Becoming a Righteous Servant

I have reached a moment I never thought would come. In only two days I will be boarding a plane to Manila where I start my journey as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In the mere six weeks I spend there, I will be studying the Tagalog language and being whipped into shape to teach and preach and help change as many lives as I can. If I have learned one thing about myself in my short 22 years, is that changing lives and making people happy is my favourite thing to do. Being a missionary is like getting a job as Christ's personal assistant. He gives us tasks to do, and directs us the people that He knows are ready to hear His message. We, as His assistants, schedule appointments to meet with those people, and together we go into their houses and share His gospel with them. We do most of the talking, but He does all of the teaching.

One other fact I have found it crucial to remember, is that even before and after my mission in the Philippines, I am a missionary and a representative of Christ. I've always been one, and always will be. It is my responsibility as a member of the church to do everything in my power to love and support and teach and strengthen every one of our Heavenly Father's children, whether they know they are or not.

Serving a mission for the church wasn't something that I had always planned on doing, and I must admit, it kind of surprised me that Heavenly Father would trust me with the task of teaching His children. Over the past 6 or so months since submitting my mission papers, I have seen many miracles in my own life and in the lives of my friends and family. I have gained a love and understanding of the scriptures like never before, I have a better understanding and empathy for those around me, and I have seen how easy it is to be happy when you love the Lord and are obedient to Him.

Mark 10:29-30
"And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my sake, and the gospel's.
But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life."

I know that through serving the mission that the Lord has called me for will bless my life in unmeasurable ways. One of those ways is that all those people that I love will be taken care of while I'm away, and that I will have no cause to worry, and that the Lord will take care of them a hundredfold better than I ever could if I had stayed at home, because I am helping Him find souls who otherwise would have no pathway unto Him.

I testify of the importance of missionary work and of the truth of this church. I know that Christ lives, that He loves me and that He loves you, and if you don't know that, ask the missionaries and they will show you how you can.

Within a year, each of these ladies will be serving as full-time missionaries for the church. From left to right, Esther Cooper, Madison Heal, Lucy Kuhn, Courtney McKim, Sarah Bennallack and Rush McKay