When
I was 16 I received my patriarchal blessing. I was ready to hear what the lord
had in store for me. I remember hearing things that just brought tears to my
eyes, and then there were things that I could only hope would come true. Toward
the end of my blessing I remember the patriarch saying the word missionary.
When I heard this I was a little terrified but instantly I thought “that is
talking about when I serve a mission with my husband.” Well at least that is
what I was hoping for. As a young teenage girl I was not even going to think of
serving a mission by myself…. I would TOTALLY be married by 21. (boy was I
wrong) After some years had passed and I had started to understand my blessing a
little more. The line that contained the word missionary came to me quite
frequently. I remember thinking that I was crazy to be worrying about a mission
when I was a senior in high school, but the lord brings us things at times when
we need them most. There was one day that I was really hung up on the thought
of me serving a mission and so I decided that I need to talk to the Lord about
it. I knew that he would give me strength to understand what I needed to do.
That night I prayed that I would know that if a mission is something I should
even consider in my future. That next day in seminary was a powerful day. We
had the opportunity to listen to the teacher share their experiences that they
had on their missions. Now you can say this was coincidence but I took it as an
answer from my father in heaven. I knew right then that someday I needed to
serve the Lord. I wasn’t sure when it was going to be but I was going to serve.
This may sound a little weird to you that I decided my senior year in high school I was going to serve, but I knew it was something that I needed to do. I had to put my trust in the Lord and follow what I felt my patriarchal blessing was saying to me. Our blessing can be such a strength to us. I encourage you to read and study yours monthly or weekly if you can. If you have not received yours strive to get it as soon as you feel ready for it. There is no age limit.
Father’s
day two years ago I was asked to speak in church with my friend, his dad Kevin
had said that he would come listen to the both of us speak in church. At this
point Kevin was not a member of the church, and wasn’t really interested in
joining. As my friend was leaving another ward he felt as though he should call
his dad to see if he was ready to go to sacrament. Kevin told my friend that he
needed to come home because he thought he was having a heart attack. At this
point my friend raced home as soon as he could. Shortly after he got home Kevin
was raced to the hospital and was taken into great care. This was a scary time
for most people that knew this family. After much arguing from some non member
family members my friend was able to give his dad a blessing at the hospital.
This made a world a difference in my friend and in his relationship with his
father. Kevin didn’t end up having a heart attack but this experience opened
him up to the gospel more. Kevin started to come to church more and more. We
all wondered what was going to happen when my friend left for his mission. If
the letters from a missionary would change this man or not. My friend left
February 2 for his mission….a short two weeks later he returned back home one
last time before he left for Hawaii to baptize his dad. Kevin now is in the
high priest group presidency and is a faithful member of this church. He is one
of the greatest people I have ever met.
I
tell you this story because the change I saw in Kevin made me want to serve a
mission even more than ever! There are people out there just like Kevin who
need the gospel in their life, and it just takes the right amount of time and
the right person to get them there. I honestly can’t wait to go help people
make this change that Kevin has made.
We
don’t need a mission call to Iowa to make a difference in people’s lives. We
can do that here in Logan or our home towns. People are out there for us to
reach. I guess that is the main reason why I am serving a mission is to go
reach those people and help them find the happiness and hope I get from this
gospel…
Thanks for Reading!!
