Arvore Grande: Porque a Plaqueta?

Well, another week has passed of walking in the sun, in the rain, in the heat, and in this cold. This week was am especially hard week as we faced a lot of rejection, had a lot of lessons fall through, and made the difficult decision to stop teaching many people who were not progressing.

When I left for the mission I knew it would be hard, but I thought it would be hard because of doors slammed in our faces, walking on dirt roads, and being away from my family. Yes those things are hard, but the toughest things about the mission were things that I just was not expecting. For example, someone who knows what we have taught is true but just doesn't want to change their lives, have the answers to lives biggest questions and the people not wanting to know. Not to mention the worry that I constantly have for the members passing through difficulties, the missionaries who are struggling, and the investigators that need constant attention. No a mission is not easy.

And so why? Why am I here? Why did I take on this crazy adventure? Why after one year in the Lord's service am I still here? Why do I wake up everyday at 6:30 and put on that tag that I have come so much to love?

Because it is true.

Jesus Christ lives. He is your Savior. He is my Savior, and I love Him. It is through Him that we are saved, that we are changed. All of the wrong choices and mistakes I have made are washed clean because of Him. Because He suffered, I can repent and have peace. We as a world have access to this sacrifice by means of sacred ordenaces and covenants. Ordinances and covenants that are done by the power of God given to men on the earth today. A power that was once lost but has since restored to the earth.

I know with a certainty that can only come from God, and the Holy Ghost, that this is Christ's church on the earth. This is way for people to find to peace and joy that they are looking for.

I remember the first man that was baptized while I was here on the mission. The spirit was so strong I cried. It was more than a baptism, it was a man whose life changed completely because of the Savior. In that moment I knew that even if I didn't see another baptism, even if everyday I faced nothing but rejection for the following 15 months of my mission, it had been worth it.

If I put on the tag just to find that man, my mission was a success. And how blessed I have been of the Lord that it was not just him, but that there have been others. That I continue seeing the life changing affect of the gospel in the lives of these people. I wear the tag because I know this Chruch is true. And the more I wear the tag, the more my testimony grows. The more this work becomes a part of me.

One day that tag will come off. And I will not be able to stop crying. It is more than I tag, but it is a call to service that has become a part of the very fibers of my being. Though in that moment I will suffer, I know that no one can take away the testimony that I have grown and the desire I will have the rest of my life to share the good news of the gospel.

But, until that day comes, I will give it my all. I will not stop working. Even with the long days and the hard experiences, it is all worth it to find and help one more life change. When the Lord is with me, I will not fear, I will not doubt, but I will trust in him. He has a plan for me, and He knows me. And as long as I am burning bright with testimony, I will share it.