Going Home Another Way
We as mission leaders have the sacred opportunity to watch our missionaries change and grow during their service. It is rewarding to see their personal transformations as their testimonies grow and they develop trusting relationships with the Savior. Because of this, saying goodbye to them when they have finished their service is always bitter-sweet. We love each deeply, no matter how their mission experience plays out, and we sincerely care for them and their futures.
Unfortunately, many of our missionaries are apprehensive to go home because they are worried that they will fall into old habits and destructive patterns. We remind them that during their missions they have learned how to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with that same intentionality, they can step forward with their new life at a higher level created by this foundation. We reassure them that as they continue these same patterns of discipleship, the Lord will be anxiously engaged in their development and happiness. He will also always remember that they individually stepped forward boldly to serve Him during this time of their lives.
Amy Wright spoke about this at the Seminar for New Mission Leaders a few weeks ago and she said these words:
When the Wise Men left after having a sacred and worshipful experience with the Christ child, they went home “another way.” This was not simply a directional change but a spiritual transformation. The same should be said of our missionaries. During their time of service, it is our hope and prayer that our dear missionaries have continual experiences with the Savior that are so deeply profound and personal that they are forever changed. They are not meant to return to their old ways, their old habits, their old lives. They are meant to go home a higher and holier way.
With this reassurance we can joyfully say our goodbyes as we ask them to stay in touch and to let us know how their beautiful lives unfold before them. Each missionary has blessed us profoundly and will always be counted in our hearts as one of ours. As such, we will continue to pray for their success and wellbeing for the rest of our lives.
The following are some links to some recent online Liahona articles filled with guidance for newly returned missionaries. You might find them interesting and helpful.
