Today I came across a blog post by Jason F. Wright, a bestselling author and motivational speaker, which included a letter to his daughter, who recently entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah.
Letter to my daughter — A mission isn’t for you
No, he isn't saying that a mission is a bad idea, or that is daughter isn't up to the task. Rather, he is saying that a mission isn't about you, it's about the Lord, and about the people you will teach and serve. I wanted to post a link to Wright's post because I whole heartedly agree with it.
One of my first posts in this blog quoted remarks Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave at the Provo MTC on August 24, 2010 (as witnessed by my nephew, who was then an elder in the MTC):
He said that a mission comes once, so "give it all you have." Missionaries should be dedicated to the work "every hour, every day, every minute, all the way." Elder Holland made the point that this is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is His church, His gospel, His work, and HIS MISSION. This is not your mission, it is the Lord's mission, he argued. Elder Holland also said that a mission is not Burger King, "We don't hold the pickles," making the point that missions are not tailored to the needs of the missionary. "Don't do this your way," Elder Holland added, "do this the Lord's way."
Pray to be Filled with Charity and Give it All You Have
To repeat: "This is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is His church, His gospel, His work, and HIS MISSION. This is not your mission, it is the Lord's mission."
Wright also had some advice for his daughter regarding her companions:
Speaking of prayer, invest many of them in your companions. They’ll be different than you, but no less wonderful.
Some will be more knowledgeable, some less so.
Some more confident, others may struggle.
Many will teach with great power and authority, others with a soft, humble voice.
Celebrate and embrace those differences. God gives us all different talents, and as long as they all have arrows pointing to Him, it doesn’t matter what they look like.
Love them all. Serve them endlessly. Put the Savior first and your companion second. Do that, and you’ll never be forgotten nor left behind by either one.
I had some similar comments in my early blog post:
Some will be more knowledgeable, some less so.
Some more confident, others may struggle.
Many will teach with great power and authority, others with a soft, humble voice.
Celebrate and embrace those differences. God gives us all different talents, and as long as they all have arrows pointing to Him, it doesn’t matter what they look like.
Love them all. Serve them endlessly. Put the Savior first and your companion second. Do that, and you’ll never be forgotten nor left behind by either one.
I had some similar comments in my early blog post:
In
my mission, there were missionaries for whom it took everything they had
to get 25 hours of teaching and tracting each week, there were others
for whom 25 hours wasn’t really a challenge, and still others who easily
did more. . . .
There
are . . . realities that each missionary must deal with: realities
about himself, about his companions, about his areas, and about life in
general. In these realities are to be found opportunity -- the
opportunity to develop charity. With charity we can have compassion and
understanding towards those missionaries who at first glance look like
buckets (the term in my mission for a lazy missionary), but with another
glance might be seen as those who are giving their all even if they are
doing less. . . .
If we have charity, we might be instruments in the hands of the Lord in helping others to become stronger. In dealing with the realities about ourselves and others, while humbling ourselves before God, and while praying to be filled with the pure love of Christ, we can become powerful tools in the service of the Lord.
If we have charity, we might be instruments in the hands of the Lord in helping others to become stronger. In dealing with the realities about ourselves and others, while humbling ourselves before God, and while praying to be filled with the pure love of Christ, we can become powerful tools in the service of the Lord.
I had many different companions on my mission; some were confident, others less so. Some were willing to work hard, while some lacked motivation. Some were good at teaching, but a few seemed to be little more than warm bodies. But as I try to have charity, I can see that, despite their weaknesses, these elders were doing the best they could and, in their own way, giving it all they had.
