...Called to Serve...

If I had been asked a year ago to share a "MISSIONARY" experience....out of desperation I may have come up with some story from my life that could be stretched just enough to do the job, but it would not be easy.  Today, if you asked the same question….it is hard to remember a day passing without a missionary experience.  Missionaries, sharing the gospel, and missionary experiences consume a majority of my time!

I have developed a new found LOVE and APPRECIATION for Sister Missionaries in the past 7 months.  I had no idea before coming to St. Lucia the blessing missionaries can be, not only to those receiving the gospel for the first time, but also to those who were born into gospel.

Basically from the day we stepped foot on this island, the missionaries have been blessing our lives by, eating my cookies, enjoying our cool house, hitching rides in our car, dragging me along to share the word, using our computers, drinking our cold clean water, and crashing our house when they need a quick break from the world….ha ha, which I love every second of….but they have also blessed me with their faith and diligence, their knowledge, there love and support, and there example.

I was so relieved and reassured that you really can find The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints anywhere in the world, just days after arriving in St. Lucia, when Elder Mecham and Elder Rami walked towards me with those white shirts, ties, and little black name tags.

There was an instance connection, bond, and love between Sister Weaver and I, which I doubt will ever be broken, even before I found out she was from Rexburg, Idaho. It was almost as if the Lord had placed her here in St. Lucia, to be a comfort, a guide, and an example to me of how I could make the most of my experience here. 

Sister Udall made me laugh, whether she was trying or not.  We all know how healthy it is to laugh, and we ceased to have a dull moment even when sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

My love and passion for Hawaii and Polynesian blood runs deep, Elder Rivers, who is a Laie boy, taught me that even when life gets tough and it seems to be too much to bear, by following the Gospel of Jesus Christ, being faithfully, and enduring to the end, we can all be happy.

Last but not least, Sister Stephenson loved to do my dishes. There is no greater blessing that someone who loves to do your dishes! Ha….Sister Stephenson’s testimony touched me and her willingness to share her talents, drove me to practice and share my own.

Missionary after missionary has touched my life while being in St. Lucia, and without their love, diligence, and example…I can honestly say I may not have survived.  Missionaries are not just an instrument in Lords hands to preach the gospel….their purpose goes far beyond that.

Growing up in a Mormon community, opportunities to preach the gospel are limited…not so much once you get outside Idaho/Utah, even more so when you move out of the country.  Not a day passes, where I have not had the opportunity to share my beliefs, whether by preaching or by example.  Some experiences are good and some are bad, some are funny and a few have been sad, some come with a memorable story to share, and some I will never be able to forget.

Some of the hardest tears I’ve ever loved to cry came right before I watched one of my best friends, dressed in white, walk into the water and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ, and be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  After months of questions, pouring out my heart, and testifying…words can’t express the joy that filled my soul.

I was invited by the Sister Missionaries to come meet Jannel, just a couple weeks after getting to St. Lucia, and we clicked from the get go.  She had just had her first few lessons from the missionaries the week before when I came along.  Over five months time, lessons, turned into more lessons, which soon turned into lessons and one-on-one games of basketball, hikes, more lessons, bonfires, swimming lessons, more lessons, and hanging out. The more I got to know Jannel, the more I learned about myself, and the more I wanted her to receive the knowledge and blessings that make me who I am. 

Jannel asked some of the hardest questions I have ever been asked, she created some of the toughest scenarios that can be imagined, and she milked my knowledge and understanding bone dry…the only thing for me to do was, testify.

 

Jannel has been a member of the church for almost three months now and is teaching the gospel principles class in our branch.  Though it was not instantly, but over a short period of time I have seen how the Holy Spirit can change lives.  Since Jannel was baptized, confirmed, and received the gift of the Holy Ghost, the light within her brightens every day.  Jannel’s qualities, of Faith, Courage, Confidence, her willingness to stand alone, her testimony, Knowledge, Fun Loving Heart, Acceptance of others, and Persistence….which were present before she was baptized, have become increased tenfold, those qualities now make up who she is. 

The day of Jannel’s baptism I promised her several things, but one thing I hope she never forgets is…

“It won’t be EASY…but it will be WORTH IT”

 
If asked to share a missionary experience today…I may have a hard time deciding WHICH experience to share, but I know there is one experience I will NEVER forget.