Missionary Work...

Dave has just become the Ward Mission Leader and we were asked to both speak about missionary work last Sunday. I have found that it is very handy to keep these talks on my blog for future reference. It is nice to have so much documentation all in one place that is easy to find. So, you are welcome to read if you would like. We also had a very special birthday this weekend. I will post pictures of our 4 year old princess as soon as I get a chance.

Missionary Work
These are the initial questions I asked myself.
What does missionary work mean to me? How has it affected me? What have I learned by being involved with missionary work?

*As a little girl:
My dad was the ward mission leader for many years when I was young. I thought it was really cool to have the missionaries over for dinner. I don’t think I knew it at the time, but I knew there was an extra special feeling when they were in our home. There was always a good spirit and a feeling of love as we sat around the table and talked. I thought back over the many times that the Elders would come to our home for dinner and one particular time stands out above all the others. I think this is kind of funny, because, as parents, we don’t know the things that are going to stand out in our kids minds the most. Sometimes the things that stand out over the years are the things we really wish didn’t.
One Sunday I remember getting home from church and all of a sudden my father gasped, “Oh no, I forgot the missionaries are coming for dinner.” My parents opened the refrigerator and there was no food. They looked through the empty cupboards and the next thing I knew, my dad was ordering Chinese food on the phone. My little 10 year old head was thinking, we never order take out food on Sundays, especially to feed the missionaries. Then, to make it even more memorable, I remember my parents scooping all the food into different glass containers putting them in the oven and telling us kids to pretend that we made it ourselves. I couldn’t believe it. What were my parents thinking? After about 5 minutes into the meal after a dozen compliments, my dad told the Elders the truth. Now although, my story doesn’t really have a point, I guess the point is that our kids are watching us and are very impressionable during those younger years. And, families are not perfect, but God loves us despite our shortcomings.

The bishop wanted us to talk about missionary work in general and also the missionary work that goes on in our homes. The missionaries are wonderful examples to our children. When they come to our homes, it is an opportunity for us to ask questions, to learn about the work going on around us, and to feel of the Elders love and devotion to the gospel. My husband never lets the missionaries leave without a short lesson. We always try our best to have our children be a part of the lesson and bring it down to their level. When we do this, we are giving the missionaries an opportunity to teach and strengthen us as well as planting beautiful seeds into the hearts of our children at a young age.

The greatest example of missionary work in my life has been the example of my father. That may be hard to believe after the Chinese food story I just shared, but he truly was an exceptional missionary. I could easily spend the rest of my time talking about my dad’s conversion story and the missionary he became, but my goal is to give Dave the larger portion of time for his talk, so I will move ahead.

The next greatest example of missionary work in my personal life was that of my husband. I began dating my husband when I was 17 years old. We wrote each other letters over the two years that he served and were married shortly after he came home. I was blown away by what a different person he was when he returned from his mission. I know he treasures every experience he had while serving for two years. His mission shaped him into the kind of man I feel so grateful to be married to.

Through our first 5 years of marriage while we were living in Salt Lake, I had very little to do with missionary work. Once we moved to Grenada in the Caribbean, we were in a tiny branch, and on the whole island, there was only one set of Elders. Imagine having a whole island just to yourselves. There was no one checking up on them, the work was very hard and very slow, they felt alone, and we saw some Elders that were just not “into” the work. Dave and I sensed this, and it became very frustrating to see them not working hard and losing their desire to teach. That is when Dave and I decided that we were not going to feed the missionaries anymore, UNLESS they brought an investigator with them to teach in our home after the meal. We knew the people on the island would not pass up a free meal, plus, people in the Caribbean do not use the word “I’m busy,” because the truth is that no one is really busy, it is the most laid back lifestyle, so there was no reason why the Elders shouldn’t be able to find a few people to take us up on this offer. Once the Elders started bringing people into our homes to teach, it was like a night and day difference. The spirit was strong, the missionaries started to change their attitudes and they saw that we really cared about seeing progression. That was my first experience really understanding that the missionaries needed our help. They were making very little progress without help from the few members on the island. Those nights teaching the gospel in our apartment are a few very sacred memories that I treasure from Grenada.

President Monson told the newly called mission presidents at the 2008 seminar for new mission presidents: “There is no substitute for a member-oriented proselyting program. Tracting will not substitute for it. Golden questions will not substitute for it. A member-oriented program is the key to success, and it works wherever we try it.”

That is one of the messages I hope to leave with you all today. We are a part of this great work, and we need to do all that we can to help the missionaries in their efforts.

The thing I love the most about being a part of missionary work is watching peoples lives change. It is inspiring and truly amazing to see a life change once that person has been introduced to the gospel.

After we moved from Grenada, we once again became a part of a small branch, this time in Detroit Michigan. My first Sunday there, we sat towards the back of the chapel, and I watched a particular girl about my age with two small boys. This mother, I later found out, named Kenya, had a real sharpness in the way she spoke to her 2 and 4 year old sons. I watched her forcefully grab them again and again as they wouldn’t sit still. I couldn’t help but wonder what Kenya’s story was. Just by looking at her, I could tell she had a very hard life. There was not any sight of joy or happiness in her eyes. She looked angry and mean and her lips looked like it had been a very long time since she had smiled. Even when I tried to make eye contact with her and smile, she looked so hardened and cold. My heart went out to her. There was an older woman sitting on the bench next to Kenya. She looked much warmer and was doing her best trying to keep the boys quiet. She appeared to be the grandma. After seeing so much sadness and anger in Kenya’s eyes, I couldn’t stop thinking about her the whole week. I shortly found out that she was not a member of the church. The older woman sitting next to her was a member, and was also the grandmother to the two boys; however, she was not Kenya’s mother. I discovered that the grandmother had taken Kenya and the two boys into her home when her own son had abandoned them. Kenya had not been married to her son; she had hardly even known his mother. But out of love, this older woman took Kenya into her home and wanted to do all she could to help raise her grandchildren, even with her own son out of the picture. It wasn’t long before we all started to see a light come into Kenya’s eyes. Her countenance changed. She smiled. She began to talk. She made friends. She was baptized. She started to show a new love and warmth to her boys. She gained a testimony and a love for her Savior. Kenya truly seemed to have been transformed in just a few months. Everything about her was different. That, to me, is one powerful example of the way in which a life can change once someone finds Christ. But once again, the missionaries only did a small portion of the work. It was the members who befriended her. We helped care for her boys. We invited her to different activities. We let her feel of our love and that made all the difference.

Moving from Michigan has been a hard move for me. I loved that branch. Dave and I knew each member so closely, I have had a hard time letting go. When I went back to visit our branch in Detroit after being away for 6 months I was doing fine holding myself together until I saw Kenya from across the room. She gave me a big wave and warm smile and I thought back to that first impression I had of her and I couldn’t hold back the tears. It is an amazing, beautiful sight to see the way a persons’ life is transformed after coming into the fold of God.

God has so much love for each of us. In the 15th chapter of Luke it reads: “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” It is important for each of us to ponder how it feels to be lost. What does it mean to be that “Spiritual” shepherd? Who will leave the 99 to find the one who is lost? This is what it means to be a member missionary.

From the Doctrine and Covenants we are told: “And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!”

I have experienced this joy. I hope to experience it again and again for the rest of my life. The gospel of Jesus Christ is where I find my greatest joy, and I do not want to hold that joy back from anyone. I want to share it. We can all share the gospel. We can all pray for the courage to open our mouths.

In the words of Elder Tom Perry, “Our great missionary message to the world is that all mankind is invited to be rescued and to enter the fold of the Good Shepherd, even Jesus Christ. Our missionary message is strengthened by the knowledge of the Restoration. We know that God speaks to His prophets today, just as He did anciently. We also know that His gospel is administered with the power and authority of the restored priesthood. No other message has such great eternal significance to everyone living on the earth today. All of us need to teach this message to others with power and conviction. It is the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost that testifies through us of the miracle of the Restoration, but first we must open our mouths and testify.

Many of you are aware that my husband and I are working to help provide a way for a young man named Michael Bruno from Grenada to come live with us and get a college education this fall. I feel that my faith has been tried and tested over these last few months, but we are trying to stay hopeful despite some recent setbacks. Michael was denied his student visa a week and a half ago. It was a very unkind man who interviewed him and wrongly judged him within just a few seconds. Dave and I have been so discouraged and frustrated, but we feel like we can’t give up.
I want to share Michael’s short and simple testimony that he wrote to us. (not included at this time.)

I also believe in the restoration of the gospel on this earth. I know Joseph Smith to be a true prophet of God. Above all, I know Jesus Christ is my Savoir and Redeemer. He is the way back to the Father. I pray that each day my relationship with my Father in Heaven can be strengthened and that I can put my full trust and faith in Him.
I pray that we can all gain a stronger desire to find the lost sheep that need our help to come into the fold of God. It is my hope that we can all open our mouths and let the spirit guide us as we tell the truths we know. It will bring us great joy to watch this great change take place, just as I saw in Kenya. The gospel provides hope. I know this to be true and it is my desire that we will not be scared to spread this good news to our friends and neighbors.