Being a Missionary Now

My Dad and Stepmother Susan just returned home from a church mission to Boston, Massachusetts.  I'm so proud of and inspired by them as I've read their blog posts each week.  I don't think I've ever seen my Dad happier as he has lost himself in the service of others.  Kendi and I have talked about going on a service mission when we're older, but after watching these two, I'm more committed to doing it than ever.  

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures.  Well done Papa and Nana Sue!

For Christmas, my Dad sent us a book from Clayton Christensen called "The Power of Everyday Missionaries".  I highly recommend this book.  Clayton Christensen is Harvard professor a world-renown businessman.  I studied his Harvard Business Review case studies in business school.  He is not only a brilliant mind, but he is a humble disciple of Christ that finds joy through sharing the good news of the gospel with others, one-on-one as the Savior did.

While watching my dad on his mission and reading this book, I realized that I haven't been the kind of member missionary that I should be.  I've been praying for chances to share the gospel and feel the joy of missionary work.

This past Sunday, I fasted, prayed and set a date.  I asked the Lord to help be find someone not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints with whom I could have a gospel conversation in the next week.  I believe that there are many people that the Lord wants us to help, but He wants to see our commitment and know that we can be trusted.  I was all in and had faith that He would provide the way.

As a side note, I think Satan has a foothold in the workplace.  It's okay to talk sports, our families and politics, but it can be taboo to discuss church or religion.  Some companies have policies against it.  It's easy to understand why the adversary works this way.  We work 10-12 hours a day, get home and try to spend the balance of our time with family.  You add the extra time for community and church service, and it's easy to justify to ourselves that we simply don't have the time.

Hogwash!  Why should the most central part of our lives get squeezed out of day-to-day conversation?  I've found recently that there are tons of opportunities to talk about church, scouts, and church service.  I don't need to give the 1st missionary discussion.  I can talk about my boy in scouts, how the church gives me a chance to service, what I learned from a speaker at church Sunday.  You get the idea.  It's not threatening and if they want to know more, they ask.  I just need to be open and share how the gospel impacts my life day-to-day, and avoid deflecting a gospel conversation into something else when it may be tempting to do so.

This past Thursday, a friend of mine that I've done business with for 5 years asked me if I could give her a letter of recommendation.  She told me that just before Christmas, her company closed down and that she was out of a job, looking for work.  I finished the letter of recommendation and then a peaceful, brilliant feeling entered my mind and heart.  I knew this was an answer to my prayer from last Sunday.  I thought about what I could say that wouldn't be threatening but that could help her.  I told her that I had been out of work before myself and could empathize with her.  I told her, “ You can take it for what it’s worth, but prayer and my faith really helped me through that tough time when I was going through it myself.  Sending good thoughts and prayers your way.”    

This is what I got back from her:

  

Thank you! That means a lot to me.  

I don't  know if I ever told you but my daughter was baptized into the LDS faith about 9 months ago and has never been happier. With the missionaries coming and going from house constantly, my faith has become stronger recently and my admiration for these young people is incredible. (I come from a history of 13 years of Catholic school.) The Church and its members have been so kind to us and has welcomed us warmly even though we are not members. We actually live less than a mile from the Glenview, IL temple.  

I hope that wasn't TMI!

Her email brought tears to my eyes and I had to close the door to my office.  It really touched me.  I told her so and asked her a couple questions about her daughter.  I also remembered Clayton Christensen's book and asked her if she had any questions that I could help her with.  She gave me a short list, mostly about the temple.  She also told me that she hadn't yet taken the lessons from the missionaries but that her newly baptized daughter was preparing to be married in the temple soon.  Some of her questions had to do with the temple.  She also shared some positive interactions she has had with members of the church in her area over the past 13 years, and the special spirit she feels when she sees the temple.

We’ve been going back and forth with emails.  I'm not sure how things will turn out.  Regardless, i'm sure we'll stay in touch.  It's her personal journey to find truth and I respect the decisions she makes.  I've shared a few scriptures from the Book of Mormon and videos from Mormons.org.  For those new to our faith, leaning how to pray and how God answers prayers is really important because it is something very different from memorized prayers.  But the personal relationship and communication with God is how truth is revealed and testimonies are built.

Having this experience and watching the faithful service of others is strengthening my faith in the gospel.  What happened with my work friend is not coincidence – I’m sure of that.  Sharing the happiness the gospel brings is something that I hope I can openly share.  It brings tremendous joy.  It's a little gem I've recently rediscovered and one that I hope not to forget.