Once upon a time...

July 15, 2013

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time there was a misionera.

Everyday she goes about her missionary duties. Get up, excercise, study, eat, leave, preach, plan, sleep. Everyday she reads the scriptures learning a little bit more about the kingom of God from them. Everday she feels and understands a little bit more of God's love. Everyday she tries to be more humble, striving to be stripped of pride so she'll be ready for the day she meets God. Everyday she tries to grow in patience and understanding so that she and her companion can teach in love and unity. Sometimes she succeeds and sometimes she doesn't. But that's okay, because she knows and trusts in the fact that she can use the Atonement on the condition of repentance.


Some days the Spirit teaches her something new about the importance of the family, of temples, of His love for her. Her mind opens as she studies and thinks. Her mind catches hold of a sentence she reads in a book. "Only the home can compare to the sacredness of the temple." She longs to have a home like that one day. Pure. Sacred. Full of peace. For now she thinks about how she will help others learn to create that kind of home and stive to develop the qualities she needs to help her home be like that one day.


Somedays she visits members, young women mostly. She can see in their eyes the pain that they feel from the burden of their sins and this missionary longs to help. She, with the help of her companion, sooth the hurt by helping them apply the Savior's love, to help them understand that He really does come with healing in His wings. Other young women thrive on hearing the good word of God. The misionera speaks excitedly as she explains the awesome power of faith, hoping they'll catch a whisper of the Holy Ghost telling them that it's true.

Other days she visits member families who, because of sickness, pride, a recent death or another worldy exeriences, are struggling a little bit. Some rise and trust in God. Some use the purifying powers of tribulation to become more like Him. Others let the anger and pain bubble inside of them. Others fall away choosing not to call on Christ for help.

The misionera sees all these things. She feels them in her heart. She rejoices when they rejoice and she cries when they cry.


Some days she wishes she could force them all to believe. She often has to resist the urge to hit them in the head with a Book of Mormon until the testimony of Christ within its pages seeps into their skulls. But that is not His way.

Some days she knocks on doors in 100 degree weather for hours. Sometimes she knocks on 30+ doors searching for someone who wants to learn more about families and their importance. 30+ doors...4 possible eternal families. Yes, she thinks to herself. That's worth it.

Other days she finds herself struggling to trust in her leaders and their priesthood keys to lead. God trusts them so she should too. Again she finds herself on her knees pleading for the beautiful powers of the Atonement to help her accept His will.


Some days the misionera and her companion don't get along. Pride, the universal sin, keeps them from teaching in unity. It keeps them from testifying with the Spirit. It keeps them from loving. And again she finds herself on her knees praying for herself, praying for her companion.

Everyday she thinks about the growth she's experienced in just the past year. What will the next 6 months bring? Everyday she rejoices in the fact she wears Christ's name on her chest. Everyday she stands as a witness of God, declaring the good news. Everday she gets on her knees and thanks Him for this amqzing opportunity.


One day she will see God's face and know that she served with all her might mind and strength. One day He will say to her, "well done my good and faithful servant." One day she will sit with Him and her family in the kingdom of God for eternity.