Why Serve a mission?

When I was 15 years old I listened to the mother of a close friend talk about serving a mission. For the first time I remember really wanting to serve a mission when I turned 21. I just had to hear hundreds of missionaries sing "Called to Serve" in the MTC! Time went on, and I prepared for the different eventualities of life. When the age sister missionaries could serve dropped to 19, I was super stoked! I was 19, almost 20! I could go early! Well, it turned out that wasn't the time for me. November of 2013, I felt strongly like I should reconsider the mission idea. I did, and the pieces of the puzzle fell into place :) This is all really nice, but it's not really the WHY, it's more of the HOW.

So WHY am I choosing to dedicate 18 months of my life away from my family, friends, school, and a closet full of clothes to talk to people in Missouri? Well, 33 years ago, 2 male missionaries started talking to my dear sweet Momma. The message they shared with her changed the course of her existence, and our family. I'm so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and the knowledge I have of who He is, and what His plan for His children is. I can't help feeling like if I choose not to share this message with others that I'll be ungrateful for the amazing gift that I've been given. I've also been blessed with some talents that I'd like to give back to the Lord. As much as I love my family and the other things listed above, I love my Heavenly Father and Savior more. They have called, so I'm answering.

Monday, August 3, 2015

Kids say the darndest things

Hello Everyone!

I hope this letter finds you nice and cool drinking a slush from a glass on the beach, or doing something equally as enjoyable. This week was actually not too hot. I have discovered sweat glands in places I never knew I had them due to the humidity, but it's been raining again, so that keeps things cool. That quote was courtesy of a little boy we met talking to people before an appointment on Saturday. Kids are too funny!

So something that I've learned on my mission is that not everyone prays the same way. We met this lovely lady knocking on doors near a referral, and she invited us in. She was older, and couldn't hear or understand much, but she kept telling us we had a good spirit. Before we left, we offered to pray with her and she motioned for us to get in a circle. We assumed she wanted us to hold hands (everyone likes praying that way it seems) but she actually wanted us to form this hugging circle thing. Our faces were just inches away from each other and it was so funny! We could hardly keep it together. She ended up having to say the prayer because neither of us could talk. I don't think those kinds of prayer circles are for me. I'll just stick to folding my arms.

This week was so amazing! We were able to see the hand of the Lord so many times! Last week when we were trying to contact a potential, we knocked on a few doors nearby. We met this wonderful black lady. On Tuesday, I felt like we should go back. After we taught her the first lesson, she told us that the day we came, she had been going through something hard. We had lifted her. She could feel a special spirit about us. We went back to see her again on Friday, and brought one of our recent converts with us. It was so great! The recent convert was able to connect with her and teach her about forgiveness. It was amazing to see. The lady prayed that we wouldn't forget about her and that we would keep coming. I guess she doesn't yet realize the persistence of missionaries... One of the best parts was how fired up it made the recent convert. She saw the good that she can do and how she can really help other people, and she's on fire! She just got her visiting teaching assignments, and she's so excited! We're so blessed to be a part of so many people's journeys.

Something we've been focusing on is having more members get involved in the work and catch the spirit of missionary work. We had 2 laurels come out with us and it was so great! Their testimonies are so simple and profound. It's so amazing to have the testimonies of members because they see things in a different, more applicable light. It's so awesome to be able to work with so many wonderful people. MEMBERS ARE SO IMPORTANT! We seriously can't do this work alone. If you're not net comfortable with inviting someone to talk to the missionaries, say hi to those who are talking to them/have talked to them! Say hi to the new faces at church! Invite them over for dinner/for FHE. It's amazing the difference it makes.

This past week I read in D&C 103:12 that "after much tribulation, as I have said unto you in a former commandment, cometh the blessing". It's so true! We saw this in action. We've been had a bit of a challenge of turning potentials into investigators, but this week we were able to see some of the fruits of our labors to involve members and talk with everyone. The Lord truly has so many blessings he's waiting to give us! We need only endure in faith.

Keep up all the good you do! Have a wonderful week!

Lots of love and support,
Sister Edgel
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