The Savior Goes Before You
I want to share with you what President Chipman and I learned over the weekend about how the Lord loves and blesses his missionaries. As I drove the car to Camana for a District Conference, President Chipman read and translated out loud all the beautiful birthday cards & letters that our missionaries gave us last month. It was so fun to see their individual personalities in writing and through pictures and cards. Each letter was a treasure, and each was received as if they were a special heartfelt gift! Even the short ones on sticky notes were cherished! It was so nice of them to take the time to express their gratitude and love for we indeed felt it. In fact, we will always remember this drive to Camana as a particularly impactful moment of our mission here in Peru. What makes it significant is that we learned that the promises given to us in the Mission Leadership training last June are being fulfilled as we serve.
President Eyring gave this specific promise:
“You can be sure that the Lord placed that missionary in your care. He chose you personally to love and care for “the one.” The Lord will magnify what you say and what you do in the eyes of the missionaries you will be leading and serving. He will send the Holy Ghost to manifest to them that what you teach and testify of is true. What you say and do will carry hope and give direction to missionaries far beyond your natural abilities and your own understanding.”
As a mission leader, it is often difficult for us to feel successful. It seems like we go from one emergency to another, and it is hard to recognize our progress. We find it challenging to have the time to connect with each missionary in a meaningful and heartfelt way. However, as we read the birthday cards, we could see that the spirit was magnifying our efforts because they were full of stories of how we have loved them personally and strengthened them in positive ways. We are so relieved to know that the Lord is compensating for our personal weaknesses.
In D&C 84:88 it says:
And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.
Through this experience and realization, we have a little more confidence as we move forward that God will continue to bless us to be effective beyond our own capabilities. It means so much to us to feel sustained and supported by our missionaries. It is such a pleasure to know them and to love them. We want them to be happy, feel successful, and recognize their divinity and strengths. Most importantly, we want them to feel the Love of our Savior in their lives and find joy even during the challenges as they serve.
Perhaps most importantly, this experience taught us, once again, how fortunate we are to have this unique opportunity to be mission leaders here in the Peru Arequipa Mission.
