Missionary Work, the Sunday lesson
Today's sacrament meeting was somewhat of a missionary homecoming of sorts, you know how the church did away with official missionary farewells and homecomings, but they still give a talk sometimes when they get home. I'm new to the ward, so I don't know the kids who came home but he was pretty interesting. He served in the Wisconsin, Milwaukee mission. His story is pretty interesting, apparently he was baptized with his family as converts when he was 13, so he was the first missionary in his family. Usually when guys come home they are like "oh I was so excited to go, and now that I'm back I'm going to convert the rest of the world!" But he wasn't like that. First off, the girl who killed herself last week was his girlfriend/best friend before he left, and he deeply cared for her, he said "all my companions knew about her." So she killed herself a week before he got home, and that was really hard for him. We had a high councilman from the stake speak first and he was really good, very funny and poignant and engaging. I'm still really good friends with many people from my old ward, that was my ward for many many years, and the current problem is none of the young men are going on missions. I have an amazing friend who has a son who's turning 18 next month and he's had a very difficult life, I don't think anyone expects him to go on a mission, but I want him to go desperately. Why? Because I love him, Because I want him to have a full, happy life centered on serving Jesus Christ. I've been on both sides of the trail, and there is nothing but heart ache and misery and I don't want that for him, I want him to know the joy and peace and happiness that comes with following Christ. I don't want him to know just what he can do for others, but I want him to know what others can do for him, what the Lord does for those who follow him. Anyway, he started out by saying "you're only 19 once, you only have this opportunity to serve once. Yes you can serve later, with your wife or something but you only can serve in your youth once, you only get the chance to earn those blessings once. You can only set yourself up for life once. Then it's gone. He asked everyone who has ever served a full time mission to stand up, many people stood up, he told Josh, the kids who came back, "you're part of a fraternity now, these are your brothers and sisters who know what you've been through, they are there for you." He talked about "what do you do now that you're home?" He read Acts 10:38, "Jesus went about doing good." He said "now you go about doing good, that's your mission now." He talked about "imparting of your substance." He said to impart of your substance, your money, your possessions, your time, your talents. He read from King Benjamin's account about the "beggar's doctrine," he talked about how some people will say that they refuse to give to the poor because they think that the poor brought it on themselves. And these people have much cause to repent.
Then Josh got up and said that he was very stubborn, he had actively planned on NOT serving a mission, but he humbled himself and read 2 Nephi 1:21, where Lehi pleads with L&L to become righteous men, "arise from the dust, my sons, and be men." When he read this, he knew that this was talking to him, and that this was the Lord's call for him to serve a mission. He put this scripture on his plaque, this is kind of a unique one. He said that he was scared before and be he humbled himself and went, and now he's eternally grateful. Afterward, there were many older men who came out into the foyer, as I was typing up my notes, and one guy said "I'm so proud of him, I didn't serve and mission and I've been playing catch up for 35 years." And then another man said that same thing too. This is what I want my boy to hear, I haven't heard any one come back from their mission and EVER say "you know, I wish I hadn't have gone on a mission, I should have stayed home and gone to community college instead." Even people who have given up professional sport or musical careers for the rest of their lives, are beyond grateful for the opportunity to serve a mission. This is what I want to tell my friend, as I sit there are cry to him about how much I love him and I truly want him to be happy.
Then Josh got up and said that he was very stubborn, he had actively planned on NOT serving a mission, but he humbled himself and read 2 Nephi 1:21, where Lehi pleads with L&L to become righteous men, "arise from the dust, my sons, and be men." When he read this, he knew that this was talking to him, and that this was the Lord's call for him to serve a mission. He put this scripture on his plaque, this is kind of a unique one. He said that he was scared before and be he humbled himself and went, and now he's eternally grateful. Afterward, there were many older men who came out into the foyer, as I was typing up my notes, and one guy said "I'm so proud of him, I didn't serve and mission and I've been playing catch up for 35 years." And then another man said that same thing too. This is what I want my boy to hear, I haven't heard any one come back from their mission and EVER say "you know, I wish I hadn't have gone on a mission, I should have stayed home and gone to community college instead." Even people who have given up professional sport or musical careers for the rest of their lives, are beyond grateful for the opportunity to serve a mission. This is what I want to tell my friend, as I sit there are cry to him about how much I love him and I truly want him to be happy.
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