Joy of the Sabbath

Two weeks ago while I was studying some conference talks, I felt inspired to do more to keep the Sabbath. I have always tried to keep the Sabbath but more as a duty or responsibility and at times I felt restricted by it. I was touched when a general authority said in his talk that he found so much joy on the Sabbath that he didn’t have to worry about what he could or couldn’t do. It came naturally.

To keep from feeling too restricted on the Sabbath I had always reserved and few hours to do something that I wanted to do like play a game or watch a television program. Last Sunday I decided to just follow the Spirit. As a missionary it’s not too hard to keep the Sabbath most of the day because we are quite actively involved in the Lord’s work. It really boiled down to the those few hours that I had previously reserved for myself.

It was like crossing a barrier when at the end of the day, I searched for a few things to do. Surprisingly it was very easy to find something. I first opened the scriptures and reread a chapter of The Book of Mormon which I had read that morning. The Spirit opened up the words of that chapter and in Alma’s few words to his wayward son, I saw the whole purpose and meaning of life. His words were true, I felt them to the very depths of my soul, so strongly that I used the same chapter later in the week to teach a newly baptized member of the church. Next I opened the Liahona, the Church magazine to the rest of the world, and found an article about marriage. Again the Spirit touched me and opened my eyes. In this wonderful article centered around “The Proclamation” I found new understanding and meaning about my own relationship with my wonderful companion. I was so touched by it that I asked her to read it again with me.

I read other articles, feeling the same spiritual power. At end of the day, I realized that I found the joy in the Sabbath that the general authority had talked about. I looked forward to the next Sabbath day, the feeling of restriction gone, replaced by a greater understanding of this wonderful gift that the Lord has given me.

Putting Our Faith on the Line

Being a missionary is being involved in the lives of people, trying to lift them with our own faith and testimony, bringing the Spirit into their lives. We are on the front lines of a spiritual war being waged. Through it all comes the constant need to honor and respect free agency. We plant seeds and teach the people how to nourish them through their own actions of faith. Stretching our own faith we try to get them to hear what we are saying beyond just the words. This process is repeated and repeated until it starts to take hold or it is clear that they are not ready to continue at this time.

It is a very difficult, at times disappointing, and other times rewarding effort. Most days my wife and I return home physically drained. The work is never done. One victory does not ensure that it will last.

For example last night we had a wonderful and rewarding victory. A young woman who has for weeks been very animated about being baptized finally entered the waters. The joy on her face made all of our efforts and those of the other missionaries well worth it. But even this wonderful victory is only a beginning. This week my wife and I will start new member discussion with her and her husband, helping her to make the transition to being a member of the Lord’s Church. Our goal will be to eventually see this woman and her husband sealed in the temple with many smaller steps along the way.

With all of this comes the realization of the immensity of the task before us. There are so many people with so many needs. That is where faith kicks in. With the Lord, all is possible.

La Oficina

One place that I haven’t talked about yet is the mission office. This is where Chrise and I spend between five and eight hours a day five days a week. With two other senior missionaries we take care of the logistics of the mission, handling finances, immigration, missionary apartments, and a myriad of other responsibilities. Our goal when we arrived was to free all of the young missionaries from the office and within a couple of months we had achieved that goal. Another goal we have is to do everything possible to lessen the load of the mission president and his wife. The president would have to be the judge of whether we have been successful in doing that. I hope we have.

Even though we are working in the office spending a good deal of our time doing things that would not seem to be very spiritual, we have found a great deal of joy in that service. In the office we are able to consecrate our experience and talents acquired over many years in the service of the Lord. It is the center of the mission and we have many opportunities to meet the missionaries and help them. I always try to get up and greet them and make them feel special when they come in the door.

To be honest, I had some misgivings when we first received the call to be office specialists. It didn’t seem like missionary work. But I was wrong. Giving it our best, we have felt the Lord’s approbation, and as I said above, we’ve had a great deal of joy in our service. It confirms something that I have always believed that it doesn’t matter where you serve in the gospel, but how you serve.

The House of the Lord

For the past few weeks my wife and I have been working very hard to get people to join us in an excursion to the Mexico City Temple, which is opening after two years of renovations. We invited investigators, less actives, and newly baptized people. Many of whom we’ve had trouble getting to commit to more simple things like coming to Church.

Something that perhaps you should know about me. I am very passionate about the temple. I believe it to truly be the House of the Lord as were the temples of antiquity, a place with a beautiful peace and spirit. For this reason, I called and I visited and I visited, trying to excite these people whom I have come to love very dearly to join me and my wife.

On Tuesday the day finally arrived. Everyone came, well, everyone except for one. The bishop had rented two small buses, one for me and my wife and the people we had invited and the other for other members of the ward. Both buses were full. On the trip my love for the Mexican people grew. Even though many did not know each other, they had a wonderful time together, talking and laughing and sharing food.

The temple was well organized, with guides everywhere, who did a wonderful job of helping those that were with me to understand what a sacred place the temple was. We saw movies about the eternal nature of families that moved us to tears and we stood around altars where I could easily imagine each of the families that had come with us kneeling in the not too distant future. The culmination of the visit was our time in the celestial room. The guide said nothing. We all stood in complete silence for a couple of minutes and the Spirit of the temple worked its wonders. Everyone afterwards said that was the part that had touched them the most.

As we left the temple there was one more wonder and surprise in store for us. In the final gathering area there was an incredible life size picture of Jesus Christ standing in a jungle area with two teary eyed young girls clinging to his robes. It was so life like that it looked like a photograph. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. Even now as I write this there are tears in my eyes thinking about it.

Still Kids

The young men and women we work with every day are incredible. We love them and admire so much their dedication to serving the Lord so far from their homes. On this my second mission I have a much greater understanding of the need for the mission rules and strict adherence to them. These young people are very vulnerable to the outside forces of the world and to their own emotions. Each of them is barely out of their homes and the protection of their family. For almost all of them this is their first extended foray into the world. Some are more ready than others, but for all it is a great challenge. Each is capable of incredible acts of faith and also of the childish actions of youth.

A couple of nights ago, I got a text from President Crickmore asking for explanations of some of the expenses I had recently processed in the mission finances. One in particular he was interested in was eight hundred and two pesos paid for Krispy Kreme Donuts. Just so you understand, here in Mexico that is a lot of money, though it is only fifty-three dollars. Another thing to understand is that the President appoints two exceptional missionaries to help him called his assistants. Our assistants are such exceptional missionaries. They are incredibly courageous and wonderful examples to the other missionaries and to us. But they are also the ones who bought the Krispy Kreme Donuts to “feed” missionaries who were waiting for their flights home. Now the assistants have permission to feed missionaries waiting a long time for their flights, but Krispy Kreme Donuts? The next morning after the president’s text, I mentioned to them that he was going to bring up the Krispy Kreme donuts. Both of them looked liked two kids with their hands caught in the cookie jar, and when the President arrived at the office, the first thing he mentioned was the donuts. Both of their countenances fell to full repentance. They wanted to reimburse the Church out of their own meager pockets, which would probably mean that they wouldn’t be eating a lot for a month, but the president just chastised them a bit and moved on. By the way, I absolutely love our president. I have never seen a more caring or dedicated man in my life. 

Some of the missionaries are overcome by the pressures of the mission and either ask to be sent home or are sent home. This is really tough for everyone, especially the president though he tries not to show it. Being in the office we see each of them. It breaks our hearts. Chrise is often moved to tears. Recently, a young missionary told the president that he/she wanted to go home. He/She had just lost two companions, who went home for medical reasons and that had upset him/her more than he/she or we had understood. The president did everything in his power to dissuade him/her. Chrise and I prayed for him/her. As one final effort, the president connected him/her to his/her bishop and stake president. After more than an hour on the phone, he/she agreed to stay. Literally, everyone jumped for joy.