By Sister McCammon
Being a missionary includes many known and unknown things. The known things include waking up early. going to bed early, talking to people, and teaching the gospel. The unknown things are less physical and include getting rejected all day, day after day, feeling homesick, feeling like you are not enough. At least in my experience that is what I didn't expect. The knowns make it worth it, but the unknowns can present challenges. For me, the biggest challenge is knowing when I am successful.
Preach My Gospel describes success as a missionary as "your commitment to find, teach, baptize, and confirm people and to help them become faithful members of the Church who enjoy the presence of the Holy Ghost." The words of this manual are inspired by God, so the Lord has said that He doesn't just want converts. He wants converted disciples, starting with His missionaries. He wants the missionaries to be committed in helping Him. As Nephi states in 1 Nephi 3:7 "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." The Lord has commanded His missionaries to be where they are and do what they are doing and be successful. So He provided a way for that.
The hardest part is the influence of the world as a missionary. Satan works very hard to make missionaries feel worthless. Preach My Gospel warns against comparison of numbers from ourselves against other missionaries. It is not easy though. Despite all efforts it still feels to not seem enough. There still feels like there is criteria and so many things to be doing at once, that it feels like an equation set up to make a missionary fail unless they are perfect. It feels like constant failing by focusing on what you are not doing instead of what you are. Brad Wilcox talks about this in his talk "His Grace is Sufficient"; he tells the story of a girl who came to him and sadi she didn't understand grace. She listed things she wasn't doing, and should be, and things she was doing and shouldn't be then told Brother Wilcox, "I know that I have to do my part and then Jesus makes up the difference and fills the gap that stands between my part and perfection. But who fills the gap that stands between where I am now and my part?" This is the thought that Satan uses against missionaries. He makes them feel as if they are too far gone, that they really can't reach the point where the Savior starts to help. As Brother Wilcox explains though, "Jesus doesn’t make up the difference. Jesus makes all the difference." There is never a time the Lord is not helping us. In reality, He is there all the time.
From Preach My Gospel, there is a list of things to know when you are a successful missionary, but the biggest one in my opinion is not even listed. It is to really feel that you are closer to Christ everyday. You are feeling the Spirit and using the Atonement of Jesus Christ. That is success. The Lord says he wants commitment, and that is the reward for that. When we are doing what we can to show our appreciation for all the blessings and opportunities we have as missionaries, we are rewarded in spirit and in love.
All this is not to say that there are never going to be days and maybe weeks where success seems impossible, but the Lord will help us know what to do. Stephen E. Robinson expands on Jesus Christ's Atonement as a deal we make with Him. We can never pay the full price, but Christ says to us,“I’ll tell you what. All right, you’re not perfect. How much do you have? What can you do? Where are you now? Give me all you’ve got, and I’ll pay the rest. Give me a hug and a kiss; enter into a personal relationship with me, and I will do what remains undone.” This is Christ's main goal for all of humanity. He wants us to give Him what we have, no matter how meager, how big some days or minuscule others, He wants us to hand it to Him, and He will do the rest. He invites us all in Matthew to, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." He invites all people everywhere to attach themselves to Him, and He will give us rest. He will help us find our way. As we learn of Him- and we learn best by teaching- we will find rest because we will become like Him.
Missionary work is hard. It is really hard to feel like you are enough because we are imperfect people attempting to do a perfect work, but Christ is there. As we turn to Him and really trust that He is there. Believe not just who He is, but what He says, then we become successful. I struggle still. I am still learning myself, and there are a lot of scriptures and wrods that comfort, that testify of Christ being there, but ultimately, Christ will let himself be known. He doesn't want us to be in darkness because He is "the light and the life of the world" (3 Nephi 11:11). He will light the way and bring us to the knowledge of our success. The world will try to darken the way by saying that "it is too hard" or "you are not good enough" and sometimes "you can never be as good as Sister." All of these are lies that belief in Christ will dispel. It will take time. It is not meant to be easy, but it is meant to help us grow.
Success; therefore, cannot be measured in who is better or who had the most numbers, but in commitment to our Savior and following the commandments He gives to His people. He loves us, and that is the greatest feeling of all. That is the measure. That is success. To feel the Lord's love for ourselves, to feel the Spirit. It can and will be hard, but the Lord is there. You are not alone, and success is fully attainable. It doesn't have to be a challenge, because He is helping along the path He prepared and is lighting. Christ really is the Savior, our Savior. He loves us, and has established His true church for the benefit of all people including you. He provided the Book of Mormon and Bible as examples of His love. Jesus Christ really is our Savior and our friend, In the Name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Not a lot of time to write a real letter this week so she included something she sent to the Mission President. Working through struggles with emotions that she's never dealt with before is mentally exhausting. Here's a few photos from the week though!
Summer Cottage of a member
Picking Currents at the cottage
Making Daisy chains in the park
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