The Reason to Go Back

Por tanto, quisiera que fueseis firmes e inmutables, siempre abundando en buenas obras para que Cristo, el Señor Dios Omnipotente, pueda ^asellaros como suyos, a fin de que seáis llevados al cielo, y tengáis salvación sin fin, y vida eterna mediante la sabiduría, y poder, y justicia, y misericordia de aquel que ^bcreó todas las cosas en el cielo y en la tierra, el cual es Dios sobre todo. Amén.

Mosíah 5: 15

I would like to take the time today to tell a story which I know will fortify your faith, because it did so to mine. This weekend I had the chance to return to my mission, to visit with converts and old friends from a time that in many ways seems a lifetime ago. I was joyed to see so many progress in the the Gospel, and for the Church to grow as it has in Brooklyn, Queens, and on Long Island since my last visit two years ago, and even more since I first stepped off the plane at LaGuardia Airport over five years ago. Peoples' lives were moving along just as mine was, but love based on the condition of service in the name of the Lord weighed out the awkward moments. This was all well and good, but not the story of the day.

The story that ruled the day was that of Wendy, a convert of four months in the Riverhead Second Branch. From Guatemala, Wendy speaks no English but was brought into the Church via efforts by Spanish-speaking missionaries and members alike. As I got to know her, the Brother Edwards (first counselor in the branch presidency whom I am proud to call an old friend) approached us, and asked if I would translate while he interviewed her, to which I obliged. It was clear that Wendy had a trusted Brother Edwards, but was still in desperate need of a translator.

As he spoke to her, it was clear that he was extending her a call to serve. It was her first calling, a small but important responsibility; she called to serve on the activities committee, to help plan activities, to act as a liaison for the Spanish speakers in the branch, and to invite her non-member friends to the activities as they came. With each word that Brother Edwards spoke, Wendy had her eyes intently fixed on his expression, trying to make out meaning to his foreign method of speech; with each word that I translated, her eyes became aglow with a confirmation of what she suspected he was saying. Yes, she was being called to serve in her very first calling, and she all but jumped for joy in acceptance of the new responsibility she would soon receive. To date I had never seen anyone accept a calling with such zeal, and I know that I never have become so excited. Truly, callings are something that I have often taken for granted, and I am glad to have learned a lesson from Wendy.

After the interview was over, Wendy told me how she was so happy to be a part of this Church, so grateful to have found it, and that she will never leave for as long as she lives. What great faith and excitement for a convert of only four months!

...

A week ago I spoke with a friend at one of the many social events in my single's ward, and mentioned that I would be visiting my mission. She asked me what I thought I would get out of it, to which I balked a little, because I did not really know why i was going, aside from the fact that I should take advantage of the close proximity while I still had the chance. The above story, which occurred a mere hour and a half before I was to leave, is the reason I found. It wasn't found in converts and old friends who knew me years ago, and who loved me now in spite of not really knowing who I've become; it was found in the person who never knew me, but who needed me in the same moment in time when I needed her. Wendy unknowingly testified to me that the work goes on, and that it is not mine, but has always belonged to the Savior of us all.

The above scripture is a quote of the great King Benjamin, exhorting his people and all of us in turn to be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works so that Christ might give us all that he has. How grateful am I for the tender mercies of the Lord, which help me remain like a rock. How grateful am I to be an instrument in the Lord's hands, or in the very least strive to be one. I invite us all to strive, and to look for those opportunities to feel the Lord's tender mercies on a daily basis. I know that as we do so, we will be blessed beyond measure, and I know this because I have felt it in my own life. That is the reason. That is what life is all about.

Have a great week!