June 22-26
When Stuart was nineteen years old, he served a two year mission in Mexico City teaching people about Jesus Christ and baptizing them to be a part of His church. He learned how to trust God, how to work hard, and it has blessed his life ever since. He had a married couple with a family who also lived there, who served as mission president and companion, and were his mentors while he was there to help him grow and develop. That is what we have been asked to do for a group of young missionaries in Uruguay. We will teach and serve alongside them for the next three years. I am humbled and so grateful for the opportunity. We also get to take our six kids with us and I know these experiences will teach my kids so much. Living in a foreign country always opens your world view and helps you realize how we are all children of a loving God, no matter our culture or background.
This week we went to the MTC to attend the Mission President Seminar. It was so special. In our faith, there is a quorum of 12 apostles just like in the Bible. Their commission is to take the gospel to all the world. We share in that commission as fellow servants when we serve a mission. At the MTC or Missionary Training Center, we were taught by all the twelve apostles, as well as our current prophet President Nelson and his counselors.
President Ballard bore powerful testimony the first day that the mission would be the three sweetest years of our life and that the Lord would trust us to help accomplish miracles. He spoke without notes and finished a few minutes early so President Oaks stood and told us he felt impressed to share one more thing with us. He said that we would have a temptation to imitate people we admired, but the most important thing to remember was that we have specific gifts that we have been given. Use those gifts. Be who you are and magnify the abilities and talents that you have. I know that is true. God has a specific work for each of His children, and there is so much power when we develop who we are with the Lord’s help.
One of the most powerful experiences of the seminar for me was sitting next to a Bolivian couple at dinner. They had already begun their service and only had 15 days notice to relocate and begin serving as mission president and companion because the previous leader died from Covid. They talked about how they felt the Lord’s hand in their lives, how they had missed their son’s wedding and the birth of a grandchild- but it was all worth it because they knew God had called them and he was sending them blessings. They loved working with the young missionaries and bore testimony of how they could trust them and use them as accomplished leaders to teach people about Christ. I was touched by their testimony and how devotedly and gratefully they were living their faith.
It was a wonderful week and ended with a special meeting where we could have a sacrament meeting with President Nelson. He spoke to us about the importance of praying in our closets and finding sacred, quiet times to ponder on the truths of the gospel and to ponder on our covenants. He also encouraged us to write this scripture and post it where we would see it often. “Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.” It is a privilege to be a missionary and a representative of Jesus Christ.
On Saturday, once we had Jackson and Hallie back to us from FSY, we had the opportunity to be set apart by Elder Andersen. He has interviewed us several times and been our contact throughout this whole process, so it was so meaningful to share that time with our kids where he could give us blessings and encouragement. I am humbled by this assignment, and grateful that I can serve the Lord in this way. We also got to take a family picture together in front of the big map at the Missionary Training Center. It was a sacred experience to spend these few days here.
