Missionaries

Today at our Sacrament Services at Church, we had a young man just return from his mission and he gave his mission report and a gospel message.  He had a very successful mission in the Spanish speaking mission in California.

As he was speaking my mind went back to the time when my own sons had returned from their missions and they too were standing in front of a congregation giving their homecoming talk.

My oldest son Mark went to the Philippines on his mission.  I'm sure when he arrived in that country he witness quite a culture shock.  The food that he learned to eat there was very different from the food that he was use to eating at home, also many of their customs must have seemed very strange to him.

He was very excited about the fact that there he had house boys and house maids and he was also very excited at the time to let his mother know that he didn't have to fix his own meals or do his own laundry.  This experience of having to do his own laundry and fixing his own meals, had been something I had expressed to him, that I was very happy he would be doing this on his mission, so his joy for having a house maid was my disappointment.

His mission was a very rewarding experience for him.  For two years he served his fellowman , he taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people he learned to love.  He came to know his Heavenly Father and to gain a deep testimony of the Gospel of Salvation.

Years later the fruits of his labors came full circle back to him.  One day he received a telephone call from the church headquarters, telling him that one of his converts he had baptized over 25 years ago wanted to talk to him.  This man was now in the Missionary training center being trained to be a new Mission President.  He wanted to thank my son for teaching him and giving him the gift of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

My younger son Brad was called to the North Carolina mission.  I know when he left for his mission he was scared and worried about what the next two years would hold for him.

Reading, learning lessons and discussion I knew would he a challenge for him, but I also knew that with hard work, pray, determination and sincere faith he would be successful.  

He met many wonderful people and had wonderful companions that encourage him.  Brad has a special way with people and no matter where he is, he will soon have many friends.
He was successful on his mission and was instrumental in bring the gospel to many special people.

His mode of transportation while he was in North Carolina was a bicycle.  I wonder how many miles he put on his bike in those two years while on his mission.

Years later his sister Marta and her family moved to the state of North Carolina and lives in the same area where her brother had served his mission.  It's a very Small World...

I have eight grandsons and 5 of them have served missions.  I have 7 granddaughters, with 5 of them married and 3 of the husbands are returned missionaries.  I also have 1 son-in-law that served a mission.

In primary our children learn to sing the song, "I hope they call me on a Mission,"  I'm so thankful that my sons, my son-in-law and my grandsons took the meaning of this song and planned and prepared themselves to be worthy to serve a mission for Our Heavenly Father and to go to where ever they were called to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to special people who are looking for the truth.

I know their lives were blessed for their missionary service and I know this experience has helped in their foundation for being great husbands and wonderful fathers.

I love my Missionaries.....