me who go through similar challenges, I have loving friends & family back home who support me and pray for me, my Mission President and his wife are the most amazing, caring, selfless people I know, and then there's my Heavenly Father, my Heavenly Mother, and my Savior - Jesus Christ. I am not alone.
Just a few days later I received a letter from my dad written the exact same day, talking about the exact same story, highlighting the exact same point. In that moment it was reaffirmed... God loves me. If God loves me, then of course He loves YOU! It's no accident that the very first principle we teach as missionaries is that God is our loving Heavenly Father. I promise with all my heart that Heavenly Father knows and loves you on a very personal level. He wants to help you and is waiting to hear from you, let yourself notice how much He loves you.
It was a regular Monday afternoon, the busy kind where we prepare ourselves for the upcoming week. Everything seemed fine, but then in an instant it wasn't. The tears came and they just would not stop. It's not unusual for me to cry, I'm an emotional person, but really?... again?! My poor companion! Let it be known that I have the most wonderful, patient, and forgiving companion out there (shout out to Sister Mendenhall!). We battled my bad day with some bottomless french fries, ice cream, and writing letters. As I was writing my parents, a thought popped into my head. I was reminded of a story I had heard numerous occasions about a young Gordon B. Hinckley serving a mission in England...
"As a new missionary serving in Preston, England, Elder Gordon B. Hinckley was facing a major trial in his life. He was sick when he arrived in the mission field, and he quickly became discouraged because of the opposition to the missionary work. At a time of deep frustration, Elder Hinckley wrote in a letter to his father that he felt he was wasting his time and his father’s money. A little while later, Elder Hinckley received a reply from his dad. It said, “Dear Gordon, I have your recent letter. I have only one suggestion: forget yourself and go to work."
Forget yourself and go to work, that's the part of the story that had always stood out to me. But this time it was different, this time Heavenly Father had a different message for me. It had finally donned on me... I'm not the only missionary who struggles! It was in that moment that I realized I'm not alone. I have missionaries around me who go through similar challenges, I have loving friends & family back home who support me and pray for me, my Mission President and his wife are the most amazing, caring, selfless people I know, and then there's my Heavenly Father, my Heavenly Mother, and my Savior - Jesus Christ. I am not alone.
Just a few days later I received a letter from my dad written the exact same day, talking about the exact same story, highlighting the exact same point. In that moment it was reaffirmed... God loves me. If God loves me, then of course He loves YOU! It's no accident that the very first principle we teach as missionaries is that God is our loving Heavenly Father. I promise with all my heart that Heavenly Father knows and loves you on a very personal level. He wants to help you and is waiting to hear from you, let yourself notice how much He loves you.
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